Cyberbullying News | Research, Reviews, Summaries & Expert Interviews for Educators & Researchers

This week, we are going to be featuring a number of resources geared toward online safety and digital citizenship which can form part of a ”Toolkit” of materials for use by educators, parents, and young people.  The first in our feature is the iKeepSafe organization, which aims to “give parents, educators, and policymakers the information and tools which empower them to teach children the safe and healthy use of technology and the Internet.” Let’s see what they have on offer …

First, a bit of background information on iKeepSafe:

Who Are They?

As noted on their website, iKeepSafe is a “broad partnership of governors and/or first spouses, attorneys general, public health and educational professionals, law enforcement, and industry leaders working together for the health and safety of youth online.”  Their impressive array of partnerships includes corporate sponsors (with such “big guns” as Intel, Dell, and Hewlett Packard), associations and specialists, and business partners.

What do they do?

The vision of iKeepSafe is to “see generations of the world’s children grow up safely using technology and the Internet.”  To that end, they provide educational resources  “to teach children of all ages in a fun, age-appropriate way, the basic rules of Internet safety, ethics, and the healthy use of connected technologies.”

What materials do they provide?

As noted above, iKeepSafe provides materials for children (elementary through teens), parents/caregivers, and educators.  The materials focus on the three main risks associated with all connected technologies: Inappropriate contact; inappropriate content; and inappropriate conduct.

Resources for Children: The website has a section called “Welcome to Faux Paw’s Fun Zone” designed especially for use by children.  Here, children can learn about online safety through playing games, printing off pages to color, learning about Faux Paw and his friends, downloading wallpaper and screensavers, watching a video featuring Faux Paw and McGruff  the Crime Dog, and reading a book (which needs to be purchased from the site).

Resources for Parents/Caregivers: Materials available in the iKeepSafe Parent Resource Center include video tutorials on current Internet safety topics (see below); family fun lessons to help parents teach Internet safety at home; DARE activities (coloring pages, activities, and instructions for parents);  and an Online Safety Digest containing recent news stories covering online safety issues.  The set of  four “lessons” designed for parents to use in a family setting are presented as opportunities for “families to have fun together, express love and concern for each other, and to establish standards together.”  Two of the lessons are designed for age-range 4-11, one is for 10-18 year-olds (not yet available), and one for all ages.  The first lesson requires the purchase of a book and movie from the website.   Additionally, there is a “Hot Topics” section with advice on issues such as blocking pop-ups, identity theft, defense against viruses and worms, and more.

This section of the website also contains a selection of videos and tutorials which can be downloaded free of charge.  Subjects covered include: Social Networking Basics; Student Voices on Cyberbullying; ”Three Keeps” for Internet Safety; 10 Actions Every Parent Must Take; 5 Tips in 5 Minutes; and What You Need to Know. 

Resources for Educators:

Elementary School: The Faux Paw curriculum is designed to help children learn three simple rules: Keep Safe (all of my personal information); Keep Away (from Internet strangers); and Keep Telling (my parents about everything I see on the Internet).  Using a literacy-based approach through the award-winning storybook adventures of Faux Paw the Techno Cat, children learn about Internet safety basics, how to handle cyberbullying, balancing real life with screen time, and the risks and dangers of downloading.  The curriculum “is based on research from Harvard’s Center on Media and Child Health and created in partnership with the iKeepSafe Global Research Team, Penn State University Department of Education, and the University of Maryland.”  The Faux Paw stories are also available in Spanish, French, Mandarin, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and other languages.

Middle and High School: The resources for middle and high school are designed to help teach the three guidelines of protect your NAME, IDENTITY, and REPUTATION.  The resources for this age group use a peer-to-peer educational module, which includes the Emmy-award winning news show Student Voices: Cyberbullying.

Our Editorial: We applaud the strong focus of iKeepSafe on younger children through the Faux Paw curriculum and other online resources.  As the website notes, it is important to teach “safe and healthy online habits from a very young age when students are first learning to use technology, rather than waiting until they are older and are at a greater risk.”  The site seems to be especially geared toward this younger age group in the way it is designed (use of primary colors, cartoon characters, fun noises, etc).  However, we also appreciate the age-appropriate approach to tweens and teens, using peer-to-peer educational modules and film clips where teens discuss their own personal experiences connected to online safety.  The iKeepSafe website and materials present solutions which are not fear-based or overly in favor of blocking access to technology, but rather concentrate on teaching and promoting online safety and citizenship while also providing opportunities for young people to play a role in their own safety online and that of their peers, an approach which ties in with the recommendations of the recentYouth Safety on a Living Internet Report.