This paper considers some of the ethical issues surrounding the study of malicious activity in social networks, specifically using a technique known as "social honeypots" combined with the use of deception. This is a potentially touchy area of study that is common to social and behavioral research that is well understood to fall within…

Most discussions about keeping kids safe online center around two issues: (1) With the rapid development and dissemination of digital technology, how can we stay ahead of what our students are doing?; and (2) What controls are available to prevent students from visiting inappropriate sites? These are reasonable questions, but they ignore two…

Internet security is an important topic for educators due to curriculums now incorporating tools such as the Internet, Google docs, e-portfolios, and course management systems. Those tools require students to spend more time online, where they are susceptible to manipulation or intimidation if they do not stay on task. Kids of all ages lack…

Almost everyone uses social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Since Facebook is the most popular site in the history of the Internet, this article will focus on how one can protect his/her personal information and how that extends to protecting the private information of others.

The need to maintain an unpolluted learning environment is no easy task for schools and districts that have incorporated social networking sites into their educational life. The staff and teachers at Blaine High School in Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin District 11 had been considering the pros and cons of establishing a school Facebook page when the…

Schools fear the predatory behavior that lurks around social networking sites, where the exchange of personal information can make users sitting ducks for hackers, thieves, cyberbullies, and scammers. So they're caught in what appears to be an all-or-nothing choice: take advantage of the academic opportunities that social networking sites can…

This article offers solutions and steps to prevent cyberbullying. Schools can improve their ability to handle cyberbullying by educating staff members, students, and parents and by implementing rules and procedures for how to handle possible incidents. Among the steps is to include a section about cyberbullying and expectations in the student…

A basic definition of "cyberbullying" is provided by Nancy Willard, director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use. She has defined cyberbullying as using the Internet or other mobile devices to send or post harmful or cruel text or images to bully others. The advent of social networking has highlighted cyberbullying. Library media…

This article discusses how students use online role-play to collaborate and change real school policy. Playing different characters in an online role-play, students explore controversial aspects of Internet filtering and adopt a plan to change their school's policy. Through engaging in collaborative argumentation during their role-play, students…

Concerns about children's online safety have evolved from protecting them to focusing on encouraging positive social norms, transmitting effective skills, and encouraging students to be helpful allies. In fact, federal law now requires schools that receive funding to educate students about cyber safety. Nancy Willard integrates her expertise in…

In this article, the author presents the top-10 list of campus computer-security risks he compiled based on several recent computing surveys and interviews with more than a dozen college-technology leaders. The list, ordered from least to most serious, is by no means scientific, but it gives a sense of where today's battle lines are--and why…

Web 2.0 applications and mobile Internet devices have added new issues to the safety/access situation for schools. The purpose of this guide is to assist school districts in developing, rethinking, or revising Internet policies as a consequence of the emergence of Web 2.0, and the growing pervasiveness of smart phone use. The Consortium for School…

The explosion of Web 2.0 into libraries has left many smaller academic libraries (and other libraries with limited computing resources or support) to work in the cloud using free Web applications. The use of commercial Web hosting is an innovative approach to the problem of inadequate local resources. While the idea of insourcing IT will seem…

Information sharing is a core value for information technology (IT) security professionals. It is also a familiar concept for those who work at institutions of higher education because of their long history of collaboration and openness. Information sharing has become part of the national fabric as IT security professionals attempt to secure cyber…

As the ranks of educators on Twitter grow, more and more are heard about the importance of their "PLNs" (a term reportedly coined by educational technology guru David Warlick). A PLN, or Personal Learning Network, is a group of like-minded professionals with whom one can exchange ideas, advice, and resources. So why shouldn't students have PLNs of…