Internet Safety For Our Children

1. Internet Safety For Our Children Courtney Ryan, Scott Gray, Christina Ellefsen, Jessica Wheeler, Courtney Witmer

2. Advantages of Using Internet at Home and School • Students can do research for projects • Can communicate with other children or teachers (e-mail and Instant Message) • Can play interactive games • Easy and fast to use to find information • Can enhance the child’s ability to use a computer. • Can find entertaining things on various topics

3. Concerns When Using the Internet at Home and School • Cyber Bullying • Do not give personal information without permission from the parent • Unfiltered pictures or videos • Spyware • Spam • Computer hacking

4. What can parents do to help? • Keep the computer in the family room or somewhere where you can monitor what websites your child is on • Use parental controls to block sites that you do not want your child to go on. • Have your child show you their favorite internet sites and how they use them. • Learn about the language they use when using instant messenger • Talk to them and let them know what they can and cannot do online • Talk to them about the dangers of the internet. Talk to them about predators and listen to them when they tell you about things they’ve heard regarding predators

5. What Educators Can Do To Help • Monitor students when working on the web. • Before working online, teach a mini-lesson about internet safety. • Talk with students about the dangers of the internet. • Make students aware of online predators. • Make yourself available for students experiencing problems online. • Set clear rules as to what is allowed to be viewed on the internet. • Talk with parents about websites such as MySpace and Facebook, etc. Keeping Kids Safe

6. Websites for More Information on Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet Here are more ways to keep your kids safe while they use the Internet without you having to worry about their safety. • Buzzle • New York State • Netsmartz • Clear Traffic