3 October 2011

Yesterday I delivered an after school esafety session for the staff at Southridge First School in North Tyneside. Their thoughtful and perceptive contributions showed that they understand the importance of this area of safeguarding and are ready to work together to develop policies to support all elements of teaching and learning in a safe and supportive environment.

Much of what I talk about during these sessions centres on how sharing of personal information and opinions is ‘normal’, and we shouldn’t be surprised if our learners and colleagues, on occasions, behave in ways that we would consider inappropriate. I have long maintained that the only way we will see a decline in inappropriate and bullying behaviour in the (social) media is by modelling positive behaviour for our very young children to learn and adopt.

If we can instil in our young children an understanding and ownership of privacy, personal information and appropriate communication of opinions, then we stand a much better chance of them growing up to be more responsible and empathetic participants in online (and offline) interactions. It is perhaps only then that we will see some secondary schools demonstrate the confidence to adopt more open polices relating to filtering and the use of personal and handheld devices for learning and recreation during the school day.

There is much work still to be done, and we need patience and commitment if we are to help our young people become responsible and considerate members of our increasingly sophisticated social networking opportunities.

Simon 

If you would like further information about Northern Grid's support for schools email support@northerngrid.org

September 14th 2011

"The presentation was very comprehensive and delivered in a way that everyone could interact with and understand. The balance between the talking and hands on was great and staff went home last night and actually explored further.Thank you very much for you time and effort - it was great!"

Staff from Archibald First School attended the Northern Grid Conference in June and were impressed by the work other schools were doing with Blogs.  They filled in a support voucher on the day which entitled them to a 2 hour support session from a member of the Northern Grid eLearning team. 

The session included:

• An introduction to how Blogs can support teaching and learning
• An overview of things to consider when setting up Blogs for use in school
• A chance to examine the eSafety issues involved in using Blogs
• An introduction to using Blogger
• A practical, hands on session

Feedback from the session was very posive and the school is now planning how they will introduce Blogs. For more information about this session or How to Use Blogs in School contact christine.jack@northerngrid.org

Northern Grid provides a range of support for schools. For more information about how we can help you please contact support@northerngrid.org

This Childnet report was published in 2008 and provides information about social networking and how to use social networking sites creatively and safely. It includes sections on:

• What are social networking services?
• Evaluating social networking services
• Benefits and opportunities
• Barriers and risks
• Ideas and examples

Mel Philipson, manager of Northern Grid, was a member of the project advisory team.

"Thanks very much for the two sessions you delivered today. They were really good and the feedback suggests enjoyable and informative. I hope to be in contact in the future for a follow up session for staff in due course"

-Tim Dufill, Assistant Head

Early in Summer 2011 Assistant Head, Tim Duffill, contacted Simon to explore ways in which Northern Grid could provide support to the school, particularly in the area of sharing messages about esafety and online behaviour.
The school is currently reviewing its esafety and safeguarding policies and it was agreed that Simon would deliver two sessions for the whole staff on the first training day of the autumn term. The workshop focused on the challenges facing adults who use social media, and work with young people.
Both the sessions were well received and helped to prepare the teachers and support staff for the launch of the redrafted school esafety policies.
Northern Grid provides a range of esafety offerings for all schools and organisations who work with young people. For more information how we can help you please contact support@northerngrid.org

Facebook has made further changes to the privacy settings and here is a clear and easy to understand summary of the new privacy options and features.

Making It Easier to Share With Who You Want on Facebook Blog

Context

Social media and online communication opportunities are important and can have a positive impact on all elements of the teaching and learning process, the school and learning community. We see teachers and other professionals creating networks to share ideas and resources, children and young people crowd source ideas and information. They seek and receive feedback on their work while parents engage more fully with teachers, their children and the school. Furthermore, even if we feel too old or too busy to engage with social media ourselves then we, as teachers, must still be able to model appropriate, safe and positive use of social technology for our learners and the wider learning community.

An important element in the policy development process is seeking the feedback and engagement of teachers, parents, carers and students. It is also important to understand that policies are more likely to be adhered to if everyone has the opportunity to share in the policy development process.

