Last month I attended an ACMA (Australian Communications and
Media Authority) Professional Development Day at North Sydney focusing on Cybersafety.
It is a course that I will recommend to all teachers because you will be surprised at the insights that are provided into Cybersafety and how we should promote it in the classroom and wider school community. You are guided through possible strategies and approaches to deal with responsible digitial citizenship.
The day also provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on how I and the schools I'm involved with promote Cybersafety. Now it is up to me to implement those ideas.
It was great to also hear how those at other schools approach the issue of cybersafety (both strengths and negatives). This is not the place to disclose them. It is great food for thought in my teaching.
Our presenter (Lesley Harrison) clearly identified some of the trends and issues facing our young ones in the use of digital technologies including sexting, cyberbullying, knowledge of technology, underage access to websites and social networking and accessing content.
Being young, they lack the understanding of what they do online stays with them for life through their digital footprint. Being teachers, we have to help them understand what they do today online will remain with them for life. It can harm them later in life. Thats why effective Cybersafety programs are important. I will have to always remind students of this.
We as teachers were also reminded of how we should approach technology in our professional relationships with the students and the possible risks associated with using them. Also as professionals we are reminded about protecting ourselves online. Students just need to Google your name and walla all the information about you can be there. Information that you may not want others to know may be in easy reach. So be careful and this will probably be a future blog entry in itself.
Another aspect that was covered well as how one can incorporate cybersafety and responsible digital citizenship into the classroom in any key learning area and in a pastoral and welfare program. It is very easy to do, believe me. I didn't feel challenged when considering that for a library program.
Also I was amazed to learn about some of the tools that our children and teens do use that I had not heard of and how popular that they have become. I'll need to explore them much further.
