1. Internet Safety Professional Development Rob Girvin July 31, 2013

2.  Today our students are exposed to technology 24/7. They live in a connected world unlike generations before them. While this technology is great for learning and education, it can also be dangerous if it is not used in a proper fashion. Our students need to be educated on the proper use of internet technology to protect themselves from danger or trouble. The following presentation is loaded with some key information for you to share with your students.

3.  Teachers at Merritt Academy will begin teaching about plagiarism and copyright laws during the late Elementary years.  Students in Middle School will review what is and what is not plagiarism, as well as learn how to properly cite other people’s works in their assignments.  At the High School level we will continue to review this skill and try to perfect it before the collegiate level.

4.  The following is a basic list of types of information that require citation  Words or ideas presented in a book, magazine, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, Web page, letter, pamphlet, advertisement, or any other medium  Information gained through interviewing another, whether it occurs in person, over the phone, through email or other electronic exchange, or in writing  Exact words or creative language that are quoted  The reusing or reposting of diagrams, charts, pictures, artwork, illustrations, or other visual materials  The reusing or reposting of any electronically-available media, including images, audio, video, etc.  In the end, the main idea is to document any words, ideas, or other productions that originated from someone other than you. List taken from the Aims Community College Website (see resource page)

5.  The following is a basic list of types of information that DO NOT require citation  The use of your own ideas, thoughts, experiences, observations, insights, and/or conclusions about a subject  The use of your own experiments or research results  The use of your own artwork, digital photographs, video, audio, etc.  The use of generally accepted facts (for example: Violence causes many problems for society; air pollution harms the atmosphere; succeeding in college can be challenging; etc.)  The use of information that is considered “common knowledge” (see below for further explanation of “common knowledge”)  List taken from the Aims Community College Website (see resource page)

6.  THREE GOLDEN RULES OF COPYRIGHT AND PLAGIARISM TO CONVEY TO OUR STUDENTS…. 1) If in doubt….CITE IT! 2) Teach students how to research the proper way to cite items or determine if citation is needed. (keep a list of websites posted in the room for students to reference) 3) Teachers need to follow the same copyright and plagiarism rules as the students!

7.  The online world our students live in can be dangerous if they do not have the tools to safely navigate the open waters.

8.  Three tips to convey cyber safety….each grade level will have an internet safety lesson to help them understand how to stay safe online. To better serve our students we will be breaking down our cyber safety into three different groups.  Grades K-3  Grades K-3= will be given a group presentation from the ISD to help educate them about staying safe online. This presentation will include topics like picking safe websites, acceptable use of sites and acceptable communication with others online.

9.  Grades 3-6  Grades 3-6=using the iPads we will be using the “BeSeen” app which helps show students how to protect their reputation online along with showing them how to stay safe from predators and bullying.  Grades 7-12  Grades 7-12= we will review the more mature topics that junior high and high school students run into online and how those can affect their lives. We will be using an interactive website called “Its Your Call” to help illustrate some situations that our students face on a daily basis and the correct decision that should be made in each case.

10.  Let’s face it, there is a TON of information out there. How do we figure out what is a good and valuable source versus a poor source? The following tips and examples will help you educate your students on the proper way to evaluate good sites.

11. THE FIVE W’S OF WEB SITE EVALUATION  WHO Who wrote the pages and are they an expert? Is a biography of the author included? How can I find out more about the author?  WHAT What does the author say is the purpose of the site? What else might the author have in mind for the site? What makes the site easy to use? What information is included and does this information differ from other sites?  WHEN When was the site created? When was the site last updated?  WHERE Where does the information come from? Where can I look to find out more about the sponsor of the site?  WHY Why is this information useful for my purpose? Why should I use this information? Why is this page better than another? Source: "Critical Evaluation - Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything." Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - Home Page. Web. 1 Aug. 2013..

12.  Some good sites for evaluating websites are…. ◦ http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm ◦ http://www.webliminal.com/search/search-web12.html http://www.webliminal.com/search/search-web12.html ◦ http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/signif.htm http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/signif.htm The bottom line of web site evaluation is credibility. If the source is credible (NASA, CDC, etc) then the site is probably quality information. If the site cannot be verified then it might not be the best source to use for information.

13.  "Critical Evaluation - Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything." Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - Home Page. Web. 1 Aug. 2013..  "Finding and Evaluating Web Sites." Education Place®. Web. 1 Aug. 2013..  "Parents & Guardians." Parents & Guardians. Web. 1 Aug. 2013..  "Purdue OWL: Avoiding Plagiarism." Welcome to the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). Web. 31 July 2013..  "Using Outside Sources - Avoiding Plagiarism." Aims Community College. Web. 31 July 2013..  "Web Wise Kids." Web Wise Kids. Web. 1 Aug. 2013..