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Technology Integration Resources:
Online Student and Computer Safety

Online Student and Computer Safety
What You Should Know

 

 

Children's Internet Protection Act

 

Internet safety is so important that the Congress passed the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in December 2000 to address concerns about children's access to inappropriate internet content when using school and library computers.  Although the law has been challenged in the courts, as reported by Mary Minow (2002), online safety is important for all children and particularly important for students in their early teen years who are making the transition between the greater influence of their parents to that of their peers.

Students need to understand the importance of not giving out personal information of any kind to online strangers, including their passwords and photos.  They need to understand that the rules of communicating face-to-face apply online; hence, cyber-bullying is wrong, as are cheating and plagiarism.  Harmful words said face-to-face hurt and the memory might fade in time; however, words stated online can stay forever.  While those words might be intended only for their peers, those same words might come back to haunt the students if read by parents, teachers, college officials, potential employers, or law enforcement agents, for example.

Andrew Wallace (2013) tackled the confusion that exists among those who are required to interpret CIPA and implement it.  CIPA is actually comprised of three acts: the Child Internet Protection Act of 2000, the Neighborhood Child Internet Protection Act of 2001, and Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act of 2008, which collectively "spell out the requirements for school districts that wish to receive federal funds through the E-Rate program" (Basics section).  Stating CIPA requirements in a nutshell:

School Districts must:

• Use a “technology protection measure” to block images that are: child pornography, obscene, or harmful to minors.
• Determine, with community input what content (visual or written) is inappropriate for minors.
• Adopt an Internet safety policy that applies to both students and staff.
• Teach students how interact on email, social networking sites, and in chat rooms.
• Deliver instruction with a focus on cyberbullying.
• Monitor in school use of the Internet. (Wallace, 2013, Quick Facts section)

"CIPA compliance is required for any school or library receiving E-rate funds for three of the four eligible service categories – Internet Access, Internal Connections, and Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections. Applicants for Telecommunications services only, are exempt" (E-Rate Central, n.d., Introduction to CIPA Compliance section, p. 1).

 

Email, Text Messages, and Attachments

 

Students and anyone who uses email or text messaging also should be cautious when opening attachments.  Attachments, particularly from individuals you do not know, might contain code that is harmful to the computer itself, and enable the computer to be invaded by hackers, viruses, ransomware, and spyware.

In fact, phishing is one of the top five cybersecurity threats for schools, according to the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN, n.d.)  It's a practice of sending messages that look legitimate and entice the receiver to reveal personal information or to send proprietary information, or to click on links that install malicious software.  CoSN recommends "Firewalls and email systems should be configured to have rules that don’t allow bad attachments" (p. 1).  Phishing is not always easy to detect.  Google has a quiz to see how well you can spot phishing.

 

Access Control and Filtering

 

In its findings, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that nearly all U.S. public schools in 2005 with Internet access used various technologies or procedures to control student access to inappropriate content.  Leading the approaches were blocking and filtering software (99%), teachers or other staff monitored Internet access (96%), parents signed written contracts (79%), students signed written contracts (76%), monitoring software (67%), honor codes (53%), and school restrictions to its own intranet (46%).  Leading methods to inform students and parents about approaches included via school policies or rules, newsletters, messages posted on the school web site, school bulletin boards, and pop-up messages when students log-on to computers or the Internet  (Wells & Lewis, 2006).

Filtering enables you to control what sites users can or cannot access based on pre-determined criteria set at the administrator's level.  Schools can prevent students from accessing sites with sexual, violent, gambling, and non-educational themes.  But with so many sites out there, setting the filtering criteria so that relevant sites are not blocked and then maintaining the Web filter's site database can be a challenge.  An ability to authenticate users and identify their activities on a network can be an important accountability feature, particularly for students who try to access blocked sites (Careless, 2007).  Althouigh students might know how to circumvent content-filters, Willard (2009) noted that students do not always have evil intentions when trying to access blocked sites.  They might be just trying to access their social networking sites, which schools have been known to block.

