Veronica samara

Insafe Conference, 14-16 May 2012, Larnaca - Cyprus

Dr. Veronica Samara, Greek Safer Internet Centre Coordinator

Approaching very young users: “The Internet Farm”


Kindergarten:

• 2 out of 10 kids in kindergarten age use the Internet outside of school

• In 1 out of 10 kindergartens, this number climbs to 50%

• 1 out of 100 kindergarten kids has a mobile phone

• 1 out of 100 kindergarten kids has a profile in a SNS (!)

Primary school level:

• 46% of the pupils use the Internet outside of school

• 36% of the pupils have a mobile phone

• 15% have a SNS profile (!)

• In 2 out of 10 primary schools, at least half of the pupils have such a profile.

* Online survey conducted by the Greek Awareness Centre in 2011 with 2.319 respondents from all levels of education

Immediate need to inform and educate kids from very young age in main issues concerning online safety, even before the kids start to systematically use the Internet.



A novel approach is being followed since the beginning of 2012, using the most effective way kids can learn: Fairy Tales. In this way, entertainment is smartly combined with education (edutainment). 128-page fairy tale book entitled “The Internet Farm”. It guides young children from the age of 4 to the Internet via five illustrated stories, which take place in a real farm. Each story tackles important online safety rules, with two very crucial rules, our privacy protection, and the consideration of online friends always as strangers, repeating in the stories. The five stories tackle the following:




Εmails from strangers and publication of personal information in online quizzes



Meeting with strangers we know only in the online world and publication of

personal photos on the Internet



Racism on the Internet and information credibility online



Identification of the approaching strategies strangers (pedophiles) are using



Cyberbullying and defamation, publishing photos of others, ethical use of the

Internet, positive use of the Internet



Our heroes: two kids, Nikolas and Nike, which, with their dog Hercules are the farm’s protectors, along with Vagia, the wise owl, advisor and guide. In the fairy tales, the kids take the role of the parents, Hercules the family’s trusted friends, knowing the ethical use of the Internet (protecting in this way, whenever needed, the young users), whereas the wise owl takes the role of the educators, who can teach in their own way the kids to proper online behavior and to critical thinking. The farm’s animals are the ones which behave unsafely and without thinking on the Internet.



The book is also addressed to parents and educators, encouraging them to read the stories with the kids, and to discuss afterwards the tackled issues. In this way, they will be able to create awareness, sharpen the kids’ ability to identify similar behaviors in their own internet activities, and to immediately seek for help and advice. The above task is strongly supported by the chapter “Let’s see what we learned from our story” following each story. The book is available at bookstores, or directly via the writers.



Going on step further: (interactive) theatrical performance based on the book, in cooperation with a children’s theater group.


The performance is ‘mobile’, i.e. can be set up in schools, municipalities, theaters, and is offered with a very low ticket. Specific performances are provided for free, with the support of sponsors.


«Because, when we are on the Internet we need to use our logic and trust our instinct!»


Veronica samara

Education

Transcript of Veronica samara