INTERNET SAFETY
As a parent, we know that you want to keep your child safe when using the Internet. Pennfield has provided Internet filtering on every laptop while the student is at school. But even with filters in place on the laptops or at home, no one can guarantee that their children will be 100% safe while they are online. Filters are an aid to help students develop responsibility. The most important question to ask yourself is, "How can I help my young person gain the knowledge, decision-making skills, and motivation to make safe and responsible choices when he/she is using the Internet?" Many times, parents feel ill-equipped to help their children when their own knowledge is minimal. How can I help my children when they know more than I will ever know about being online? Remember that even though your children may know more about the Internet than you do, you know more about life. In the last 10 years, the Internet has grown from a time that when you clicked an AOL link you went and had breakfast while you waited for it to load, to what it is today. If there has been that much growth in the last 10 years, what will we see in the next 10? Even with all the negative "stuff," this is the most amazing time in the history of mankind- the opportunities that people have today because they are connected to the entire world is mind boggling. It is a part of our children's world. We can't protect them from it but we can teach them to be responsible and how to be safe by helping them how to learn to use "the filter between their ears" and good judgment. |
HOW DO CHILDREN LEARN TO BE RESPONSIBLE? Children learn responsibility and values from their parents, beginning at a very young age and continuing throughout their lives. Responsible behavior is influenced by several external forces:
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HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD LEARN TO BE A RESPONSIBLE INTERNET USER? It is very obvious that when people use the Internet, they are more willing to do and say things that they would be much less likely to do in the real world, face-to-face. Technology creates the illusion that you can be invisible or anonymous. When you can't see someone's facial expressions or body language or hear their tone of voice, much is lost in the translation. If you choose to be unkind, you don't "see" the results. How can we help our children become responsible Internet Users- to be able to translate the moral values you have taught them to their experiences using the Internet?
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What things do I need to consider to help my child be safe online?
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Consider a Family Contract
A family contract
is an excellent way to be sure that all parties involved understand the expectations
the family has for Internet access and a good place to begin when talking
with your child about the Internet. Click on the links below to download PDF
(Portable Document Format) examples of family contracts. (All
documents are used by permission of the publisher)
http://www.wiredkids.org/documents/interactive_contract.html (reprinted with permission of wiredkids.org)
Internet Safety Links:
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