The Early Surfers' Zone is now live within the "I work with Kids" section of Childnet International's Kidsmart website.

Internet safety presentations for Nursery, Reception and KS1 aged children

The Early Surfers’ Zone is designed for the parents and carers and educators of 3-7 year olds, to help introduce young children to the idea of internet safety, in an age-appropriate, fun and engaging way. The site introduces the character of Smartie the Penguin, who learns to be safe online, by asking his family for help whenever anything happens to make him feel upset, confused or worried.

The resources include a new printable E-book, accompanying questions for discussion (for parents / carers / school staff who are reading the story), a lesson plan with relevant curriculum links, and subsequent follow-up activity ideas for children to complete at home. There is also an art gallery for children to submit their posters and creative work.

The new resources can be found at Kidsmart website, where you now have the chance to select resources for Foundation Stage KS1 and KS2 children.

Other important eSafety News

eResponsibility Forum NE event Wednesday January 18th, Newcastle University

Northern Grid eSafety and eSecurity Services

Mick - mick.young@northerngrid.org

A guide for ICT Team Leaders

Cloud Storage - is it safe to use?

Cloud based storage and online synchronisation offers individuals many benefits, one of which is removing the need to carry flash pens and portable disks around. The question that needs to be asked is what issues are raised by this increasingly popular and free service.

Google Apps and Live@Edu have storage space available as part of their email offering. An increasingly popular trend is synchronising online storage. Dropbox and SugarSync are currently two of the more popular. The services mentioned are all available at no charge but with limits be it limited storage, non-existent Service level agreements or limited control over the functionality or how it changes.

The main concern with Dropbox is the significant risk of breaching the Data Protection Act. Staff wishing to store personal information should not use a service that does not comply with the EU Safe Harbor agreement. The EU Safe Harbor agreement requires that personal data is stored in the EU or in other countries where we have set agreements. Dropbox is hosted in the US is non-compliant!

There are also security issues with free services, in June 2011 Dropbox confirmed that a programmer’s error caused a temporary security breach that allowed any password to be used to access any user account. If you decide to use this service it’s highly recommended you encrypt your files prior to synchronisation.

Web Browsers – Upgrade to Internet Explorer 9

IE9 is the most secure and best performing Microsoft browser it therefore is recommended that schools upgrade. Websites designed for earlier versions may not display correctly to resolve use a feature called Compatibility View.

To ensure IE9 can view all webpages correctly an icon titled compatibility view has been added. The icon normally looks like  and can be found to the right of the URL address bar. When selected, the icon changes to a solid colour , and from now on this website will be displayed in compatibility mode.

IE9 has simplified its design, most command bar functions, like print and zoom can be found by selecting the Tools button . Favourites and feeds appear in the Favourite Centre by selecting Favourites button . IE9 has added improved security and privacy options these include; ActiveX Filtering, Smartscreen Filtering, 128 bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Tracking Protection and Private Browsing.

Use ICT to improve efficiently and save money

ICT can be the catalyst for change, developing new working practices, automating existing procedures and facilitating innovation and creativity. Used correctly it can also save your school money. How can ICT reduce costs for the school?

Virtualisation

The concept of running multiple operating systems off the same hardware platform is not new but it is now mature and low cost. The virtualisation software allows the operating system and installed applications to share physical resources. On average one virtualised server can do the work of four conventional servers. Substantial savings can be accrued in reducing energy costs, hardware maintenance and software licensing. It is estimated a secondary school can save £10,000 - £20,000 a year.

Print Management

Schools are generally poor at managing print services. Vanilla Microsoft Server 2003 and 2008 deployments have limited print management capabilities, additional services are often required. Schools may not be aware of how many sheets of paper they use annually but it may well be over a million. Paper costs are only a small proportion of the actual cost, you need to consider energy charges, hardware purchase and toner replacement. Most large secondary schools can save £50K per year if they deploy effective print management. The Learning Platform is an ideal vehicle to reduce paper, improve communications, store documents and resources and has the additional benefit that document review can be audited.

