NetAlert CyberSafe Schools

Quick reference guide for primary school teachers

This quick reference guide for primary teachers outlines:

the knowledge and skills required of students when using the internet via computers or other enabled devices
internet safety issues or situations that students may encounter
teaching strategies for internet safety.

Upper primary
Knowledge and skills	Internet safety issues	Teaching strategies
Use search engines to effectively locate information. Navigate, browse and retrieve information from websites. Compare and contrast content from similar sources.	Resources discovered through internet searches may contain or lead students to content that is inaccurate, violent, dangerous, sexually explicit or racist.	Development of information literacy to empower students to safely search, navigate and retrieve content, and compare sources for their accuracy, reliability or soundness.
Produce text, images and other elements for publication and communication in a range of contexts.	In certain circumstances, students may produce or communicate content that is untruthful, defamatory, or that contravenes school or community standards.	Analysis of personal, school and community standards for interaction and communication to apply when using a range of software for web authoring, email, chat and discussion groups.
Apply basic principles of safe and responsible use of the internet.	Students may be exposed to a range of internet resources, such as online marketing and advertising, which may be exploitative.	Investigation of internet commercialism and the social and ethical aspects of these for students.

At these levels, in addition to skills acquired at lower levels, students will typically:

Middle primary
Knowledge and skills	Internet safety issues	Teaching strategies
Identify and use terms in searches to discover and retrieve content from a range of online and offline sources.	Students may inadvertently come across resources that are confronting, unsuitable or which make them feel uncomfortable.	Guidance for effective resource discovery and basic strategies for dealing with inappropriate or dangerous content.
Use software to edit, format, adapt and generate content for a specific purpose and to communicate with others.	Access to communication technologies may result in students receiving abusive and harassing messages with which they are unable to cope.	Modelling and role playing safe responses to harassment and bullying when using particular technologies such as email and chat.
Understand codes of conduct when accessing the internet.	Online publication of personal information or images may result in these being misused by others, or in the student becoming the recipient of sexually explicit or offensive messages.	Establishment of class protocols for online activity that is consistent with school policy. Exploration of a range of scenarios that illustrate safe internet communication.

At these levels, in addition to skills acquired at lower levels, students will typically:

Lower primary
Knowledge and skills	Internet safety issues	Teaching strategies
Recognise that the internet is a rich source of information and entertainment.	Students may access online and/or interactive content that is age inappropriate, graphically confronting or violent.	Provision of a range of online or offline content that is age appropriate, relevant, entertaining and safe.
Understand and use basic terms relevant to the internet.	Students may navigate to inappropriate or dangerous websites using colourful images and icons or by randomly following hyperlinks.	Explanation of the conventions of the online content such as the components of a web page, and navigation within and from a website.

At these level, students will typically: