Cyber Safety Resources for Teachers

  • Digital Citizenship can be defined as the safe, ethical, responsible, and informed use of technology. This concept encompasses a range of skills and literacies that can include internet safety, privacy and security, cyberbullying, online reputation, management, communication, skills, information literacy, and creative credit and copyright.

    Ribble, M. & Bailey, G.D. (2015). Digital Citizenship in Schools (3rd ed.). Eugene, Or.:International Society for Technology in Education.

    Students must be prepared to work within the technological framework of the 21st century both productively and ethically.  Research shows that today's students spend more time on the Internet/computer than they do watching television. 

    February 2022 Update on New Smart Social Resources for Parents and Teachers

    Quick Links

    Teaching Digital Citizenship and Cyber Safety
    Resources from Google for Education

    Be Internet Awesome Curriculum - lesson plans and activities for teachers
    Interland game - build student engagement
    Digital citizenship pledge  - digital citizenship pledge for students, families, and teachers
    Digital citizenship teacher training course - Online PD course for teachers
    Additional classroom materials - posters, handouts, and other activities to increase awareness for digital citizenship 

    Don't get scammed and expose the District network to increased risk

    What is phishing?

    Phishing is a type of "social engineering" that attempts to deceive you into thinking a legitimate organization is requesting information from you. These requests for information may look innocent at first glance or may seem to come from a legitimate source, but do not. These scams request you reply to an email, respond to a request by phone, or follow a link to a web site.

    Links to websites (sent to you through e-mail) often take you to web pages that look very similar to the legitimate service the e-mail is faking. Banks, E-bay, and online e-cash services like Paypal are common targets.”

    What does e-mail phishing look like?

    Phishing e-mails often attempt to use emotional triggers to get you to react quickly without thinking through whether you should respond, such as dire language about time limits, loss of service, penalties, or language targeting a desire for money. They often have grammar, spelling, and syntax errors, and phrasing that a native speaker would not use.

    An example would be an e-mail with a generic greeting warning of a change in an account requiring you to verify your account information. These e-mails typically include directions to reply with private information, or provide a link to a web site to verify your account by providing personal information such as name, address, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, or other sensitive personal information.

    What are the indicators of a phishing e-mail?

    • Name and e-mail address don’t match
    • Attempt to prove legitimacy using words such as ‘Official’
    • Uses a real organization or company name but incorrect e-mail address
    • Poor grammar
    • Unsolicited requests for personal information are a clear danger signal
    • Misspellings

    Check out these actual examples. You may recognize them. Phishing at WCASD

    How can I avoid phishing related scams?

    • Never send passwords, bank account numbers, or other private information in an e-mail.
    • Avoid clicking links in e-mails, especially any that are requesting private information.
    • Be wary of any unexpected e-mail attachments or links, even from people you know.
    • Look for ‘https://’ and a lock icon in the address bar before entering any information and make sure the web address is spelled correctly. Scammers mock up fake websites to look like real ones and adopt domain names that are spelled close to but not exactly like the legitimate sites, usually mimicking commonly made typographical errors - googel v. google, for example.
    • Have an updated anti-virus program that can scan e-mail.
    • Don't use your District e-mail for e-commerce or other purposes that are not directly related to your work.

    Remember, nobody from the District Technology Team will ask you for your username or password.

    Helpful Resources:

    Microsoft Safety and Security Center
    Federal Trade Commision - Phishing Information
    What spear phishing is (with examples) and how can you avoid it

    Please feel free to contact me at: mclifton@wcasd.net