E-Safety in the EFL classroom
My students spend a lot of time on the Internet and even though they say they know absolutely everything about the perils of the virtual world, I strongly believe that every now and then this topic should be brought into discussion.
The most suitable occasion is of course Safer Internet Day, which will be celebrated on February 8. I think that teachers around the globe have the responsibility to dedicate at least part of their lesson to e-safety and help their students to acquire essential skills about the efficient, safe and more responsible use of the Internet.
Last week I held a webinar for Croatian teachers on how Safer Internet Day is celebrated around the world and I found some fabulous resources. So here are some that you might use in your classroom on Tuesday, or, as a matter of fact, on any other day of the year.
These two pages helped me find my way around the www resources:
Insafe, which is a network of national Awareness Centres in 27 countries in the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Russia and Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day. Larry is an outstanding English teacher and blogger from California.
There you will find excellent links, brochures, lesson plans, worksheets etc. which you can use with your students.
What I'm going to do on Tuesday will be the video clip "Wo ist Klaus" that I found on the activity-heavy German website KlickSafe about how parents protect their children in real and virtual life. The clip is in German, but on the KlickSafe website there is also the English version, as well as versions in many other languages.
Another powerful video by Klicksafe "Wo lebst du?" is about the addiction to the Internet. (Unfortunately, I found myself in it..... and I really must give some serious thought to my Internet addiction)
Think B4U Click is an Irish website where I found the most interesting lesson ideas about the matters of privacy, online rights, mobile phones etc. I highly recommend this site.
The Australian website Cybersmart is a fantastic resource with educational games, quizzes and activities for kids and teens. It provides excellent materials addressing different safety issues that teachers can download and use in the class.
The most suitable occasion is of course Safer Internet Day, which will be celebrated on February 8. I think that teachers around the globe have the responsibility to dedicate at least part of their lesson to e-safety and help their students to acquire essential skills about the efficient, safe and more responsible use of the Internet.
Last week I held a webinar for Croatian teachers on how Safer Internet Day is celebrated around the world and I found some fabulous resources. So here are some that you might use in your classroom on Tuesday, or, as a matter of fact, on any other day of the year.
These two pages helped me find my way around the www resources:
Insafe, which is a network of national Awareness Centres in 27 countries in the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Russia and Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day. Larry is an outstanding English teacher and blogger from California.
There you will find excellent links, brochures, lesson plans, worksheets etc. which you can use with your students.
What I'm going to do on Tuesday will be the video clip "Wo ist Klaus" that I found on the activity-heavy German website KlickSafe about how parents protect their children in real and virtual life. The clip is in German, but on the KlickSafe website there is also the English version, as well as versions in many other languages.
Another powerful video by Klicksafe "Wo lebst du?" is about the addiction to the Internet. (Unfortunately, I found myself in it..... and I really must give some serious thought to my Internet addiction)
Think B4U Click is an Irish website where I found the most interesting lesson ideas about the matters of privacy, online rights, mobile phones etc. I highly recommend this site.
The Australian website Cybersmart is a fantastic resource with educational games, quizzes and activities for kids and teens. It provides excellent materials addressing different safety issues that teachers can download and use in the class.