‘Web 2.0’ requires more diligence to protect students
“Today’s students are digital natives online,” said Pulaski County, Va., school board member John Wenrich at a Monday morning Share the Success session on “Internet Safety in a Web 2.0 World.”
They have grown up in a time when they have always had the Internet and access to online games, he said. As the Internet evolves into "Web 2.0," it is becoming much more interactive as social networking expands -- and, as a result, becomes a more dangerous place for students.
"We teach our children how to act and behave in the real world; we must also teach Internet safety so they know how to act in the online world," Wenrich said.
Internet safety encompasses four main areas, said Pulaski Superintendent Don Stowers, including:
• personal safety -- protecting oneself from unwanted interaction;
• cyberbullying -- harmful, false, or cruel text;
• cyber-security -- protecting information systems and computers; and
• property and copyright issues -- respecting the rights of others online.
Teachers in Virginia public schools have been required by law to teach all children about Internet safety for the past two years, but parents and care-givers must also be vigilant, as students access the Internet from home, local libraries, or neighbors' homes.
"As we hear more and more about cyberbullying and threats delivered via instant messages," Wenrich said, ìit becomes even more apparent that students -- and parents -- need to understand how the interactive nature of the Internet can be both a great resource and a place requiring vigilance on everyone's part.
The presenters suggested school leaders check out www.pcva.us/safety for a wealth of resources on these issues.
Reproduced with permission from
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