Cyber+Safety

=Students need to be safe; they need to learn to swim.=

[|Friendship Assistance Brigade] FAB - Antibullying from ICSD educator and social worker Celia Clement

Great lesson plans: http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans/

i Safe- A full program: http://www.isafe.org/

Tips for persons of all ages: http://www.cybersmartkids.com.au/cyber-rules.htm

[|Andy's bookmarks on Internet Safety]

From: "Nancy Willard" 

> From: Lee Sebastiani  > IMO, the best site: > http://csriu.org/ > > Dr. Lee Sebastiani > Marywood University Testing Coordinator

Thanks Lee, but for the record do not consider myself "a legend" and did not pay Lee to say this. ;-)

I strongly encourage you to be very careful in evaluating curriculum. There is curriculum out from several organizations that has been created with significant funding through the US Department of Justice which in the opinion of many is not grounded in the research and uses ineffective risk prevention approaches.

I am concerned that many of you with expertise in educational technology do not also have expertise in risk prevention. Risk prevention specialists would take one look at this curriculum and tell you that it will not be effective. But anyone who is enthusiastic about these technologies will also be immediately concerned - because the curriculum is so grounded in fear.

The curriculum that is currently available from CyberSmart is really good. I will provide an approach that may work more effectively at the middle and high school level. At the elementary level I recommend using CyberSmart.

The following is a short section from the materials that I will be releasing on approaches that will not work and alternatives to use. You can use this as a guide when you are looking at curriculum. I hope this helps.

Approaches to Avoid ~ Alternatives To Use

No Fear-Based Messages

Teens dismiss Internet ³fear² messages as an adult overreaction and lack of understanding. Increases the probability they will not listen to adults or report concerns. Provide practical information about risks and protective strategies.

No Stranger-Danger Warnings Stranger danger warnings do not work in the Real World and will not work online. Online incidents involving known peers are far more harmful and difficult to address. Most strangers are perfectly safe. Help students learn how to interact safety with people they know in person and those they meet or get to know online.

Not ³Just Say No¹² Simplistic rules against normative online behavior will not work. Young people will post material online and interact with people they do not know. Provide students with comprehensive insight on how to prevent and effectively respond to online concerns.

Not Sole Reliance on Adults Young people will not tell adults about online concerns simply because we tell them to. Teach them how to effectively respond to most incidents. Tell them what adults can do to help. Encourage them to assist peers and report significant concerns to adults.

No Social Networking Fear The vast majority of teens use these sites. The sites have excellent protective features. If teens are careful about who they ³friend² and what they post they are very safe. Teach them how to use social networking sites safety and responsibly.

Not Teens Only As Victims Messages may imply or refer to teens as ³victims.² Sometimes teens are victims. But other times they are intentionally engaging in risky or harmful online behavior. Address their own behavior. This is what we can ³fix.²

Don¹t Act Like an Authority Teens do not believe that adults understand their world as well as they do ~ and in most cases they are correct. You can act like an authority with elementary students. Respect their insight. Engage in a partnership. Set up situations where savvier students communicate guidance to peers. Use older students to teach younger students.

Evaluating Curriculum While CSRIU has prepared instructional material that can be used with students, this presentation has been designed to provide educators with the necessary background to be able to effectively use curriculum that has been prepared by other organizations ~ if this curriculum is grounded in the research insight and uses effective risk prevention messaging, such as the CyberSmart curriculum.

Unfortunately, there is a significant amount of material currently available that does not meet this research-based standard.

In evaluating curriculum for adoption, it is recommended that schools: Request information on the research insight into youth risk online that has been relied upon in creating the curriculum. Ask the organization to describe the evidence-based risk prevention approaches that have relied on in creating the curriculum. Review the curriculum in the context of the research insight presented within this material. Evaluate the curriculum to determine whether it uses any of the above ineffective approaches.

Nancy

-- Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D. Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use http://csriu.org http://cyberbully.org http://cyber-safe-kids.com http://csriu.wordpress.com nwillard@csriu.org

Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress (Research Press)

Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn to Use the Internet Safely and Responsibly (Jossey-Bass)

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