Best Practice

Ideas for Safer Internet Day 2015

Behaviour School management E-safety
Hundreds of schools and thousands of students are expected to take part in activities around Safer Internet Day 2015. Laura Jennings previews the event.

 

On February 10, millions across the UK and globally will be celebrating Safer Internet Day. 

Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, the day is a great opportunity to talk to young people about the safe and positive use of technology, and to share a smile to help create a kinder online community.

For Safer Internet Day 2015, the UK Safer Internet Centre is hoping to build on the successes and momentum of the 2014 campaign, which was supported by more than 650 UK schools and organisations, reaching 25 per cent of UK children, 18 per cent of teens and 10 per cent of parents – incredible for a one-day campaign.

Most importantly, Safer Internet Day had a huge impact. For example, among children, almost half of those who took part said they changed their online behaviour and almost two-thirds spoke to a family member as a result. 

As one headteacher explained: “Safer Internet Day had a huge impact on our children. Many children have spoken to their learning mentor and their parents about issues that are making them feel uncomfortable online, and we are recording the incidents and dealing with issues that have arisen. 

“It has really opened up a dialogue between the school, children and parents.”

This year’s theme is “Let’s Create a Better Internet Together” and provides an opportunity for schools to explore the responsibility we all have to help create a kinder online community. 

Education packs

Each year the UK Safer Internet Centre develops education packs to help schools and youth groups deliver activities for children, young people and parents and carers on Safer Internet Day. 

The education packs, which are free to download from the official website, include posters, assembly presentations with scripts, drama activities, quick activities, full lesson plans, and information for parents and carers.

To inspire even more teachers, students and parents to get involved we have some ideas about how you can use the education packs to run Safer Internet Day activities (see further information for all relevant links):

  • In the classroom teachers can use the UK Safer Internet Centre’s lesson plan to get pupils to launch a campaign in the school to encourage others to do good digital deeds for friends and others so as to “create a better internet together”.

  • Form tutors can use the Safer Internet Day quick activities for secondary to get young people to make a Safer Internet Day pledge to reflect what they will do to create a better internet.

  • Assemblies in the week of February 10 could focus on the theme of internet safety. Use the ready-to-go assembly and script for secondary schools, or you could support pupils to deliver their own assemblies.

  • Display the Safer Internet Day posters in your school.

  • Reach out to parents using the Safer Internet Day parent pack, which includes a template letter, resources and a ready-to-use presentation.

It’s up to us

In the build up to Safer Internet Day, we want to encourage young people, teachers and parents to film and share a Safer Internet Day pledge as part of our #Up2Us social media campaign. The pledge is a promise that on Safer Internet Day each person will do one thing to help make the internet a better place. 

These promises will be promoted and shared on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to show that a better internet is #Up2Us. 

To make it easy for schools to get involved in the campaign we have created an Up 2 Us pledge card in the secondary lesson plan that invites young people to write down one thing they will do before the end of Safer Internet Day. 

By turning these written promises into video clips, schools can join the Safer Internet Day social media campaign and help inspire others to pledge their support for Safer Internet Day. To get involved:

  • Get as many pupils as possible to complete the Up 2 Us pledge cards with a Safer Internet Day promise

  • Film these Safer Internet Day promises on a SmartPhone or iPad. Remember to keep these clips short – seven seconds for Twitter and 15 seconds for Instagram.

  • Share these clips on your school’s Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram using the hashtag #Up2Us or send the clips to the UK Safer Internet Centre by emailing laura@childnet.com (note that when sharing the films on social media all posts must come from a schools account. We will be unable to tweet/retweet content that has been sent to us by an individual).

In need of some inspiration? Here are what young people have already been promising to do this Safer Internet Day: 

  • “I will report any horrible posts and stick up for my friends if anyone is being nasty to them.”

  • “I will leave lots of happy comments on things.”

  • “I will help people understand how to use the internet.”

  • “I will try to send as many nice pictures as I can.”

  • “I will post a positive comment after every negative comment that I see.”

You can also:

  • Display the Safer Internet Day banner or logo on your school website, and link to the UK Safer Internet Centre.

  • Tune in to SID-TV which will be streamed live on Safer Internet Day. 

  • Submit your logo and share what you are doing for Safer Internet Day by registering as a Safer Internet Day supporter and receive a supporter’s certificate for your school.

 

  • Laura Jennings is communications officer with Childnet International, one of the partners supporting the work of the UK Safer Internet Centre.

Further information