There is no stopping the internet these days. There are still many things even adults are working on for safety and privacy, but not understanding these ideas and problems is no excuse for allowing kids to use the internet with no knowledge of how it works and what could go wrong. Children use the internet for many things and are on-line more than children a decade ago were riding their bike near streets. We still teach children road and bike safety, but what about internet safety? Click the button below for more information on how we can protect our kids and students on-line.
"The proportion of children with home access to computers has increased steadily, from 15 percent in 1984, to 76 percent in 2003, to 83 percent in 2011" (Child Trends, 2011). Clearly, this is something that should be addressed with every child, and educators are in a great position to bring this up. This is an educational opportunity. As I walk through a few of the issues - hacking, copyright, bullying, etc... - I will talk about what I think we as educators should do from my particular position. I teach in Korea, so you may have to look up the rules, regulations, and policies in your area for more accurate information. However, there is no place that the internet doesn't or won't reach, so these are issues we should all be taking on and trying to solve for the future.
References
Child Trends. (2011). Home Computer Access and Internet Use. Child Trends. Retrieved from http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=home-computer-access
Common Sense Media. (2014, July 19). Keeping Kids Safe Online. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/keeping-kids-safe-online