Policies should be organic and responsive. With technology and the associated opportunities for communication developing at an almost startling rate, it is important that policies, practices and procedures are reviewed at regular intervals.

The Bottom Line

Let’s start with some simple truths:

• Nothing is private
   
  
• Nothing can be deleted
   
   OK, you’ve skipped over that bit so here it is again:
  
  
• Nothing is private
   
  
• Nothing can be deleted
   
  

Schools need responsive, effective and consistent pastoral and discipline systems in place to ensure that positive and appropriate actions are taken when incidents take place.

What this means

Every comment, image, video, audio, online purchase and interaction we make will inform how friends, enemies, strangers, colleagues, employers, parents, spouses, families and children judge us.

Regardless of how unfair or unjust we may feel about this, the fact remains that the teacher who posts pictures online, that they wouldn’t show their Headteacher or the children in their class, will undoubtedly be causing potential problems for themselves, and in all probability their colleagues. Who wants to work in a school where a colleague did That Thing?

There will be some who will see social media policies as an unreasonable intrusion into their private or off duty lives and we do need to ensure we keep a reasonable, considered perspective in this area.

This ‘unreasonable intrusion’ was present long before the recent and rapid advances in technology. When we became teachers we acknowledged that we were expected to model appropriate behaviour at all times, not simply between 9am and 5pm in school. The public have a right to expect the highest possible standards of behaviour from public servants and especially those with a responsibility for the care of children.

People expect teachers, and adults who work with young people, to act as role models and this means we have always felt a need to be guarded in our public behaviour. There may be 50,000 football fans in the stadium pointing and shouting abuse at the referee, but the teachers in that crowd need to ensure they don’t appear on television, on Match of the Day – or even BBC News.

Most of us understand that we need to avoid putting ourselves in situations which will potentially reflect badly on ourselves, our colleagues or our school. Similarly, online behaviour can have the same negative or positive impact on how we and our schools are perceived, even though we may protest that we are merely behaving in the same way as other non-education professionals.

The policy for learners

We need to (and be seen to) manage the risks to the best of our ability.

We cannot eliminate all the risks.

Bad things happen.

You may wish to create a risk assessment pro forma to ensure a consistent approach to the use of social media.

This assessment may include some of the following:

• Are there adequate privacy options available?
• Can comments be moderated prior to publishing?
• Is the service generally recognised as trusted and reliable?
• Have parents/carers been notified of the intended use of the social media within their child’s teaching?
• Does the service have responsive reporting systems in place?
• Has the educational value of the activity been shared with colleagues, learners and parents/carers?
• Is there a clearly identified pastoral/disciplinary process in place in the event of an incident?

Where social media is used with clearly identified aims and outcomes we can see that there can be clear benefits for our students. We know that writing for a real audience adds focus and purpose to a child’s work and the opportunity for the wider school community, parents and the entire world to comment and feedback is something that we should encourage at every stage.

It is also true that we need to ensure that every publication to the world wide web created by learners must reflect themselves and the school in the most positive light. It is also true that there are many unpleasant people in the world and there will be some who relish the opportunity to provide negative and hurtful feedback on learners’ work. We need to use this as an opportunity to provide our learners with strategies to deal with this.

A school blogging policy will try to ensure that negative comments do not reach the children in our care by only choosing tools where the teacher can moderate comments prior to becoming live.

The policy for adults

This divides into two parts; how teachers and adults who work with young people, manage social media as part of their role at work, and how they manage their personal online activity.

Using Social Media with Students and Within the Context of Work

Where adults wish to use social media as part of the teaching and learning process this must have clear education objectives and intended outcomes.

It is important that senior leadership/line managers are fully aware of the planned activity. By ensuring this transparency we can help manage concerns and perhaps objections raised by parents, colleagues and learners; ‘ Mr X always lets the kids use Facebook in his lessons it’s dangerous/pointless/unfair’.

A key benefit of social media for schools is the opportunity to communicate directly with parents and carers, and this immediacy can help ensure they have the right information at the right time.

