Links to web sites here are to help you as staff, students, and parents with the increasing need for knowledge and understanding of digital literacy and citizenship, media literacy and Internet safety.
Canadian Sites:
MNet is a Canadian non-profit organization that has been pioneering the development of media literacy and digital literacy programs since its incorporation in 1996. It contains one of the world's most comprehensive collections of media literacy and digital literacy resources. It has resources for teachers and parents on such subjects as Media Violence, Online Hate, Media Stereotyping, Information Privacy. Most of the resources are freely available for download.
Alberta Education has purchased licensing for all school districts, teachers, parents, and students to the paid resources. You should have received a letter from your school with instructions on how to access the paid resources. These resources include interactive tutorials for various grade levels to assist students about using the Internet safely.
Be Web AwareThis companion site to the Media Awareness Network has a multitude of Safety Tips, Activities for Parents and Children, and articles on various Internet issues such as Cyberbullying, Excessive Internet Use, Gaming, and Social Networking, etc.
The 2learn Education Society of Alberta has been providing resources to teachers, students, and parents for well over a dozen years. It is supported through an alliance with Alberta Education, CASS-(The College of Alberta School Superintendents), The ATA-(The Alberta Teachers' Association), and the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.
2learn.ca: Check out this main link where a plethora of all kinds of resources reside that are freely available to all.
‘Net Know-How: This section of the 2Learn website has resources related to Digital Citizenship, Plagiarism, Internet Safety, and Cyberbullying.
Kids in the Know: Kids in the Know is an interactive safety education program for increasing the personal safety of children and reducing their risk of sexual exploitation.
US sites
"ConnectSafely—a site for parents, teens, educators, advocates - everyone engaged in and interested in the impact of the social Web." The user-driven, all-media, multi-platform, fixed and mobile social Web is a big part of young people's lives…" Click here to learn about "safe, civil use of Web 2.0…."
Safe Kids is a blog created by Larry Magid, technology journalist and author of the 1994 brochure, “Child Safety on the Information Highway” It has numerous resources including Guides for Parents (different guides depending on age of child), a Parent's Guide to Facebook, Child-safe search, etc. It also has links to ConnectSafely.
Other:
Research article on Children and Social Networking
If you need help with the above resources, please check with your school or email bonny.west@westwind.ab.ca