Acceptable Computer Usage

1.Only visit bookmarked websites when using free time on the computer. If you are instructed or assisted in going to another website, that is the only time it is acceptable to visit anything other than bookmarked websites.

2.You are not allowed to access any chatrooms or forums unless they have been approved by a teacher.

3. Do not share any personal information including your name, how old you are, where you go to school, what neighborhood you live in, or how many siblings you have. Don’t tell anyone anything about yourself.

4. When using e-mail, if you receive an e-mail from someone you do not know or from an e-mail address you do not recognize, please get a teacher immediately before opening the e-mail. The teacher will review the e-mail and see if it is safe for you to read and respond to.

5. You are not to utilize social media while you are at school, this does include Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Tumblr and any other social media sites. These sites are blocked and if you are caught trying to find a way around these blocks, or gain access to any of these sites, you will lose your computer privileges.

6. You cannot download anything onto the computer without permission. If you feel that a download is necessary for something you are attempting to do on the computer, please ask a teacher for assistance before downloading anything.

7. If you receive an e-mail or any other for of communication that has cyberbulling in it, please seek help from a teacher, counselor, or a parent so it can be addressed and taken care of.

8. If you are visiting a website and a pop-up appears, do not click on it, do not input any information about yourself, and do not follow any links it may give you.

9. When doing a google search, do not click on links that are not .org .edu or .net for any research projects. The best are .org and .edu and will have accurate information, as well as be a safe place to look.

10. Do not share photos of yourself or of your neighborhood or school through an e-mail. This is just as important as not sharing your name, age, or location.

How I plan to teach my students these important safety rules is simply talking to them about what can happen on the internet. Putting terms like sexual predators, and cyberbullies in words that they can understand and relate to. I don’t want to scare my students of the internet, but I want them to understand that they are always at risk while they are searching online.

I truly believe that showing students what can happen is a really important portion in teaching them about internet safety. I have seen on Facebook many photos shared of a teacher that has a sign that says something along the lines of “Please share this and state your location so I can show my students how quickly something on the internet travels.” I would share these stories with my students to show them how quickly their information can be shared. I’ll also demonstrate a google search of my own name to show them what information comes up, including photos of myself, any social media that I have, etc. I would also attempt to bring in someone from the Teenangels organization, hopefully a younger child and their advocate, to talk to the class about what they do – how they find predators, what they do to protect themselves, etc. I would also attempt to bring in someone from law enforcement to talk to the students about what legal repercussions there are for people who prey upon young children, as well as explain to students what puts them at risk. I would also remind my students on a regular basis what our rules for computer use are and remind them of the risks if they do not follow them, not just what punishment they will receive. 

A note to parents: You can utilize a lot of these same rules in your home to make sure that your students are safe while using the web in your own home. I know a lot of younger students, like your children, don't utilize social media but the threat is still there. I would suggest to keep the computer somewhere "out in the open" like a living room or a den. I would also suggest to routine monitor what your child is looking at online. Set up safety features and utilize the parent control settings that your internet provider as well as your internet browser offer.