On line Safety

Being a teacher for the younger children,  I am constantly worrying about online safety.  I worry about the sites children may go to.  I worry that they might come across pictures that are inappropriate. Parents worry about the same thing.  One of the things I tell parents is that we need to teach children how to use the Internet correctly.  We can't just depend on the schools filters to keep our students safe from bad sites.
I really enjoyed reading Cybersmart's Safety and security online: lesson Plans and Student Activity Sheets. I was glad to see that there was a great program out there that helps teachers teach about online safety.  Sometimes parents leave it up to the teacher to teach students right from wrong.  This site is great because it gives many lessons on online safety geared to different age levels.  They even have worksheets and videos that we can use for the class.  I love it!  I can't wait to use it in my class. 
I wish more parents would be involved in monitoring what their child is doing online.  Having two teenage boys, I realize that many parents have no idea what their child is up to online. Children have  gotten smart about hiding their online activity using fake names and multiple accounts for many social sites. 
I am hoping that if I start teaching children at a young age the correct and safe way to use the internet, then hopefully when they get older they will remember what they have been taught.  Unfortunately there is no guarantee that children will not go to wrong sites or misuse the internet.  Parents along with teachers need to constantly watch and teach out students correct and safe online practices.   Just like we teach our children that God wants us to keep our minds and lives pure in what we read and watch on tv, we also have to start including online and technology. It needs to be a joint effort between school and home.  I feel very lucky that I work at a christian school.  I can remind my students that even if their parents don't know what they are doing, God is always watching over us and knows what we are up to. 
Another site that has many ideas on online safety is Federal Trade Commission, Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens. I found that this site was great for all ages.  I plan on giving all of my parents a copy of this at back to school night.  Our children's safety should be all of our concerns, not just teachers or parents. If we work together, we can start to teach our students to use the internet safely and properly.  We can still have fun and be safe at the same time!