Renfro Internet Safety Plan
To instill in the students that the Internet can be a positive and educational experience, the benefits of the Internet will be discussed during the month of September. When a teacher brings their students into the computer lab for the first visit of the school year, after discussing general computer lab rules, The students will be shown a number of age appropriate educational, fun and free online music file web sites that they can visit.
During the month of October, the rules of online safety will be handed out and discussed. The following list is from
Kids' Rules for Online Safety
| 1. | I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parents’ permission. |
| 2. | I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable. |
| 3. | I will never agree to get together with someone I "meet" online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along. |
| 4. | I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents. |
| 5. | I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away so that they can contact the service provider. |
| 6. | I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission. |
| 7. | I will not give out my Internet password to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents. |
| 8. | I will check with my parents before downloading or installing software or doing anything that could possibly hurt our computer or jeopardize my family’s privacy |
| 9. | I will be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law. |
| 10. | I will help my parents understand how to have fun and learn things online and teach them things about the Internet, computers and other technology. |
During the month of November, the students will be introduced to Internet Safety Web Sites.
For younger students in Kindergarten and first grade, the web site
www.ikeepsafe.org will be used which uses a cartoon cat named "Faux Paw" to teach children how to be safe online. A free video is available as well as an online book.Students in second through fourth grades will be directed to the NetSmartz web sites,
www.netsmartz.org. They will be shown a couple of CD music rap videos provided by Netsmartz on the SmartBoard. After that, they will be able to try some of the online activities on the Netsmartz Kids web site, http://www.netsmartzkids.org/activities/index.htm.During December and January, teachers may decide to allow students extra time to explore the online games and activities of the Netsmartz Kids web site, but no organized activities are scheduled.
To celebrate friendship for Valentine’s Day, students will learn about email and Instant Messaging. We will discuss proper "netiquette" and safety, briefly discussing SPAM and unwanted emails. The web site from CyberSmart Curriculum will be used.
http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans/45_05.asp and http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans/45_10.asp. Included in the online lesson plan are activities and handouts.Although students do not have school supported email addresses, they will write practice emails using a word
template. They will also learn some simple email and IM abbreviations and will be given a handout.The site,
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Guide/netiquette.html will be accessed for visual reinforcement.During March, the students will revisit the NetSmartz web sites to enjoy more games and activities.
During April, students in the third and fourth grades will learn about personal web sites such as “MySpace”. Information will be given to them to take home on safety tips for making the use of these sites as safe as possible. This information will also be discussed with parents during a PTA meeting.
To prepare students for the end of the school year where they may have more access to the Internet at home, an Internet Safety Poster contest will be held at school. The students will create posters with Internet Safety tips and rules to further strengthen what they have learned throughout the school year.
An alternative to the Poster Contest will be a PowerPoint presentation on Internet Safety. This can be a class project or individual project. Parents will be encouraged to participate. A number of after school dates will be provided in case parents want to work with their children in the computer lab on the project. The projects will be judged and the best projects will be posted online.
During April, students in the third and fourth grades will learn about personal web sites such as "MySpace". Information will be given to them to take home on safety tips for making the use of these sites as safe as possible. This information will also be discussed with parents during a PTA meeting.