Good afternoon everyone!
Before entering the more in-depth aspects of the course, it would be a nice idea if I was to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about myself...
My name is Alex, I am 22 years old and I have recently started the PGCE Primary Education course at Middlesex University, based at Trent Park. My personal interests include playing and watching sports, especially cricket, as well as learning about history (mainly the 18th century), the subject I completed my degree on about 4 months ago.
This blog is going to be mainly full of my thoughts and reflections of the ICT session held at Middlesex University, as well as discussions of any thoughts and opinions that I have using technology within the school environment.
Right, so here we go! I very much hope you enjoy reading this blog.
Alex
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
E-Safety
The issue of e-safety, especially within the education system, has become of paramount importance in the last few years. Several years ago, the internet was a new phenomena, one which only a selected few were able to use with any great confidence, now however, the reliance on the internet across the entire world means that few people have not seen and experienced the effects of the internet.
This is why the issue of e-safety has become more and more important. With more and more people using the internet, it means there is more and more out there that is inappropriate, and potential harmful to people, and especially children. However, the internet is now so vital that it would be a ridiculous suggestion to refrain from using it altogether, which is why e-safety policies are put in place by schools, to protect the children from these websites that could cause them harm.
Upon reflection of this, I believe that some of the procedures and policies in place are vital to helping children keep away from the possible dangers. There are now many websites for parents to access information (see the links below to ‘Childnet’, ‘Kids and Computers’ and 'ThinkYouKnow') and also schools are very keen to show they are taking the issue seriously, with some schools having their own personal rules to aid safety online (I have also provided a link to a school in Bristol with wonderful policies and guidelines. These two solutions, I believe, being the most important, because these are the two places where children have the most access to computers, and as such, need to be kept safe when using them in these environments. Despite the dangers however, I should mention that the internet, if used properly, which it will be in the majority of places thanks to such schemes and policies, can be a wonderful and incredibly valuable resource for children, especially as children are now so confident using the technology and long let this continue!
Watch out next week for a reflection on the use of the Smart Notebook,
Keep Calm and Carry On!
Alex
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