But many youngsters don't understand that surfing the Web can be as dangerous as it is exhilarating, as scary as it is inviting.
That's where Cybersmart comes into play. A free curriculum offered by the MacMillan McGraw-Hill publishing company that produces many of the textbooks used in school, Cybersmart gives teachers the opportunity to teach students in kindergarten through eighth grade the proper way to use the Internet to their benefit, while addressing the social, legal and ethical issues associated with the use of modern technology.
The Cybersmart program enables students to have the tools necessary to utilize the Internet securely, safely, sensibly and effectively. It is a program that they are encouraged to bring home to their families.
The acronym SMART in Cybersmart stands for Safety, Manners, Advertising, Research and Technology.
The program was introduced to the students of North Bergen's Kennedy School last week, with a formal presentation given by the teachers to all the students as part of the regular curriculum.
Robert Dandorph, the principal at Kennedy School, was approached with the idea for the computer course by his teachers and thought it was perfect to be implemented in the classrooms.
"I think it's unbelievably important," Dandorph said. "Our students' whole future will be the proper use of the Internet, with doing research, finding information, even possibly taking on-line courses. We're now using the computers even in kindergarten. Kids today spend so much time on the computer, whether it's learning or whether it's for entertainment."
Added Dandorph, "But we want to make sure that they're safe and secure when using the Internet. You wouldn't ask a 7-year-old to go to the zoo by himself, but you would to let him on the computer? If that 7-year-old is approached on the street by a stranger, you would hope he's not supposed to talk to them, but what about the computer in a chat room? We're teaching the kids that it's not safe for them to be on the computer by themselves, that they shouldn't talk to strangers on the computer."
The five components of the Cybersmart curriculum are simple:
* Safety: Enabling students to enjoy use of the Internet safely by recognizing identity information, the use of cyberpals with chat and instant message safety, feeling comfortable with someone on the Internet and e-mail safety.
* Manners: The social, legal and ethical responsibilities students have when using the Internet by being a good cyber citizen, like copying something from the Internet and using it for schoolwork (plagiarism) and downloading and sharing copyrighted material, like music.
* Advertising: Learning to recognize the different online advertisements and protection of identity and private information, without consent from an adult.
* Research: Smart research means going to more than one Web site to review information and identifying the best Web sites.
* Technology: Reminders to keep passwords private and reminders to use firewalls and anti-virus software to protect the computer and any personal files.
Of course, some of the components of the program are meant for the older students and not the younger ones, so the subjects are broken down according to each grade class. But all of the students are taught about the safety issues.
As part of the program, fourth grade teacher Jen Quintana was teaching her class the proper way to write an e-mail to Rep. Robert Menendez regarding issues that they felt directly affected them, like children's safety in the streets, better gun laws, protection against drug dealers, and alcohol and tobacco use by youngsters.
"We want Congressman Menendez to know how we feel and how he can help our parents to do something to stop these things," Quintana said to the class. "We're exercising our right to free speech and we want to let him know the things we want to see changed."
At the same time, an eighth grade class was getting a presentation on copyrighting and plagiarism.
"Just because you don't think you won't get caught doesn't make it OK," the lesson said. "It is property that belongs to someone else."
Mala Bawer, the executive director of the Cybersmart School Program, was pleased to see the curriculum being introduced in Kennedy School. The program is being used in thousands of schools throughout the country, and Bawer estimates that the free Cybersmart Web site gets 30,000 downloads per month from interested teachers.
"It's a wonderful opportunity as a nation to address the safety concerns with children using the Internet," Bawer said. "It's a serious issue. The computer is not a play toy. With Cybersmart, we set the groundwork for the teachers to instruct the students as part of a complete educational process. It's much like wearing a safety belt when getting into a car. We're teaching the proper way to employ use of the Internet safety and securely."
If any teacher or any parent is interested in learning more about the program, log onto www.cybersmart.org. The free curriculum for teachers can be found at www.cybersmartcurriculum.org.
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