Another Safer Internet Day has been and gone and it’s boosted my ‘number of children trained’ (and number of adults) for CEOP via the think-you-know website considerably (boosting the number of children I’ve trained to over 3400).
Having spent some time over the summer fully absorbing Ofsted’s new ‘Online Safety Standards’ (read more at http://swgfl.org.uk/news/News/online-safety/Making-Sense-of-the-New-Online-Safety-Standards) I have incorporated chunks of that document plus the BBC Newsround research announced on Safer Internet Day into my presentations. Whilst I was at it I have also been through all of my presentations and paperwork chasing away the remaining references to ‘e-safety’ to replace it with ‘Online Safety’ as recommended by Ofsted. To be honest I was ahead of the game having adopted ‘Online Safety’ as the new name for ‘e-safety’ some years ago following conversations with 360 Safe assessors about how confusing the name e-safety was to parents!
There are a growing number of Oxfordshire schools engaging with the 360 Safe matrix and quite a few now actively working towards the 360 safe mark. Many schools are also taking to heart the need to keep all staff updated on Online Safety issues with annual trainning and updates.
It is a modern day life skill which no-one who uses technology can afford to be without. The internet pervades all that we do, it underpins most of the 21st century technology in our homes and offices.
From smart phones that automatically back up your photos to the cloud (something that certain celebraties will wish didn’t actually happen now) to Central heating thermostats which you can control from your iPad. Modern devices are increasingly interconnected via the web.
21st Century technology users need to be tech-savy! They need skills to avoid making costly or embarrassing mistakes!
There are websites which give advice and support to children and their parents such as think-u-know from CEOP. There are podcasts such as security today and there are myriad blogs choked full of advice but a good dollop of common sense and healthy scepticism would make the journey through today’s technology a far safer one for many people.
Smart people follow the SMART rules!
S – SAFE – keep your personal information safe, don’t share it with people you don’t really know.
M – MEETING – if you plan to meet people you only know online get an adult you trust to help make the arrangements AND to go with you when you first meet.
A – ACCEPTING – think carefully before accepting attachments, opening links etc. Nasty things can come in attachments or from rouge web links, even from people you know and trust.
R – RELIABLE – how reliable is that website, that person online?
T – TELL – the MOST important rule. If anything makes you feel uncomfortable online then you must tell an adult you trust or talk to someone at Childine or click the Report Abuse button online. If you have a friend that you believe is being bullied you must also tell someone!
Find out more about the Smart Rules from Kidsmart
Download a poster for your classroom or home from HERE!