The influence of the internet on your life is huge. Starting from doing different types of work online to accessing educational resources, one needs the internet in different walks of life. The educational infrastructure is growing in such a manner that a teacher depends a lot on online technology.
However, students of different ages are vulnerable to the downside of the internet. They are not aware of ways it can help and hurt their future. Different types of occurrences are taking place online.
As a teacher, your task gets tougher to filter and present every bit of information. Besides, you cannot keep track of the different sites the students might be exploring. With online learning becoming part and parcel of every student’s life, avoiding the impact of the internet is indeed a challenge for both parents and teachers.
From a classroom educator, they need to play the role of a technology coach at the same time. It is their responsibility to ensure that students acknowledge how they leave an impression while accessing the internet.
While cutting back the usage of the internet from the life of the student is highly impossible, the teacher must find a way to tackle the problem. This blog will further elaborate on the different ways an educator can fulfil their responsibility while guiding students about the ways to use the internet.
Ways to protect a student when they are using the internet
You cannot deny that it is a complex and ever-emerging digital world where the existence of predators is also a reality. Unlike the traditional classroom, where students only interact with fellow students and teachers, the internet lets them interact without anyone out there.
Processing information collected from the internet is a tough task for a student who could be of any age. It is like you are searching for no guarantor loans and have plenty of options to choose from. You must know the definition of a legitimate source from where getting loans is sound and safe.
In the same way, even processing educational content by avoiding distractions requires you to be aware of what is right and wrong. The different ways you can help your student are:
Set clear rules
As an educator, you cannot be everywhere with your students. In this scenario, setting boundaries becomes inevitable. At least the students will know they are not supposed to do these things while scrolling through different websites.
Make it mandatory for them to understand the basic rules of accessing the internet. Another thing that the teacher must do is to keep reminding the same thing time and again.
Spread awareness among students about internet safety
Their minds are amateur, and thus, they must not be aware of the cyber threats or perils of using the internet. As a teacher, you can step forward to educate them about cyberbullying and other online threats.
Besides, you must teach them about the ways they can safeguard their personal information while scrolling through web pages. Guide them on what they should do after spotting any suspicious activity around the internet and reporting them at once and without delay.
Share ways of data mining
For mature learners, the teacher must introduce the concept of data mining. It might sound like a complex thing, but it is more about excavating the different ways student information can be used on different online platforms.
Web browsing is an essential part of learning these days. Some websites might enquire a few details. Make sure that your student does not enter any confidential information without your permission.
Show them how to log out of the browsers without impacting the results. Make them understand how one should search for their full names, nicknames, user names, etc., to see what comes out finally. One should ensure that the name does not come on at least five web browser pages.
Install a monitoring software
It is true that you cannot manually keep track of where the student might be paying visits. However, you can use software to do this job for you. It should also filter the internet content for your student.
The essential function of it would be to monitor the activities of your student around the internet. It will prevent your students from accessing suspicious links. At the same time, it will inform you about any potential threat your student might face.
Keep a strong antivirus on the computer
Every computer should have a strong firewall installed and updated regularly for complete protection. It will avert any accidental installation of various virus programs. This way, you can safeguard the system from losing essentially student information.
Show them how to regularly scan the system to validate if there are any viruses in the system. Moreover, you should keep an eye on whether the installation and updates occur from time to time.
Motivate them to open communications
You cannot completely avoid the online exposure from your student’s life. However, you can surely downsize the duration of their exposure. You can encourage them to get involved in healthy discussions with you.
Ask them to discuss the different types of online threats they have confronted. Besides, you can motivate them to share their concern about internet-related worries. Appeal them to open up about any uncomfortable situation they might have come across online.
The perfect place to encourage such discussions is the classroom. It is because they know everyone there, and different students might be sharing different problems. This way, you can provide them with solutions to manifold problems, which are much more practical.
Tell them about privacy settings
Ask your students to explore the privacy setting tabs, especially when they are browsing through social media platforms. Tell them to be very careful about what they post online. As anybody around the world can access any information about them, they should be extra cautious at the same time of sharing personal photos and details.
The bottom line
As a teacher, you must update your students about the dark side of accessing the internet. Create a secure and controlled learning environment for them.