Web filters can be software or hardware based and those of high value to schools are not necessarily cheap.  A sophisticated feature to look for is one that "constantly records and rates new Web sites as they appear, then sends this data to your Web filter to keep it up to date" (Careless, 2007, p. 10).  However, there are free web-filtering services.  OpenDNS (DNS stands for Domain Name System) provides content filtering, phishing protection, domain blocking, adult site blocking, web proxy blocking, and a domain whitelisting feature.  This latter gives the user final say in what is blocked.  There's no hardware to buy, or software to install.

WebPurify provides tools for photo and video moderation and a profanity filter for user generated content (UGC).  Photos and videos, including the audio, can be examined and then rejected for inappropriate content such as nudity, hate or hate crimes, violence, offensive gestures, drug related activities, and blank or broken images, or your custom criteria.  The profanity filter allows you to manage your own block and allow lists.  It also includes an email, phone, and URL filter.  The site's blog contains multiple useful articles and guides on UGC.  UGC can be shared on websites, social media platforms, marketing channels to promote their brands or services, blogs, podcasts, and so on, making WebPurify a useful platform to consider for a proactive approach to computer and online safety.  Each tool is not free, but includes a free trial.

If access control and filtering are concerns to help keep kids safe online, consider making a list of the controls you would need when searching for an Internet service provider (ISP), and check if those parental controls are available with the plan you are considering.  Look for directions from the ISP to help configure kid-safe internet filtering.  For example, see directions from Frontier, Verizon, and Xfinity.

 

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Tips for an Acceptable Use Policy

 

Get your Acceptable Use Policy up to date, including for "Bring Your Own Devices" and use of artificial intelligence.

Parents and students need access to a school acceptable use policy (AUP) for technology.  An effective AUP addresses two goals: "shielding students from harmful material and enabling access to beneficial internet resources" (Pierce, 2012, online p. 2).

Overall, there is no single blueprint for creating AUPs, but organizations such as Common Sense Media have developed guidelines and samples, and gathered numerous resources to assist developers.  In its 1-to-1 Essentials program, Common Sense Media provided the following topics that developers may want to address:

• Use of the network
• Internet safety (privacy, inappropriate content, unwanted contact)
• Filtering and monitoring
• Copyright and ownership of work
• Network security and privacy (student data)
• Disciplinary action
• Digital citizenship
• Social media usage

The AUP policy should address technology devices that learners bring to school, which is commonly referred to as BYOD.  J. Robinson (2013) noted that a clear definition of such devices, users, violations, and consequences to violations should be included, as well as disclaimers.  The BYOD policy at Newton-Conover City Schools in North Carolina includes any devices capable of connecting to their wireless network.  BYOD users include not just students, but anyone (employees and guests) who can connect to the wireless network.

A BYOD policy should make it clear that the purpose of the wireless infrastructure is to support instruction.  The policy should define when devices become a disruption and spell out offenses resulting in loss of wireless connectivity privileges.  At Newton-Conover these latter include accessing web sites of a pornographic nature or with illegal content; cyber-bullying or harassment of other users, and engaging in activities of a malicious or illegal intent.  The BYOD policy should include disclaimers, such as the district not being responsible for providing tech support for personal devices, and not being responsible for damage, theft, or loss of personal devices.  J. Robinson (2013) also recommended that districts review and update their BYOD policy and procedures as least once a year.

