Module 11

When allowing students to use the read/write web to enhance their education, teachers
must explicitly teach students specific skills on how to safely use the web as well as become
healthy users of the web itself. As stated by Richardson (2010), the students should be
responsible, appropriate and common sense users of the web. However in order for our students
to do these things, we must not assume that they already know, but we must teach and model
these three things within our own use of the web.
Under CIPA, school districts must have restrictions in place that will block inappropriate
content but there are always going to be a few that get past those blockers. It is the "few" that we
must teach our students to be cognizant of. We cannot protect them completely from never
coming across such sites, however we can teach them how to appropriately respond when and if
that happens.
Teachers must first search the web and find resources that are safe and healthy for
students to use. Students cannot just be let loose to surf the web freely. They need to know of
specific sites that are safe for them to use. Students need to be limited to the amount of freedom
that they have while accessing the worldwide web.
Also, teachers need to teach their students how to respond to certain sites when and if
inappropriate content is exposed. Continuous use of that sight is inappropriate, however using
the back button to escape the site and then telling the teacher, is mature and appropriate use of
the web. Students will not automatically know this behavior, teachers will need to explicitly
teach and model this for students.
Teachers also need to make parents and administrators aware of internet usage in the
classroom. Teachers must get parental approval prior to allowing students to access the web. My

school district does this prior to the beginning of the school year. Any student that does not have
permission or a signed form would not have access to internet usage. This covers any possibility
of liability that may require legal action.
As part of students being responsible, appropriate and common sense web users, they
must know the biggest rule of all, who is never revealing personal and private information.
Students should never post their full name, where they live, where they work or anything that
could signal predators. Students need to be made aware that what is posted on the internet is not
only accessible by them but anyone in the world that has access to the web. Also, students need
to keep all of their login information, username and password, private as well. Trusting others to
have access to this information could become all fun and games, but could cost them greatly. I
think that having personal stories of incidences that have occurred with unsafe internet usage
could be very beneficial to students. At a young age it can be easy to think, "That could never
happen to me", and so having real life stories of things that have happened due to unsafe and
inappropriate internet usage could have a major impact.
The web is a double edged sword in a sense. It can be a way to access information,
enhance teaching and learning, and provide social connections to people all over the world.
However if not used appropriately, it can be detrimental to ones health and even cause abduction
or death. It is vital that we teach our students safety strategies to prevent such behavior.

Resources:
1. Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcats, and other powerful web tools for
classrooms. (3rd ed).
2. http://www.gcflearnfree.org/internetsafetyforkids
3. http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
4. http://www.netsmartz.org/internetsafety

5. http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html
6. http://www.nationalcac.org/prevention/internet-safety-kids.html
7. http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-safe