Transcript INTERNET SAFETY - Prince George County Public Schools

PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Created by:
Lori Poythress, ITRT
For the first time ever, you and
your friends know more about a
critical life skill than your parents’
generation:
This makes you
privileged, but also makes you
responsible for the well-being of
others. The Internet is a powerful
tool that must be used wisely.
“ Just because you can doesn’t
mean you should”
Use this to guide you as you use the
internet.
Free…accessible...unmonitored….
Editable…….
Make smart decisions and choices to
protect yourself, your reputation and
your integrity.
Use anti-virus software and
update it regularly.
Protect your computer with
firewalls.
Use hard to guess, strong
passwords and do not share
them.
•Do not share files with strangers
and never give them access to your
computer.
• Regularly download security
updates and patches from the
software company that makes your
web browser.
• Disconnect from the Internet
when you’re not using the web.
•Back-up your computer’s critical
files to external storage -- like CD’s,
thumb drives or external hard drives
-- regularly.
• Get together with all the computer
users in your family every six
months to talk about computer
security and plan ways to make
your use safer and more secure.
Did you know that things
you post on the web can
be found by anyone even
years after you take them
off your blog, diary or
MySpace page?
Years after
you’re through with a
posting and have long
ago deleted it, your
friends or maybe even a potential
employer may be able to find
that information. Think before
you post!
A good rule is:
Don’t post anything you don’t
want your grandmother to see
now or your boss to see five
years from now.
What goes online,
stays forever
online.
The Internet opens global
access to a world of knowledge
and information, providing
a vast library of previously
unavailable resources.
Many young people use email, cell
phone texting and IM regularly. It is
a great way to keep in touch with
friends and family. But, using these
technologies can be dangerous to
you and your friends.
•Never respond to spam or email
from strangers.
• Never forward spam or email
from others you do not know
-- especially if they contain
attachments.
• Never forward email containing
things that are fake -- even as a
joke
Tell an adult if you receive an
email that is threatening or makes
you feel scared or uncomfortable
-- even if it’s from someone you
know.
• Ask permission from an adult
before emailing photos of
yourself to anyone.
•Ask an adult if your computer
has all the appropriate filters and
up to date antivirus software.
• Never send flaming emails –
even if you mean them as a joke.
• Understand that once you send
an email it’s hard to take back or
unsend it.
Cyber bullying Video
Viruses and worms are programs
that are placed onto your
computer without your
permission, often through
attachments to spam.
They can be dangerous
and may even cause your
computer to crash.
Spyware, adware and malware are
like viruses, but they usually steal
information about you that you
do not want others to know. You
may never even know that your
information was stolen. They can
also use your computer’s memory
without your permission to do
bad things to others or they can
put annoying pop-up ads on your
screen.
Spam is the junk mail of the
Internet. It’s unsolicited email that
you don’t want and never asked
for. Be careful with spam. It may
contain viruses, spyware or other
dangerous attachments.
Flaming happens when someone
sends a hurtful email to another
person. It can be easier to be mean in
an email because you do not have to
be there and see what harm your
hurtful words can do. Flaming can
cause the receiver to send a flaming
email in return and may end up
seriously damaging a friendship.
Hoaxes, like urban legends, are stories
or rumors that are not true. Not all
information on the Internet is true.
Many people send stories out to
purposely hurt others. A hoax may tell
you to do something that will harm
your computer like deleting a file that
you need. Some hoaxes tell you to
forward the email to your friends and
others promise false rewards.
These devices are very cheap
and easily accessible today
and can be set up with great ease
as well. Webcams have their own
address so even when not posted to
a webcam site they can be found by
search engines. Even when YOU set
a protective password Trojan horse
programs can hack into the webcam.
•Keep computers with webcams in a
common room.
• Use webcams ONLY to communicate
with people you know.
• Unplug or place the lens cap over the
webcam when it’s not in use.
• Do not do anything in front of
a webcam that you would not
want the entire world or your
family to see.
• Do not post your webcam
URL on the Internet.
The computer and
the Internet can
give one the feeling
that “no one is
looking.” Your
character is defined
by “what you do
when no one is
watching you.”
Cell phones are used for much
more than just phoning. Especially
among young people, various ways
of having fun with cell phones are
very popular, like sending text
messages, downloading tunes and
exchanging photos.
Unfortunately, like the Internet, there are people that
find ways to hurt others, even through cell phones.
Harassment and any other form of violence are
intolerable
– the same goes for mobile harassment.
•Do not answer missed calls from
numbers you do not know.
• Do not ever answer an abusive
text or call because it will only
encourages the perpetrator.
•Save abusive texts or
photographs. This can be very
important evidence if the case is
subsequently reported to
the police.
•Give your phone number only
to family members and close
friends. Do not give it to just
anyone and make sure your
friends do not either.
• If you receive text messages,
calls or pictures that hurt you,
do not hesitate to confide in an
older person that you can trust.
• Always ask permission to take
pictures or make a video of
someone with your cell phone.
Guard your privacy on
the Internet.
Protect your family by
not giving away too
much information about
yourself, your friends, or
your family. Build
your reputation by NOT
sharing other people’s
private information.
Social networking (SN) websites are virtual
communities where you can meet others
who share similar interests and activities.
Many of these sites (like Facebook and
MySpace) offer many ways to interact, like
chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat,
file sharing, blogging, and discussion
groups.
You and a few friends decide one
afternoon to take some fun pictures of
each other. You try on clothes, fix your
hair, spruce up your makeup. Then, you
take turns being the photographer
and the model. The pictures turn out
great. Wouldn’t it be fun to post a couple
on your MySpace page?
