Information for Parents and Teachers

Safe Surfing Information - For Teachers

VPL believes that the Internet is an appropriate and useful information tool for children and young adults. Teaching children and young adults how to navigate the Internet gives them the opportunity to identify and evaluate useful sources of information. In addition to enhancing information literacy, the Internet puts information resources at a child's fingertips. Many of these resources are unavailable in any other form.

Part of the value of the Internet stems from enabling children to learn how to effectively search for information and become discriminating information consumers. To optimize a student's Internet experience, consider following these tips:

• Teach your students how to effectively search for information and how to become discriminating information consumers.
• Promote positive examples of Youth Internet use.
• Use sites that have been reviewed in advance, and steer kids to other good sites.
• Monitor and preset the length and time of your students' visits.
• Monitor the Web sites that children visit.
• Block the publication of personal information by your students.
• Use special search engines for children.
• Be familiar with your school's policies about student computer usage.
• Consider implementing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUPs). These policies typically state that the Internet provider cannot review everything on the Internet, and thus, must require students to use the Internet smartly and responsibly.
• Discuss with students the rules for safe and acceptable use of the Internet, and indicate the consequences of any deliberate violation of these rules.
• Teach students to use the Internet in a safe way, for example, how to distinguish between Web sites that contain safe and harmful content.

• Never give out personal information.
• Never fill out online personal registration forms without an adult's permission.
• Talk about and introduce new online friends.
• Never meet someone you've spoken to online, without the permission and supervision of an adult.
• Never open messages from unknown people.
• Leave chat rooms immediately if you are made to feel uncomfortable.
• Tell teachers or parents immediately if you are made to feel uncomfortable.