Keeping Children Safe Online

Two years ago I joined MDUSD as the district Ed Tech administrator.   Digital literacy and citizenship has been a focus in this position.  Luckily, today there are lots of resources to help teachers and parents develop the qualities of digital literacy and citizenship in our students.  

In 2010 Google created the Google Safety Center which provides tips from child-safety experts on keeping kids away from adult content on the Web and on how to ensure kids aren't contacted and lured by an adult online. Google has also included a page detailing its own child-protection services on its many products, including SafeSearch and YouTube's Safety Mode.  The Family Safety Basic section has great tips for keeping families safe online that all of our families should know.  Google has partnered with the big players for online safety in developing this portal which provides a one-stop-shop for help.

In 2012 Google launched a consumer education campaign called Good to Know, which was designed to teach new users of high tech about safety, security and data management online. Where the Google Safety Center provides specific tips on safety within the Google apps and Drive, the Good to Know site has bite-size lessons that teachers could use in their classrooms to help teach digital literacy and citizenship.  I especially like the fun videos like Internet 101 Both Google Safety Center and Good to know are valuable resources for educators and parents.

As educators we know the safety of their children is paramount with all parents.  We need to know how to keep children safe online and share resources like this with our parents.