Policies should address when you can search a student's phone, a topic explored by Ariel Fox Johnson, Senior Counsel for Policy and Privacy at Common Sense Media (2018).  Because policies and practices vary among educators, schools, districts, and states, guidelines on legal searches and examples of the same are needed for administrators, teachers, students, and parents to provide clarity.  Per Johnson:

"While the Supreme Court held in 2014 that police need a warrant to search a cell phone, schools have historically had a little more leeway with searches, be they bags, lockers or, these days, devices. Typically, if a student, parent or teacher challenges a search, courts will consider whether the search was justified at its inception — it was reasonable to think the search would turn up evidence the student was violating rules or laws — and whether the search’s scope was reasonably related to the circumstances that led to the search in the first place." (Johnson, 2018, para. 4)

In considering updating existing policies, Nancy Caramanico (2011) suggested to address Web 2.0 (including student online posts and how they will be monitored by teachers), cell phone use (including texting and under what circumstances), devices that enable portable internet hot spots (e.g, MiFis), other mobile devices (e.g., laptops, rules for usage, who owns them, insurance), social media and social networks and rules for their use, taking digital images (permissions needed, including use of student names), and outside of school use of technology.

So whether you are developing a new AUP or revising an existing policy, Sylvia Martinez (2020) provided a perspective to consider.  An AUP "should include the benefits of using ed tech -- not just promises of punishment (para. 1).  Her guiding questions to serve in a review or development process include:

• Does it focus on punishment, or opportunity?
• Does it contain only legalese, or is it easy to read and understand?
• Does it communicate a vision of students as would-be hackers or criminals, or your vision of students as active participants in the 21st century?
• Does it portray students as potential victims of predators and bullies, or show parents how and why students are safely learning how to navigate this brave new world?
• Does it hint that computers are an afterthought and a reward that can be taken away as punishment, or explain why computers are essential tools in every classroom? (Taking a Fresh Look section)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) NOTE: With the rise of AI and its impact on learning, the school's AUP policy should also be updated to address acceptable uses of applications that employ AI.  Steve Baule (2024) provided 5 Key AI Policy Considerations:

1. Don't ban use of AI in development of assignments.  Some tools that schools commonly use have AI embedded in them (e.g., MS Office, Grammarly).
2. "Make sure that any AI tools comply with FERPA and ADA regulations."
3. "Require instructors to be clear about when and how students can or cannot utilize AI tools."
4. "Ensure that there is a human decision-making step in any AI automated processes."
5. "Consider how to make sure the use of AI throughout the institution is as transparent as possible."

HOT!: TeachAI has an AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit.  It contains Sample Guidance on the Use of AI and Sample Considerations for Existing Policies to help in writing addendums to existing policies.  Its section on Principles of AI in Education contains examples of AI statements and AI initiatives from schools around the country.  There is also a Sample Student Agreement on the Use of AI and sample language for a classroom policy of the use of AI that educators might consider for an addition to a syllabus.

In their Review of Guidance from Seven States on AI in Education, Jeremy Roschelle, Judi Fusco, and Pati Ruiz (2024) reviewed guidance documents from California, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington state, and West Virginia on how to approach artificial intelligence in education.  The report published by Digital Promise includes major common themes, opportunities to use AI, risks of using AI, and key points on what school districts should do with regard to policy development.  As to this latter, the authors also included that new AI policies "must be aligned with regulations, such as FERPA, COPPA, IDEA, and CIPA, to ensure compliance with data privacy and security laws" (p. 8).

The AUP should require full disclosure statements regarding content created with AI tools, applicable for both students and staff.  For example, in its Sample Guidance on Staff Use of Generative AI for K-12 School Districts, Michigan Virtual (2024) recommended that staff provide full disclosure "Whenever AI tools contribute to the development of higher profile educational materials, research, or work-related artifacts, or are being used to record/summarize others’ contributions. (eg. "AI assisted X District staff in the creation of this resource," OR "X% of this document was created with AI.")" (Disclosure section).

More on Social Media

To address social media, policy developers need to first define social media, as the term does not mean the same to all.  Taking a tools perspective can be overwhelming.  As Gaurav Mishra (2009) noted, "social media encompasses many different types of tools, and each tool has specific characteristics and a steep learning curve" (para. 2).  Differences can been seen in social media tools such as "Blogging (WordPress), microblogging (Twitter*), video-sharing (YouTube), photo-sharing (Flickr), podcasting (Blog Talk Radio), mapping (Google Maps), social networking (Facebook), social voting (Digg), social bookmarking (Delicious), lifestreaming (Friendfeed), wikis (Wikipedia), and virtual worlds (Second Life)" (para. 2).  (*Note: As of July 2023 Twitter is now known as X.)