Desktop Computers

Older desktop PC’s are very inefficient, replacing hardware can actually save the school money as well as improve user experience and system reliability. Whether you use old or new hardware configuration of the power settings makes a considerable difference to daily running costs. Windows 7 and OSX Lion have improved power saving features that allow you to switch off the display after period of inactivity or switch the desktop into sleep or hibernation mode after a set time has elapsed. All of the power configurations can be centrally managed from the domain controller using Group Policies.

Remote Access to School Network

Staff should not have copies of sensitive data on their own laptop on or off-site. Secure remote access provides on demand access to centrally managed services. The most suitable type of remote access solution is a SSL-VPN with two factor authentication. An alternative solution is Direct Access using Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2. A word of caution, many portal gateways deployed by schools have limited security and should not be used to allow staff access to the MIS system or any confidential data.

Securing Wireless – distinguishing myth from fact

A lot of expert advice on wireless security provides limited practical improvements in security and some cases the advice is simply dumb. Some prime examples of where general advice and good practice diverge are shown below.

Hiding the SSID

The SSID beacon is only one of five broadcasts sent by the wireless access point so disabling one of five makes the solution less user friendly and has no significant impact on security. Rather than hide the SSID make sure you change the default name as default SSID otherwise you are broadcasting to the world with a poorly configured device which makes it an easy target.

Disable DHCP

An attacker can find the IP range of a wireless access point in 10-15 seconds if DHCP is disabled. Using static IP addresses has negligible security impact and complicates wireless use. Leave DHCP switched on and use the security mechanisms that are available.

Antenna Placement & Signal Strength

It is often suggested that the wireless access point should be positioned to improve security and that signal strength should be lowered to ensure the signal is weakened and cannot be detected externally. This technique is the road to ruin for wireless solutions, antenna placement and signal strength adjustment changes need to be set for maximum coverage and minimum interference, never for improving security.

Use 802.11a instead of 802.11bg

The 802.11a protocol is not any more secure than 802.11bg; the protocol is simply a transport mechanism for wireless that works in the 5GHz band. Changing the frequency and transport protocol is equivalent to changing the colour of your front door to improve security

Enable MAC Filtering on the Wireless Access Point

MAC addresses are 12 digit HEX numbers which can be viewed by others in clear text with a sniffer application. An attacker simply reads the MAC address of connected device and replicates the MAC on their wireless card. Restricting access based on MAC addresses is management intensive and has limited ROI in terms of security gain.

Allow staff and students to bring their own ICT devices into school

The problem is that non domain devices cannot be checked to ensure they are virus free, have adequate security patches installed and have suitable software. The use of Network Access Protection and/or Network Access Control solutions can resolve this issue. Some schools deploy a thin client architecture which allows guest devices to securely connect but with limited functionality.

On 1st March 2011 Microsoft introduced a new licensing scheme for schools called Enrolment for Education or EES for short. This agreement is a low cost alternative to School Agreement Subscription service and ideal for a school that are looking at a technology refresh i.e. upgrading their workstation and server operating systems and Microsoft applications.

• EES single annual payment based on FTE staff count and the products you select.
• Choice of software include MS Office, Windows Upgrade and Client Access License (CAL) suites
• License additional software on all or selected computers e.g. MS Visio

A school that is not planning to upgrade their software in the next two years is better off retaining the Schools Agreement Subscription Service. The MS Select Agreement is a perpetual license that offers schools low cost prices for Microsoft software. The EES annual subscription model allows decisions on upgrading the operating system and applications to be made on the basis of Teaching and Learning need rather than on cost grounds.