But…think before you post.
Things to Think About
• Only upload pictures that you’d
be happy for your mom to see –anything
too sexy to be passed around the dinner
table should NOT make it on to the web,
as it could encourage sexual predators
to contact you.
• Don’t post your phone number or email
address on your homepage. Think about it –
why would anyone actually need this info when
they can contact you privately via
MySpace or Bebo?
•Don’t post pictures of you or your friends
wearing a school uniform. If people see your
school name, they can figure out where you are
and come and find you.
• Don’t give too much away in a blog. Yes, tell the
world you’re going to a party on Saturday night.
But don’t post details of where it is. Real friends can
phone you to get details, and strangers shouldn’t be
able to see this kind of information.
How to Delete Your
MySpace Page
To delete your MySpace account, log in to your account and click
the Account Settings link next to your photo on your profile page.
You will arrive at the Change Account Settings page. Right below
the page title you will see three tiny links. Two of them, View My
Profile and Edit My Profile, are in red. The third link – Cancel
Account, is in gray, so it is not easily noticeable. The link forwards
you to a page titled Cancel MySpace Account. It’spretty easy to
figure out from there.
Many young people believe that if something
is truly not good, then someone would have
already done something about it. Therefore if
it’s on the Internet, it must be okay because if
it wasn’t, someone would have removed it.
The good thing about the Internet is the free
exchange of information. But that aspect can
also be a bad thing. There are no Internet
police. Just as you don’t believe everything
you see or hear on television, you should treat
the Internet similarly.
Your teacher gives you a research paper assignment.
What’s the first thing you do?
Probably a Google search on your topic. Often the first
hit will be from Wikipedia(which, of course, is the free
encyclopedia anyone can edit). This is an excellent
place to START exploring
your topic. However,
because Wikipedia is not
an objective source like a
newspaper, magazine or
scholarly paper, you should
not use it as a primary
source of information.
You should always be careful about presenting
someone else’s ideas as if they are your own. This
is easy to do with Web material because you can
cut and paste large blocks of text. Many
students think that if you change a few
words and then identify the source, you
are not cheating.
Unfortunately, you are still cheating
if most of the words are not your
own and you don’t change the way
the ideas are presented !
You see a $5 on in your teacher desk draw,
but you wouldn’t consider taking it because
that is stealing. But what about copying
something from the internet and claiming it
is yours !
How about borrowing a movie or
CD and copying it ?????
Blocking Software
software are programs that allow you or your parents to block
access
to certain websites and kinds of information.
Browser A browser is a
software program that connects you to the web. Popular
browsers
include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape, Safari and Opera.
Cookie
cookie is a small text file that other websites put
into our computer’s memory to track sites you have
visited. Cookies are used mostly by business sites
to recognize customer preferences.
ISP An Internet Service Provider
(ISP) is a company that provides access to the web--America
Online (AOL) is an example.
Filtering Software
software can be installed on your computer to search site material
using
keywords in order to block access to undesirable content.
Search Engine
is a web-based program that searches a large number of websites
based
upon the use of key words to help you find information. Google
and Yahoo
have two of the more popular search engines.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
(URL) is a website’s address.
Gaming is a huge phenomenon, with 70% of
children in the playing online games. World of
Warcraft alone boasts 8 million registered
players. According to Wikipedia, “a computer
game is a computer-controlled game
where players interact with objects displayed on a
screen for the sake of entertainment.” Games
can be made for a variety of platforms: PCs,
consoles (e.g. Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation 3),
handhelds (e.g. Nintendo DS Lite) andmobile
phones.
Contact:
Most game environments now include chat
elements, and many have additional forums and
other communication tools. There is little or no
control over the age of players. Also, 3D
environments mean that avatars can be used for
virtual physical harassment of other players.
Appropriateness:
Games, like
movies, are appropriate for different age
ranges and can contain violence, sex and
abusive language. Labeling systems such as
PEGI can help young people and parents to
understand which are best for them.
Virtual theft and cheating:
Virtual items (e.g. special weapons)
are incredibly valuable to players and are now
being sold on websites such as eBay at profit.
This encourages in-game cheating and theft,
which as yet is not well protected by the law
Griefers are the Internet equivalent of
playground bullies, who find fun in
embarrassing and pushing around
others.Typically, griefers will taunt
others, especially new players
(or newbs), cheat, use inappropriate
language, and use the game to harass
playersor bring unwanted negative
attention to their characters.
1. Ignore them: most griefers will actually go away if you
ignore them.
2. Do something else: if a griefer will not stop, try
playing a different game or take a break from that
game.
3. Change game options: play games with changeable
options to help prevent griefer behavior.
4. Create a private game: most of the new games will let
players to play their own exclusive game that will only
allow their friends to play.
Often people make choices
about what’s right and what’s
wrong by answering these
questions:
Will my action cause
someone else harm?
Will I look bad if I make
this choice?
Will I be punished for
this action?
However, when using technology
sometimes it’s difficult to see what
the consequence of a particular
behavior might be. The lack of
visible consequences may lead you
to believe (or rationalize) that
breaking into a computer system is
not at all the same as breaking
into a house.
Fair Use Policies
Schools in Virginia provide a computer system to
promote educational excellence, resource
sharing, innovative instruction and
communication, and to prepare students to live
and work in the 21st century. Each school sets
a “fair use policy,” which contains guidelines for
acceptable use of these technologies—for
software and hardware—on school property.
..\..\acceptable use policy.pdf