New VA law for internet safety

This is so cool! Finally we are being proactive about a preventable problem. It’s nice that schools have a filtering system to avoid obscene material from reaching our students, but what about at home? At the library? At a friend’s house? We need to teach our children what dangers are out there, what to do when they do come across inappropriate material, and how to handle all those situations we try to protect them from.

 I know that we have learned a lot about internet safety at UMW and how important it is important to share this with your students, but many teachers either do not know about the importance or assume that their students are already in the know. If interent safety is taught, it usually consists of scare tactics rather than responsible decision making.

 As this article points out, a legislation is not as effective as a program. Okay, so now we are required to teach internet safety (without using scare tactics)… Now what? An easy way to teach something is to do it. Give your students theoretical examples of possible situations they may find themselves in, and help them use responsible decision making to resolve it or remove themselves from it. Use real tools as examples. So, don’t ask them, “If you met a stranger online and they wanted your address, what would you do?” Help them relate to it by asking something more like, “If you’re on myspace, what would you do if Jon, a 14 year old boy, asked you for your age?” Help them realize how risky the simplest situations can be.

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