Cybersafety in the classroom: district leaders need to take responsibility for teaching students how to wisely navigate the Internet.

Cybersafety in the classroom: district leaders need to take responsibility for teaching students how to wisely navigate the Internet. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE INTERNET HAS communication and provided powerful neweducational tools for student learning, it has also created risks andraised ethical issues for students of all grades, as it has created manyopportunities for illegal, inappropriate and unsafe behavior among allparticipants. Increasingly, K12 educators are seeing the need to not only utilizethe Internet in instruction, but also to teach students the knowledgeand critical thinking skills needed to be safe and responsible digitalcitizens both inside and outside of school. Some districts are accomplishing this by incorporating lessons onInternet safety and security into their existing curricula to preparestudents at all grade levels to behave ethically and responsibly online. For many districts, this isn't optional. Some states, such asVirginia, require districts to teach all kids Internet safety andsecurity issues, and districts receiving certain federal E-rate funds,which support telecommunications and Internet access See how to access the Internet. , must adoptInternet safety policies that include plans for educating students aboutthe proper use of the Web. Although much of the news coverage on Internet safety issues hasfocused on teens, districts need to start education efforts early,according to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. Linda Sharp, who directs the Cyber Security for the DigitalDistrict program at the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), aprofessional association for district technology leaders. "We need to start on Web usage education as soon as studentsare on the computer," Sharp says. "Students as young as firstand second grade can learn about passwords and the reasons to keep themsecret except for a trusted adult. As teachers use the Web more ininstruction and research, they should always be providing examples ofgood use and explain why it is important." But still, a new survey shows that a significant number of teachersfeel insufficiently prepared to handle that new responsibility, havingreceived little professional development to help them discuss thosetopics with students. A recent poll released by the National Cyber Security Alliance(NCSA), Microsoft, and Educational Technology Policy, Research andOutreach (ETPRO) shows that only 56 percent of the 1,003 teacherssurveyed in December 2009 and January 2010 felt that their districts doan adequate job of preparing them to discuss with students topics likeonline ethics, safety and security. Only about one-third say theirdistricts require those topics to be taught in a classroom setting. Although both district administrators and teachers see teachingInternet risks as important, "that desire doesn't translatedown into what is actually happening in the classroom," saysMichael Kaiser Michael M. Kaiser is President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts [1] in Washington DC.Dubbed "the turnaround king" for his work at such arts institutions as the Kansas City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, , NCSA executive director. Curriculum Integration In part, the problem is that the Internet landscape is changing sorapidly that programs that focus on specific Web tools or sites quicklybecome out-of-date as youths move on to the next online trend, accordingto Steve Dembo, online community manager for Discovery Education, whichprovides professional development on Internet safety and securityissues, among other educational services. He says that even the schoolsthat are doing a "solid job of addressing these issues often feelthat they are still far behind." And districts need to rethink re��think?tr. & intr.v. re��thought , re��think��ing, re��thinksTo reconsider (something) or to involve oneself in reconsideration.re their approach, experts agree. So howshould teachers be trained to provide lessons to students in onlinesecurity, ethics and safety? And which school staff members should beresponsible for teaching them? The responsibility should be shared among all the teachers, notjust library media specialists, who have traditionally taken a lead onthe matter, according to Ann Flynn, director of education technology atthe National School Boards Association. