Cyber Safety

A guide to ethical and safe use of the internet in Victorian schools

The internet is now very much a part of life and learning. As an increasingly interactive medium, it brings with it exciting educational opportunities, but at the same time it also brings some risks.

What does it mean to be safe online?

Behaving safely online means:

• protecting your own privacy and personal information (we used to call it 'stranger danger')
• selecting appropriate spaces to work and contribute
• protecting the privacy of others (this can be sharing personal information or images)
• being proactive in letting someone know if there is something 'not quite right'. At home this would be a parent or guardian, at school a teacher.

These principles of safety and responsibility are not specific for the web but certainly apply to the use of internet at home and school. Just as in the real world, the virtual world of the internet involves some risks. Schools need positive strategies that help to minimise these risks.

Click here to read more about Cyber Safety.