Internet Safety Videos

Pupils can teach themselves. This class was doing peer learning in important issue: internet safety.

TeacherClaire Fitzgerald

LanguageEnglish

CountryIrelandno-country

School levelPrimary school

WHAT DID YOU DO?

I got students to create a video giving advice on internet safety for students in 1st year. I felt it was something that the students could take ownership of as well as learning about using the internet, digital footprint and cyberbullying. The students have tablets in school and they also have access to the internet nearly on a 24 hour basis. It is important that if they are using the device for internet use and social media they are aware of how they should be a good online citizen. It worked very well in my classroom and I got very good feedback from the students on how much they enjoyed researching and making the videos.

HOW DID YOU DO IT?

I went through a presentation about Internet safety with the students in class. From that lesson I gaged how much the students knew about internet safety. Most students didn’t know where the privacy settings were on their social media accounts. This was something that needed to be addressed. They also had no idea about their digital footprint going forward in their school/college and working lives. The students were put into groups and had to research their topic for the video. The topics were:

  • Digital Footprint
  • Cyber Bullying
  • Social Media

After they got the topics they had to put a plan of action into place on what they were going to put into the video. They had to share a Google document with a storyboard. I also got them to use pic collage to piece together research for the video. Once they had produced evidence to me, they were sent out around the school to film their videos. Once they were satisfied with the footage that they had they were given time in class to edit the footage. They had to present the video to the class explaining why they made the video and what message they were trying to get across. During this project I noticed that the students were not researching the topics as they should have been. I spent 1 lesson going over how to research effectively online and not copying and pasting the first website they see!

WHY WERE TABLETS USED/WAS IT BENEFICIAL?

We use iPads in the school so the ease of use is important. The students are familiar with them and can get straight to work. Instant sharing of resources in class is very handy and the built in camera was perfect for the students to use and edit. Before we brought in the iPads into the school, we had one camera for the class to use and it took up a lot of time. The iPads were very beneficial as I could use smaller groups and it was easier to manage in the classroom. The students were more engaged in the group as they all had access to a camera and wanted to put their input into the video. The students learned a lot from using the tablets. They were made responsible for researching their own work. They learned communication skills which is key for them. They would email and message the group members outside of school in order to meet the deadlines set by me. They used their creative side.

HOW DID IT SUPPORT INCLUSIVE TEACHING?

I emailed two students with a learning difficulty a different worksheet for them to complete at the end of each lesson. I could assess how they were getting on with the task. They emailed me if they did not understand a topic or if there was something that they didn’t understand.  This gives them the confidence to work with other students that are more capable.

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