Introduction
After an emergency meeting of the parent committee, the parents of North Canton Middle School have banned the use of the Internet at school! After a unanimous vote to put a hold on all Internet activities, the parents of NCMS vow that they will never again allow their students to be put in danger by giving them access to the Internet. These parents believe that the Internet is nothing more than an unsafe playground. After much pleading for the students by their computer teachers, the parents have agreed to meet again next week for a final vote. Will the Internet be banned forever? Or can the students of NCMS change their future?
Task
You need to prove to your parents that you understand how to be safe on the Internet and you will only have one chance to do so! At the meeting, your class will show presentations that discuss Internet Safety. If you can show your parents tips and strategies for safe Internet use, you may be able to persuade them to remove the Internet ban.
Process
PART I: Research
Using only the links provided next to each question, you will need to answer the following questions (you should type your answers into the Google Docs in your Google Drive shared through Schoology.
- What is cyberbullying? What problems can cyber bullying cause? Cyberbullying
- From the strategies given from this website, which one do you think is the most effective way to deal with a cyberbully? Why did you choose that strategy? https://www.connectsafely.org/quickguides/
- How can I keep my password safe? What is a reason for keeping your password safe and secure? Password Safety
- Find three examples of things that you should not share with people online and then identify the most important. Give 2 reasons why you should never share this piece of information with people online. Safe Surfing (Note: make sure you look at all of the pages on this link before coming up with an answer)
- Identify three rules for using the Internet Safely. Highlight the rule that is most important and explain why your group thinks it is the most important. https://internetsafety101.org/agebasedguidlines
- What is a social networking website? How can a social network provide positive social interactions? https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/social-media-smarts.html
- Create a pledge to your parents of your willingness to use the Internet appropriately. Your pledge should identify at least 3 safety tips that you learned while conducting your research.
PART II: Visual Aid
Using your researched information from Part I, put together a class presentation and SHOW WHAT YOU KNOW. It can be one of these five things; a slideshow, a PowerPoint, a video, a poster presentation, or a skit presentation with a visual aid. It MUST present facts about the following 3 areas; cyber-bullying, safe surfing, AND social networking.
PART III: Presentation
Show your presentation to the class! Make sure all group members contribute and have an equal amount of speaking parts when presenting.
Evaluation
| Beginning | Developing | Very Good | Exemplary | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISUAL AID |
Missing critical information. Spelling errors present on every slide. No pictures present. Many spelling and grammatical errors. |
Missing some vital information and errors present. Few pictures present. Some spelling & grammatical errors. | Good amount of information and is clear. Few errors present. Pictures present. Few spelling & grammatical errors. | Has all necessary information present. No spelling or grammatical errors present. (up to 1) Many pictures present. | 12 points |
|
GOOGLE DOC RESEARCH |
Document is missing critical information. Spelling and grammatical errors. Many answers incomplete. | Document is missing critical information. Spelling and grammatical errors on every question. Some answers incomplete. | Document has a good amount of information. Few spelling errors present. Answers are in complete sentences. Few errors in answering questions. | Document has all necessary information present. No spelling or grammar errors present. Answers are in complete sentences or include bullets and numbering. | 12 Points |
| PRESENTATION | Information presented with many mistakes. Speaker(s) did not face the audience and/or spoke too softly to understand. Group did not appear to have practiced. | Information presented with some mistakes. Speaker(s) did not face the audience the entire time and/or spoke too softly to understand.Some practice is evident. | Information presented with few mistakes. Speaker(s) faced the audience and was able to be heard for most of the presentation. | Information presented with no mistakes. Speaker(s) faced the audience and spoke clearly without many errors. The group clearly practiced presenting the information. | 12 Points |
|
Total Score: 36 Points |
Conclusion
Here are some other Internet Tips to think about:
1. Never give any personal information to anyone you meet online. That means first or last names, phone numbers (they can be used to track down you home), passwords, birth dates or years, or credit card information.
2. Never meet up with anyone you don't already know (strangers). Don't tell anyone your schedule; don't say where you'll be hanging out. No party announcements. People are often not who they say they are. It's true: 1 in 5 kids will be sexually solicited online.
3. Don't fill out any "fun" questionnaires that are forwarded to you, even if they're from your friends. Remember, you're in a world where everything can get forwarded. All those personal things about you could land in the hands of someone who could use them to harm you.
4. Make sure you know everyone on your buddy list. If you haven't met the people face-to-face, they may not be who they pretend to be. Also, Instant Messaging strangers is an invasion of their privacy.
5. You do not have to answer emails or IMs from people you don't know. As a matter of fact, you shouldn't. Who knows who they are? Even if they say they're "David's friend," David could be a lucky guess. "Kids" you meet in chat rooms may actually be creepy adults.
6. There's no such thing as "private" on the Internet. You may think so, but it's not true. People can find anything they want � and keep what you post � forever.
7. Be careful about posting pictures of yourself (if you must, don't post sexy ones or ones showing behavior you wouldn't want your mom, teacher, boss, or potential college advisor to see). Just because an older sibling has posted snaps on a site doesn't make it a smart or a safe idea. Pictures with identifiers like where you go to school can be shopping lists for online predators and other creeps.
8. Don't send pictures of other people. Forwarding an embarrassing picture of someone else is a form of bullying. How would you like it if someone did that to you?
9. Don't download content without your parents' permission. Many sites have spyware that will damage your computer. Other sites have really inappropriate content. Your parents can check your computer's URL history, so you can't hide where you've been.
10. Never share your password with anyone but your parents.
Credits
Adapted from Anthony Scales Taylor Swift Middle School, by Maria Wackerly