As tools come and go, policy makers can better justify their inclusion in the learning environment, if social media is viewed as tools and practices that focus on the 4C's: content, collaboration, community, and collective intelligence.  Per Mishra (2009), these constitute its value system:

• "The first C, Content, refers to the idea that social media tools allow everyone to become a creator..."
• "The second C, Collaboration, refers to the idea that social media facilitates the aggregation of small individual actions into meaningful collective results.  Collaboration can happen at three levels: conversation, co-creation and collective action."
• "The third C, Community, refers to the idea that social media facilitates sustained collaboration around a shared idea, over time and often across space."
• "The fourth C, Collective Intelligence, refers to the idea that the social web enables us to not only aggregate individual actions, but also run sophisticated algorithms on them and extract meaning from them.  Collective intelligence can be based on both implicit and explicit actions and often takes the form of reputation and recommendation systems." (Mishra, 2009)

In fact, Meris Stansbury (2017) indicated educators have alternatives to social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter*, which can be distractors for teaching and learning and which also can create problems with privacy, security, and online bullying.  Educators can "use a classroom or subject-specific forum or platform" for collaboration and discussions.  There are also apps for team collaborations, such as Slack for iOS or Slack for Android.  (*Note: As of July 2023 Twitter is now known as X.)

Educators are exploring ways to use mobile technologies in learning.  As in higher education, we need mobile learning strategies at K-12 that support academic plans "emphasizing experiential learning, interdisciplinary research, creative expression, urban engagement and global opportunity" ("Mobile Tech", 2012, p. 2).  According to the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and the FrameWorks Institute (2012), "Before steps are taken to impose limits on the use of social media and mobile technologies in schools, policymakers and educators need to consider the consequences for learning that such restrictions would produce" (p. 2).  Further, "One of the most powerful reasons to permit the use of social media and mobile devices in the classroom is to provide an opportunity for students to learn about their use in a supervised environment that emphasizes the development of attitudes and skills that will help keep them safe outside of school" (p. 2).

As a starting point for discussions on responsible use in a supervised environment, educators might consider the information in the Women's Guide to Cyber Safety 2022 by Sarah Frazier (2022). The tips on harassment (e.g., online dating, online gaming, workplace), use of Facebook, Twitter*, Snapchat, Tiktok, sharing photos, using online forums and messaging apps, preventing and stopping hacking and doxxing, and so on are not just for women, as anyone will benefit.  The tips also give insights into development of an AUP. (*Note: As of July 2023 Twitter is now known as X.)

If one views a social media definition in terms of Mishra's 4C's (2009), then banning social media as a general policy is no longer an issue.  Likewise, banning mobile technologies in general is not the answer for ensuring safety.  Mobile devices have become an integral part of society and students' lives.  Hence, as James Bosco (2013) noted, there are districts that "have altered the perspective on acceptable” use policies by framing them as “responsible” use policies. A “responsible use” approach is more than just a switch in terminology. It presents the student use policy in the form of what students should do rather than what they should not do" (p. 7).

Further Reading on AUPs

For further reading and examples of AUPs, consider the following:

• Heartland Community Schools (NE) Laptop Policy, Procedures, and Information Handbook.

• Lake Washington School District (WA) Student  Acceptable Use Procedures AUP.

• Science Leadership Academy (PA) Acceptable Use Policy applies to "to any electronic device including laptops, mobile phones, MP3 players, gaming devices, digital cameras, any and all devices that are connected to the School District of Philadelphia network" (SLA Blog post, 2012, November 19, para. 2).

• Len Scrogan (2007) provided help in his AUPs in a Web 2.0 World.s

• CoSN (Bosco, 2013) published an updated Rethinking Acceptable Use Policies to Enable Digital Learning: A Guide for School Districts.

