discussion 5:: Internet safety

The Internet is a very robust and useful tool, but so is the chainsaw. When used improperly or carelessly, dangerous things will happen. During my years as a K-12 teacher, I spent a great deal of time talking about Internet safety, privacy, responsible use, etc. I even did this when I wasn’t a “computer teacher” because we used computers and the Internet a great deal. This should be something that all teachers, parents, and community organizations put on their short list of talks to children.
The popularization of social networks, geo-tagging, self-publishing, and other way of telling people too much information online will give, and has given, rise to a greater number of crimes. People must know what information is ok to put online and what isn’t. Parents and teachers must make this a priority for children who are especially susceptible to predators.
Children are very trusting and don’t understand that real, dangerous people aren’t just the scary guys in the alleys, but they could be masquerading as their peers. Teens and pre-teens need to realize how important passwords are and that if someone gets access to an account, especially a social networking account, then anything could happen. This includes things as trivial as gossip and lying to threats and bullying. Then people would think those things were coming from the one whose account was stolen. They also must realize how important it is to be prudent about the things they put online. They must know that once something is online it can never be taken back. This has been seen time and time again for small embarrassments to failed job interviews and even to harassment and murder. People must be made aware of how extremely sneaky and diabolical Internet predators and scammers are. They must be introduced to Phishing and false websites so that they know where to go and where not to go. This will not only keep them safe, but their machines safe as well. This will in turn keep them safe by keeping their machines free of malware, viruses, and keystroke loggers.
Teachers must be vigilant at the beginning of the year and throughout the course of the year to educate and reinforce good decisions for student usage on the Internet. Overly emphasize the importance of reading and being careful what sites are accessed. Filters are good, but good choices are the best. My students were niave in thinking “Mr. Trest, the blocker thing won’t let us go to bad stuff, right?” I had to explain that all filters have gaps, loopholes, mistakes, and vulnerabilities just like everything else. I also had to explain that the security was *mostly* for their safety but the ultimate safeguards were responsible decisions.
That being said, I do think there are good uses for Internet filtering in schools. Students left to themselves on a computer for longer than a minute will try to get off task if they can. This can lead to detrimental things from porn, to harassment, to bullying, to viruses, on and on. *this is being said from experience* The internet filter helps block the most common and accessible problematic sites. I do not think, however, that the filter should be too strict. Those that are too strict tend only to frustrate and make the Internet a tool that cannot be utilized. The district must balance the necessity to guard from litigation and total lockdown. There is a happy medium that helps keep students (and teachers) safe and on task while allowing the usefulness of the Internet to stay intact for the users in the district.