Cyber safety is a very important conversation to have with youth, starting at a young age, now more than ever. Cyber safety was not a topic that I was introduced to until around grade 7. I believe that talking about the internet and how to keep yourself safe on the internet was something that was introduced to us way too late in our lives.
There was a few different ways that we were taught about cyber safety within our school:
- Our school tried to use the scaring us method, they would tell us all the bad about the internet and how certain things could ruin our lives. They did not educated us on how to use technology and apps properly and what was okay to do. Instead they tried to scare us into what seemed like not using the technology at all.
- The second thing our school did for us to educate us in cyber safety was bring in many presenters to talk to us about the dangers of what we post on the internet. We had some people come in and tell their stories on what happened to them on the internet and how it affected their lives. They had the RCMP come in and give presentations on the risks of posting things on the internet.
I am on the fence about the type of methods that my school used to educate us. I do not agree with using the scare tactic, the internet is something that we use everyday and just trying to scare kids into not using it is not going to help them. Kids need to be properly educated on how to use the internet. I believe that it was a very beneficial thing for me to be able to hear stories of real life people and how their lives got affected. By these people talking about how their lives were affected made me think about decisions before I would post them. This is something that I think was a very beneficial way of helping the kids understand the importance of cyber safety.
As a future teacher, talking about cyber safety is a very important topic that I will have to address. There are a few ways that I believe will be the best and most beneficial ways to do so:
- I will properly educate the children on how to use technology. This will not be scaring kids into not using it but to show them the proper ways. Technology is something that is apart of our everyday lives and only becoming more prominent, therefore proper education I believe is key to understanding cyber safety.
- I believe bringing people in to talk with my students on their experiences with cyber safety and people with real life experiences is something that is very important. By real life situations it will help children understand the importance of posting things that will not hurt yourself or others in any way.
- I want my students to know that bullying online is not something that is not acceptable. I want to educate my children on the importance of being kind to others on the internet, that we cannot hide behind a profile. This is something very important for children to understand and I want to do everything I can to educate students and not use the scare tactic with them.
Thanks for reading!