• Information Security in Education/Security Policies for Mobile Devices is posted in Wikibooks.  It contains benefits and risks of mobile devices in education, consequences of misuse, writing acceptable use policies that address mobile devices, sample AUPs, and additional resources.

• Acceptable Use Policies that Focus on Student Learning (2014) contains a list of resources about updating AUPs and sample school district policies brought to you by K12blueprint.com.

• New York City Department of Education resources include its internet acceptable use policy.  Its Digital Citizenship resources include Social Media Guidelines in two parts--those for students 12 and under, and for students over 13.  Comparable guides at each level are available for parents.

 

 

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Student and District Online Safety, Privacy, and Digital Citizenship Resources

 

NOTE: Look for digital citizenship resources that address artificial intelligence.  In its Framework for Implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in K-12 Education, the ILO Group (2024) recommended revising your digital literacy curriculum to account for AI, stating the following:

"Update your students' digital literacy curriculum by focusing on understanding and interacting responsibly with AI technologies. Material may include:

• Basics of AI: Introduce students to the principles of AI, including machine learning and natural language processing.
• Ethical AI Use: Teach about the ethical implications of AI, including privacy concerns and bias in AI algorithms.
• Safe Online Behaviors: Include basic information on how students can protect their personal data and practice safe online behaviors." (ILO Group, 2024, p. 9)

HOT! Be Internet Awesome from Google includes a curriculum (lesson plans and classroom activities) and four challenging games in the Interland that teach learners to be responsible and safe online.  It received a seal of approval by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for its pedagogic value and alignment to ISTE standards.

BrainPOP.com includes a free movie: Digital Etiquette.  A quiz and lesson idea are also provided.

Childnet (London, UK) includes numerous resources on topics such as social media, digital well being, online bullying, sexting, parental controls, screen time, and so on.  You can search by age range, topic, and type of resource (e.g, video, lesson plan, presentation, toolkit, etc).

Common Sense has multiple programs.  For example:

• Common Sense Media has resources of interest to guide youth to become better digital citizens.  Parents and educators will value the resources addressing 21st century issues like technology addiction, screen time, news and media literacy, and more.
• Common Sense Education includes resources for teaching in the digital age:
  • K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum has materials available by grade band through high school.
  • Teachers' Essential Guide to Cyberbullying Prevention includes lessons for grades K-12 and tips on how to deal with it and work with families.
  • HOT!: Keeping Your Students (and Yourself) Safe on Social Media: A Checklist by Tanner Higgin (2022, September 16).
  • 23 Great Lesson Plans for Internet Safety includes at least one lesson plan for each grade K-12.
• Digital Passport for grades 3-5 teaches learners about online issues, including security, multitasking, privacy, cyberbullying, searching, and respecting the creative work of others.  Online games help with this endeavor.

Connect Safely is for parents, teens, educators, advocates - everyone engaged in and interested in the impact of the social Web. Of high relevance are the parent guides, which help users to understand topics such as TikTok, online hate speech, Roblox, Instagram, Cyberbullying, Saturn, Cybersecurity, Educational Technology, Mobile Phones, and more.

Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) maintains a section of its website devoted to EdTech topics, such as Cybersecurity, Driving K-12 Innovation, Interoperability, and Artificial Intelligence.  At CoSN you can also download the Protecting Privacy in Connected Learning Toolkit, a "step-by-step guide to navigating the complexity of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and related privacy issues.  The toolkit is organized in the form of a decision tree, or flowchart, and addresses FERPA and COPPA compliance issues as well as smart suggested practices that reach beyond compliance. Also included in the toolkit are definitions, checklists, examples, and key questions to ask."

CYBER.ORG addresses cybersecurity.  It provides free professionial development, curricula, and resources for educators who wish to integrate cybersecurity lessons and courses into their classrooms.  Subjects addressed include Career & Technical Education, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Humanities, Robotics & Coding, Math, Science, and Computer Science.  Content is aligned to learning standards.  Cyber.org developed K-12 Cybersecurity Learning Standards (2021), which are presented within grade bands K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 and address three themes: computing systems, digital citizenship, and security.

