NetAlert CyberSafe Schools

Quick reference guide for secondary school teachers

This quick reference guide for secondary 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 secondary
Knowledge and skills	Internet safety issues	Teaching strategies
Employ a range of sophisticated research procedures for online learning. Validate content using credible, external sources.	Specific websites target young people and attempt to improperly manipulate their views for racist or extremist purposes, or to recruit students to racist or extremist organisations.	Investigation of a range of sites within subject disciplines to teach high level critical literacy skills that enable students to independently evaluate the quality of sources.
Analyse and structure content to produce complex representations. Communicate these across a range of environments and contexts	As students develop complex personal identities they may engage in unsafe behaviour, using a range of internet enabled technologies.	Analysis of how chat rooms, ICQ or electronic conferencing operate, and the ways in which the technology may expose students to unsafe activity with peers or adults.
Understand the benefits, constraints and influence of social, legal, economic and ethical issues on use of the internet and enabled devices	The expansion of e-commerce has both advantages and disadvantages. Students need the knowledge and skills to use online transactions safely.	Investigation of internet commerce and the technologies used for safe and secure transactions when buying or selling online.

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

Middle primary
Knowledge and skills	Internet safety issues	Teaching strategies
Select appropriate search engines to discover content. Make judgements between search results in order to reach relevant and appropriate content.	In schools, students use approved search engines under supervision. They need to develop safe techniques for unsupervised searching across a range of environments and contexts.	Development of information literacy that enables students to safely search, navigate and retrieve content and make judgements about the credibility or quality of resources.
Use a diverse range of communication technologies for educational or other purposes across a range of environments and contexts.	Communicating with others using the internet by computer or another enabled device may expose students to harassment and bullying by peers or adults.	Strategies for dealing with harassment and bullying including procedures and support structures available. Individual responsibilities when communicating with others
Understand the social, legal, economic and ethical consequences of accessing the internet by computer or another enabled device.	Accessing the internet by computer or another enabled device to communicate is widespread and students need to become aware of their social, legal, economic and ethical use.	Investigation of the social, legal, economic and ethical use of internet enabled devices such as mobile and camera phones to text message or exchange photographs or video.

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

Lower secondary
Knowledge and skills	Internet safety issues	Teaching strategies
Develop questions or keyword combinations and select appropriate sourcing tools to locate content. Appraise located information.	Searching for and finding online content that is inappropriate, such as sexually explicit, violent, or illegal information and images, may be unsafe for students.	Safe and reliable strategies for discovering content using search engines, directories, and links to external resources from within websites.
Synthesise content from a range of sources. Structure, link and present content. Communicate with others for varied purposes in a variety of contexts.	Without safe opportunities to collaborate and communicate with peers, students may not acquire the skills to structure, present and communicate safely.	Participation in endorsed collaborative projects where online communication using web authoring, email and electronic conferencing can be learned in moderated environments.
Understand the necessity for laws, codes of conduct and procedures. Recognise the potential for misuse of the internet and the procedures to address this	Students may inadvertently or intentionally access or publish content or opinion that disregards school codes of practice, or that is unlawful.	Explanation of purpose and application of school policy and procedures in the context of the law. Teaching of internet safety procedures that are transferable to a range of contexts.

At these level, students will typically: