Safety Tips for Using Web Tools in Classrooms

Listed below are some safety tips that both students and teachers need to be aware of as they begin to venture into using internet tools in the classroom.

• Define appropriate use for your students. Most districts have a general set of rules that covers the most inappropriate uses for the Internet; however, some other concerns may not be addressed. These concerns may be different for each classroom but there should be specific rules as to what is correct and incorrect when using the Internet. For example, is it appropriate for students to listen to music while posting a short story to their blog? Is it appropriate for students to access their personal email, Facebook, MySpace, etc. while using web tools? Is it appropriate for students to download files onto the computer?
• To maintain student privacy use either first names only or pseudonyms. There should not be any personal information such as full name, age, address, pictures, phone number on the Internet.
• Maintain a safe space by avoiding rude, insulting, or derogatory language. All students must show respect for other users in their blogs. Likewise, students should be advised to avoid blogs or other websites that are deemed as obscene.
  
• Explain to students that the Internet is a public space and that what you put on the Internet can be viewed by everyone and that even if a student forgets about a particular blog doesn't mean that it is deleted from the Internet.
  
• Remind students that not everything on the Internet is the truth, just as not everything is the paper is the truth. Students need to be able to discern between fact and opinion on blogs. Even what is presented as the truth must be researched and referenced.