Cyberbullying Research Center "is dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents. ... [It] serves as a clearinghouse of information concerning the ways adolescents use and misuse technology. It is intended to be a resource for parents, educators, law enforcement officers, counselors, and others who work with youth. Here you will find facts, figures, and detailed stories from those who have been directly impacted by online aggression. In addition, the site includes numerous resources to help you prevent and respond to cyberbullying incidents" (About Us section).  See Bullying Laws Across America.

Cybersecurity Awareness for College Students: 7 Things to Do Now from Purdue University Global (2020) elaborates on the following tips, which are also helpful for all:

1. Secure your devices: Use strong passwords, lock screens and biometrics, protect against viruses and scams
2. Don't give out personal information, guard your information on social media, don't give out your social security number, watch out for impersonators
3. Be safe when using communal workstations
4. Check for the extra "S" as in https
5. Perform updates
6. Sell devices safely by wiping out all your personal information
7. Use multifactor (two-factor) identification

Digital Citizenship: Using Technology Appropriately: The site includes nine themes of digital citizenship and provides resources and publications on this theme.  The nine themes, developed by Mike Ribble, pertain to digital access, commerce, communication and collaboration, etiquette, fluency, health and welfare, law, rights and responsibilities, and security and privacy.  The site also includes a digital citizenship progressions chart, which shows appropriate introduction of elements of each theme to students by grade level bands.  Ribble and Marty Park are the authors of The Digital Citizenship Handbook for School Leaders: Fostering Positive Interactions Online (2019).

HOT! The Digital Citizenship+ (Plus) Resource Platform (DCPR) is "an evolving collection of learning experiences, visualizations, and other educational resources (collectively referred to as “tools”)" designed to help you learn about different areas of youth’s (ages 11-18) digitally connected life.  Seventeen sections are available with "tools across digital life."  They include Artificial Intelligence, Civic and Political Engagement, Computational Thinking, Content Production, Context, Data, Digital Access, Digital Economy, Digital (Literacy), Identity Exploration and Formation, Information Quality, Law, Media (Literacy), Positive/Respectful Behavior, Privacy and Reputation, Safety and Well-being, and Security (About section).  There is a well-developed curriculum with resources that can be used in and out of classroooms.  The tool type, media format, and target age are indicated in each activity.

EverFI's Ignition: Digital Wellness and Safety is a digital literacy curriculum for grades 6-9, which includes six lessons based on ISTE standards for students.  Lesson 1 delves into connections and community; lesson 2 addresses safety and privacy; lesson 3 is on screen-time and offline time; lesson 4 is on technology and data; lesson 5 includes rights and literacy; and lesson 6 is on evaluating content.

Family Online Safety Institute has resources for good digital parenting, and a section for policy and research.  You can search by age ranges, category, and digital type.

GCF Global Internet Safety includes a series of tutorials on several topics, such as creating strong passwords, browser security, spam and phishing, malware, safe online shopping, browser tracking, social media privacy, what to do if you get a computer virus, browser plug-ins, using phone verification, wi-fi security, driving safely while using mobile devices, and commentary on the discontinued Adobe Flash.  There's a quiz on internet safety.  Teacher guides are provided.

A Guide to Internet Safety: How to Keep Kids and Teens Safe Online was written by Ray Walsh (2020) of the UK.  You'll find relevant information for on the importance of internet safety, what online dangers exist, online privacy, the good and bad of the modern internet, house rules for the computer, antivirus software, child-friendly search engines, parental controls, information for teens, mobile device safety, social networks, and more.  The guide includes related content resources.

