"The Internet is a mirror of the world around us.
If something exists in real life, it probably exits
in some form on the Internet... good or bad. "

      You should move computers into visible areas of school so monitors are easily seen by staff and faculty. This allows Internet activity to be seen and supervised easily. Advise parents to move computers into the family room and out of the bedroom where doors can be closed.

     Give your students guidelines and rules on how to use the Internet. Talk with them about the guidelines and post them in your room.

     A comfortable way to explain safe surfing to very young students includes two rules:

• "If you arrive at a site where people are dressed in a way you are not allowed to dress for school, click the Back button and leave the page."
  
  
• "If you arrive at a site where you read or hear something you are not allowed to say in school, click the Back button and leave the page."

     You will want to give older students a more complete set of rules for using the Internet safely. Here are four statements that cover the subject.

• "Do keep your identity a secret. Never give out personal information, i.e., your password, your last name, your phone number, your home address, or the name of your school to someone you meet on the Internet."
  
  
• "Don't send your photo or anything else to someone you meet on the Internet."
  
  
• "Do tell a teacher or parent if you encounter something on the Internet that makes you feel uncomfortable, i.e., pictures, bad language or rude messages, sent to you by e-mail or spoken in a chat room."
  
  
• "Don't agree to meet with or phone someone you meet on the Internet."