Knowledge of the digital world and understanding what could potentially happen if one is not careful is the best way to protect our children from predators on the web. Ignorance is no excuse. Students need to be aware of the consequences of cyber bullying, identity theft, and the permanence of the information they put on the Internet. The only way we can ensure that our children know these rules is to teach them!
I know that it would be one extra thing for everyone to have to deal with, but I firmly believe that all students should have to take an online safety course before beginning any classes online. Just as college students must take entrance and exit loan counseling, students of every age should have to take entrance counseling for learning in the online classroom. This class would be similar to an online orientation course. We cannot assume that students know the dangers that are lurking in cyberspace.
Parents and teachers should take cyber safety very seriously. Even a discussion of what could potentially happen if they are not safe would be a great way to keep Internet safety in the front of every student's mind. This website offers great tips and discussion starters to help us teach Internet safety.
Here is a link to Symbaloo, a bookmarking site where I have collected helpful websites for digital safety.
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