How to Keep your Children Safe Online: The Ultimate Guide for the non Techy Parent by Chris Hauk (2023) at Pixel Privacy is a comprehensive guide to internet safety for non-techy parents/carers. It covers the dangers of the internet, suggestions for rules and how to use parental controls (e.g., those available on Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android platforms, and for videos on iTunes and YouTube).  Additional Online Privacy Guides are available in Resources.

Identity Theft and Online Security from the Federal Trade Commission provides sections on how to protect your personal information and privacy, and protecting kids online.  You'll find advice on topics such as securing your devices, malware, scams, VPNs, passwords, social networking, sexting, cyberbullying, communicating online and phishing, appropriate use of mobile phones and texting, virtual worlds, parental controls, and more.  Also of value is Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online, which offers practical advice and ideas for parents, teachers,and others to get a conversation started about social networking, privacy, mobile devices, computer security, and dealing with cyberbullying.

Internet Child Safety and Child Internet Protection from helpwithpcs.com addresses internet child safety, child security in chat rooms, websites with unsuitable images, spam email with unsuitable images, and provides suggestions for internet security and email filter software.

HOT! Internet Matters will help parents and teachers to keep children safe online.  You'll find sections on online issues (e.g., cyberbullying, sexting, self-harm, screen time, radicalization, online reputation, inappropriate content, and more),  age-specific advice and checklists, setting safety controls on a range of devices, guides and resources, and resources for schools, and a news and expert opinion section.

K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX) " is a nonprofit threat intelligence and best practices sharing community for members of the U.S. K-12 education community committed to preventing and responding to cyber threats, together."  Annual membership fees are based on student enrollment.

MediaSmarts from Canada promotes digital and media literacy through its programs and resources for homes, schools, and communities.  There are numerous teacher resources.

NetSmartz is an educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children (ages 5-17), parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement.  Teach children how to stay safer on the Internet with this resource.

Online Safety for Children and Teens: A Comprehensive Guide to Staying Safe Online from cyberinsureone.com includes several sections with associated additional resources on dangers that children can encounter online, and specific sections devoted to the basics of online safety for children, tweens, and teens, and digital citizenship.

Our Space is a set of free "curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. Through role-playing activities and reflective exercises, students are asked to consider the ethical responsibilities of other people, and whether and how they behave ethically themselves online. These issues are raised in relation to five core themes that are highly relevant online: identity, privacy, authorship and ownership, credibility, and participation."  These materials were developed via a collaboration of the GoodPlay Project of Harvard Graduate School of Education and Project New Media Literacies of the University of Southern California.

HOT: Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center: Cyberbullying defines cyberbullying, offers ways to help youth, includes an FAQ section, statistics and facts, and ends with a short quick to test your knowledge on this topic.  Informative videos are included.  Elementary and middle/high school educators will also find a curriculum and activies to address bullying in general.  There are also parent resources.

Parents: Bullying A search for "bullying" at Parents.com reveals numerous articles on bullying, including cyberbullying.  Learn about the different types, where it happens, and how to respond.

PBS Learning Media Digital Citizenship resources address multiple topics: Safe, Legal, and Responsible Use; Digital Access, Digital Commerce, Digital Health and Wellness; Digital Literacy, Digital Communication, Collaborative and Positive Attitude, Lifelong Learning, Leadership, and Ethical Use and Impact.

PBS NOVA Labs include the free game-based Cybersecurity Lab designed for grades 6-12 "in which players will discover how they can keep their digital lives safe and develop an understanding of cyber threats and defenses. Players will advance by using computer coding, logical reasoning, critical thinking, and vulnerability detection to solve various problems. These are the same skills employed regularly by cybersecurity professionals. However, players won’t need any prior cybersecurity or coding expertise to succeed" (About section).  An educator guide is provided.  Also see the Cybersecurity videos.

HOT: Planet Nutshell: NetSafe is a series of 18 video episodes on internet safety presented in an engaging cartoon format.  Episodes 1-14 are designed for learners in K-12; episodes 15-18 delve into tips and tools for parents, mobile devices in distracted driving, use of public wi-fi, and mobile location privacy.  You can also download transcripts.

