The presentation can serve as a assembly program for Upper Elementary, Middle School or High School students. It can also be offered as an outreach program for the Community or in-service for staff.  This individualization of topics to the students is what sets this program apart from the “cookbook” offerings that are available – catering to the students’ age level and offering information that is not offered by others, yields a program that is unique and innovative.

Presentation Title:

Issues Surrounding Internet Safety: From Cyberbullying to Sexual Predators

Time Frame:

Typically one hour to one and a half hour presentation to students, staff and/or parents.

GOALS:
Through a simulation of internet activity, participants will become aware of the tactics and tools sexual predators use to search and elicit information from on-line conversations or postings and how these predators use this information to entrap prospective targets. Knowledge of these tactics will enable participants to better understand the dangers faced by children while on-line.

RATIONALE:
Over the past years we have read and heard of many cases involving students falling prey to unscrupulous people via “on-line” meetings. Given the prevalence of this threat we must warn our students and others of the dangers involved in seemingly benign conversations on the Internet. A simple phrase can easily give a predator all the information he or she may need to track and trace the victim. Every child knows not to talk to strangers but somewhere along the line this message has been lost.

DETAILS:

The intent of the presentation is to go beyond the typical list of "Do's" and Don'ts" for students using the internet.

The presentation is grade/age level specific and caters to Upper Elementary, Jr. High, High School Underclassmen, High School Seniors and Parents. Each of these groups has specific concerns/dangers when it comes to internet safety.

6th grade - This offering centers mostly on Cyberbullying for this is the age where it is most rampant. My presentation on Cyberbullying covers not only the basics but extends to what a student can do when it happens to them; giving them specifics on steps to take and how to trace the message that has been sent by using the advanced features of AIM 6.0.  I also show students the steps to follow when filing a complaint to the service provider. While most programs on Cyberbullying center on telling students WHY it should not be done I present that information and then go beyond to give students practical resources that their parents and they themselves can use. (top)

Middle Level – In addition to the piece on Cyberbullying, this area my presentation on Internet Safety describes the techniques used by predators to gather information about the students and all of the “backdoors” used in gathering information that a student may believe is private.  I also show students the workings of pedophile groups, covering how they belong to clubs, have meetings, exchange information; even to the point of the identifying jewelry they wear. The intent here is to open the eyes of the students to the means that predators will go to gather information about a prospective target and show the student how to recognize these attempts.   Included in this is a demonstration of the downfalls of social networking sites; from the inherent dangers to the false sense of security students have as they think they are privatizing their information. The specifics of the coverage area include Chat Rooms, Instant messaging and Social Networking – with specific attention paid to “Flirting Chat Rooms”, MySpace and AIM  (top)

High School – The High School program is divided into 2 sections, Underclassmen and Seniors. The Underclassmen receive all the information in the aforesaid section of Middle Level but are also introduces to the cons and ploys of the pornography industry. They see how this industry is invading beyond the known area of Chat Room into the areas of AIM and MySpace. They are also shown the long term effects of posting images online and how these images can affect their status in High School activities as they progress to their senior year.

Seniors – Receiving all the information the section of High School, the Seniors are charged with the responsibility of monitoring their siblings; mostly because it is beyond the scope of most parents to do this. They are also shown in detail how Human Resource Departments, Colleges and other outside hiring agencies are “surfing” the internet to see the habits of perspective applicants. (top)

Parents/Staff – This presentation includes all of the aforesaid while also adding the responsibly that a parent must assume in this area. A paradigm shift in the thinking of parent is explained and the presentation leads them from an attitude of avoidance of the problem of Internet Safety to taking ownership of the problem. Basically hearing the phrase “I don’t know technology” should be just as abhorrent to hear as “I do not know how to read”! (top)