‘School closed tomorrow due to strike action’ is clear and concise.

‘School closed due to pointless and futile militant action by some members of our teaching staff’ is clearly going to cause some frustration across the learning community.

For this reason it is worth ensuring that all public communications should be read and agreed by at least one other colleague prior to posting on Facebook, school website or micro blogging networks such as Twitter.

It will be important to help students understand that using social media such as Facebook for learning is not an opportunity for them to engage in recreational use. If use of social media isn’t managed effectively then it will soon be viewed by students and colleagues as an opportunity for time wasting and non-productive activity.

Bookmarking

Micro blogging services such as Twitter, Google+, Digg, Stumbleupon etc. are a great source of links and information. To make the most of the many resources colleagues and children find online they should make use of bookmarking services such as Delicious and Diigo. These links can be saved and shared with colleagues within school and the wider education communities here and in other countries.

Personal Use of Social Media by Adults Who Work With Children and Young People

It is not easy to maintain a 24/7 presence online that doesn’t run a risk of causing embarrassment or in extreme cases lead to disciplinary procedures – yet this is what we must strive to achieve.

Whether you’re an active user of Facebook or an occasional contributor to online discussions your comments, observations, images, videos, reflections can get you and your organisation into trouble.

Sometimes we can be swept along with the popular tide of comment, and voice opinions that perhaps we should keep to ourselves – or at least offline. The recent riots and disturbances in our cities are a good example of where some teachers online have forgotten they are role models for a moment.

It’s My Opinion I Can Say What I Like

It is understandable that feelings will run high in these circumstances, yet the teachers who comment on Twitter and Facebook saying; ‘Lock them up and throw away the key’ have perhaps not thought through how this message may be at odds with the work their school is doing to engage with a community. Some members of the community may share some of the sense of alienation and frustration shown by the rioters.

We are all entitled to our opinion but where this is voiced publically and may cause conflict and antagonism for our colleagues at school we do perhaps need to think more carefully about how we represent ourselves online.

Similarly, it is reasonable that teachers may wish to express their disagreement with Government education policy but the ramifications of their abrupt and passionate comments may not be appreciated by colleagues who are engaging with the Government on your behalf to provide a more measured response to ‘The Cuts’ etc.

It is important therefore to try to make it clear that comments of individuals are not representative of the school or organisation. That said, it is not enough to simply add this as a by line to your blog or bio and think that will excuse any comment you wish to make.

For most of us who work in the public sector (though we can see that high standards should apply to all members of society) it is advisable to stay well clear of rumours or topics that can be associated with ‘public anger’. We should also try to ensure that we are neither seen to endorse or criticise products and services. If a teacher (or individual) writes a blog making passionate and negative comments about a leading brand they should not be surprised if the they find themselves in a litigation process.

Even though you have a disclaimer on your blog or website, be prepared to face disciplinary proceedings if your actions have shown your colleagues or school in a bad light.

Security

Teachers do need to understand that some elements of their work is confidential. This means that details of mergers, staff changes, terms of employment, procurement, business partnerships and personal information relating to colleagues and children, must not be divulged on the social web. It is also the case that insurance companies are increasingly less likely to pay for equipment stolen from schools if there is evidence that teachers excitedly posted on blogs and micro sites about the new technology they were looking forward to using.

Friends

This has been discussed many times so let’s keep this simple;

Do not add parents, carers or children as friends or personal contacts in any social media.

Do not engage in any discussion online outside of formal channels.

Ensure all interaction is witnessed and approved by another, preferably senior colleague.

In the case of Facebook, schools should create a Facebook account or page where all interaction is controlled and professional.

Parents and Carers

Parents may feel that it is quicker or easier to raise concerns about the progress of their child, behaviour concerns etc. via a Facebook wall or message board but should be encouraged to use the channels best suited to professional and confidential discussion

Similarly, where parents and carers are invited to comment on children’s online work, guidance should be provided to help ensure all comments are positive and supportive. It is not acceptable for anyone to post negative comments about any child on social media associated with the school.

