February 2008 - Posts
Kent County Council has been asked to circulate a survey which is aimed at schools to investigate their experiences and perceptions on social networking sites.
It was originally conducted by the SWGfL in the summer and Becta has asked that all authorities and RCBs (Regional Broadband Consortia) encourage schools to take part so that we can obtain a national picture. The SWGfL report is currently with CEOP as it may be useful to integrate with the forthcoming Home Office guidelines for Social Networking providers.
Below is the link to the survey.
http://www.swgfl.org.uk/surveys/segfl
As part of the ongoing work of the Byron Review; looking at the risks to children from exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet and in video games, Dr Tanya Byron is inviting young people to contribute to the debate.
The DCSF and Dr Byron are asking young people to write half a page (approx 200 words), make a short video (no more than 2 minutes), or draw a picture giving advice to other children and their parents on how children can stay safe and have fun when surfing the net or playing video games.
There are 3 categories for entry:
- How to be ‘Netsmart’
Give advice to children on how to be safe and have fun online; or to parents telling them how they can help their children remain safe whilst enjoying the internet.
- How to be ‘Gamesmart’
Give advice to children on how to have fun and be safe when playing video games; or to parents on how to choose the right video games and game settings for their children.
- Design a Front Cover
Design a front cover for the Byron Review report. The design should be on the theme of having fun and staying safe when using the net or playing video games.
Schools, Community groups etc can encourage under 18's to enter and copies of the flyer advertising the competition and all the relevant details can be found here.
Entries must be received by March 2nd 2007 either via email or post
byronreview.yoursay@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Dr Tanya Byron,
DCSF, Area 2c,
Caxton House,
6-12 Tothill Street,
London, SW1H 9NA
The selected winners from each age group will not only have their entries included in the final report, but will also be invited to the launch at the end of March.
Becta have produced a toolkit for Local Safeguarding Children Board's and LA's. The publication includes a case study detailing how Kent has developed its e-safety policy and practice. On a straight word-count, Kent gets 64 mentions, and provides clear leadership for other Local Authorites!
The publication is available from Becta, or if you have a good connection (Its around 5Mb!) You can download it here.
Kent can demonstrate that it has measurably improved children and young people's awareness of e-safety when compared to the national picture. There are also interesting statistics available on what Kent children do online.
On the 15th February 2008, Schools across the globe are being invited to participate in insafe’s "Safer Internet Day".
Schools are encouraged to use the day to reflect on key issues within their school and to raise an awareness of safer internet use.
Assemblies to support Safer Internet day can be found in CEOP’s, ThinkUknow teacher resources pages.
This year the Key Theme is “Life online is what YOU make of IT” and is encouraging young people to look at the positive aspects of the internet as well as the negatives. They are also running a multimedia competition and although it is now too late to enter, Schools will be able to view and consider winning entries, which may provide a valuable stimulus for debate.
The questions posed by insafe to provoke discussion from young people may well be worth repeating for consideration, as it is all to common to focus on either the positives or the negatives of the internet and not the greater issue; “how can we be safer when using the internet”.
Is the internet a positive or negative element in today’s world?
Are mobile phones only about “connecting people”?
Can we believe everything we see on the internet?
Do we behave differently online than in the “physical” world?
How does our behaviour impact on the online environment?