ThinkUKnow Internet Safety Presentation – www.thinkuknow.org.au

Last week, we had two industry representatives from Microsoft visit our school to present a ThinkUKnow Internet Safety Presentation to parents who were in attendance.

The presentation centred on the reality that technology now plays an important role in how young people maintain their friendships and communicate with those closest to them.

A key point was that technology is no different to anything else a young person encounters throughout their life, particularly in the early years, as they will learn all about how to use the internet safely and may make mistakes along the way. When these mistakes are made we, as significant adults in their lives, need to be able to support them through this, arm them with the right information and empower them to make the right choices.

The internet is an amazing thing. It is almost the one stop shop for everything. It is a supermarket, it is a university, it is a doctor, it is an entertainment hub and ultimately it is an essential part of our lives today.

Ultrasound pics, baby pics, first day of school pics… Parents today have encouraged the use of technology and placed their child right in the middle of it. Therefore, it is important that parents consider how they are actually modeling the use of technology, particularly mobile devices, and whether their practices are the ones that they want to see their children embracing.

Through research and discussions, ThinkUKnow have developed advice on what children SEE, SAY and DO online. It is an easy way to remember what children may encounter online, and the potential challenges they may face.

ThinkUKnow have a very informative website www.thinkuknow.org.au that contains a variety of valuable resources and have also put together a booklet to provide parents with further information on the important issue of internet safety. Hard copies of this booklet are available at the school office and a soft copy can be found here https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/resources/guides/sos-guide-cyber-safety

Pascal Czerwenka