The DFE are promoting a set of resources and guidance for schools on Sexting. It includes legal information for schools on examining the contents of mobile phones. There are also some training materials. They can be found on the Kirklees council website under E-safety, here.
“Now that the festive season is upon us, technology gadgets are sure to be top of the wish list for many children and young people. Whether Santa brings the latest smartphone or tablet, video game or console, a netbook, notebook or an upgrade to the family PC, (you) can be sure that youngsters will explore their new gadgets with excitement and vigour.
Recognising that many parents may be slightly apprehensive about the new technologies entering their homes, however, this year (Insafe offer) a Christmas gift for parents in the form of a brand new animation: The Digital Universe of Your Children.”
You can access the “Tip sheets” here and read about the European SID 2013 context here
‘Using the mobile phone in school – handling opportunities and risks appropriately’ is the latest publication from the Insafe network.” It includes an interesting take on the EU Copyright “Portrait” provision being used as a reason to request removal of ”disadvantageous” content.
A new Associated Press-MTV (US) poll of youth in their teens and early 20s finds that most of them (56 percent) have been the target of some type of online taunting, harassment or bullying, a slight increase over just two years ago. A third say they’ve been involved in “sexting”. Among those in a relationship, 4 out of 10 say their partners have used computers or cellphones to abuse or control them.
But more are now willing to take action; the most effective being changing passwords, email addresses or screen names and deleting social networking profiles.
See the full report here
Childnet writes: “There are three components to the new resource:
1. a guide designed to support teachers personal use of social networking services, keeping themselves, their students, and their job safe.
2. a checklist for those entering a school to assist and inform them in relation to technology use at home, at school and in the classroom.
3. a matrix of resources – example teaching resources for use in class for different Key Stages, including resources from CEOP, the BBC and others. ”
They can be found here with the Guide and the Checklist also available as pdfs.
“For your own protection…..” is the tag line to a one page summary of advice to those staff using any form of ICT, (whether at work or home), recently agreed with the main unions represented in schools.
There are a number of e-safety related resources available on the TES resources website including some interesting videos and lesson plans; some are arranged into “TES collections”: for example put in the key word cyberbulling and up pops a set of TeachersTV videos with lesson ideas on how to combat cyberbullying in a school through intervention in PSHCE and ICT.
