As issues such as cyber-bullying and online grooming cause increasing concern, a new training resource – ’Know IT All’ for Trainees and Teachers – is launched today, designed to empower teachers and trainee teachers at secondary level to better understand, tackle and teach e-safety issues to children.
The resource – developed through a joint initiative between children’s internet charity, Childnet International, the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), Becta and Microsoft – reflects the growing need that teachers and those entering the teaching profession have to understand, support and educate children in using the internet and mobile phones safely and responsibly.
Two sets of interactive resources are being launched today, one for trainee teachers and the other for practising teachers; both cover a wide range of issues, including the viewing of inappropriate content and plagiarism.
‘Know IT All’ for Trainees comprises a guide, lesson plan and short impactful film for tutors on a DVD, which provides everything needed to deliver face-to-face e-safety training to trainee teachers within a single lesson. A supporting website for trainee teachers also contains resources to use on teaching placements and materials to support further study.
‘Know IT All’ for Teachers includes a DVD for self-study, including a short impactful film followed by questions for teachers to consider, plus advice leaflets for teachers and other adults working with children. The supporting website also explains technology issues and provides links to further resources on a range of child safety issues.
The need for this type of resource was identified following extensive research commissioned by Childnet and its partners. The study was undertaken by academics at teacher training institutes earlier this year, involving 400 trainee teachers reviewing existing internet safety resources already used in secondary schools. The results highlighted that e-safety needed to become an integral part of teacher training and that schools require greater support in the classroom. Responding to these findings, Childnet and its partners collaborated to develop the new resources being launched today.
Stephen Carrick-Davies, CEO of Childnet says,
“Whilst children accessing the internet in schools are generally protected by filtering and supervision, outside of school, children are using services such as social networking sites, often with very little support, supervision or education about the risks.
“Our vision in approaching the TDA with the proposal for ‘Know IT All’ for Trainees and Teachers, was to reach teachers before they enter the profession, so that they would be equipped for the kinds of e-safety issues that their pupils are dealing with, and be supported in delivering e-safety messages through a range of topics, from citizenship to PSHE and ICT.”
Graham Holley, chief executive of the TDA, said:
“Teachers need to be increasingly vigilant and able to understand the various issues around online content. ‘Know IT All’ for Trainees and Teachers encourages the early detection and resolution of problems, ensures pupils are safeguarded and that their emotional wellbeing is protected, by offering teachers and school support staff practical guidance on e-safety.”
Matt Lambert, director of corporate affairs, Microsoft UK, said:
“Today, technology is embedded in every aspect of young people’s lives. As such, the e-safety issues that worry many parents are also a concern for educators. At Microsoft, we believe that technology is a fantastic tool for learning and that through appropriate education, the risks can be managed or avoided – providing peace of mind for parents and teachers alike.”
Ruth Hammond, safeguarding programmes manager, Becta, said:
“Children and young people are increasingly using a wide range of technologies in exciting and creative ways, both in formal education and at home. The use of ‘Know IT All’ for Trainees and Teachers will provide teachers with increased confidence to effectively tackle e-safety issues with their pupils in the classroom and to support parents and carers within the community.”
Isobel Bryce, head teacher at Saltash Community School, Cornwall, said:
“Children are more technically savvy than ever and adopt new technologies easily. However they are not always aware of the potential risks they might bring. As educators, it is our role to support children to use them safely and these materials are a valuable step in ensuring teachers have the necessary skills to do so.”
John Woollard, University of Southampton, who led the research, said:
“The ’Know IT All’ for Trainees DVD is an efficient and effective way of ensuring that tutors can introduce the issues of e-safety in an interesting and thought-provoking way to their students.”
‘Know IT All’ for Trainees is being distributed (in DVD format) to every initial teacher training provider in England; the supporting website for trainees will be available via the Childnet website at www.childnet.com/kia. The ‘Know IT All’ for Teachers DVD will be available to order from the Childnet website at www.childnet.com with further information and support via www.childnet.com/kia.
For further information, please contact:
Vicky Gomes
T: 020 7344 1213/07905 472 097
E:
Editor’s Notes:
Teachers and trainee teachers teaching at key stage 3, who want to learn more about child e-safety, should visit the ‘Know IT All’ for Trainees and Teachers portal at www.childnet.com/kia
’Know IT All’ for Trainees and Teachers is part of a wider set of Childnet resources under the ‘Know IT All’ brand. This includes Know IT All for Parents which Childnet produced with support from the DCSF. In the last 6 months alone, over 1 million copies of the KIA for Parents CD ROM have been ordered by schools for parents.
Training providers who want to obtain a copy of the tutor DVD should contact: [email protected]
The resources have been developed by Childnet, with the support of the TDA, Microsoft and Becta. They include Childnet’s updated ‘Jenny’s Story’ film and Microsoft’s ‘Rome Group’ resource, which was created by Microsoft as part of its ‘Getting to Know IT All’ child safety campaign.
The resources are aimed at teachers of Key Stage 3 pupils.
About Childnet
Childnet International is a registered charity established in 1995 working with children, young people, teachers, parents and carers, government, industry and policy makers to help make the Internet a great and safe place for children, both in the UK and on a global level. For the past twelve years, Childnet has sought to promote the positive use of technology, by highlighting the creative and beneficial things that children are doing with new technology, as well as responding to the potential risks. See www.childnet.com for full details of Childnet’s award-winning resources.
About TDA
The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) was established under the Education Act 2005. Its principal aim is to secure an effective school workforce that improves children’s life chances. For more information, see www.teach.gov.uk
About Microsoft
The ‘Know IT All for Teachers and Trainees’ programme is supported through Microsoft’s global 50 million Partners in Learning (PiL) initiative. In the UK, this initiative provides a wealth of resources and tools for teachers and students, supported by the innovative use of new and existing technologies and ongoing training. Microsoft believes technology can be a powerful catalyst for improving teaching and learning for all, helping prepare students for life and work in the 21st century. For further information visit
www.microsoft.com/uk/PartnersinLearning
About Becta
For information, visit www.becta.org.uk