And So

The opportunities for social media to enhance and extend teaching and learning should be embraced – and managed. By ensuring that all members of the learning community understand the benefits of social media, and manage the risks through clear policies and procedures, we can help ensure that responsible digital citizenship is a reality in our learning communities.

Kent's excellent guidance on social media in educational settings can be accessed here.

Do you use Facebook in your classroom? Do you feel that Facebook has no use within a teaching environment?

This clear and calm article at The Edublogger goes into detail about how you can safely use Facebook in class in order to increase collaboration and support with your students.

What are your thoughts on Facebook in education? Leave a comment below!

One of our eSafety experts, Simon Finch, was interviewed whilst at Plymouth e-Learning Conference 2011 about several subjects within the areas of eSafety and eSecurity.

View the 4 videos below or go to our YouTube Channel. If you need guidance and resources in dealing with these areas visit the eSafety area of our website.

Leave some comments below or on the YouTube Channel with your feedback! Thanks!

eSecurity in Schools - New Teacher Behaviours

Internet can entangle both pupils and teachers

It is easy to find examples of pupils who have got into trouble when using the internet but the fact that the same applies to teachers is often overlooked.  This article in the Times Education Supplement Scotland on April 8th highlights some of the risks for pupils and staff when using online technologies.

The article quotes Simon Finch, an eLearning officer at Northern Grid and mentions one of the ways we can support schools: a workshop entitled “How to lose your job”.

There is more information about this workshop on the Northern Grid site and on Simon’s blog.

Details of other support we can provide is available in the safeguarding area and in the services guide

Please carry out the following checks.  If any of the tests fail then your Cachepilot configuration is not providing adequate protection.  Contact Easynet Support on 08453334568 for further advice and assistance.

Google Safe Search

Open your browser and type the URL www.google.com a search windows will open click on the search settings link top right.  If you can view and change the SafeSearch Filtering options SafeSearch in not enforced.

YouTube

If you have decided to allow access to YouTube for a CachePilot user group, login as a member of this group and access the URL www.youtube.com a green banner titled "Enabled Safety mode" should appear directly below the YouTube search bar.  After any video is selected check to ensure that viewer’s comments are disabled.  They would normally appear directly below the video.

Blocked Categories

From your workstation’s browser access the following URLs.  All of the following URLs should be blocked if they are not your browser will be automatically redirected to the Smoothwall home page.  If any sites are not blocked check you’re filtering for configuration errors!

The above categories are blocked by default on all Northern Grid Cachepilots.

Social networking sites are now the most common method of spreading malware and viruses due to their popularity and poor design.  If the school allows access to these sites a rigorous security policy needs to be enforced to protect the network.

Cachepilot FAQ

What can a CP do for your school?

A CachePilot can speed up the delivery of web resources to your school through transparent and advanced caching techniques.  The device can also be used as a local content store.  The Smoothwall web filtering solution protects web users from offensive and malicious websites and offers URL category blacklists and dynamic content control. 

How does the Smoothwall filtering work?

Smoothwall uses two separate techniques to block inappropriate websites.  A URL category blacklist database is stored and updated on the unit of well-known websites.  To enhance the URL blacklist a dynamic content filter is deployed.  This heuristic filter is able to identify and categorize websites in real time, and block or allow them according to the policy deployed.

The dynamic content control uses a weighted phrase limit.  The WPL is a sensitivity bar and defaults to 50 suitable for a primary school.  Secondary Schools may wish to increase the limit (desensitize) to 120.   The CachePilot has the ability to blacklist (block) or whitelist (allow) any website, webpage or file type download.

Can I use Site Lists with the new Smoothwall filtering solution?

We recommend you do not use site lists but they can be added to the site list permission if required.  The new filtering configuration is now simpler to use and more efficient due to the separation of filtering components.  To modify the filtering select User Accounts / Groups  and select the group you wish to modify. The Global group policy applies to everybody and should be populated with your school blacklist. The new filtering configuration allows exceptions to be added in a group thereby eliminating the need to reduce the number of blacklisted categories for the Global group.

