Today is Safer Internet day so Year 5 have been learning how to use the internet safely! Year 5 had a bit of a head start, because one of our recent learning skills was to use IT equipment safely. In addition to looking at the physical aspects (carrying laptops safely, storing them correctly, making sure they’re shut down) we also started to look at internet safety. We had a big class discussion all around internet usage, most of us used it at least once a day! We came up with a huge list of all the things we use the internet for, some of the most popular reasons were;

 

-          Homework and research

-          Google

-          Internet games

-          Social media – Instagram, Snapchat,

-          Skype

-          WhatsApp and messaging apps

-          Netflix and catch up TV

-          Online shopping (not so much the children, but they said their parents do and myself!)

 

 

We agreed that we probably couldn’t live without the internet as it’s a brilliant part of our every day lives now! However, clearly, Year 5 children are accessing the internet daily, so we further agreed that it’s incredibly important we know how to use it safely. We watched a video that highlights the importance of using social media safely. We used the slogan ‘Zip it! Block it! Flag it!’ and discussed how that can keep us safe online. We also talked about talking over the internet and how things can be interpreted differently! We complete an emoji match up game! Surprisingly, despite recognising and using Emojis regularly, we found it really tricky to match the symbols with their actual meaning!

After lots of serious discussions we designed our own Emojis for Safer Internet day and their campaign #GIVEASMILE We had lots of fun, but we now all understand the importance of staying safe online!