Internet Safety in the Classroom

      I remember sitting through the PS1 orientation and realizing that there were some aspects of teaching which I had not considered. In the orientation there was brief talk about how we need to be wary of what kind of information and what types of pictures we choose to share through social media, that others can see. While in context this idea applies to us as teachers, but I also started thinking of the information which our students have access to and what holds them back from this type of information. It is scary to think of how much information can be freely shared on the internet.

     There are two aspects of internet safety which I have to remind myself to be aware of. Through the internet our students have access to information that others post and others can have access to information posted about our students. 

    In schools I think it is important that we be aware of the content that the students are accessing. Through the click of a mouse it easy for students to access information that is not appropriate for school. This can be content which contains pornography, violent media, or any other offensive material. Web filters can be used to help protect students, but web filters are not enough. It is important that teachers are always monitoring the content which students are accessing on the internet, whenever they are on the internet.

    It is sad to think that we live in society in which we have a need to protect personal information of students from people who would misuse such information, but that is a harsh reality which we must accept. Until last year I had also never hear the term FOIP Act (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act). It is important  for teachers to realize that they not only have a moral obligation to protect students, but (in Alberta) there are specific legal rights associated with sharing certain personal information of students without obtaining permission from their parents. This implies that videos and photos of students cannot be shared on the internet without permission. This can be tricky if a teacher wants to share videos or feeds of what is going on in the classroom. At any rate, it is important that teachers meet both legal and moral obligations in protecting their students from those who would misuse such information. Teachers should go through the extra effort to make such content only available to those who are trusted viewers. If teachers share such information through the means of social media, protection can be offered through stringent privacy settings.

     All-in-all, I feel that it is of great importance to protect students from information that can be accessed and from those who would misuse the students' information found on the internet. Teachers have a responsibility in maintaining this in a classroom setting.

Learn more about FOIP here.