The Internet is a boon to the people. And nothing can possibly be achieved without the internet. The Internet rules our lives because it has given us many advantages. Where UK students easily get British dissertation help there are many disadvantages also that the internet carries. The Internet has made long-distance communication possible. The usage of the internet has grown with the pace of time. In the present scenario, everyone has access to the internet in some way or another. With the help of the internet, information can easily and quickly be found. According to the UCLA experiment by Gary Small, it was observed that experienced internet surfers showed more brain activity as compared to novice users. The brain activity increases when someone spends online time searching for data. Internet users find information quickly over the people using books.
However, there are a lot of harmful things on the internet that can give potential harm to the students. And these things are uncontrollable to stop. There are kinds of websites on the internet that can’t be controlled. That’s why many parents and schools are doubtful about using online tools for learning purposes.
Moreover, internet predators are everywhere who are waiting for the kids to give them harm by playing selfish games. However, the teacher and parents can use many methods to guard the safety of the students while using the internet.
Not only parents and teachers are responsible for their online safety but students also have to play the role of not putting themselves in the hands of internet predators. However, the school is at the forefront of its protection.
What is online safety?
According to the National Online Safety, it is an act of staying safe in the online world. The other terms are internet safety, cyber safety, and e-safety. It is bound to technologies that have access to the internet i.e. PCs, Smartphones, laptops, and tablets.
Being safe online means protecting yourself as well as others from the risks and harms which can threaten their personal information, wellbeing, mental health, and communication.
The recent survey of Ofcom ‘Children and Parents: Media use and attitudes’ held in 2019 released the report that children are more involved in online platforms as compared to before. The smartphone ownerships are increasing with time and the content they are viewing is also expanding rapidly.
Ensuring student online safety is important. And, it contains the duty that every teacher must know.
Guide for teachers to enhance student online safety
Here are some guides for the teacher to enhance students’ safety in the online world.
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Teach students about online privacy
It is difficult to maintain online privacy because you don’t know who is the person handling your data and how to secure that data. A student can give their personal information without reading the details about the privacy terms of the website.
So here is the duty of the teacher to spare some time and teach students how their information is saved on different websites. Moreover, teach them how they can stop unauthorized websites and apps from taking their personal information. Teach them how they can set passwords strongly.
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Develop rules for protecting online safety
Formulating rules may not sound like a perfect way to ensure safety because students are likely to see what will happen next if they breach the rules. As a teacher, it’s your duty to make them understand the importance of rules that are designed for their safety. Teachers should explain the importance of the rules as well as show them the correct way of using the internet safely.
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Don’t block the sites
Most parents and teachers think that by blocking the sites they can prevent their children from opening inappropriate content. However, blocking sites creates curiosity in students to find ways to unblock those sites. Hence, blocking the sites is not the best solution.
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Relevant online resources
While looking for the reading material students often think, “I wish I could pay someone to take my online exam UK.” And students usually bump into websites that lead them to appropriate content as a teacher, it’s your duty to guide your pupils by referring them to websites that have relevant educational content.
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Involve parents
Studies have shown that many kids don’t abuse drugs because they don’t want to go against their parents. Similarly, kids will not use the internet inappropriately if their parents are involved. It is important to educate the parents or guardians on the risk of the internet so the students are able to surf the internet safely. Also, parents should talk about proper internet usage to their children.
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Staying up to date
Many innovations are coming out every day. These innovations majorly target young generations. It is important to know new trends for the teacher in order to teach and assist students. The more you know the upcoming technologies the more you will be able to assist the students. If you have no knowledge about it then it will be problematic for you to monitor what students are doing online. Or else they will meet internet predators or online cyberbullies.
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Support system for cyberbullying
The world has become a global village due to the extensive use of the internet. People from around the world are connecting with each other. Therefore, few of them are potentially harmful.
Sometimes it becomes difficult for the students to report cyberbullying. Therefore, the school needs to build a support system for the students to see who face cyberbullying may have a safe place to ask for help. Moreover, this cyberbullying leads to depression, suicide, and low self-esteem in the students. Thus, it is important for the teacher to encourage students to seek professional help if they are bullied online.
Final thoughts
Giving the above online safety tips to the teachers and parents helps in protecting students against complex cyber-attacks. It is important to know that your child is learning continuously safely through a sophisticated digital world. And in this journey, you are playing a vital role. By creating an online world safer for the student, it will give students a fun environment to learn new things.
