Rights, Risks, and Responsibilities
Students, parents, and educators all have responsibilities each time the Internet is accessed. By learning and following safety guidelines, the Internet can be a fun, educational, and safe experience for all involved.
Students
- follow rules set by school (AUP) and home to ensure safe use
- never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone online
- never give identifying information
- never upload/post pictures to anyone that you don't know
- understand that pictures and posts are there for anyone to see forever- even if you delete them
- never download anything from an unknown source
- never respond to anything suggestive...tell an adult
- know that not everything on the Internet is true- including a person's identity
Parents
- talk to your child about online dangers
- spend time with your child online- ask them to show you some of their favorite sites
- keep the computer in a common room of your house
- utilize parental controls
- maintain access to your child's online accounts and check them regularly
- teach them that the Internet isn't only for games and chatting- it provided us with valuable resources
- find out what safeguards places such as your school and library use in order to keep your child safe when you can't be there to monitor their access
- Read and discuss your school's AUP with your child- make sure that they understand what denotes acceptable use and consequences if this policy is not followed
Educators
- Gain parental support by teaching them how to protect their children and themselves from online dangers and showing them the benefits of the using the Internet as a learning tool
- teach digital citizenship to the students so that they understand that they are part of a community each time that they access the web-remind them of the Golden Rule...treat others the way you would want to be treated
- empower your students by allowing them to be a part of creating their safety guidelines- ask them to recommend kid friendly sites, create a list of do's and don't on the Internet, etc.
- discuss your school's AUP with each student that is allowed to access the computer, return to it often to remind them what is expected each time they use the computers and consequences if the policy isn't followed
Users Rights and Responsibilities: Firewalls, Passwords, and Parental Controls
| www.crunchgear.com/tag/firewall/ |
Firewall- is a device or set of devices designed to permit or deny network transmissions based upon a set of rules and is frequently used to protect networks from unauthorized access while permitting legitimate communications to pass
source: www.wikipedia.org
**It’s important to understand one thing, however. No firewall will make your computers impossible to attack. Firewalls, like locks and walls create barriers to attack—they get in the way of someone trying to take control. By making it difficult for attackers to get into your computer, by making them invest lots of time, you become less attractive. Firewalls very effectively block most bad guys from attacks. But it’s impossible to fully prevent every intrusion: All software has bugs, and someone might find an obscure bug in your firewall that allows them to pass through. In a nutshell, there’s no such thing as absolute security. How much you invest in firewalls should be a function of how much you have to lose if an attack is successful.
source: http://technet.microsoft.com/
** Links to Firewall resources**
 |
| http://zedomax.com/blog/2011/02/10/500-worst-passwords |
- do not use words or phrases that have personal significance
- mix letters, numbers, and symbols
- find a good way to remember it
- try to memorize it and avoid writing it down
- the longer the better
- do not use the same password for everything
Parental Safeguards- Many Internet providers supply these controls at little or no cost. It is up to the parents to use them as a tool to provide safety when children venture online. Parents can use these controls to:
- restrict individual websites
- set up a limit of time children are allowed to be online
- block searches of adult words and phrases
- monitor your child's chats by viewing their dialog
- receive email alerts when inappropriate words or phrases are sent or received in a chat conversation
- child activity reports- lets you view the sites they visit, programs they use, and when they are active on the computer
- predator alerts- receive alerts when registered sex offenders work or live near you
- spyware, malware, etc. are identified and blocked before it can be downloaded to your computer
- block downloads
- set up one-time use passwords
source: http://www.kidswatch.com/
ISP's Can Also be a Valuable Resource to Keeping You Safe!!
Your Internet Service Provider can offer you tools such as; firewall software, parental controls, spam and email protection, virus protection and identity protection.
According to http://www.consumersearch.com/- Net Nanny, Safe Eyes, and Cyber Patrol are voted Best Parental Control Software.
How do students know if a website is valid??
- the site is professional- professional sites include: .gov, .org, .mil, .aero
- the website has an author- it is clear who wrote the information and the website is qualified. Credentials should prove the authors knowledge and experience in the subject area
- information must be credible and error free
- site is published and copyrighted
- links to other sites verify the information
- information is unbiased
- website is current
source: http://acoachma.tripod.com/
Links to additional resources that can help you determine validity
*http://www.1goodreason.com/blog/blog/2010/01/15/how-to-check-charity-website-validity-60-seconds/
*http://www.fcps.edu/LutherJacksonMS/library/techtips/tips/website_validity_guideline.html
