Key classroom principles: across and within subjects and key stages - Teaching with Technologies: The Essential Guide - page 147

of online resources created by Microsoft aimed at teachers, pupils and parents. The
resources are appealing, accessible and well written, and focus on four important
stakeholder groups: the pupils, their parents, volunteers working with young people
and the teaching profession. 'Staying Safe with Dongle' is from the CBBC Stay Safe
website (BBC 2010) and invites children to learn about Internet Safety with Dongle
the rabbit and the Stay Safe Quiz.
'The Smart Crew' is from KnowITAll by Childnet International. The Adventures
of Captain Kara and Winston's SMART Adventure is a series of 3D animations covering
the 5 SMART rules aimed at helping younger children understand the importance
of keeping safe online. The cartoon clips are relatively short and convey the key
message efficiently. There is a range of follow-up activities and full lesson plans
provided.
For younger children, specifically primary phase, there is also 'Welcome to
Hector's World'™ (KS1), 'Lee and Kim's Adventure' (KS1/2) and 'Cyber Café' (KS2),
which are from ThinkUKnow (CEOP). These are all easy to access and are supported
by teaching resources. However, some resources on CEOP are only accessible by
registered users and some are only accessible by those who have completed the
CEOP training. There is a growing number of e-safety training courses available.
For example, there is EPICT's e-Safety Awareness Module, which is part of an inter-
nationally recognized e-Safety CPD course (there is however a small charge for this
teacher accreditation). Alternatively, there are CPD opportunities available from
Vital at the Open University. In addition for trainee teachers (pre-service teachers),
there are resources from the national subject association IT in Teacher Education
(ITTE). To support e-safety awareness raising it is paramount that initial teacher
education (ITE) providers create a pathway for trainee teachers, as specified by
Byron (2008).
However, there is no 'one-stop' fix for e-safety guidance, but rather a minimal
solution for teachers wanting support and teaching aids. Table 7.8 provides a list of
useful websites with relevant resources for raising awareness about e-safety (Woollard,
Pickford and Younie 2010).
Byron (2010) asserts the importance of embedding the issue of child digital safety
within a broader context of building resilience (for example, skills of critical evaluation,
risk management and self-monitoring) with a 'clear understanding of the importance
of risk experiences and their management for child learning and development' (Byron
2010: 2). The challenge is to empower learners to manage risks and make the digital
world safer:
. . . to be empowered to keep themselves safe - this isn't just about a top-
down approach. Children will be children - pushing boundaries and taking
risks. At a public swimming pool we have gates, put up signs, have lifeguards
and shallow ends, but we also teach children how to swim.
(Byron 2008: 2)
Teachers need to be aware of the threats and challenges to staying safe online,
and to support the learners' understanding and adoption of safe and responsible