Green Technology & Cutting ICT Spend

Saving energy, conserving resources and looking after the environment are everyone’s responsibility. Schools can contribute by considering many of the measures previously discussed; saving money and going green are usually one and the same. Some schools address many of the green issues by using technology efficiently and effectively some of the ways they delivered include:

• Replacing desktop computers with thin client PC’s and/or laptops
• Reducing the use of data projectors and high power equipment
• Liaising with the Network Manager as they have operational responsibility for ICT
• Increasing staff and pupil awareness using practical example of energy use and power consumption
• Moving selected ICT services, when appropriate, to the cloud
• Maintaining server room temperature at a steady 20°c

If schools require further technical advice or assistance with ICT contact Mark Vinnicombe on 01914611844 or email mark.vinnicombe@northerngrid.org

Esafety Ideas For Teaching Esafety to Primary School Learners

A local primary school contacted Northern Grid and asked for a session on resources for teaching esafety to their pupils, and it was agreed that I would deliver a session during their weekly staff meeting.

This is an interesting area for staff development and on one level is a fairly basic task in identifying (often online) activities for children to try. There are many useful and accessible online activities available on websites across the world and for local examples we need look no further than and www.childnet.com and CEOP's www.thinkuknow.co.uk. 

Whilst these activities and associated resources will provide some support for the young people in our care I feel that esafety and safeguarding support needs to move beyond specific focused and sometimes isolated activities at the computer in the ICT suite. Our challenge is to ensure that we help our youngsters become confident, safe and considerate digital citizens, unlike many of the adults online across the world, who currently model inappropriate and irresponsible behaviour for our youngsters to emulate.

We can see the most inappropriate and unsafe online behaviour by adults of all ages on forums, newspaper and media websites and across social media including Twitter and Facebook. If the children in our primary schools are to mature to become responsible, thoughtful and valued digital citizens then our esafety support must extend through all our teaching and not be seen as something that is only addressed in the ICT lesson.

We need teachers to:

• Model
• Engage
• Embed

in the same way that the dedicated professional teacher has always modelled appropriate language and behaviour in school and beyond the school gates. It is only by making online behaviour the same as, and as normal as, traditional life skills that we can hope to nurture a new generation of responsible and supportive digital citizens.

If you would like to benefit from Northern Grid support, email support@northerngrid.org

Simon 

How do you measure up on eSafety?

Are you more 'savvy' than your friends?

Do you know as much as your students?

Find out now by playing Grapple

Northern Grid has been providing eSafety support to schools for many years. As well as our own services and guidance materials we are always interested in finding out about resources from other companies. We have been talking to Roar Educate to find out about the resources they offer and how schools can access a free 30 days trials as well as special prices.

Northern Grid has negotiated a special price for all Northern Grid schools. Northern Grid has been receiving some great feedback about Grapple whilst out and about leading eSafety events in schools so we thought it would be a good idea to negotiate an extended offer.

For just £75 you can put Grapple onto your school's website. It's a fun and interactive way for schools to engage with parents about the critically important e-Safety issues facing their children

Did you know once you have purchased the Grapple licence for your school you can distribute copies to parents free of charge so they can engage in the interactive activities with their children?

For more information or to place an order simply fill out the order form, or alternatively please provide your contact details by sending an email to raz@roareducate.co.uk

Roar educate is a leading provider of interactive eSafety and eSecurity modules for schools, to see more please visit www.roareducate.co.uk

Click image for higher resolution or download PDF below.

Download this poster as a PDF

International Collaboration on Esafety

On Friday 21 October 2011 at 15.45 I Skyped with TeachMeet Kentucky at the National Corvette Museum where around 300 delegates had assembled to share and learn from each other.

Although my Friday was drawing to a close, simultaneously in Kentucky teachers were settling down at 9.45am to hear me speak about the challenges of communication technologies for adults who works with young people.  The feedback from the session was positive and I enjoyed the experience although presenting via Skype is more challenging than face to face. I can't see or hear my audience and I realise that it is the visual feedback as I'm speaking, that helps define the session and how to select themes to emphasise and expand. I think in future I may try to lose the slides and speak directly to web camera and see if that is a way to engage more fully with my audience.

