Cyber Safety

Starting with the 2009-2010 academic year, Illinois schools will be required to incorporate into the school curriculum a component on Internet Safety to be taught at least once each year to students in grade 3 or above.' The complete legislation is available online at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=010500050K27-13.3.

Susan Homes Internet Safety Powerpoint and Handouts - Workshop coming soon to our area.

Internet Safety Plan template

Sample Internet Safety Plan using i-Safe materials

More Internet Safety Resources relating to the template

Internet Safety Powerpoint


http://www.isbe.net/curriculum/html/internet_safety.htm

Parenting Suggestions Regarding Technology

How to Protect Kids' Privacy Online: A Guide for Teachers

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec10.shtm

Illinois Computing Educators Newsletter (ICE) -Cyber Connectivity and Citizenship

PBS Frontline "Growing Up Online" Autumn Edow's blog Blog on PBS

Illinois State Board of Education Internet Safety Resources

State of Illinois Attorney General Internet Safety Resources


NetSmartZ A great set of resources packaged up on CDs for K-2, 3-6, Tweens, Teens and Community presentations. Print resource/support document in PDF format.

Illinois ICAC: Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children

Missing Kids

Website Name URL Comment
Netlingo http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm Commonly Used Net Lingo for Text, Chat, etc...
ISAFE http://www.isafe.org DOJ support Internet Safety Website
NetSmartz http://www.netsmartz.org NetSmartz is also a DOJ supported site
Safe Teens http://www.safeteens.com Site with resources for Teens
PBS License http://pbskids.org/license/ Kids can get their license to surf by passing a short test on Internet safety.
I Keep Safe http://www.ikeepsafe.org/ Safety Site which is supported by Patti Blogoevich
Center for Missing Children http://www.ncmec.org/
McGruff Safety Game http://www.mcgruff.org/Games/is.php
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use http://www.csriu.org/ Nancy Willard is Executive Director
Perry Aftab Site http://www.aftab.com/ Links to all of Perry's sites on Internet Safety
CyberSmart! www.cybersmartcurriculum.org Curriculum for Internet Safety
The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education http://www.ciese.org/currichome.html
Webwise Kids http://webwisekids.org/index.asp Has resources including Curriculum

Safe Online Surfing Internet Challenge - http://www.fbi-sos.org/

Family Watchdog - http://www.familywatchdog.us/

Illinois Sex Offender Information - http://www.isp.state.il.us/sor/

Digital Educators - http://www.digitaleducators.com/

Department of Justice - http://www.fbi.gov/

Cyberbullying is sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the Internet or other digital communication devices. This can include sending cruel or threatening e-mails or text messages, creating Web sites that insult other people, posting degrading pictures of another person on the Web, and breaking into an e-mail or Instant Message account to send hurtful or embarrassing material to other people. Read about it from Education World. Additional Resources available.

Tips for Protecting Children at Home

On March 22, 2007, a U.S. District Court effectively struck down the Child Online Protection Act as a violation of the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution. This decision leaves parents wondering what to do to protect their children at home. And schools can take the opportunity to provide guidance on how to maintain a safe computing environment for young people at home-such as protection from online bullying, cyber-stalkers, pornography, and a host of other worries.

Here are some suggestions you can make to give families a good start.

  1. Content blockers and web filters are OK, but they only go so far. Installing and using these software solutions is a good idea, but recommend that parents do not rely on them to provide the only security.
  2. A simple, effective, and low-cost solution is to place the computer in a public part of the home, such as the kitchen or living room, with the monitor facing the center of the room. Then pay attention to the sites, instant messages, and emails the students are looking at.
  3. A security solution such as a locking cabinet can keep the kids off the computer when mom and dad are away.
  4. Parents should check with their student's friends to find out what supervision is in place when they visit friends' homes.
  5. Conduct a workshop with parents about how to have a conversation with their children about the dangers of the Internet, email, instant messaging, and social networks such as MySpace.
  6. Have parents track their student's use of the computer. A student becoming obsessed with being online, secretively trying to hide the screen, and quickly logging off when someone passes by are signs for concern.

Finally, remind parents that you're not bashing technology but that they have a responsibility to put limits on their children in the same way they do on the consumption of sweets, bedtime, or when they can have the car. Dan Costa, in a column for PC Magazine, remarks that even Bill Gates "restricts his 10-year-old daughter to 45 minutes a day during the week and an hour and a half on weekends."

Reference: Costa, D. (April, 2007). "Turn it off, kids!" PC Magazine.
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