This week our children, across the whole school, have been looking into how to make sure they are safe online. Following their lessons, a selection of children from each year group were interviewed by Mr Pilling (IT Lead) and Mrs Kiernan (Governor), as part of Pupil Voice, to find out how they had enjoyed the lessons and what knowledge they had gained.
The following is their reports on what they had learnt.
Year One
When interviewed the children said they had learned to identify good and bad passwords, and were able to identify types of personal data. They understood what they should not post about themselves online, and that they shouldn't answer questions about themselves when playing games. They knew to tell a trusted adult if they saw something that worried them, and who their trusted adults were. They understood that what is posted on the internet remains there forever, and that people online don't always tell the truth.
Year Two
The children had enjoyed their lessons, and had plenty of feedback to share. They had learned about online relationships. They had sent an email to help them understand how emails work, about using polite language, to only email people they know, and to ask permission before they send any emails. They also knew about using polite language when communicating on online games.
They had learnt and understood about online bullying, how to recognise it, and who to go to if they felt bullied online.
They had also spent time learning about limiting the time they spend online, as it can make you tired and change your mood if you don't get a rest.
They had also covered copywrite and understanding peoples ownership of work.
Year 3
The children had been studying self image and identity. The children had a good understanding of the privacy of personal information, and that it is something you do not share. They understood that your online reputation was important and they search for staff members online using a search engine. The children knew not to share information with online friends as 'you don't know who they are in real life'.
The children understood the need for strong passwords, and the best ways to create them.
Year 4
Learned about emojis, memes and gifs and who to use them with; siblings, cousins, friends. The children had a good grasp of the consequences of using such things at the wrong time, and were aware of the dangers of people sharing without permission.
The children understood that people they know online only are people they don’t know very well, that online friends cannot be trusted to the same level as real friends. They understood that it takes a long time to build trust.
They knew not to share information with people they didn’t know. Or would restrict information depending on what activity they are taking part in e.g. online games, they would be willing to share their gamer tag but nothing more.
Group chat – if someone is being bullied in a group chat pupils identified that you should tell a trusted adult. The children had a good understanding of ways of online bullying and wrote rules to stop them getting involved.
Most were aware of the dangers of sharing passwords or accounts as they could be used without their knowledge.
The children understood not to use nasty comments and to think about what they type.
The children were able to describe the symptoms of how it can feel if they’ve been online too long. One stated that he has reduced his online time to play Lego, another shared that she is now reading more. All the children understood the benefits of playing outside with their friends.
The children understood about copywrite, who owns content, and that you can only use content if you have permission from the creator. They were aware that you cannot just copy and share videos or songs.
Year 5
The children of year 5 understood that their online identity is what they share online, what information should not be shared online such as school, date of birth and the reasons for that (could allow others to copy information and used for online bullying etc.)
They were aware of how to set privacy settings and to set your account to private, and that they should only accept friend requests from real world friends. They told us about what over-sharing is and why it can be dangerous, and were aware of the good and bad aspects of the internet including being able to identify trusted adults to speak to if things go wrong (and how to contact Childline for help).
The children knew what an online reputation was, and that it could vary dependant on teh platform they were using. They had studied online vloggers and were able to explain why one of the bloggers scored badly and why another scored highly. They could identify that swearing, hate speech etc. are not ok.
The pupils had learned that information online cannot always be trusted; they looked at Dog Island and the Tree Octopus and learned how hoaxes can be very convincing. One child talked about how photos can be photo shopped to be faked, others were aware that they should look at lots of different sources. The classes demonstrated knowledge on how search engines work, and being aware of not clicking links in unsolicited emails.
They had learned about creating strong passwords and the reason they are needed.
Year 6
The children had a good understanding of copywrite and the laws protecting information.
They had a good grasp of the way online bullying can present, what to do if they witness it, and how to use tech to block and report offenders. The children could all recite the Childline number.
The students could identify the online communities that they currently engaged with, and understood the the rules of use and the reason for the rules - kept people safe.
The children had learned strategies to deal with situations online, and had learned how to protect themselves.
They all fully understood why sleep was important for their physical and mental health and wellbeing, and that limited time online was healthier. That outdoor play built important skills and a healthier future. Several of the children reported they had changed their habits as a result of their learning.