Stay Safe Online, sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance, contains the information you need to secure your home or small business computer. You'll find tips on how to safeguard your system (e.g., disconnect from the Internet when not in use), a self-guided cyber security test, beginner's guides to online security, and other Internet security resources.

StopBullying.gov provides "information from various government agencies on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying" (About Us section).  Cyberbullying is also addressed.

The Ultimate Guide to Protecting Children Online in 2022 by Jack Foster (2022) includes tips and techniques on Restricting YouTube, Social Media Privacy, Anti-viruses, Virtual Private Networks, Game Consoles, Unwanted Messages, setting Parental Controls.

WebWiseKids contains "resources to equip young people to safely use and enjoy the latest technologies."  For example, students can learn how to safely engage in social networks.  There's a game using real life stories to learn how to safely use a cell phone.  There are classroom resources on internet safety that can be used with students, even those in kindergarten.

 

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Computer Safety Resources

 

 

ConnectSafely "is a Silicon Valley, California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to educating users of connected technology about safety, privacy and security. Here you’ll find research-based safety tips, parents’ guidebooks, advice, news and commentary on all aspects of tech use and policy" (About Us section).  Highly recommended.  The site also includes a media library with videos, talks, and presentations.

ConsumerAffairs.com includes reviews for 10 best rated antivirus software companies.  At the top of the list are Total Defense, MyCleanPC.com, and Webroot AntiVirus.

Gaggle provides safe online learning tools specifically created for K-12: email, a human monitoring service, GaggleTube (for safe videos), web hosting and design, assignment drop boxes, blogs, instant messaging, digital lockers, class pages, calendar, safe texting, markup for feedback on assignments, discussion boards, social learning, mobile apps.  "Gaggle features built-in processes and classroom workflows designed to promote educator and student productivity. Teachers can easily create, assign, collect and correct assignments on their schedule, while promoting student engagement and embracing the benefits of social networking in a safe and controlled environment" (Overview section).  Among resources is a Content Library.  A Buyer's Guide: Teaching and Learning Platform Safety Checklist (2013, October) contained the following key safety criteria for selecting the safest platform for your school:

• Is it CIPA compliant?
• How is content filtered?
• Does it detect and prevent pornographic images?
• What happens to the content after it is filtered? Who reviews or monitors the filtered content?
• What are the access and transparency options for teachers and administrators?
• Can we control who our students communicate with?
• Is the email secure?
• Is there spam and virus protection?
• Are the same safety features available for mobile devices?

GoGuardian "provides device management solutions that keep students safer online and make teaching easier." You'll find a parent app and solutions for classroom management, filtering and monitoring, asset tracking, engagement analytics, suicide prevention, and more.

KeePass is "a free open source password manager, which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. So you only have to remember one single master password or select the key file to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted" for security (What is KeePass? section).

How Firewalls Work by Jeff Tyson, posted at HowStuffWorks.

In Free and Low Cost Software to Make Computing Easier Miquel Guhlin (2005), a Texas school district instructional technology services director, suggests software and provides advice on compressing multiple files for transfer as an email attachment, setting up your own Web server, FTP server, and Email (SMTP) server; protection from spyware/adware/viruses; and selecting alternative browsers to Internet Explorer; and ensuring that your email is private, not public.

Free software is on sites such as SourceForge and CNET's Download.  Other software recommendations include Zone Alarm firewall, AVG antivirus,  Avast free antivirus for your PC, Avira free antivirus, and Bitdefender antivirus free edition.

PasswordManager.com includes a list of the best password managers for a variety of devices, including password managers that are free.  You'll also find reviews, comparisons and other help for selecting the most appropriate for your devices.

 

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References

 

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See other Technology Integration pages:

Part 2: Technology Integration Resources: Page 1  |  2  |  3  |  4

Part 1: Essential Questions  |  Part 3: Web Page Design  |  Part 4: Multimedia in Projects

 

 

 

 

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