e-safety? Isn’t that just blocking some website?

5th March 2009

“...we don't block MySpace etc here but we do limit the amount of bandwidth available to it. We are struggling with the same issues as everyone else in terms of our responsibility to the students and supporting and educating them to use the Internet wisely...”

“we simply cannot control the content on YouTube and MySpace and although there may be some useful things for education out there - that is not what students are looking at.”

“Tell them to read the Demos paper 'Their Space'. Have they told their pupils not to cross the road when coming to school because it might be dangerous? Is this the King Canute School of Marine Studies?”

“We do have an anti-bullying policy...we do not monitor what is said in corridors but we will take action if an incident is reported following a conversation between 2 students in a corridor. I have had to deal with a series of 'hate sites' set up on the likes of bebo and consequently have restricted access.”

“Maybe they should concentrate on TEACHING their students how to use the Internet responsibly, then there would be no need to ban things! You are responsible for what you look at and what you post, and blocking sites indiscriminately does the students no service.”

From a discussion on the JISCmail Curriculum Champions mailing list Jan 07 and ongoing

Where it all started....

Safeguarding learners in a digital world – key messages for FE and Skills providers

• It is about education, ensuring that learners develop the skills to safeguard themselves.

• It is about Risk Assessment

• You need to take account of the complexity of the landscape and work with all partners to ensure a consistent and contiguous approach

• Managers, staff and learners all need to be involved in developing Acceptable Use Policies

• Responsibility and reporting methods for safeguarding learners using technology need to be clear to all the staff and learners

• Consider that learners may be good users but not sufficiently aware of risks and staff may not be aware of technologies

Dilemma Exercise

• Consider the dilemma card on your table and discuss

• Agree which of the following is most appropriate:–Red–Amber–Green

• You have 5 minutes to decide

Dilemma

•Lois’s friend offers to share their Instant Messenger (like MSN) contacts. Lois is very pleased because she now has 150 ‘friends’.

• Lois’s ‘friends’ have been collected by sharing address books.

• She only knows about one third of the people in her contact list.

• She has used the features in MSN to sort her ‘friends’ into groups – college, home friends, family, holiday mates.

• She also has a group for ‘friends of friends’ i.e. internet strangers.

• She does not give out any personal details to these people. • She is happy to chat online with friends of friends, but

nothing more.• She does not use her web cam when she talks to this group.

Standards and inspection

The underpinning model for mitigation of risk

Becta e-safety work in 2008/09

• Started as a small project for DIUS

• Brief was to develop e-safety guidance for FE and Skills providers delivering 14-19 programmes

• Becta has developed the work and taken it to wider FE and Skills sector as part of Key Action 14 in Harnessing Technology Strategy

• 2 key aspects of the work–Establishment of a working group

–Preparation of e-safety guidance

‘E-safety’ Working Group

• “Safeguarding FE & Skills Learners in a Digital World”

• Has met 3 times chaired by Becta/DIUS

• Alphabet soup of members–DIUS, DCSF, Becta (IWD), Becta (FERD),LSIS, LSC, JISC, TechDIS,

SSAT, ISC, NUS, UCU, AOC, ABA West Mids, ALP, LAs, Prisons, HO, ACM, LLUK, NIACE, N Learning

• Still to find members representing:–DWP, Other providers ??

Preparation of guidance material

• Checklist for 14-19 providers at an advanced stage of development

• About to produce a draft form for user testing – volunteers?

• Working up a structure for a full guidance package of printed materials and online guidance.

• Including guidance for wider FE and Skills sector

• Ensuring that guidance is consistent and contiguous from schools upward

Guidance

• Includes a range of questions for organisations to ask themselves

• Consistent with schools guidance

• Covers issues of range of learners in a range of settings

• Includes reference to Acceptable Use Policies (AUP)

• Includes a link to other guidance and resources

• Several unique aspects of 14-19 provision including–Learners of different ages in the same setting

–Learners can move across different types of provision

–Learners in workplaces

What are your priorities

Start to assess your own priorities using the Checklist

Safeguarding learners in a digital worldOutro

http://www.worksmart.org.uk/fun/nsfw/

5th March 2009