With today’s technology, emails are a part of the majority of people’s everyday lives. People sign up to all different types of websites and receive many different types of emails in regards to many things. However not all emails are going to be classed as safe and are known as ‘Spam’. Another term for spam is known as ‘Phishing’. This is a board nickname given to any fraudulent request for personal information by pretending to be a trustworthy organisation (Keeping kids safe, 2011).
Usually these emails will offer an individual good health or promise great things, however for a price, at the individual’s expense. These emails also include asking for credit card details or bank information resulting in the individual being scammed.
So how can we as educators teach our students about these scams and keep them safe? Students need to understand their responsibility when entering the online world and need to understand the risk of social networking sites, the risks of internet scams and the affect it can have on their computer and personal lives.
As an educator you may be unsure of how teaching digital security could fit into your classroom lesson, however children aged less than 15 years, 86% had home internet access (ABOS, 2011). This shows that the majority of your students will have a basic understanding of how to use a computer or a computer like device and Computer-supported collaborative (CSCL) learning will also assist in students knowledge of computers and the internet (Howell, 2012, p.29). So informing your students about digital security will be very important as technology will be in their lives for many years to come.
First off, ask the students what kind of social media accounts they may have, for example Facebook, Twitter, Email, Instagram, iTunes, eBay, tumblr or Linkedln? How often do they use these accounts? What kind of information do they send out on these accounts? Asking the students about their use in technology will get them involved in group discussion with yourself and their peers. Creating a group discussion, rather than getting them to read out of a textbook, which in reality they will become bored with, and not take in any information. Ask them do they understand what a ‘trusted’ site is and if they know what the ‘trusted’ site logo is? Explain that spam emails usually consist of spelling mistakes and have links for them to click on which asks for personal information etc. Ask students if they know anybody who has been scammed from a website or email account? The more conversation, the better and the more information and stories you as an educator, the better.
Children discussing what they know about the internet and the risks associated with being online.
At the end of the lesson, to be sure that all students have an understanding of using the internet in a safe and responsible manner, conduct a quiz, testing what they would have covered in the group discussion. This is to be sure that all students understand and if some students are still unsure, you can provide them with more information to them and their parents. When I am teaching my students about digital security, this is the video I will show them. Check it out.
Overall, making sure your students are using the internet safely and responsibly so they can avoid any internet scams or any personal information getting into the wrong hands. As an educator in the digital world, I would want to know that my students are 100% aware of all risks when using the internet.
For more information check out http://kids.getnetwise.org/
References
CommonSenseEducation. (2011, May 2). Privacy Student Intro Video – The Digital Footprint [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHYkWtI7004
Gettyimages. (2014). Children talking in class [image]. Retrieved from http://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/photo/children-talking-in-class-royalty-free-image/74410289
Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Keeping kids safe. (2011). Teaching kids to recognize and avoid phishing scams. Retrieved from http://timwoda.com/2011/07/02/teaching-kids-to-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams/
Pagina Global. (2014). Security locks [Image]. Retrieved from http://paginaglobal.blogspot.com.au/2014_10_21_archive.html
Scambusters.org. (2014). Teaching children to recognize and avoid internet scams. Retrieved from http://www.scambusters.org/internet-scams.html
Stay smart online. (2014). Avoiding scams and hoaxes. Retrieved from https://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/home_users/protect_yourself2/avoiding_scams_and_hoaxes
Teaching in a digital world 