Cybersafety & Digital Citizenship in Science
Parents, carers and readers,
This term, I will be doing a unit with my year 10 science class on how scientific and technological advancements effect our everyday lives. Students will conduct an issues investigation into how advancements in a field of science or an area of technology effect their lives. They will evaluate the social effects and ethical considerations that come with this technology and its advancement.
Additionally, the class will hold three debates about aspects of cybersafety and digital citizenship. These debates will be the culmination of learning about a number of aspects of cybersafety and digital citizenship, guided by the Australian Curriculum ICT General Capability ‘Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT’.¹ Students will learn to:
This term, I will be doing a unit with my year 10 science class on how scientific and technological advancements effect our everyday lives. Students will conduct an issues investigation into how advancements in a field of science or an area of technology effect their lives. They will evaluate the social effects and ethical considerations that come with this technology and its advancement.
Additionally, the class will hold three debates about aspects of cybersafety and digital citizenship. These debates will be the culmination of learning about a number of aspects of cybersafety and digital citizenship, guided by the Australian Curriculum ICT General Capability ‘Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT’.¹ Students will learn to:
- recognise intellectual property
- apply digital information security practices
- apply personal security protocols
- identify the impacts of ICT in society
'Organising elements for ICT Capability' by Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority under a CC BY licence © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Copyright and terms of use.
The topics of the debates will be:
Children’s safety online is extremely important and it is valuable for parents and carers to be involved in their children’s ICT usage. In addition to workshops on cybersafety for parents ran by the school throughout the year, there are many excellent online resources, including the Federal Government site eSafety.gov.au, which has quality information on a wide range of topics. Its Parent’s guide to Online Safety is both a great resource and a good starting point for parents.
- use of ICT makes us safer
- ICT increases our knowledge and creativity
- people today are more social because of the internet
Children’s safety online is extremely important and it is valuable for parents and carers to be involved in their children’s ICT usage. In addition to workshops on cybersafety for parents ran by the school throughout the year, there are many excellent online resources, including the Federal Government site eSafety.gov.au, which has quality information on a wide range of topics. Its Parent’s guide to Online Safety is both a great resource and a good starting point for parents.
Understanding the Risks
Use of the internet and mobile phones is almost always associated with some risk. As such, it is important that you and your child are aware of and discuss these risks. The above Parent’s Guide is an excellent place to start thinking about these discussions, as is the iParent section of eSafety. The website also has an infographic about how other parents help their children be safe online and 7 ways to manage web-connected devices in the home.
Some issues to consider discussing with your child are the amount of time they are spending on devices, what they are using their devices for, and social media. They should also know what to do about cyberbullying or unwanted contact and if they access inappropriate content.
Social Media
Social media can be a great way for people, including children, to keep up with friends. A lot of children even use it to work on homework together! Some usage of social media can put children at risk, however. eSafety has a general page on social networks, as well as a video that describes how many a number of common social networks, including Facebook and Snapchat are used. The same page has more detail about the specifics of safety on a wide range of games, apps and websites.
There are a number of things to discuss with your child about using social media. For example, you may want to discuss and set rules such as only accepting people you know in ‘real life’ as ‘friends’ and what kind of photos, if any, are appropriate to post online.
Children should be discouraged from posting photos that may accidentally give away more information that they intend, such as photos in school uniform or including local landmarks.
Finally, if your child is using any social networks, you should help set their privacy settings with them. The above eSafety page includes information on how to do this for a number of sites, including Facebook. Be aware that many social media sites and online games require users to be at least 13 years old.²
There are a number of things to discuss with your child about using social media. For example, you may want to discuss and set rules such as only accepting people you know in ‘real life’ as ‘friends’ and what kind of photos, if any, are appropriate to post online.
Children should be discouraged from posting photos that may accidentally give away more information that they intend, such as photos in school uniform or including local landmarks.
Finally, if your child is using any social networks, you should help set their privacy settings with them. The above eSafety page includes information on how to do this for a number of sites, including Facebook. Be aware that many social media sites and online games require users to be at least 13 years old.²
'Macbook in the Dark' by NegaticeSpace.co under a CC0 licence.
Know What to Do
As well as understanding the risks of ICT use, it is important that children know what do to if they encounter a problem online. Again, talking with your child about strategies they can use is recommended.
The most important thing for a child to do if they encounter a problem online is to tell a trusted adult.
In the case of unwanted contact, it may simply be enough to ‘block’ the person. Similarly, if your child accidentally accesses inappropriate content, closing the page may be sufficient action. In both cases, though, it can be valuable to talk about it, both to help the child with any concerns they may have and to use the teachable moment to help them avoid such things in the future.
It is important that both you and your child know how to recognise cyberbullying and know what do to about it. In most cases, the school may be able to help moderate between children involved, but in more extreme cases, a police report may be appropriate. Further, the Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner has special powers, if you report cyberbullying or illegal or offensive content.
The most important thing for a child to do if they encounter a problem online is to tell a trusted adult.
In the case of unwanted contact, it may simply be enough to ‘block’ the person. Similarly, if your child accidentally accesses inappropriate content, closing the page may be sufficient action. In both cases, though, it can be valuable to talk about it, both to help the child with any concerns they may have and to use the teachable moment to help them avoid such things in the future.
It is important that both you and your child know how to recognise cyberbullying and know what do to about it. In most cases, the school may be able to help moderate between children involved, but in more extreme cases, a police report may be appropriate. Further, the Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner has special powers, if you report cyberbullying or illegal or offensive content.
Parental Controls
While not necessary, you can have more direct control over how your child uses their devices with ‘parental controls’. Many devices and programs have parental control options, including Mac OS X, iOS devices and Windows 10. Many smart TVs and the Australian service Fetch TV also have built-in parental controls. In extreme cases, internet filtering and monitoring software is also available.
References
- Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2014). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/information-and-communication-technology-capability/introduction/key-ideas
- Australian Communications and Media Authority. (n.d.). Parents’ Guide to Online Safety. Retrieved from http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/~/media/Cybersmart/Documents/Documents/Parents_guide_to_online_safety.pdf