GetNetWise

http://kids.getnetwise.org

This site is a public service offered by a wide range of Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations. It features resources for families on kid safety, spam, security, and privacy issues. The site’s Safety Guide, identifies the various risks kids face and explains how different types of technology can be used safely. One of the most useful resources on the site is the Safety by Age section which reviews concerns and precautions families can take during specific developmental stages.

Guidelines and Resources for Internet Safety in Schools

http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Technology/OET/internet-safety-related-resources.pdf

This resource hosts a comprehensive collection of links covering a wide range of topics relating to Internet safety. The list will guide you to organizations, research, newsletters online games, sample policies, curricula, professional development tools, and more. Just some of the subjects covered include identity theft, benefits and risks of Internet use, hate sites, ethics, social networking, file sharing and the laws pertaining to cyberspace.

Netlingo

http://www.netlingo.com

In order to truly understand any culture, you need to speak the language and this site features an Internet dictionary that includes all the latest terminology. Here you’ll find thousands of definitions that explain the technology and behavior associated with cyberspace. In addition to the main dictionary, the site also features Top 20 lists, such as the Top 20 Internet Acronyms Every Parent Needs To Know and the Top 20 Tech Terms that are Now Common Expressions.

Netsmartz Workshop for Educators

http://www.netsmartz.org

Here you can access interactive materials teachers can use with students to promote Internet safety. You’ll find safety presentations, activity cards, and online games, as well as offline activities. The site features resources for working with kids of all ages and covers everything from cyberbullying to keeping personal information private.

SafetyEd International

http://www.safetyed.org

This non-profit organization, founded in 1998, focuses specifically on Internet safety education, child advocacy and child protection. Their website is loaded with articles, reports, and other resources covering topics such as filtering software, cyberspace chatting, guidelines for libraries, cyberstalking, hoaxes, internet addiction, and more. Particularly useful is the section for schools and libraries where you’ll find search engines for kids that only list sites appropriate for minors.

Safeguarding the Wired Schoolhouse

http://www.safewiredschools.org/checklist.html

Although this site is no longer being updated, it still features many valuable tools to address Internet safety in school. An especially useful resource is the site’s Checklist for Decision-making that school officials can use to help them decide how to manage the content that their students access over the Internet. It assists schools in considering important factors regarding their online use, such as which standards applied based on age level, how to respond if inappropriate use occurs, and whether or not filtering software needs to block sites that are in languages other than English. The site includes a PowerPoint presentation outlining public policy issues surrounding promoting online safety and compliance with the Childrens` Internet Protection Act. You’ll find a collection of links to sites covering topics such as Internet safety, information literacy, and Internet content rating systems, as well.

Stay Safe.org For Educators

http://www.msn.staysafeonline.com/educators/default.html

This educational site highlights both behavioral and technological solutions to manage the various safety and security issues online. In this section of the website, teachers are presented with ways to help students manage personal information, be smart online, and use technology to reduce their risks. The educators section also offers advice to teachers on how to protect their own computers by taking precautions such as backing up files, using firewalls, and installing anti-spyware programs.

Think Before You Post

http://tcs.cybertipline.com/knowthedangers8.htm

This online educational campaign is designed to educate teens about how to surf safely. The site features a broad array of environments in which teens are potentially vulnerable, including chatrooms, instant messaging, social networking sites, websites, bulletin boards, and more. Visitors will learn how to recognize the dangers, what situations to avoid, and easy steps to take to stay safe.

WiredSafety.org

http://www.wiredsafety.org

WiredSafety.org is the world’s largest Internet safety and help group. While it offers a huge array of resources for people of all ages, a significant amount of content focuses on kids’ issues. There are downloadable lessons for students based on their grade level, as well as countless articles, reports and guidelines for schools on all the hot topics like social networks, cyberbullying, and identity theft. There are also a number of sister sites designed specifically for kids, such as WiredKids.org that includes features such as online safety games and an Internet Superheroes site which uses famous Marvel comic book characters to teach kids how to stay safe in cyberspace.