Internet Safety

From what I could find on the internet about internet safety I noticed that a lot of attention is given to sexual predators that may target teenagers in the chat room. This is a very important issue to discuss but I don't feel like enough attention was given to the other dangers of internet use. However, I guess teenagers don't have to worry about identity theft or the other dangers of the internet. Although, I would have liked to see more information about how to avoid pornography and how to avoid getting viruses. I thought if was sort of ironic that isafe asked for such detailed information, then I remembered how to check if a website is secure. isafe seems like a really cool resource. As a teacher I would push that the school I work at somehow integrate that program, whether it be by a computer class or by having a internet safety week during which the students had time in school to review the program. One change I will make when giving out credit card numbers and such,is to only do if url contains https. Also, I made my facebook so that only the day of my birthday shows on my profile not the year. I had no idea how easy it is for predators to steal identities. I have heard some horror stories about how stolen identities have ruined peoples lives. When I am a teacher I will make sure that the students at least have a basic knowledge of internet safety because internet use is only going to increase over time and I'm sure new dangers will surface. When the students use computers under my supervision I will be very clear of the consequences of doing inappropriate things on the internet and contact parents if the students break the rules. Also, especially in these days of facebook and myspace, I would be sure to tell them what it acceptable and safe to put up on those sites.
For my lesson I taught my roommate about internet safety. I used the slide show you sent us to teach her. I think it went well, she said she already knew most of the stuff but she ended up taking her birthday of facebook and she didn't know about phishing and how convincing scams could get. She also found the https tip helpful.