News Detail
Lessons from Internet Safety Expert Katie Greer
Katie Greer, a national expert on Internet Safety, spoke with our students in Grades 3 – 12 on Thursday, April 18. Each presentation was age-appropriate and at the same time dynamic and engaging. In the Day School, Ms. Greer’s presentation was a perfect supplement to the technology education Angela Heath already uses throughout the year.
Here are the main points from Ms. Greer’s presentation on Internet safety:
Grades 3 – 12
- Using the Internet to communicate with people you don’t know can be dangerous.
- Most important rule: Only communicate with people you know personally using technology. This includes video gaming, texting, e-mailing, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and any other application in which you are connecting to the Internet.
- Bad people do not always sound or look bad.
- Private Information – name, address, phone number, age, gender, e-mail, school, parent’s workplace, photos of self and/or family – should stay private. Use the privacy settings on the application or your device so that the public may not see this information.
- If you are ever unsure or uncomfortable with something you see or what someone has requested, tell your parents.
- Law enforcement officers are not allowed use technology to communicate with you. If anyone tries to talk with you using technology and says he is a law enforcement officer, tell your parents right away.
- Digital footprints: Anything you do using technology is permanent. Nothing can really be deleted or erased.
- Cyber bullying: Using technology to bully someone is illegal and there are major consequences. If you witness cyber bullying, tell an adult right away.
- Parents have access to monitoring software that allows them to track what their children are doing on the computer, even if you erase the history or delete things.
Grades 6 – 12
Same messages as above, with the addition of:
- The Internet is a public forum – even with privacy settings, glitches can happen and anything you post/send/share is available to the public. That includes your parents, your teachers and strangers.
- Child pornography: It is illegal to possess or distribute nude or semi-nude pictures of anyone under the age of 18 that are sexually explicit in nature. This includes pictures teenagers might send to someone of themselves or someone else they know, even when it is consensual or as a joke.
The Annie Wright technology department provides support to parents and students to maintain safety and responsibility at school and on their laptops. Bob Williamson ensures that the network keeps students safe at school, and Eric Shandrow helps parents get administrative rights onto their laptops so they are able to monitor their child's activity. Eric and Bob also monitor any suspicious activity, which then goes to the division directors. Angela Heath delivers technology instruction and education, and meets with parents and students to give advice and strategies on staying safe while using technology and the Internet. The technology department is committed to going "above and beyond" to provide exceptional technical support, help, instruction and advice to our students and parents.
