19.05.

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Reflection of the Cybersmart Pre Service Teacher Program
According to the ACU Learning Environment Online, in week 11 of EDFD462, the lecture and one
hour of the tutorial focused on the Cybersmart Pre Service Teacher Program, facilitated by Greg
Gebhart. This program is designed to equip final year PSTs with the skills, knowledge and
classroom resources they will need to help their future students stay safe online. Areas covered
include safe social networking, cyber bullying, identity theft and the legal implications of using
online technology in your classroom. This program is part of the Federal Government's national
cyber safety strategy and is endorsed by the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT).
In the tutorial session, we worked through three different scenarios concerned with cyber safety
issues and our roles as teachers, from a legal perspective as well as our duty of care. We
discussed what we as graduate teachers could do when faced with difficult situations.
Some general tips I took away from the session

Always include a mentor teacher or principle in troubles that may arise

Take notes of incidences as they happen in a journal or diary and include times

Make parents sign permission slips when teaching about cyber safety issues related to
over 13 year olds

Keep parents well informed about what you are teaching or demonstrating to their
children with online content

Keep personal online social accounts private and consider changing names to make it
more difficult for students to find you

These sessions were informative and gave me an opportunity to consider how I will deal
with cyber issues, and keeping the children I teach safe while using the Internet. Technology
does have a dark side and it is important to keep students informed and aware of the
dangers of sharing personal information or photographs online. While having these social
accounts is supposed to be limited to over 13 year olds, if a parent allows their child to have
them, it is my job as the educator to keep parents and students informed. Privacy settings
are a good way for students to protect themselves, as well as encouraging parents to be
keenly checking their childs online activity.