iSafe--Internet Safety and Etiquette
- Etiquette is a code of personal behavior in social situations; netiquette is a code of personal behavior on the internet.
- Cyberbullying is just as wrong as other bullying--get an adult involved and show them the message. Computer messages are difficult to erase and provide examples to discuss with students who cyberbully, parents, principals, and, possibly, the police.
- YOU can prevent cyber-fires! Unkind communication in cyberspace is the same as unkind communication in the real world. Don't be a troll! Take a break from the keyboard if you find yourself typing a snappy comeback or trying to match or "one-up" someone with insults in a flame war.
- Be yourself, keep your private information private, and respect others' privacy. If you try to trick someone into sharing something with you they wouldn't share in person by spoofing, it is likely neither one of you will be happy about the outcome later on.
- If you find yourself in an online chat or on a discussion board with not much to say, log out and take a break! Read, play a game, find someone to talk to, play with pets, exercise, or enjoy a hobby that goes beyond using other people's words in a laming comment just to be noticed.
- Cyberspace is a community of real people, with real feelings, hopes, and dreams. Treat it with the same care as you do your relationships with family, friends, and classmates.
When Private Goes Public
You Can't Take it Back!
Have you ever said anything you wish you hadn't?
In the real, physical world, we can . . .
Have you ever said anything you wish you hadn't?
In the real, physical world, we can . . .
- apologize if we were wrong,
- explain ourselves if it was taken the wrong way,
- make amends by being friendly, or
- just stay away from the person or the topic for a while and let time heal the injured feelings.
Careful Living, Careful Surfing--The Cyber Jungle
There are some places that are safe, some that are unsafe, and some places that are safe so long as they are used properly.
How you surf may be as appropriate or inappropriate as where you surf. It is best to use the websites selected by your teachers as quality places, or the websites your family is comfortable with.
If you are exploring online and end up in a "bad neighborhood," let your family or teacher know! It is easier to fix mistakes than to hide them. The more responsibility you demonstrate to teachers and family, the more trust and liberty you earn! Surf Safe!
How you surf may be as appropriate or inappropriate as where you surf. It is best to use the websites selected by your teachers as quality places, or the websites your family is comfortable with.
If you are exploring online and end up in a "bad neighborhood," let your family or teacher know! It is easier to fix mistakes than to hide them. The more responsibility you demonstrate to teachers and family, the more trust and liberty you earn! Surf Safe!
Places in Our Neighborhood, Places on the Internet
The internet is an online world with the same opportunities and dangers of the real world. There are maps of our world, our country, our state, and our city, that show citizens where to find what they are looking for or where there are detours (paths) around dangers. There are also maps of the internet that are changing constantly as old websites disappear and new ones take their place. Learning how to navigate around the World Wide Web is just as important as finding your way safely home from school, or finding the shop down the street that is selling what you need.
Netiquette in the Cybercommunity
Cyberspace is a network of human relationships online where the people involved often interact without meeting in "real life." Because online communication often does not include human conversation cues such as body language or tone of voice, it is difficult to understand a person's intention when receiving a message.
Exchanging messages via e-mail, chat, or discussion board sometimes means conversations happen too fast. In a face-to-face conversation, we can tell if someone still has more to say or is rethinking an earlier comment. Because real-life conversations include slight lags, "umms," and silences, we have more time to consider words and the emotions or ideas they communicate. Because electronic messages are received more quickly without the give-and-take of a real-life conversation, sometimes we say something that causes offense or pain.
And that message is permanent; people will always be able to look up a record of what someone typed, without the opportunity to consider the emotions or circumstances when the message was sent.
Exchanging messages via e-mail, chat, or discussion board sometimes means conversations happen too fast. In a face-to-face conversation, we can tell if someone still has more to say or is rethinking an earlier comment. Because real-life conversations include slight lags, "umms," and silences, we have more time to consider words and the emotions or ideas they communicate. Because electronic messages are received more quickly without the give-and-take of a real-life conversation, sometimes we say something that causes offense or pain.
And that message is permanent; people will always be able to look up a record of what someone typed, without the opportunity to consider the emotions or circumstances when the message was sent.
Spam, Scams, Phishing, and Chains: E-Mail Disasters
As a youth, you are often excited to get mail in the mailbox at your home around the holidays or on special days like birthdays. However, nine out of ten pieces of mail your parents get may be catalogs from companies who want to sell them something or offers for things they do not need that are "on sale for a limited time only!" This is "spam," a message sent often to many recipients. E-mail makes it even easier to deliver spam, reach out with a story to try to trick you into revealing personal information, or even take money or your identity from you.