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Weaving lessons on Internet safety and security into the regularcurriculum also is important, she adds. "It really should be arethinking of the curriculum that we already offer to make sure thatthese skills are being incorporated into the content when it'sappropriate, because there really is no time in today'sinstructional environment to create another course," she says. Many districts are using Web sites that offer Internet safety andsecurity curriculum that districts can use, she says, such asNetSmartz.org, developed by the National Center for Missing &Exploited Children and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Portsmouth (Va.) Public Schools, which uses NetSmartz and otherresources, finds ways to incorporate Internet security ''This article or section is being rewritten atInternet security is the process of protecting data and privacy of devices connected to internet from information robbery, hacking, malware infection and unwanted software. and safetycontent into the regular curriculum, says Karen Streeter, supervisor forinstructional technology There are two types of instructional technology: those with a systems approach, and those focusing on sensory technologies.The definition of instructional technology prepared by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Definitions and Terminology and media services. Some areas do dovetail dovetail(dov´tāl),n a widened or fanned-out portion of a prepared cavity, usually established deliberately to increase the retention and resistance form. logically, like adding an online componentto English-language arts teachers' discussions of plagiarism Using ideas, plots, text and other intellectual property developed by someone else while claiming it is your original work. andproper citations. But the 15,000-student district, which has an Internet safety plan,has also tried to include safety lessons in less obvious subject areas.Elementary schools have had kids design posters on Internet safety andsecurity issues they learn in class. "Part of the task we weregiven is to make it a part of the curriculum, because in this day andage, with high-stakes testing and everything a classroom teacher has todo, when you are asked to do things of this nature it has to be part ofthe regular curriculum and not be an add-on," Streeter says. In addition to NetSmartz, a free resource for videos and classroomactivities for all grades on the Web, the district uses its own lessons,as well as other online resources, like "Professor Garfield,"which features the famous cartoon cat teaching Internet safety andethics. Some other districts simply point teachers to online resources toprovide ideas for teaching Internet safety, often relying on librariansto do the work, says Nancy Butler, a Portsmouth technology resourceteacher. In contrast, she says, her district's policy is thatInternet safety is everybody's job. The district, which began its Internet education efforts in 2007,used NetSmartz and other resources to prepare a curriculum guidebookthat instructs teachers at each grade level what they are responsiblefor covering and what lessons and activities they should be using. Each year, Butler and other instructional technology teachers givepresentations to other teachers about the curriculum, theresponsibilities of teachers at each grade level and implementation ofthe district's Internet safety plan--not just for the benefit ofnew teachers but also as a reinforcement tool for those teachers who areundergoing the program, Streeter says. Like many other districts, Portsmouth also has parents and studentssign an acceptable use policy, which regulates the use of districttechnology. An Internet safety pledge, signed by students, is includedin the student code of conduct that goes home to parents. Involving Parents It's not just teachers and students that are being targeted byInternet safety and security education efforts. As part of its Internetsafety program, California's Elk Grove Unified School District The Elk Grove Unified School District is a school district in southern Sacramento County, California, U.S.A.The Elk Grove Unified School District is the fifth largest school district in California and the largest in Northern California. ,located near Sacramento, holds "Internet safety nights" atschools for students and their parents, says Web specialist KathleenWatt. She adds that, through its adult education division, the districtalso conducts a more in-depth, three-hour class taught in a computer labin which adults can take tours of MySpace, Facebook and othertechnologies as part of an Internet safety and security lesson. "I think it allows parents the chance to ask questions thatthey are either too embarrassed to ask about or just don't knowwhere to get the information," says Watt, whose district recentlyadopted the i-SAFE Internet safety and security curriculum. Watt and her colleague Gaff Desler write a blog on thedistrict's Web site that offers information for parents aboutInternet security, such as what Facebook privacy settings their childrenshould have. Enlisting Web 2.0 Web 2.0 tools can be deployed to teach Internet safety, securityand ethics, as demonstrated by Vicki Davis, teacher and IT director atWestwood Schools, a private K12 school in rural Camilla, Ga. In 2007, Davis and two educators working abroad joined forces tocreate the Digi Teen project, in which groups of students collaboratewith international peers via social networking See social networking site. social networking - social network on projects aboutInternet issues. Students focus on nine elements of Digital Citizenship,including traditional areas like security and etiquette etiquette,name for the codes of rules governing social or diplomatic intercourse. These codes vary from the more or less flexible laws of social usage (differing according to local customs