Working Online: Safely, Legally and Ethically

All students should be informed and have an understanding of the proper practices when working online. Teachers should also pursue and model these practices to help educate the students for use in and outside the classroom.

Safety
There are so many online dangers that users can become unaware of. These could be:

• hackers
• trojans, viruses and bugs
• inappropriate pop-ups and ads
• cyber bulling
• unknown/stranger contact 
• Information and Identity Thefts

As teachers, we need to be aware of how these dangers can be prevented online and in ICT use. According to the Australian Curriculum, students are given the chance to develop their capabilities in the use of ICTs and be able to convey the same abilities across the curriculum, to other situations and purposes.
The following ACARA website explains the use of ICTs more in detail.


Here is another website that provides information for parents and students in being Cyber Smart.


Copyright
When in comes to copyright, many images or content can be restricted by the owner. Here is where appropriate referencing should be promoted to unless the content is owned or created by you.

When it comes to resourcing or researching online, normal copyright rules apply. Along with paper-based copying, it has been stated that one chapter or 10% of a work can be duplicated for educational use.


For us university students, we have referencing guides like this. We also have documents for policies on  plagiarism procedures and student misconduct and plagiarism.


In the classroom
It's always important for the teachers to be aware of the students their use of computers and ICTs in the classroom. In saying this, teachers can

• Utilise website filtering on computers
• Provide specific website lists for certain activities
• Offer a well supervised area when using the computers or ICTs
• Present the potential consequences of misuse
• Supply instruction sheets on particular, precise and safe use of ICTs

Here is a sample of an agreement in which parents and students need to comprehend and appreciate the use of computers and ICTs in the classroom.

Documents and Websites
Smart Copying
Statements of Learning for Information Communication Technologies (ICTs)
Queensland Government - Information Communication and Technologies (ICTs)
5 Tips to Keep your Children Safe Online
Using the Internet Safely
A Must-Have Online Safety Guide For Students
The Teacher's Guide to Keeping Students Safe Online


References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capabilitiy: Introduction. Retrieved from  http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Information-and-Communication-Technology-capability/Introduction/Introduction

Fasso, W. (2013). Learning Materials; Working Legally, safely and ethically online: the issues. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-Courses EDED20491 ICT’s for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115338