When using online resources with our students we must not only remind them the rules of online interactions or nettiquette but also we must warn them of possible threats and how to stay SMART online. First of all, we (teachers) must be 100 percent sure we are using harmless sites (no deceiving advertising, inapropiate content, pop ups, etc.) If we are having our students play online games, we must play the games with them. If we are using chat rooms, we must remind the rules for their use and that everybody must be respectful at any moment. We must also, show our students that abussive behaviour will be penalized and that it can be reported and controlled in the same website. My recommendation is to always use sites that offer this possibility with our students; we must give them the safest environment possible.
Take a look at the following sites; they present a lot of useful information on this matter; we can check these out with our students and perhaps prepare a presentation session, before the actual online session, in which our students will explain how to stay SMART when using different electronic devices:
Remember, be aware, prepare, evaluate, and stay SMART!
Till the next post!