or taboos) to the rigid conventions of court and military circles, and they , but also topicslike ensuring equal access to technology in society regardless of incomeor disability. Another element is digital commerce, which is about theWeb's role in the buying and selling of merchandise, but it alsoraises awareness of illegal and immoral goods and services In economics, economic output is divided into physical goods and intangible services. Consumption of goods and services is assumed to produce utility (unless the "good" is a "bad"). It is often used when referring to a Goods and Services Tax. such aspornography pornographyDepiction of erotic behaviour intended to cause sexual excitement. The word originally signified any work of art or literature depicting the life of prostitutes. and gambling. Divided into groups, students work in international teams toresearch trends in one of the Digital Citizenship topics. Students on ateam then write a wiki A Web site that can be quickly edited by its visitors with simple formatting rules. Developed by Ward Cunningham in the mid-1990s to provide collaborative discussions, there are several "wiki" tools on the market for creating such sites, including www.editme.com, www.seedwiki.com, www. entry summarizing their findings and providingrecommendations on how students can be good digital citizens, Davissays. Students also interact over Ning, a social networking tool, wherethey can reflect on assignments and discuss issues. The best way to teach students the proper use of the Internet is toemploy the same sort of Web technologies being addressed, such as socialnetworking Web sites Following are the most popular social networking sites on the Web along with many innovators. There are many more, and sites emerge and wither away all the time. For more on social networking sites, see social networking site.The Pioneerswww.myspace. , Davis says. "So instead of me standing up infront of the room talking about this [technology], they are learning itfirsthand," she adds. In addition, the immersive, project-based approach teaches studentsimportant technological skills, introduces them to other cultures, andenlists them as peer educators to advise others how to be better digitalcitizens. "You have to empower teenagers and kids to understanddigital citizenship and to become advocates for good citizenship,"Davis adds. For teachers to be truly effective in discussing Internet safetyand security, they need to get firsthand experience using social mediaWeb sites, such as Facebook or MySpace, says Will Richardson, co-founderof Powerful Learning Practice, a technology-oriented professionaldevelopment company. Many teachers have heard of those sites but havenever worked with them. "I don't know how teachers can counselkids effectively without some practical experience to fall backon," he says. Beyond Denial Not all districts are embracing Web 2.0 technologies. Somedistricts still ban cell phones and block students from using socialnetworking sites on campus. Some districts also mistakenly believe that if students can'tuse those technologies on campus, then teachers don't have to teachabout their risks and problems, Kaiser says. Even if social networkingsites are blocked on campus, districts still must prepare students forusing the sites safely when they are not in school, he says. "If you are really concerned about the students using theInternet safely and securely, then you have to worry about anynetwork" that they use outside the classroom, Kaiser says. And students grow up. "These are issues that will not onlyserve students well by protecting themselves and their friends and thecomputer networks they connect to," Kaiser concludes, "but itwill also serve them when they get out of school and they start lookingfor work." Online Resources to Help Teach Cybersafety A VARIETY OF ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDE RESOURCES ONLINE INTENDED TOBOTH educate students about using the Internet safely, and offerprofessional development tools for K12 educators that help with relevantinstruction, leading class discussions and integrating the topic intotheir existing curriculum. Here are just a few examples. CyberSmart! CyberSmart! Education Company Curriculum is free; workshop fees vary The CyberSmart organization offers resources for teachingcybersafety with a focus on developing 21st-century skills. They includea free curriculum made up of stand-alone Internet safety lessonsdesigned to integrate into any coursework courseworkNounwork done by a student and assessed as part of an educational courseNoun 1. coursework - work assigned to and done by a student during a course of study; usually it is evaluated as part of the student's , as well as online multimediaprofessional development workshops for educators to learn effectivetechniques on teaching about and discussing online issues.cybersmart.org EasyTech Online Safety Learning.com $10 per student annually New curriculum from Learning.com is available in units for gradesK-2, 3-5 and 6-8, and provides interactive lessons, discussions andactivities for integrating Internet safety instruction into corecontent. A journaling feature enables teachers to dialog