Keeping Safe Online - a few resources

Did you get a new laptop, iPhone, or other electronic gadget for Christmas? Or maybe you're an avid online shopper, eBay bidder, MySpace or Facebook user. Whatever you, or your students, do online you do need to keep track of your digital footprint (or digital tattoo), and your online safety.

Here are a few websites that caught my attention over the past few weeks - they would be great to use in your classroom and to share with your students. The first one is Digital Tattoo and it will probably appeal to many of students. With sections and self assessments in the protect, connect, learn and work sections, you can learn about topics such as:

• Prevent cyberstalking


• Academic honesty


• Employers dig for dirt

The next website is from the federal government, OnGuardOnline. This website has 16 topics including social networking, identity theft, phishing, online shopping, and laptop security. Information from a variety of federal agencies as well as partnering organizations is available. For those who enjoys interactive games, you can play a games such as Friend Finder, Auction Action, Invasion of the Wireless Hackers, and the Case of the Cyber Criminal. You can embed these games onto your own classroom website or blog - there's a really great feature called "Grab It" where you can grab the code and embed it on your site.