Safety Online: Are we making a difference?

Brett Lee, Closing Keynote for Learning at Schools conference says “Yes, we are.”

No longer will you see children jumping around on the backseat of the car but sitting, buckled up. The reason being is that if ‘dad’ were to have an accident then you could be seriously injured or killed. The other reason being that it is the law that everyone wear their seatbelt and ‘dad’ could get into a lot of trouble if you’re caught by police without a seatbelt on.

Two very good reasons; and so it is with Internet safety. Brett believes that students simply need the reasons spelt out.

From Brett’s  keynote he identified that:

• we can never under estimate the power of the screen in young people’s lives
• the technology will change over time but our protective practises, responsibilities and beliefs should remain
• we as teachers and parents only line of defence for our kids against the World-Wild Web.
• we can instil quality online behaviours in our children
• we must always believe we are making a difference to how our students interact socially within the internet. 

 Brett also identified the need for students to aware of the issue of cyber-bullying he share the video below and talked about the reality of the screen for young people.Interacting in an online space and/or through text messaging allows our students to create in minds a construct of reality that is not accurate but merely a projection of what others desire us to perceive.

Upper Coomera State College

Caught In The Crowd | Myspace Video

Useful Links:

Brett’s keynote on Learning at School blog 

Netsafe’s myLGP 

Cyber-safety discussion 
Cyber-safety page on Educating the Dragon 

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