Thanks very much to all who helped make Teachmeet Kentucky happen and for inviting Northern grid to particpate in an outstanding day of learning and fun.

 If you would like Northern Grid to support you then email support@northerngrid.org

Simon

Facebook Sessions for Year 7 Learners

“We were all very happy with the session.  We loved the booklets and will be using them in other lessons / sessions.  We thought that the students were engaged  ..I have also seen some of the booklets this morning and I have heard 2/3 students already today talking about what was said and having a go at students for messing about on their phones and explaining that if they do not use them sensibly then they will never be able to use them in school."

12 October 2011

Northern Grid provides a range of CPD and in-school support for all schools, and one area where there is a significant demand is; managing online and digital identities.

I delivered a session for all the staff at Nunthorpe School earlier in the term and I've been asked to work with all the students in Year 7 with specific reference to Facebook and cyberbullying. The first of these sessions took place on  12 October 2011, and a further five are scheduled throughout the remainder of the school year.

Each session lasts a little over an hour and with over 50 students the impact of the sessions will inevitably be limited. It is important that the teachers are present during the session so they can continue to develop the students' understanding beyond the session.

I introduce the session by making it clear to the youngsters that this is not a 'lesson'. It is an opportunity for them to listen, engage and reflect on their understanding of social media and how, what we see as, normal behaviour may not be acceptable to any of us.

I show the students how to create a minibook, there's a video here if you would like to make one yourself, and explain that it is their book. It won't be collected or marked by teachers or myself. They can choose to write, draw, doodle or leave it blank. If they'd like to show me their book at the end of the session, I'd be interested to see what they had done. I think it's important that the learners have an opportunity to make their own decisions about how they would like to record the session and I was surprised to learn that almost all of the students had filled their books with key messages and reflections of the session.

The intended key messages of the session are:

• We will be judged by our online behaviour
• How we are perceived online may impact on whether we are successful in applying for work or college
• It is only by speaking out about bullying and antisocial behaviour that we can make online environments places where we feel safe and valued.

If you would like to know more about Northern Grid's support for schools please email support@northerngrid.org

Simon

Northern Grid has been working with Northumbria Police to develop teacher resources within a web resource that contains a wealth of crime prevention information and personal safety advice aimed at youngsters. Issues such as alcohol, awareness, drug misuse and bullying are all featured on the site, with information on where to get help and what is and isn't legal.

More about ebeat

Young people, parents and teachers can now get information about Northumbria Police at the touch of a button after the launch of a new youth website.

Called ebeat, it's been designed with help from school pupils and teachers and features interactive sections, advice and information and a range of educational resources.

Resources available include specially developed lesson plans which teachers can use in school. The first lesson plan, covering alcohol awareness was launched earlier this year, with an interactive tie-in game also available on the site.

The second set of lesson plans have just been added and cover anti-social behaviour.

The new site also contains a wealth of crime prevention information and personal safety advice aimed at youngsters. Issues such as alcohol, awareness, drug misuse and bullying are all featured on the site, with information on where to get help and what is and isn't legal.

There is also advice on a career with the force, including how to go about becoming a Northumbria Police officer.

Web Services Team Leader Ian Sparham, said: "We're always looking at ways of making our information as accessible to as many as possible but before now we've had no dedicated site for young people.

"Teenagers can be a challenging audience to reach and that's why young people have been closely involved with the content."

"Our aim with the new website is to make it as interactive and informative as we could and we hope young people will go online, have a look around and let us know what they think of it."

The new website can be found at www.ebeat.org.uk

ebeat latest from the News Guardian

Youngsters go online with police

http://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/local/youngsters_go_online_with_police_1_3838615?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=allschoolsnortheast&utm_content=SCHOOLS+NorthEast+Weekly+Update+-+Week+6

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

or...The Importance of Ownership

A superb eSafety video from Northern Grids' ‘Protecting Adults Who Work With Children’ event.

