Internet Safety Assignment

The fifth article that I read was William C. Porter's “I Have a Question” in the Ensign, March 2001, 58–59.

Technology should always be used with a good purpose in mind. When technology is used to simply pass the time, its dangers are more likely to present themselves. The internet should not be a place to simply idle away one’s time. There should be a specific task in mind before you even log on. That is a rule that I as a parent should establish with my children as well. If they want to get online, they should be able to tell me why. Once they have accomplished their task, they should get off. I was already familiar with the idea of having filters and keeping the computer in a public place. As a parent and a teacher, I will advise children and youth to never give personal information online and to never communicate with strangers online. I will advise my children to get my wife or me immediately as soon as anything seems a little off with the computer. I don’t want them to try handling things on their own and accidentally being exposed to something bad. It might also help us to avoid some computer bugs.

I looked at the resources on:
http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm
and
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/main.html

I want to make sure that students never get the impression from me that I ever expect them to share any personal information online. For class websites or blogs I will require that students not list their full names, and I will also keep everything password protected. I plan to give students opportunities to incorporate new technology into the classroom as long as they acquaint me with it first.

I spoke with a 23 year-old mother. I had a valuable discussion with her, establishing the need for specific goals when using the internet and the dangers of simply wandering around online. We discussed how requiring children to have a specific purpose for getting online can help keep them safe. We also confirmed the added safety that having the computer in a public place brings. Finally I claimed that children should never communicate in any way with someone who they do not know. We had a very positive discussion, and she was very open to the ideas that I shared. It was a discussion that will be valuable for the future of her children.