Broadly speaking, internet security is defined by qfinance.com as “the means used to protect websites and other electronic files from attack by hackers and viruses”. In the education world, internet security pertains to the safety of the online users while in an educational environment. There are several threats that can online uses could encounter – hackers, viruses, access to inappropriate materials and internet predators are just a few of these treats.
In the school environment, ensuring internet security is a must for students. Schools have implemented several ways to protect their students from the Internet threats. In the classroom, students should be properly brief or internet security threats must be properly explained to the students. In this way, their awareness to the online threats will be raised. If the children know and understand the potentials risks of going online, they can come up with more responsible decisions.
Students must be taught safe online habits. Teachers must also show that they are role models for the student by demonstrating these safety online habits. In addition to teaching them safe online habits, the schools must also implement acceptable use policies. But before implementing these, schools officials must ensure that the contents of the acceptable use policies that they are going to implement are fully understood by the students. To aid the school in ensuring that the students are safe when then go online, filtering and monitoring software must be installed to be able to reduce the risk of the students venturing on unwanted sites. Firewalls and networks security mechanisms must also be installed by the school. This does not only ensure the safeness of the students but also the school as well. Web publishing restrictions must also be imposing. Students must be advised on what extent of what they can post on the internet. Finally, schools must get the parents involved in ensuring that the students are safe online since these students are not 100% of the time are inside the school premises. (Teaching Today, 2012)
There are many things to consider when creating proper copyright and student use agreements. First, you must first have an understanding on how your internet connection works in the school to have an understanding of the existing preventive mechanism the school is already implementing. If there is an existing student use agreement policy of the school, those must automatically be carried out in the individual classroom copyright and student use agreements. After reviewing these, add the proper copyright issues, access and usage use that are not already laid – out in the school policy. After finalizing the document, make sure that these are understood by the students for it to be an effective tool to safeguard them. The student use agreement must also contain the responsibilities of the school, the teacher and the student.
The first ethical practices of technology that I would implement in the classroom involve the respect to intellectual property rights. As early as the elementary years, students must be taught to respect the owners of intellectual properties. If students need to use the ideas of others, permission must be sought or they must be properly documented. Likewise students work must not be published without their permission. The students privacy rights must also be taken into serious consideration. If there is a need to post private information of students on the web, their parent’s permission must be sought first before they are posted. It must also be ensured that there students have equal access to the internet.
