Internet Safety Issues and Resources

Please direct comments or questions to:
Greg Marten, LISD Consultant - Educational Technology and Distance Learning
greg dot marten at lisd dot us

Site topics:
Introduction / Online Social Networking / Cyber-bullying / Internet Safety Resources for Adults / Internet Safety Resources for Students / LISD Professional Development Presentations / Resources

~ Introduction ~
Issues surrounding “online social networking” web sites and how online predators have used them to lure and hurt youth have frequently been in the headlines lately. Indeed, Internet Safety is a very important topic. While youth of today may be Internet savvy, they are not necessarily savvy about relationships or the minds and methods of those who may seek to harm them. i-SAFE offers a sound Internet safety curriculum designed to help students learn skills to be safe online. It is scaled to reach pupils of all ages. There are many other reputable resources for information on Internet safety and related issues. A number of them are listed below.

~ Online Social Networking ~
Many adults are having a hard time wrapping their minds around the concept of online social networking, how people build and interact in online communities, and why it appeals to so many young people. Resources Focusing on the Educational and Social Debate about Social Networking is a handout from Lenawee ISD with links to online resources that may help provide clarity to the issues.

~ Cyber-bullying ~
Cyber-bullying is a growing problem in communities around the nation.  Cyberbullying is the act of bullying electronically. Victims of cyberbullying often have no refuge because unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying knows no boundaries of place or time, and can be done remotely and anonymously. According to a 2006 survey of 1,000 students conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national, nonprofit, bipartisan organization, "1 of 3 Teens and 1 of 6 Preteens Are Victims of Cyber Bullying."  Fight Crime, Invest in Kids offers a tip sheet titled 10 Steps for Families to Stop Cyber Bullying

The Lenawee ISD handout Recommended Resources Addressing Cyberbullying is full of references to websites, articles, experts and books that deal with the growing problem of cyberbullying. It is available for your use.
 

~ Internet Safety Resources for Adults ~  (back to top)
Internet Keep Safe Coalition http://ikeepsafe.org/
Resources for educators, parents, and grandparents (and students, see below) including tips, videos, and activities from a coalition of government leaders, crime prevention organizations, law enforcement agencies, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Internet Safety Quiz for Adults (pdf) Quiz and fact sheet courtesy of Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

i-SAFE http://www.isafe.org/
i-SAFE America Inc. is a federally designated non-profit Internet safety foundation founded in 1998. i-SAFE offers free, age-appropriate, proactive curriculum to schools. Click here to register and begin i-LEARN, online training to become certified in i-SAFE. Completing the training (about 2 hours) grants individuals access to the Internet safety curriculum which educators can implement with students (for more info download the iSafe Educator flyer).

Keeping Kids Safer on the Internet: Tips for Parents and Guardians
(Click this link to download the pdf version.)
Very comprehensive safety tips for families whose children use computer services; helps families to weigh the benefits and risks of 21st century computing in clear language; a publication by National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC).

Protect Every Child http://protecteverychild.org
Grandmother Mary Conyers started this site & created DVD with Leader's Guide & other documents to help people educate/protect their children/grandchildren after she saw what her grandchildren were doing.

NetSmartz http://www.netsmartz.org/
Many interactive resources for students, parents, educators, & law enforcement. “Real-Life Stories” page includes videos and animations from the perspectives of kids with related activity cards and news articles. “NetSmartz was created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA).” Netsmartz flyer (pdf) describes the resource.

North Carolina Department of Justice Video http://www.ncsbi.gov/icac/icac_parents_safetyvideo.jsp
Page features a video titled Internet Safety: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt Your Child that can be streamed to a computer. The larger site also includes much useful information.

Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
Credible info and tips from the US Department of Justice FBI publications.

Web Wise Kids http://www.wiredwithwisdom.org/
A nonprofit organization located in Southern California that offers software for purchase: Missing (an interactive Internet safety game for grades 6 - 9) Wired With Wisdom (“designed to give parents the confidence and skills they need to manage their family’s Internet environment”) & Mirror Image (“detective-style computer game that teaches teens to be safe in online chat rooms by challenging players to outsmart a cyber stalker”)

WiredSafety www.wiredsafety.org
“WiredSafety provides help, information and education to Internet and mobile device users of all ages… We operate Teenangels, WiredKids, Cyber Law Enforcement and Internet Super Heroes, as well as WiredSafety.org and were founded by Internet lawyer, Parry Aftab.”
 

~ Internet Safety Resources for Students (back to top)
2 SMRT 4 U ~ Type Smart, Post Wisely (4 teens) http://www.2smrt4u.com/
Resources and info for teens, featuring spokesperson Hayden Panettiere, about the risks of posting personal info on web pages, blogs and using IM . Site includes 'smrt tips' (pdf), girl talk (video stories from real people), and other downloads.

Don’t Believe the Type (for teens) http://tcs.cybertipline.com/ or en Español
Site for teens to learn about Internet dangers (of chat rooms, social networking, peer-to-peer services, etc), situations to avoid, & how to “surf safer.” Includes an online game for teens to practice called “ID the Creep.” Also has a section for parents/guardians.

I Keep Safe http://ikeepsafe.org/
Look in the left-hand column to find the link for the video and storybook (Macromedia Flash player needed) for elementary aged children depicting FauxPaw, the techno-cat, learning about Internet safety.

NetSmartzKids (elementary) http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexfl.htm
Flashy site designed to help elementary students to learn about being safe online. Includes lots of games and activities about topics like: privacy, password use, opening files, Instant Messaging, abbreviations, etc.

NetSmartz Workshop Teens http://www.netsmartz.org/netteens.htm
Links to many resources such as news articles, real-life stories depicting Internet exploitation presented via videos or animations, cyberbullying information and more.

WiredKids http://www.wiredkids.org/
Portal to the many sites of WiredKids including WiredSafety and Teenangels.org – teens helping adults with online safety.
 

~ LISD Professional Development Presentations / Resources ~
Cyberbullying PowerPoint
Online social networking PowerPoint
Internet Safety short list (pdf/handout, April 2007)
Internet Safety resources for younger students and their teachers and caregivers (pdf/handout, April 2007)
Internet Safety PowerPoint
Information on reverse phone number look-up services (pdf/handout, May 2007)
FHPS Cyberbullying and Online Social Networking presentation

Grammar Rocks #9 (mp3 audio: click link to stream audio or right-click > save link as to download)

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