Friday 23rd September 2011

Kingston Park Stadium
Newcastle upon Tyne

The ICT for Education national conference programme reached Newcastle on Friday 23 September, and was a vibrant and exciting day of ideas, fun and learning for over 150 delegates from around the region.

Drawing on both regional and national ICT expertise, the conference schedule met the issues of Local Authority colleagues, teachers and school and included sessions by Steve Bunce of Vital (who work closely with Northern Grid on CPD support and events) and Northern Grid's Simon Finch

The line-up of speakers was headlined by inspirational learning consultant Tim Rylands. Tim delivered two engaging and relevant presentations, and his reflections on the day can be found on his blog

'Great session on privacy and internet safety!' - Conference delegate

The esafety session Northern Grid delivered was very well received and if you would like to know more about how we can help and support you, and your organisation, please get in touch support@northerngrid.org

The next ICT for Education Event is in Manchester 14 October 2011

North Tyneside LSCB Childminder Network

September 13 2011

Working with children has many rewards and also presents a range of safeguarding challenges.

An interesting area of my esafety and safeguarding work involves supporting childminders, and the challenges they face are much more complex than we may at first expect.

Childminders work at home and the benefits of this are clear, yet the blurring of work and personal boundaries can lead to problems. We may occasionally be more flexible in our understanding of ‘acceptable’ in our own home than perhaps if we were working in an open plan office or alongside colleagues all day.

The group of childminders I met, in the evening, this week had a huge range of experience, and one childminder had almost 30 years’ experience in working with young children. If we consider the changes in technology over the last 30 years we can begin to imagine how the risks to both the children and the childminder have increased at a seemingly alarming rate. A childminder must ensure that they have the confidence and skills to manage the risks facing children who use common internet technologies including games consoles, phones and computers.

In addition to the challenges of working at home and the lack of day to day contact with colleagues who could provide important support and advice, childminders also face the challenge of informal relationships with their clients or customers. Where other self-employed people will have clearly defined parameters to relationships with their clients, childminders may have close friendships with the parents of the children in their care. We discussed this during the session and where the childminder and the parent of the children share a mutual trust and understanding then friendships and working relationships can be managed very effectively. This may mean the general guidance we offer in managing Facebook privacy settings is often much harder for childminders, and those who work at home, to put into effect. Unfortunately this can lead to potential areas of difficulty if parents of children express a view on the childminder’s suitability based on pictures and information they have viewed on the childminder’s Facebook page.

It’s clear that this is an area where further training and support would be welcomed by the members of the North Tyneside Children Come First Network. Bespoke training and support is available  for the network and Northern Grid is able to contribute to the training programme at a time that is convenient for the childminders.

It is by delivering training and support for all areas of the Local Authority that Northern Grid can support North Tyneside local authority to ensure that all children, young people and employees are able to embrace communication technology safely,wherever they are.

For information on how we can help you and your organisation email support@northerngrid.org

Simon

Viruses can be sent as an attachment staff and pupils need to be aware of this and informed not to open attachments if they do not trust the sender. Whenever possible, the email solution used should encrypt email communications between email client and email server; traffic sent to external email addresses is sent in clear text unless additional security is provided.

An increasingly popular technique for harvesting confidential data is the use of doppelganger domains. These email domains are impersonating real domains and receiving email communications as a result of senders mistyping the destination email address (e.g. @bankco.uk instead of @bank.co.uk.) Doppelganger domains have a potent impact via email as attackers could gather confidential information, user names and passwords and employee information.

Researcher's setup one doppelganger domain and grabbed 20GB of data from 120,000 wrongly sent messages in a six month period. Many of the doppelganger domains are owned by individuals in China or linked to sites associated with malware or phishing.

Full story on the BBC News website.

For Guidance on email security and esafety have a look at our Is Your School Data Protected article or our general eSafety area.

