E-safety is a huge issue when it comes to children and teachers using the internet both at school and at home. When you first think about it, you don’t realise quite how complex the issue of being safe on the internet really is.
This is why it is important from the very first time children use the internet, that they should be taught about the issues that come with it. This could simply come in the form of explaining an e-safety poster displayed in the classroom. Here you would explain that these rules are always to be followed when using the internet – even at home. The Kent Community Network provide downloadable posters that teachers can display in their classrooms. Below is a linked example poster from their website.
There are also other ways for children to learn the importance of being safe on-line and that could be for example through the use of the BBC’s CBBC Stay Safe website. Here they provide songs, games, videos and quizzes all based on an aspect on internet safety. These are often then related back to a character or programme from within CBBC so that the children can engage and relate to it even more. A great example is that you could get the children to complete one of the quizzes, once you have discussed and taught it in class. The Internet Safety Quiz is a great tool to use in the classroom.
Another way of getting children to think about the deeper issues of e-safety is through the use of drama. You could start of by discussing different situations that could come about from being unsafe on the internet. Once you have done this the children can the develop and act out these situations, making them more real life and easier for them to understand. Also by using drama you are also creating a cross curricular way of teaching e-safety.
In my introduction I mentioned how it is important for teachers to also stay safe on the internet. This may not be necessarily be about who to talk to and who not to, but about how they use social network sites for example. Facebook and Twitter are great ways for keeping in contact with friends and family, but can be very damaging to your career if used in the wrong way. One thing to remember is that employers and even some parents can see your accounts, so be careful what you post and say on these social media sites!
I hope this has been a helpful and insightful look into e-safety and some of the issues that surround it.
