Protection of young people
Before entering the web, you have to talk to the pupils very insistently about responsibly acting. The teacher has to discuss the following 10 notes:
1. Do not post personal information on the web
Other people do not have to know your pupil’s real name, age and address. They might do illegal things with this information. I will deal in more detail with this issue when I discuss data protection.
2. Think about which impression the ones who see your photos, comments might get of you and if you would like them to have this impression
Young pupils are often not aware about who can read their comments. The teacher has to make clear to them, that the internet is not a room to behave rude or to bully others. They also do not have to create a “cool” image by posting picture from the last party or showing them in a bikini. Pupils have to keep in mind that their future boss might see it.
3. Always keep in mind that information once published is never to be deleted completely
Teenagers often underestimate the power of the internet. Even if they do delete problematic pictures or videos, someone else might have saved them to his or her own computer and upload them. This is an uncontrollable process.
4. Make sure that you really know the people you make friends with on the web - never accept unknowns. Be aware of the fact that people might pretend that he or she is someone else.
Pupils have to be reminded that there are people who have bad intentions. If you do not know a person, you cannot be sure what his or her intention is. Especially when it comes to the youngest pupils, we do have to keep in mind that there are pedophiles who try do get in touch with children.
5. This is imperative to safety over the Internet. Since it is always possible for everyone to pretend that he/she is someone else
As said above, never underestimate human maliciousness. Teachers have to pass on a healthy measure of mistrust.
6. Choose your password carefully and change it occasionally
Pupils have to learn how to create a safe password. They have to know the basic rules, like not using lexical words, not giving it away to anybody, using numbers and signs for more safety, using a different password for each account and changing the password every now and then.
7. Do not publish other people's data, respect their privacy
This is due to data protection, I will discuss later. It also can be seen in close relationship to points 2 and 3.
8. Don't be more offensive than you would be in real life
This has to do with so called netiquette. Teachers have to explain that pupils are not secure just because they feel safe sitting alone in front of the computer. They have to be clear about chatting with a human being. There is no reason to be rude. As well, they should not act more revealing than they use to do. Again we do have to see this aspect in close relationship to points 4 and 5. Point 3 also has to be kept in mind.
9. Try to find the right balance between the time you spend on the internet and the time you spend in the real life
Obviously, this is not limited to school only. But we do have to train social skills. Isolation is not a far-fetched topic. As teachers we do have to show to our pupils how the web can support their life. We have to avoid the web replacing social contacts.
10. Be careful downloading stuff - it might contain viruses
One cannot avoid downloading things from the web. Therefore we do have to show how to download safely. How do reputable websites look like? What protecting tools do exist? How do I use them? Knowing this is essential to surfers and that is why teachers should deal with it.
1. Do not post personal information on the web
Other people do not have to know your pupil’s real name, age and address. They might do illegal things with this information. I will deal in more detail with this issue when I discuss data protection.
2. Think about which impression the ones who see your photos, comments might get of you and if you would like them to have this impression
Young pupils are often not aware about who can read their comments. The teacher has to make clear to them, that the internet is not a room to behave rude or to bully others. They also do not have to create a “cool” image by posting picture from the last party or showing them in a bikini. Pupils have to keep in mind that their future boss might see it.
3. Always keep in mind that information once published is never to be deleted completely
Teenagers often underestimate the power of the internet. Even if they do delete problematic pictures or videos, someone else might have saved them to his or her own computer and upload them. This is an uncontrollable process.
4. Make sure that you really know the people you make friends with on the web - never accept unknowns. Be aware of the fact that people might pretend that he or she is someone else.
Pupils have to be reminded that there are people who have bad intentions. If you do not know a person, you cannot be sure what his or her intention is. Especially when it comes to the youngest pupils, we do have to keep in mind that there are pedophiles who try do get in touch with children.
5. This is imperative to safety over the Internet. Since it is always possible for everyone to pretend that he/she is someone else
As said above, never underestimate human maliciousness. Teachers have to pass on a healthy measure of mistrust.
6. Choose your password carefully and change it occasionally
Pupils have to learn how to create a safe password. They have to know the basic rules, like not using lexical words, not giving it away to anybody, using numbers and signs for more safety, using a different password for each account and changing the password every now and then.
7. Do not publish other people's data, respect their privacy
This is due to data protection, I will discuss later. It also can be seen in close relationship to points 2 and 3.
8. Don't be more offensive than you would be in real life
This has to do with so called netiquette. Teachers have to explain that pupils are not secure just because they feel safe sitting alone in front of the computer. They have to be clear about chatting with a human being. There is no reason to be rude. As well, they should not act more revealing than they use to do. Again we do have to see this aspect in close relationship to points 4 and 5. Point 3 also has to be kept in mind.
9. Try to find the right balance between the time you spend on the internet and the time you spend in the real life
Obviously, this is not limited to school only. But we do have to train social skills. Isolation is not a far-fetched topic. As teachers we do have to show to our pupils how the web can support their life. We have to avoid the web replacing social contacts.
10. Be careful downloading stuff - it might contain viruses
One cannot avoid downloading things from the web. Therefore we do have to show how to download safely. How do reputable websites look like? What protecting tools do exist? How do I use them? Knowing this is essential to surfers and that is why teachers should deal with it.
