In virtual educational environments, both teachers and students must make sure their use of the Internet is safe. How to foster responsible Internet use?
In RESPONSIBLE INTERNET USERS, you will find some advice on the issue.
In a common virtual space, each student and each teacher should have access to educational tools and resources available on the Internet. Lots of teachers think it is detrimental, because students tend to use the Internet for play and not for studying.
This may indeed happen if teachers do not show students how valuable Internet is from the point of view of learning. Rules of conduct need to be established for the school network. These have to be agreed upon by students, teachers and the headmaster so that everyone understands what is meant by the use of the Internet or educational purposes and what each of the users is entitled to.
In the CODE OF SCHOOL NETWORK USE, you can find inspiring good practices implemented in one of the Polish schools.
There is one rule of thumb when introducing changes in any school: discuss things before you implement them! It is worth including students in the process so that they feel the established rules were their idea. In this way, students will be more willing to obey the rules and defend them when necessary. Maybe you want to create your own code of school network use?
There shouldn’t be more than a dozen to twenty rules in it. A few rules are sufficient in primary schools.
How else can we address the network security issue? Remember: if we do this in an attractive way, include competitions, exhibitions and other undertakings that require active student participation, the benefits will multiply. Students need to be able to identify threats and understand the consequences of dangerous or unauthorised Internet activity.
