isafe.org

Serendipity. Last night I log into my online teaching class, and continue reading introductions from my new students. Rick Weinberg, a technology professional developer for BOCES in Pennsylvania, introduced me to ISafe.org. Isafe.org offers planning and a curriculum for teaching internet safety, free of charge, for kids K-12. They also provide a chatrom for kids under 18 that is monitored by the i-SAFE Safety Trained Awareness Team. What a great way to introduce kids to safe chatting.

As more K-12 schools go online, or integrate online components into live classrooms, internet safety will continue to be a critical issue that needs ongoing consideration. Cyberdating, cyberbullying, identify theft, pornography, plagarism, or meetings with online friends, wanted or not, are some issues being faced by today's kids. As educators, when we are proactive in our teaching to educate kids or adults how to most effectively use today's internet technologies, while understanding how to deal with some of the problems mentioned above, we empower learners to become responsible and safe in their own learning process. Thanks for sharing, Rick.