Northern Grid for Learning is now working in partnership with UKCCIS

Mick has made a successful application to UKCCIS and is now a member of the Council. This means that Northern Grid can represent its partner schools at a National level by promoting good practice whilst also highlighting the work of UKCCIS regionally.

The UK Council for Child Internet Safety brings together over 170 organisations and individuals from government, industry, law enforcement, academia and charities, including parenting groups.

Northern Grid is known for its excellent e-Safety services and we constantly update our resources and services in line with national recommendations. We can tailor e-Safety training to individual needs and work in partnership with other organisations that provide e-Safety support and resources.

Latest e-Safety updates can be accessed in our September Newsletter

You can download our latest service guide that includes e-safety support and services here

Northern Grid will now be working in partnership with UKCCIS to keep children and young people safe online. The initial focus for this partnership will be to support the 'Improving the Knowledge of parents and children' project and the 'Click Clever Click Safe' initiative. This project focuses on materials and information aimed at parents and children to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to keep themselves safe online.

Northern Grid in partnership with UKCCIS understands the need for consistent messaging to parents and is promoting the work of UKCCIS and existing resources, including the "Zip it, Block it, Flag it" digital code.

Click here for resources that can be used by schools

Northern Grid can now look forward to being involved in project groups as well as the Annual UKCCIS Summit.

The 'overview of the day' from the June 2011 Summit is outlined below

Summit overview

Bill Thompson (from the BBC) set the event in motion by giving an overview of the evolution of the internet and digital technologies and their significance in the lives of children and young people along with the wider societal context.

The speakers and panel debates provided thought-provoking debates and discussions. The summit also incorporated the views and experiences of children and young people throughout the day.

The speeches following the panel session presented an opportunity for Ministers to thank UKCCIS members for their hard work and contributions so far towards the child internet safety agenda. They also emphasised the vital role played by research in the work of UKCCIS and the necessity of a solid evidence base in the development of policy.

Key themes summary

A number of themes emerged throughout the speeches, panel discussions and interactive sessions during the day. These included:

Active choice for parents about parental controls:

Recent progress made by the parental controls working group has resulted in the main fixed line ISPs agreeing to deliver a code of practice which will contribute towards delivering on the Bailey recommendation that parents are offered an "active choice" at the point of purchase whether or not to filter adult content available online at a network level.

The need for more effective reporting and takedown systems with improved two-way communication:

his was highlighted by Ministers and Professor Byron as a key concern held by parents about their children's use of the internet. Often when harmful or inappropriate content is reported, there is no feedback from the service provider so the parent is unsure of whether it has been taken down or even acknowledged. The need for a more robust system of takedown, with two-way communication between user and provider, was reiterated throughout the day.

Positive use of the internet by children and young people:

Keeping children safer online is not limited to reducing the risk of exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate content or contact. Online technologies are being harnessed in innovative ways as a proactive force for good in the lives of children and young people. Particular examples discussed on the day included Beatbullying's "Cybermentors" programme and B-eat's use of new and existing social networking channels to offer support and information to young people who are particularly vulnerable due to their mental health needs.

BSI Kitemark:

There were several requests for the promotion of the BSI Kitemark to be re-invigorated and a call for industry to get involved and provide more support the scheme.

In her closing remarks Professor Byron also issued a number of calls to action to UKCCIS members:

• The need for swifter takedown times and more effective reporting mechanisms for parents incorporating a response and follow-up from service providers and social networks.
• Government action to make progress on the passing of the Pan-European Games Information (PEGI) ratings system into legislation
• UKCCIS to find a way for its work to become more widely known.

Resources from the day – including clips of children interviewing UKCCIS Board members - are available at: http://www.education.gov.uk/ukccis/news/b00191807/resources-from-the-summit

If you would like further information about the UKCCIS partnership, perhaps you would like your views shared at a National level, or you wish to enquire about Northern Grid's e-Safety services and support please get in touch at: 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.