Tool #11

Digital Citizenship is a new buzzword, but an old concept. For years, TV and the news media have told stories about children meeting undesirable people online. It's really not difficult for children or adults to find "interesting" people who do and say the right things and then try to meet face to face and be in emotional and/or physical danger.

In today's Facebook society, you are known by the amount of "friends" you have, not by the people you actually know. Honestly, how can ANY 16 year old child be "friends" with over 200 people?

I am very strict about computer use in the classroom. There are rules to follow: 1) don't go on any web-site that I have not authorized, 2) do not enroll, or join any website...period, 3) do not "drift" onto another site that has a link on the assigned site, 4) if you see anything that doesn't look right, then let the teacher know.

My students know that violation of these rules means that they are grounded from computer use in the classroom and in the lab - no exceptions! I tell them real stories (watered down) of the things that can happen. I tell them that MY children were not allowed to be "friends" or speak to anyone on the internet that I did not have physical knowledge of. My daughter made the mistake of "chatting" with the cousin of a friend of a friend, who then asked for an inappropriate favor...

Once students understand my reasons, they are willing to follow these rules - they understand that are non-negotiable, but they also understand that it is for their safety.

We review how to get online and how to stay on the right site. I make sure that all internet movement is done as a class and in slow motion. I try to be hypervigilant when students are online because it is very easy to click the wrong picture by accident and land in the wrong space by mistake.

Some students will tell you that their parents let them "surf" wherever they want! Good for them, but on my watch, the students follow my rules. Hopefully the parents have a set of rules at home themselves...hopefully!