Having completed our first term of our Primary Education course at Middlesex University we returned from the break to a new start and a few new modules. One of which was ICT. It has been a while since I finished my short course in ICT whilst at school in 2009 so the idea of picking it up again was both exciting and also a little daunting. During my final year of school ICT was far from a priority in my mind as I was board of learning how to use Excel again (as we seemed to every year... all year) and found the subject rather dull. Since then the main bulk of what I know regarding ICT is self taught and I have learnt since school.
At the start of the first lesson we looked at the increasing demand for ICT skills in society and the importance of using computers in order to succeed in school and the work place. There are few professions in which there is no requirement for at least a little computer literacy. For this reason it is very important that we include ICT into as many lessons as possible in order to increase the exposure children have to computers. Most children are able to pick up computer skills fairly quickly so it is important that they are taught how to stay safe whilst using the internet from the very beginning. Common hazards children can come across are:- Identity Theft
- Malicious Software
- Cyber Bullying
- Inappropriate Content
- Predators
- Spending too Much Time Online
During the lesson we discussed the issue of E-safety, a huge issue regarding the safety of children whilst online, and ways in which it can be managed. I have since found a few websites regarding the topic that can be of useful for teachers, parents and chidren:
- http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
- http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/topics/stay-safe
