Welcome, educators! We encourage you to also read through the Students section to learn about personal safety while on the Internet and to know what to teach your own students when you send them out into the World Wide Web!
Curriculum ideas for cybersafety
Even though there is a lot of information on cybersafety available on the Internet, there are not many places with quick, ready-to-go activities that teachers can use with their students. Thankfully, there are a few good sites that have curriculum and lessons that you can use in your classroom.
CTAP has a great Cybersafety section with PowerPoint presentations, a downloadable poster for your classroom, and handouts for your parents and students.
From the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, you'll find Real Life Stories with Activity Cards, news articles, and Flash videos for at NetSMARTZ. More Activity Cards for all grade levels are also available.
From Wiredsafety.org, video presentations about cyberbullying, spam and viruses, predators and other topics
Cyber Bullying prevention resources Incidents involving students and cyber bullying is on the rise. Even though many of the incidents happen online while at home or otherwise off-campus, the repercussions can continue once the students reach your school.
Cyber bullying resources:
For Windows Vista users, use your Start menu to check for updates. If you need an update, a window will open with further instructions. Depending on the number of updates needed, it may take a few minutes to up to an hour to finish. You may have to restart your computer when the process is done.
From the National School Boards Association newsletter, the Leadership Insider, a 12-page PDF, including articles on "Maintaining Respectful Schools" and "Sticks and Stones in Cyberspace."
From the National Conference of State Legislatures, Education Program, School Bullying includes a map of states with anti-bullying legislation, those states that have enacted cyber bullying in the legislation, and research and reports.
From Central Union School District in Lemoore, CA, board policy with wording on bullying and cell phone use.
From Edmonds School District in Lynnwood, WA, board policy which includes wording for all kinds of harrassment
From Ygnacio Valley HS in Concord, CA, cell phone policy with wording on bullying
What does your school's AUP and tech plan say about students using the Internet? What safeguards has your school implemented? Are there rules and policies for all users of the world wide web? What steps would be taken if a student abuses his or her privileges, e.g. hacking into the system, downloading illegal content, viewing inappropriate material, or bullying another student?
An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is a written document that a school implements, outlining the terms and conditions of technology and Internet use by its teachers, students, parents, and staff.
From iSAFE, Acceptable Use Policies, a PDF document that defines AUPs and give examples of how they should be designed
Setting up a safe computer in your classroom If your students are using a computer in your classroom to research on the Internet, you should not have to worry that they will come across questionable websites, be bombarded with pop-ups and advertising, or have to deal with a slow computer that is bogged down by spyware. Your IT department has likely implemented several safety items on your classroom computers, like providing anti-virus software, an Internet filter, and spyware detection and removal programs. Ask your IT department if there is a checklist of items that you can do to help maintain your computers health. Some examples are shown below.
About Windows Updates: most PCs are running some version of the Windows operating system (like Windows Vista or Windows XP) and luckily Microsoft offers free updates, fixes and patches to maintain the computer's security. However, your computer may or may not be checking for these updates automatically.
For Windows Vista users, use your Start menu to check for updates. If you need an update, a window will open with further instructions. Depending on the number of updates needed, it may take a few minutes to up to an hour to finish. You may have to restart your computer when the process is done.
Cyber bullying resources:
From CA School Boards Association, a PDF on 
