Annotated Bibliography

This power point presentation I'm creating this week would be aimed at fifth grade students coming into the LMC for their fixed weekly or biweekly library time. I’ve worked in elementary, middle, and high schools, and I think around fifth grade is an ideal time to start exploring Internet safety with students in greater depth. Around that age level they can start to be given a tiny bit more freedom in their Internet useage at school, so it's very important that they are aware of safety issues before we have them online in this way. The PPT could be created jointly with any technology specialist that may work in the system. It’s an introduction to Internet safety; the goal is to teach young students about smart and positive habits to use when online.

I’ve decided to not delve too deeply into any one topic – this can come in later presentations, classes, and grade levels. I still want students to have a good set of pratical ideas, tips, and guidelines on Internet safety after viewing and discussing the presentation. A lot of the resources on cyberbullying that I encountered just seemed a bit too intense and mature for fifth graders, so I do touch upon cyberbullying so that students are aware of it - but in this imagined elementary/middle school the cyberbullying discussions would take place in sixth grade and beyond, where it is likely to become a bigger issue. The goal of this presentation is to introduce Internet safety ideas in an easily understandable and approachable way so that kids feel comfortable and knowledgeable, not overwhelmed. The games and videos will likely be used in the PPT presentation, while the articles and websites may be referenced, quoted in slides, and/or given to parents for future reference.

1. http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-safety - This is a very brief, succinct set of basic tips or guidelines for kids to follow when they go online. It’s easy to understand and remember, and a good inspiration for my points on the PPT.
2. http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/house/internet_safety.html?tracking=K_RelatedArticle – The points in this article are similar to the FBI’s site, but a little more in-depth. The writing level is still accessible for fifth graders. It’s nice to have both simpler and more advanced options for students to look at. I also really like how the articles on this site have the “listen” button option for students who need help reading them.
3. http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/house/online_id.html?tracking=K_RelatedArticle – This article is also from kidshealth.org and focuses more specifically on online identities and how to stay safe. It mentions social networking sites and cyberbullying, so I might pick and choose what to use in order to tailor the information to my presentation; it also has a nice set of safety rules to follow at the end. Both this and the previous article in this site link to additional, similar topics.
4. http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexFL.htm - This whole site is full of resources for kids, parents, and educators. There is a fun “games” section on this site that might be useful in the PPR, as well as a “resources” area for more teaching/presentation ideas.
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opDkzuLHMs8&feature=related – Cute, quick video that kids will find funny and will enjoy. They can even say the words out loud along with the characters, because the characters don’t speak out loud (students are certain to notice this!).
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVOqeqP4DLA&feature=related – Cute and gentle, but this topic needs to approached with caution in kids who are quite young and perhaps haven’t been exposed to cyberbullying yet. It is good to broach the topic during an introductory discussion on Internet safety with young kids. I’ll probably focus more on safe searching, protecting identity, etc.
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KecjG6HnNc&feature=related – Again, this video is cute and easy to understand. Because there are no words, the video is a great jumping-off point for discussion and exploration. For example, we could discuss: why does SSK look dazed? What does this have to do with surfing the Internet?
8. http://www.att.com/Common/images/safety/game.html - Fun game that’s appropriate for this age level. This can be introduced and demonstrated as a class, then at the end of the presentation students can pair off and play the game through in order to reinforce the concepts they’ve learned in the presentation. The 10-second loop of repeating musical notes is incredibly, incredibly irritating – it might help to turn the sound off!