E-Safety Conference London 20th April
Students who regularly use the web have been shown to be more confident and self reliant in the production and presentation of new knowledge and understanding.
The proliferation of new technologies have created a great virtual ‘playground’ where children can interact with each other and at the same time engage in effective learning. However, the freedom of the web can lead to situations where the children’s safety can be threatened either from other children or from more sinister elements within the wider community.
Schools already have the role of ‘loco parentis’ when it comes to providing a safe and secure environment for children to socialize and learn. Is it possible to extend this role in the virtual world? Can we protect children from becoming ‘victims’? Should we take the ‘Nanny-state’ option of restricting access to the internet in schools and at home? Or rather than treating students as potential ‘victims’, should we be developing strategies that will empower them to deal with these threats when and if they arise?
These are issues among many that were raised at the LGFL sponsored London E-Safety Conference, held last Friday at the City of London School for Girls. What I learnt from the conference was that there is a vast array of materials and resources avalable to help school communities develop strategies to effectively promote e-safety awareness among their pupils. The LGFL have already set up a special Safety and Security on the Web site which holds advice for school policy planning along with resources and web links for pupils, teachers, parents and school managers.
Other sites worth investigating include the ThinkUknow site ( http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk) which aims to get young people to be more proactive in being safe online.
What type of policies and activities have you got in place in your schools? How would you like the Bromley borough to help you implement safety online within your schools?