The Cachepilot slows down web access?

A correctly configured and maintained CachePilot does not generate any significant delay. Slow Internet performance may result from a problem on your network or on the remote web server. The new web filtering solution is more reliable and provides faster performance than a CachePilot running Smartfilter.

Websites on the Internet are hosted on a range of equipment resulting in performance differences to add to this geographic location and server loading can impact on the speed of your web access. If a website is generally slow to access it is a prime candidate for using the CachePilot’s advanced caching functionality.  If the Internet connection is slow contact mark.vinnicombe@northerngrid.org to run a remote diagnostic check.

Download As Document

This Case Study by St John's Primary School, Darlington, details how the school have developed ICT. The Case Study includes samples of work and some example policies for schools to use.

Nominet Trust Grant

We’re extremely proud and pleased to announce that Digitalme has won a substantial grant from The Nominet Trust, the internet safety and education charity. With this new stream of funding we can support 10 Local Authorities or Federations of schools with the dissemination of Safe – to put forward your LA or Federation for the roll out email hello@digitalme.co.uk.

Safe is a new programme of activities to develop primary children’s skills, self-confidence and safety awareness when using social network sites

More information about Safe.

Choices is an e-safety film for young people, which forms part of a comprehensive e-safety pack. Following the on-line exploits of Chloe and her mum, the film centres around the activities and choices that many of our teenagers make and deal with on an everyday basis. Written, acted and directed by industry professionals, the whole process has involved the young people from Darlington secondary schools throughout.

The film won our Creative Digital Media category at the 2010 Northern Grid ICT in Education Awards this year!

After months of planning, doing and polishing, Choices is now a "wrap!"

The film package, including a framework of teaching and learning materials with over 60 lessons for students from EYFS to KS4/5 sourced from best practice providers, is priced at £45, inc VAT

Discounts are available as follows:

• 1-10 film packs £45 each
• 11-25 film packs £39 each
• 26-50 film packs £30 each
• 50+ film packs £20 each

These can be obtained by sending a Purchase Order or Cheque* to:

Matthew Hargraves, Learning Technologies Team. The Studios, Lingfield Point, Darlington, DL1 1RW

* Please make cheques payable to ' Darlington Borough Council'
* Please note this offer is based upon a 'not for profit' model, and all funds received will be re-invested in future productions.

The Choices E-Safety Resource Website

Many of you will have seen the news headlines, but here is some additional info from CEOP about their new app in collaboration with Facebook.......

CEOP and Facebook have developed a new free application that will make young people safer within Facebook.  ClickCEOP is a new app which links the young user and parent directly from their Facebook home page to help, advice and reporting facilities of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre

The 'CLickCEOP' app is a three stage application that asks young people to:

• Add the app - and the ClickCEOP tab will appear at the top of your profile page
• Share the badge - and you can share the app with your friends via their newsfeeds
• Bookmark the app - and an icon will appear on your profile page making it easy for you to access the help and advice from the ClickCEOP app

By adding the app, young people and parents can get support from CEOP on a range of issues - viruses, hacking, dealing with bullying online and they can report someone who is acting inappropriately towards them online.

The app is the outcome of collaboration between CEOP and Facebook who have combined Facebook's expertise in connecting and communicating online with CEOP's expertise in helping young people stay safe.

Once added to their profiles, young users will receive regular messages from CEOP and its partner organisations who operate 'behind the button' to make children safer. CEOP's new Facebook page

ClickCEOP will also contain polls, news alerts and status updates. The page will look at topics that teenagers care about, such as celebrities, music and exams and will link these subjects to questions about online safety. The move is also being supported by an advertising campaign on Facebook that will encourage take up. This will include an automatic advert appearing on every profile of users aged between 13-18 years inviting them to add the app.

We would like to ask you that if you have a Facebook profile, app, share and bookmark the app.  If children in your care are on Facebook, get them to search 'ClickCEOP' in Facebook and give them to chance to be one click away from help - if they  should ever need it ClickCEOP