Teaching children about safety is so important. As a focus for all of us this year, we need to make safety in all areas a priority. Safety is not just a simple conversation but a continuation of many discussions. We can begin with a short checklist.
- Remind students often
- Check safety lists often
- Monitor online usage
- Talk openly about dangers
- Provide solutions for “in case this happens, do this.”
- Make safety in all areas a priority
- Model safety
As we have experienced a global pandemic with shutdowns of our educational system and lockdowns with a push for safety against the threat of the Covid-19 outbreak, our children were pushed to an online learning format to receive educational instruction to meet academic needs.
Technology usage brought to light many needs and areas for improvement. When I was a young teacher, I can remember talking about technology safety. In today’s world, there is so much more availability of technology, programs, and people utilizing the resources, which increases the need for safety. An excellent checklist has been created for you to utilize for video chats which became part of the educational day.
Safety Threats On-line
Children face safety issues when they are utilizing technology. Adults do as well! The problems facing children are those in which they need to be informed to watch out for and to look for the warnings. Understanding safety is a better approach than addressing the dangers.
Safety issues for children in grades 5th-12th are the areas we will focus on now. This seems to be the age group to address safety practices for technology usage. You see the majority of children in this age group with multiple devices (cell phones, iPads, laptops, Chrome books, and gaming devices). The more social-media platforms they are involved with, the more safety protocols are needed.
Three significant areas to address at this point for safety are Cyberbullying, Online predators, and Inappropriate content. I will follow-up with an additional post to provide more details into these areas.
Tips to Tighten Safety At Home
Technology tips for Families can be a piece of your newsletter home to families. It can also be a corner on the school website. Keeping things updated to keep families informed will help build safety. Providing a list is always a great resource, and adding professional advice aids families in making decisions.
One of the resources provides a downloadable handout for parents and a presentation prepared to provide to families as a family night. More resources to address ages 6-8 years old are provided at this site.
As more resources are found to provide additional information for safety in technology usage, I will share them. Safety is essential in all areas, at all levels, and for all ages. Providing information on ways to help with safety is always crucial. In addition, always share what you are doing for the safety each day of those you serve.