with studentsonline, and a district-level reporting tool lets administrators knowwhat specific cybersafety content students have learned.www.learning.com/easytech/ onlinesafety iKeepSafe Internet Keep Safe Coalition Free; some materials available with education discount iKeepSafe is a nonprofit organization Nonprofit OrganizationAn association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well.Notes:Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. providing classroom resourcesfor elementary students, which include storybooks, worksheets and gamesbased around the cartoon character Faux Paw, and resources for highschool classroom discussions based around the Internet safety film fromComcast entitled en��ti��tle?tr.v. en��ti��tled, en��ti��tling, en��ti��tles1. To give a name or title to.2. To furnish with a right or claim to something: Student Voices: Cyberbullying. Additional resourcesinclude PowerPoint presentations for school assemblies and professionaldevelopment materials for teachers leading small group discussions.www.ikeepsafe.org Internet Safety and You Infinite Learning Lab Free Internet Safety and You is the result of a partnership between theVirginia Department of Education, the Virginia Office of AttorneyGeneral and the Professor Garfield Foundation, the educational nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive.Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. started by cartoonist Jim Davis. The site provides free cybersafetyresources for students featuring the iconic i��con��ic?adj.1. Of, relating to, or having the character of an icon.2. Having a conventional formulaic style. Used of certain memorial statues and busts. cat Garfield, as well aseducator tools including a learning management platform for assessingprogress at the student, school or district levels, and teachingstrategies and techniques for implementing each lesson.www.infinitelearninglab.org [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] iSAFE Education i-SAFE Pricing varies The i-SAFE foundation offers districts a comprehensive curriculumof online lessons available on a subscription basis that emphasizecooperative student learning activities about avoiding dangerous,inappropriate or unlawful online activities. The organization alsooffers a professional development program, with workshops availableeither online or in person, that certifies teachers as district i-SAFEcurriculum trainers, as well as a similar program to train students asi-Mentors, who lead cybersafety discussions and activities with theirpeers. isafe.org Netsmartz National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Free A collection of free resources produced by the National Center forMissing & Exploited Children, Netsmartz provides a variety of freeeducator materials. They include PowerPoint presentations with videos,statistics and expert advice tailored for a primary or secondary studentaudience, as well as grade-specific online games, activities and lessonplans for integration in classroom discussions. www.netsmartz.org Stay Safe Online National Cyber Security Alliance Free The NCSA has compiled K12 resources from around the Web andorganized them according to its "three pillars" philosophy ofteaching Internet literacy: cybersecurity, which focuses on avoidingspare and viruses; cybersafety, or teaching students how to avoid onlinepredators; and cyberethics, or teaching appropriate and respectful re��spect��ful?adj.Showing or marked by proper respect.re��spectful��ly adv. behavior and the consequences of cyberbullying. Resources include linksto games, quizzes, videos, professional development tutorials and more.www.staysafeonline.org WiredSafety.org WiredSafety Free This national volunteer organization has created a database ofcybersafety resources focused on developing critical thinking skillsconcerning Internet use, and intended to be easily integrated into aninformation technology literacy curriculum by teachers or librarians.They include free Flash videos, PowerPoint presentations and classroomlessons to help teachers discuss topics such as spam E-mail that is not requested. Also known as "unsolicited commercial e-mail" (UCE), "unsolicited bulk e-mail" (UBE), "gray mail" and just plain "junk mail," the term is both a noun (the e-mail message) and a verb (to send it). , viruses,cyberbullying, discerning dis��cern��ing?adj.Exhibiting keen insight and good judgment; perceptive.dis��cerning��ly adv. the validity of Internet information, and thedangers of posting personal information online.www.wiredsafety.org/educators.html --Kurt Eisele-Dyrli www.DistrictAdministration.com Fear of the Internet still strangles stranglesan acute disease of horses caused by infection with Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, and characterized by fever, purulent rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, abscessation of the draining lymph nodes and cough. learning. Kevin Butler Kevin Butler may refer to: Kevin Butler (American football), an American football placekicker Kevin Butler (streetball player), AKA "Bizness", an American streetball player is a contributing writer for DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION.