This is the time of year when I am usually introducing Internet Safety to my students. Internet safety is something I really stress in the computer lab. We hit it strong in the beginning of the year and revisit it several times throughout the rest of the year. If you are using the Internet with students, Internet safety needs to be covered.
Below are the tried and true sites that the students enjoy each year.
1. Netsmartz Kids– Netsmartz is a big hit every year with elementary students. It teaches Internet safety through fun characters, games, songs, and videos.
2. Disney’s Surfswell Island– an interactive island where students learn about Internet safety with Disney characters. Students go on an Indiana Jones type adventure with Mickey and his friends as they learn about Internet safety.
3. Privacy Playground- The First Adventure of the Three Cyber Pigs- a game designed for ages 8-10 where students help the Cyber Pigs navigate websites, marketing plys, spam, and have a close encounter with an unfriendly wolf.
4. Safety Land– An interactive city that teaches Internet safety. Students help the Safety land hero catch a bad Internet character by searching buildings in the city and answering Internet safety questions.
5. Safe Surfing with Dongle– Students learn about email, chat, playing games, and having fun online in this interactive movie/game.
6. iKeep Safe– A kid friendly Internet safety program that follows a cat named Faux Paw and her adventures in the Internet. The online books and videos teach kids basic Internet safety, how to handle cyber bullying, balancing real life with screen time, and the risks and dangers of downloading. These are high quality!
7. Welcome to the Web– An interactive site that teaches students about the Internet through challenges and activities. Students learn basic concept of the Internet, navigating and visiting websites, staying safe online, all about browsers, copyright, and how to search.
8. Faux Paw and the Dangerous Download– Another video from iKeep Safe, in it, Faux Paw learns that downloading is a great way to get information, but only when it is done the right way. The video teaches a valuable lesson about illegal file sharing.
9. Internet Safety with Professor Garfield– Lesson on online safety, cyberbullying, and fact or opinion and forms of media. Each section includes a video, game, and quiz.
10. The Carnegie Cyber Academy- Students join the Cyber Academy and complete several missions to equip them to be good cyber citizens and defend the Internet.
11. Common Sense with Phineas and Ferb- This short video helps students learn cyberspace rules and online safety tips.
12. Think U Know Cyber Cafe- a virtual environment where students can practice their online safety smarts. In the cafe, students help virtual kids make good choices when using email, texting, instant messaging, web browsing, creating an online personal space, and chatting in a chat room.
13. NS Teens– Older students learn about cyberbullying, email, IM, chatrooms, gaming, revealing too much, social networking, and other Internet safety tips through videos, games, and comics online.
14. The Bully Roundup– An interactive online board game where students test their bully smarts.
15. Child Net- games, resources, and more for primary and secondary students to learn about Internet safety.
16. Stop Bullying Now!– A site to teach students how to deal with a bully through videos, games, and tips.
How about you, do you have favorite Internet Safety sites that I missed?
I’ve bookmarked this one! I definitely want to explore more closely and use some of these! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this useful list. I’ll use it with my students and my 7 year old.
Perfect timing for this post! I knew you had some good sites like this on your blog before and I need them for my first week classes. You saved me from having to search myself. 🙂
A terrific collection which has something for everyone. Such an important theme that we all must address.
Glad that it will help out Alice!
Hi, great list you might be interested in a new free programme of activities and certificates for primary pupils on safer social networking skill – http://www.digitalme.co.uk/safe
register now for news and updates on launch or email me any questions
Hi Kelly,
My name is Mike Hill and I’m the Creative Producer for the NetSmartz Workshop as well as the voice of Clicky.
It was great seeing NetSmartzkids.org as one of your top recommended Internet Safety sites for kids.
Would you mine telling me how you went about ranking the sites and what you may have noticed in your school with kids using NetSmartz?
Any feedback would be fantastic.
Thanks,
Mike Hill
Hi Mike,
I have responded in an email. Thank you for your interest in how educators are using Netsmartz! My students love it.
Great sites. Have you also seen these?
http://www.cybersmart.gov.au
http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/cyberquoll/
Thanks so much from my students as I spice up their Digital Citizen class with many of these sites!
You are so welcome! I’m glad it helps add some spice 🙂
I really enjoyed this post. As a technology integration specialist and a teacher of computer ethics for 10-12 year olds, I am always looking for ways to make “CyberSafety” lessons interesting.
I have had 40-something 10-12 year olds “evaluate” these sites (and a few others that I added, from the comments here, and from outside sources). This is a continuing assignment throughout the school year for each batch of new children I get to teach every ten weeks.
Their comments are available in a Google Docs spreadsheet. Interested parties can request permission to view it by contacting me at onionskin1 at gmail dot com.
Thanks for the information Kymberli, sounds like a great way for students to be involved in cyber safety.
We have been using the FBI – SOS Sofe Online Surfing Internet Safety Challenge (www.fbi-sos.org). Have you seen it?
I find it to be very age-appropriate (divided by grade level) and well organized.The students love the scavenger hunt format (instead of a lecture!) and it incorporates a lot of other great sites. They also love the competition aspect of it and instant results! Check it out and see what you think!
Diana
We have been using the FBI – SOS Sofe Online Surfing Internet Safety Challenge (http://www.fbi-sos.org). Have you seen it?
I find it to be very age-appropriate (divided by grade level) and well organized.The students love the scavenger hunt format (instead of a lecture!) and it incorporates a lot of other great sites. They also love the competition aspect of it and instant results! Check it out and see what you think!
Diana
Diana, thanks for the recommendation, I haven’t seen it but am excited to take a look! Thank you for the comment.
There is a brand new site social networking for kids under 13 called Globworld. It requires child/parent users and creates a funny, safe and exciting virtual environment for kids and Globs alike!
it was ok but it didnt really teach you veary much about syber safty! Its mostlyjust a board game that you go around by rolly a dice and and if you land on serten places you get asked a question on syber safty. If you anwser the question right you go forrward two spaces if you anwser the question wrong you go back two spaces! if you win the game you get free backrounds! All in all i give it 3 stars out of 5 stars!
Any site recommendations geared to teens? Looking for one that my 14 year old daughter would be open minded about viewing. I haven’t gone into all of your recommended sits, but the ‘cartoon’ lead, assuming it’s representative of each site, wouldn’t get her past the first screen.
There are a few listed here. NS Teens is a good one. Google and YouTube have great curriculum and resources for older students.
Great post! Thank you for sharing.
Just a brief Cyber Safety Awareness for Kids and Parents:
Cyber safety, also known as internet safety or online safety, is the knowledge and practice of maximising an internet user’s personal safety and minimising his or her security risks. It is also widely accepted as the self-protection from computer crime. Cyber safety is something that parents and teachers need to focus on because there are a lot of bad things that can happen online, especially to students and minors who are vulnerable to attacks.
A lot of people can benefit from this – students, teachers and parents who would like to enhance cyber safety in their homes or schools. You can subscribe to the channel to ensure that you are always updated when it comes cyber safety. It is also possible to follow their updates from social media by liking their page on Facebook or following them on Twitter.
Whether you are an educator or a parent, you must accept the fact that technology and the internet are now imperative in students’ lives. It is your duty to ensure that these students are able to benefit from these, but it is also your responsibility to protect their safety. There are a lot of resources that can help you with this responsibility, and http://www.iCyberSafe.com is just one of those.
Great tips Mike!
From what I’ve seen from the comments, most of the people commenting are parents. I, however, was someone who grew up with these sites. I was a very sheltered child, and I enjoyed going to these websites with my class. So much so, that I would even go on them at home.
Currently, I am planning on making YouTube videos talking about some childhood games, and I wanted to include some of the internet safety games. There was one that I could not remember, and I could not find it anywhere. This list led me to find that game, “Welcome to the Web”. That was probably my favorite out of all of them, and nowadays it seems like a very early alternate reality game, and that fascinates me today. So, thank you, for reminding me of my childhood and letting me relive it once again.