session 6

Session Six: Keeping Students Safe on the Read/Write Web

The workshop highlights the benefits of Read/Write tools for enabling enhanced communication and collaboration across distance and time. It is important that educators help make students aware of the dangers of interacting online and teach them about how they can stay safe and maintain privacy while still having access to the educational benefits of the Read/Write Web. This final session will highlight some available resources that teachers and students can use to discuss and practice safe online interaction. In this session, you will also complete your planning templates and share them for feedback in our discussion area.

read

Readings

1. A Web 2.0 Approach to Internet Safety
The article focuses on six key components to consider when addressing the issue of online safety.
2. Patrolling Web 2.0

One Denver Public Schools administrators shares his beliefs about the need for increased filtering to address safety issues in the Web 2.0 world.
3. 'Safe' social networking sites emerge
”Amid rising concerns over popular social networking sites, a new crop of "safe" sites is currently emerging. These "safe" sites hope to limit the dangers associated with other sites, such as talking to predators and revealing too much personal information. In addition, these safer sites aim to develop in users a proper online skill set--one that incorporates elements of online safety as well as proper behavior in virtual communities.“

activities

Activities

1. ConnectSafely is a website dedicated to informing teachers, students, and parents about internet safety. The website contains a forum where parents, teens, educators, and experts can discuss and learn about safe blogging and social networking. This week, explore the discussions on the forum. To join the discussion you must first register a free account.
2. Playing It Safe: A WebQuest on Internet Safety
This WebQuest on Internet Safety is written for 6th grade students. Explore the WebQuest to see if this might be a resource you can use with your students.
3. Complete sections VI and VII on your planning template and post your completed plan with appropriate links in the "Planning Template Forum."
4. Post an entry in your blog describing if and how you plan to continue using this blog for your own personal or professional use. Comment on the blogs of at least two of your colleagues.
5. Please take the Final Survey. Your anonymous feedback is extremely valuable so we can measure the success of the workshop, as well as design improvements for the next time we offer it. Please note that this is an expectation for workshop completion. To take the survey, click on the "Surveys" link in the workshop navigation bar.

discuss

Discussion

In this final week, we will have two discussion forums: One forum to discuss issues of internet security and another forum for sharing your completed Planning Templates. Please post in each forum and offer feedback to at least one of your colleagues on their planning templates.

1. Discuss the strategies you can use to keep your students safe while allowing them access to the tools on the Read/Write Web.
2. Post your completed planning template to the discussion board.
3. Provide feedback to at least one other person in both the discussion board and in the planning template forum.

additional resources

Optional Reading

* Cyberbee: Links to Internet Safety Resources
* Excerpts from MySpace Safety: 51 Tips for Teens and Parents, by Kevin and Dale Farnham
Read at least three of the experts published online from this book about one of the most widely used student blogging sites.
* Keeping Your Kids Internet Safe and Smart
* Stay Safe Online
* NetSmartz