//:Be SAFE_Be WEBWISE://.
The Minister of Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, T.D. launched a new Internet Safety Programme for post primary schools on Tuesday 5th February.
The National Centre for Technology in Education’s Internet Safety initiative, Webwise.ie, in collaboration with Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) Support Service have created an Internet Safety teaching and learning programme //:Be SAFE_Be WEBWISE://.
The programme which is the first educational programme of its kind in Europe is designed to address the personal safety needs of our young people when online and to help them become safe and responsible Internet users for life.
The programme consists of a Teachers’ Internet Safety Lesson and Resource Pack for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Year Junior Certificate SPHE classes and inservice for SPHE teachers.
The resources will enable students to explore their attitudes and their safety when using the Internet. The module contains lesson plans, activity sheets, easy to download resources, teacher notes and a glossary of Internet terms.
//:Be SAFE_Be WEBWISE://.
Each of the 13 lessons has been mapped to the SPHE Junior Certificate curriculum and the Internet safety concepts and lessons has become part of the SPHE in-service training programme from January 2008.
The SPHE Internet Safety lesson plans and workshop materials will enable the discussion and exploration of -
students’ personal safety issues when using the Internet
the opportunities and benefits of being on-line
the responsible use of social networking sites
procedures for protecting personal safety and security when online
students’ awareness of the potential risks in disclosing personal information online
and posting inappropriate photos
The 5 topics address the issues of:
- Cyberbullying
- Rights and Responsibilities Online
- Personal Information and the Internet
- Internet Literacy and Decisions
- Finding Help and Support
In-service is being facilitated by the SPHE Support Service details at: 01- 8057718. The lessons will subsequently be delivered by the teachers in their schools in the context of the SPHE unit on Personal Safety. The issues addressed and the skills learned in the module will help to keep our young people safe in their ‘virtual’ worlds.
Also the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) working with the National Parents Council (Primary) has developed a seminar to take the mystery out of the Internet for parents and to give them the skills to engage with their children’s online lives.
Since September 2007, over 100 seminars have been delivered in both primary and post primary schools around the country. Parents can get details about how to book one of these seminars from Webwise.ie or by contacting the National Parents Council (Primary).