Safe practices with Web 2.0 : Personal safety and homework

There are so many issues to consider with the internet and student safety. Lately, I have been reflecting on the differences between the internet at school and the internet at home. I believe there is a significant difference between the two environments that relate directly to the personal safety of students. Based on compliance by most schools with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), internet access at school is generally safer than internet access at home. CIPA requires internet filtering or blocking on EVERY connected computer and a comprehensive internet safety policy. (Solomon & Schrum) Schools also log all websites and monitor behavior. These measure are greater than what can be found in the typical home internet environment. With that in mind, teachers need to consider the internet environment students will access when completing an assignment that require learners to go online. Teachers must be aware that there is a difference between the two and ensure a safer process for the students.

Here are a few considerations that come to mind:

• Do your homework - It may sound like hyper-supervision, but go through the assignment yourself. Even commonplace exercises like a Google search can go awry. Think of keywords that are relevant to your topic and search the way your students would - check the resulting pages and images and ensure that the websites are what you intended. If not, consider providing your own keywords or creating a customized search engine for your students.
  

• Be a presence - One of the best practices in online and blended learning is for the instructor to be an active participant. For example, when your students are posting/writing to blog or forums, take the time to respond immediately to their posts. This lets your students know that you are partners in their experience and are an active member of the learning environment. Take that step from supervising to facilitating.

• Create a private space - Do not assign any tool that you are unfamiliar using or unfamiliar with the connected community. Learn the tool and learn how to create a private and safe space. If a private space is necessary but not possible, move on to a new tool. After all, the web 2.0 facilitates the experience, it doesn't define it – find another site or tool that helps you achieve your goal.

There is obviously a lot more when it comes to keeping students safe on the internet, but it is important to realize that not all internet environments are equal. When teachers assign internet-based assignments for homework, they must take into consideration the differences between the school and home internet environments.


Reference:

Schrum, L., & Solomon, G. (2007). Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools. NY: Intl Society For Technology In.