As an instructor of very young students, Internet Safety is about protection and guidance. When children are 3-5 years old, Internet safety should be presented very much the same way as other safety rules for youngsters. Presenting guidelines and expectations for Internet use is much along the same lines as “Stranger Danger”. The point is not to scare the children, but make them aware that, just like the world they live in, the Internet world has dangers as well. (Roblyer 2016) We should discuss in general terms that some places on the Internet are not for children and that sometimes there are bad people online. And just as in the real world setting, NEVER leave a young student unsupervised online.
So keeping the rules very short, basic and positive, students will take the pledge below.
Internet Safety Pledge for Preschool Students (Netsmartz 2015)
I promise to:
- Only visit websites that my grown ups say are OK.
- Always have a grown up with me when I am on the Internet.
- Be nice to others on the Internet.
- Keep my password and log in a secret.
- Tell a trusted grown up – my teachers or parents – if something makes me sad or feel badly online.
References
Resources
Child Rescue Network – Internet Safety
susan mcgannon ed tech learning log 