Internet

The Internet is a great place for students to gather information, find interesting articles to read, search for images, listen to music, and a plethora of other uses. It has become an integral part of our lives, so much so that many people carry it with them (via cell phone) where ever they go. When the Internet first became available, however, some people shied away from it because there was so much information out there that could not be regulated or controlled. Knowing how to keep yourself and your students safe when using the Internet is relatively easy if you know a few basic safety rules.

Safety Guidelines
Make the following internet safety rules very clearly understood by your kids and teens. (borrowed from http://internetsafetyrules.net)
 * Never input your personal information online like real names, address, phone nos or anything that you can be identified with. The ‘identities’ you see online are seldom the very often assumed identities.
 * Likewise never put online any information of your family members.
 * Never upload photos and videos online as they can easily be misused online by online predators.
 * Never download anything without first letting your parents know, as these might contain harmful stuffs and jeopardize family’s safety.
 * Do not get friendly with strangers online no matter how friendly they appear. Online predators assume the best of online identities.
 * Just like in the real world, if you want others to treat you with respect and dignity, treat others with respect and dignity.
 * Any information which you feel uncomfortable with, should be brought to the notice of your parents immediately.
 * Protect your user name and password at all times. Never let it out to anyone.
 * Never agree to meet someone you meet online without consulting your parents first, as your parents if at all they agree will ensure security like arranging for a public meeting place.
 * Do not respond to any questions which makes you feel uncomfortable, watch out especially for others insisting you provide more of your information like address, location etc.
 * Never let others online know the details of your parents profession especially the timings of their workplace, as it might be someone contemplating a robbery, or a paedophile.

For more information, check out the following sites:

Safe Search Tools and Portals for Kids Internet Safety Tools NetSmartz Workshop Kids Health: Internet Safety for Parents, Kids, Teens iSafe

Search Engines
When using the Internet in class, a lot of stress can be eliminated when using kid-safe search engines. Below are just a few (borrowed from http://www.sldirectory.com/searchf/kidsafe.html)

[|Yippy] This site gives good results for school assignments. It is advertisement free.

[|RefSeek] A good search engine for school research. It is free of advertisements.

[|I'mHalah] A search engine with results consistent with Muslim values. It returns good kid-safe results and is free of advertising.

[|Sweet Search] This is a search engine which searches sites which have been approved by researchers. The results screen is rather cluttered, and it is very easy to get directed to Finding Dulcinea which the parent of the Sweet Search site.

[|GoGooligans] This site uses Google technology, but is not by Google. It offers filtered searches for young people with options for acceptable sites for younger and older students. It has lots of Google ads.

[|Ask Kids] Questions can be asked in sentence form, and the number of results is reasonable but not overwhelming for students. It has advertisements.

[|Quintura Kids] This is a site which more for browsing than for searching. It is not the place to go for homework, but it is good for casual searching. No ads.

[|Yahoo! Kids] Fun stuff and homework help.

[|Fun Brain] Lots of fun (and educational) games for students in grades K - 8.

[|Up to Ten] This site has fun (lots of games) and learning activities for children from preschool to age 10. Use the search to find activities easily.

[|Enchanted Learning] Education, crafts, and games for the K-6 set.

[|PBS Kids] Fun for the preschool set.

[|Pauly's Playhouse] Fun games and activities for children ages 3 and up.