Social interaction is changing! Hopefully, this isn't news to you, but it has become a way of life for today's tweens and teens to have an online profile. Be it Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or another social site, kids are posting pictures, making comments, playing games, and interacting online. Sometimes, this can lead to inappropriate behavior, bullying, or other negative outcomes.
School curriculums are also in the process of changing to include instruction about internet safety so our kids know the effects of their online activities. Whether it's protecting their identity, or knowing about cyberbullying, teens need us as educators to fill them in about safe practices while using the Internet.
So, I want to share with you a neat resource I found designed specifically for teens and tweens. NS Teens (NS standing for Net Smartz) is an online collection of quick videos meant to educate students about different topics of internet safety. The characters are animated teenage students, interfaced with interviews from real life teenagers. I highly recommend the one about cyberbullying because it seems like harrassing text messages, comments and emails has become a big problem as of late....which you find out in the video can lead to police involvement, just like regular harassment.
So, please take the time to jump on teachable moments about internet safety. Hopefully, this site can help!
NOTE: Also, go to NetSmartz.org to find resources for elementary kids, educators, parents, and law enforcement officers.
EXCELLENT POST!!! We are struggling with this right now in our schools... Our administrators decided after a little coaxing from me and the librarian to include something in the open house, a 20-30 minute presentation on internet safety for the parents and students. We found this great book (check my blog for the posting probably tomorrow) that you can order for free along with other good things too.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see you are helping your teachers educate their students/families about this. The world is changing whether we like it or not, and it's better to be prepared than let bad things happen to our kids! ROCK ON Amber!