I played a couple of rounds of WoogiWorld's CyberSafety game this morning, looking for tools I can use with my elementary students next year. I think I've mentioned before I'm stressing over what to do with them, since I've always been such a grade 7-up oriented person.
Obviously, I'm all for teaching cybersafety, but I HATE all these FBI-type programs that scare the bejeezus out of people. The now famous 2007 report by the NSBA states that fears are often exaggerated by the media, with school districts over-reacting by blocking everything that's blockable. How are kids supposed to learn responsible use of these sites and tools if we aren't able to access them to teach them?
Which brings me back to WoogiWorld. I love that it teaches appropriate and safe online behavior. But does anyone else think it over-stresses the fear factor? I want them to be careful, but I don't want them thinking predators are lurking behind every chat line. Am I over-reacting?
Have any of you used WoogiWorld with your students? What do you think?