As an educational institution, it is very important to consider integrating the use of the Internet into the curriculum, evaluating and trying to minimize the risks that its use represents. This evaluation is linked to the fact that we handle vulnerable populations that have an excessive interest in the use of social networks and in accessing the information that the Internet provides. Children and adolescents must be educated in good practices in the use of the internet and instructed in prevention by responsible adults. However, there are daily cases of adolescents who are going through difficult times due to the misuse of the internet and social networks. This means that the training they must receive to deal with this reality is not being given or is not reaching them in the right way.
When dealing with this type of population (children, adolescents and young university students), the risks do not wait, children are easy targets for malicious people and once they are in the problem it is very difficult to get out. Therefore, working from prevention is the most important task that comes to us as an educational institution.
Below we will review some of the risks that the implementation of the Internet in an educational institution represents and what we can do to face them. Well, to identify the danger, we must first know it.
ACCESS TO INAPPROPRIATE MATERIAL
When the student has access to the internet, they also have access to sites with the publication of pornographic material, with contents considered criminal, with uncensored, dangerous or erroneous information. Sites where uncensored images are posted that children do not have the ability to assimilate, process or discriminate to share.
SOLUTIONS
- The institution must ensure that it establishes responsible policies on internet use. All the institution's staff must be trained in the recognition of negative and dangerous behaviors when using the internet Define the strategies to be used effectively when intervening in a case of misuse of the internet and social networks within the institution that is affecting the members of their community It is not considered wise to deny students access to technology for having made irresponsible use of it, what really needs to change is the way administrators deal with this type of situation from prevention by installing the relevant blocking devices, since the use of technology is not an optional activity,All students must have the right to access it.At the beginning of the year, the course or the semester, teachers must have a talk with the students where they explain the responsible use of the technological resource, this does not concern a complete security of what the students are going to do with this technology, but it reduces the risk by making the kids aware of its use. The safe and responsible use of the internet must be constantly promoted and motivated. Teachers are a key player in prevention. When working with students and necessarily working online activities, the teacher must always be alert and watch what their students do, in this way it will be difficult for them to come into contact with pages where they should not be.The teachers should have a talk with the students where they explain the responsible use of the technological resource, this does not concern a complete security of what the students are going to do with this technology, but it reduces the risk by making the children aware of the use. The safe and responsible use of the internet must be constantly promoted and motivated. Teachers are a key player in prevention. When working with students and necessarily working online activities, the teacher must always be alert and watch what their students do, in this way it will be difficult for them to come into contact with pages where they should not be.The teachers should have a talk with the students where they explain the responsible use of the technological resource, this does not concern a complete security of what the students are going to do with this technology, but it reduces the risk by making the children aware of the use. The safe and responsible use of the internet must be constantly promoted and motivated. Teachers are a key player in prevention. When working with students and necessarily working online activities, the teacher must always be alert and watch what their students do, in this way it will be difficult for them to come into contact with pages where they should not be.This does not concern a complete security of what the students are going to do with this technology, but it reduces the risk by making the children aware of its use. The safe and responsible use of the internet must be constantly promoted and motivated. Teachers are a key player in prevention. When working with students and necessarily working online activities, the teacher must always be alert and watch what their students do, in this way it will be difficult for them to come into contact with pages where they should not be.This does not concern a complete security of what the students are going to do with this technology, but it reduces the risk by making the children aware of its use. The safe and responsible use of the internet must be constantly promoted and motivated. Teachers are a key player in prevention. When working with students and necessarily working online activities, the teacher must always be alert and watch what their students do, in this way it will be difficult for them to come into contact with pages where they should not be.When working with students and necessarily working online activities, the teacher must always be alert and watch what their students do, in this way it will be difficult for them to come into contact with pages where they should not be.When working with students and necessarily working online activities, the teacher must always be alert and watch what their students do, in this way it will be difficult for them to come into contact with pages where they should not be.
CYBERACOSO OR CYBERBULLYING
This term was first used by Canadian educator Bill Berkeley. It consists of repeatedly harassing or assaulting someone with the intention of psychologically damaging him, for this, the harasser or aggressor uses mobile or digital devices, computers or tablets, from which he disseminates degrading images, photographs, messages, videos that threaten the dignity of the attacked, among other types of materials. Cyberbullying seeks to psychologically attack the victim, leading him to completely isolate himself from the group and induce him through manipulation to leave the social group to which he belongs, be it school or university, and even lead him to suicide. The attacks are of different forms, the victim can realize that he is being recorded, receives messages, images or videos where he is ridiculed;the aggressor also has the ability to influence others to criticize him, exclude him, tag him on social media, make fun of him. This increases the psychological damage, destroying the person emotionally, mentally and socially, who even begins to see their health affected as they feel anxiety when having to attend school, depression or suicide attempt.
SOLUTIONS
- Monitor the use that students make of social networks Explain to the community in general what this phenomenon is and make known alternatives to protect themselves Design institutional policies that allow children to protect themselves from bullies.
SEXUAL ABUSE
Child sexual predators are found online and are constantly searching for victims. Practices such as grooming and sexting are spreading every day with greater force, that is why data protection and network access software is necessary in an educational institution, if they do not have them, for a sexual predator it would be like going shopping to the supermarket.
SOLUTIONS
- Accompany students when they are browsing without invading their privacy but being aware of what they are doing. Warn them of the problems that exist and how attackers behave, preventing them from giving information that allows them to be easily located. Inform them that participation in chat rooms and forums can lead them to contact dangerous people and advise them on the importance of reporting suspicious behavior on the network in time.
INVASION OF PRIVACY
Within the network it is very easy to make mistakes that allow people to obtain private information. When someone insists on obtaining personal information from us, they will not use it for any good, for this reason we must refrain from giving this type of information. However, children easily tell personal things about the family and attackers take advantage of this facility to gain access to people's private lives and cause them harm. For this reason we must educate children on how important it is to avoid giving personal information over the internet.
SOLUTIONS
- Explain to students that it is only allowed to download information and applications from official and authorized sites for this purpose Tell students that they should not click on suspicious links before making a decision to ask for advice from the teacher in charge Prevent students enter personal information in web forms that have not been authorized by the institution. Inform parents of the risks that students run when entering web pages without parental supervision.
INCORRECT USE OF FREE TIME
Many kids have traded park outings for online time. Parents seek to keep them "busy" by allowing them to spend excessive time at the computer. When there is no control over the time children spend using digital technologies (cell phones, tablets or computers), this becomes a negative aspect in the development of the student.
- To prevent this from happening in the classroom, the teacher must have his class well prepared, so that all the time the student is working according to the teacher's instructions and does not have free time to enter social networks or access inappropriate material.
