Whilst many Internet Service Providers offer filtering systems to help you safeguard your child at home, it remains surprisingly easy for children to access inappropriate material including unsuitable texts, pictures and movies. Parents are advised to set the security levels within Internet Explorer with this in mind. Locating the computer in a family area, not a bedroom, will enable you to supervise children as they use the Internet. However, don’t deny your child the opportunity to learn from the wide variety of material and games available on the Internet. Instead set some simple rules for keeping them safe and make sure they understand their importance.
Using the Internet safely at home
Simple rules for keeping your child safe
To keep your child safe they should:
ask permission before using the Internet
only use websites you have chosen together or a child friendly search engine
only email people they know, (why not consider setting up an address book?)
ask permission before opening an email sent by someone they don’t know
not use Internet chat rooms
not use their real name when using games on the Internet, (create a nick name)
never give out a home address, phone or mobile number
never tell someone they don’t know where they go to school
never arrange to meet someone they have ‘met’ on the Internet
only use a webcam with people they know
tell you immediately if they see anything they are unhappy with.
Using these rules
Go through these rules with your child and pin them up near to the computer. It is also a good idea to regularly check the Internet sites your child is visiting e.g. by clicking on History and Favourites. Please reassure your child that you want to keep them safe rather than take Internet access away from them.
For further information go to:
How your child uses ICT at school
ICT in schools is taught as a subject in its own right and also supports children’s learning in other subjects, including English and mathematics. Within ICT lessons children learn to use a wide range of ICT including:
Word Processing to write stories, poems or letters
Databases to record information, e.g. minibeasts
Spreadsheets to create tables, charts and graphs
Desktop Publishing to design posters, leaflets or cards
Multimedia Presentation to present text, pictures and sound
Drawing Programs to create pictures and designs
Internet and CD-ROMs to find information
Email to contact children and teachers in another school
Digital Cameras to record what they have done in class or on a visit
Electronic Sensors to record changes in light, sound and temperature
Controllable Robots to give instructions and make something happen
Simulations to explore real and imaginary situations
Website Publishing to present ideas over the Internet.
How you can help your child at home
ICT is not just about using a computer. It also includes the use of controllable toys, digital cameras and everyday equipment such as a tape recorder or DVD player.
Children can be helped to develop their ICT skills at home by:
writing a letter to a relative
sending an email to a friend
drawing a picture on screen
using the Internet to research a class topic
planning a route with a controllable toy
using interactive games.
How we know that using ICT at home can help
Many studies have looked at the benefits of having access to a computer and/or the Internet at home. Here are some of the key findings:
used effectively, ICT can improve children’s achievement
using ICT at home and at school develops skills for life
children with supportive and involved parents and carers do better at school
children enjoy using ICT
using ICT provides access to a wider and more flexible range of learning materials.
How does learning at home using ICT benefit children?
Home use of ICT by children:
improves their ICT skills
offers them choice in what they learn and how they learn it
supports homework and revision
improves the presentation of their work
connects learning at school with learning at home
makes learning more fun.