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Safety Tips for Online Learning



New learning environment, new guidelines

Safety tips for online learning


Over the past few months, as schools have scrambled to figure out how to educate kids in the era of Covid-19, we’ve seen a lot of chaos. Remote? On-site? A combo of both? If on-site, how does everyone stay safe? It was all to be expected, and frankly, it’s quite amazing so many districts have done so well, especially in the Hudson Valley. But with so much going on, it’s easy to see why some schools who might have solid protocols for on-site safety would neglect to investigate and share safety tips for online learning. In case these issues have fallen through the cracks, Douglas B. Parisi at CampusLifeSecurity.com offers some very helpful guidelines to cross a few more T’s and dot some I’s.

According to Parisi, “Stories are flooding the news about kids experiencing hacked Zoom calls – and that’s just the beginning when it comes to dangers of online instruction.” He doesn’t want to freak anybody out, but says, “These tips are based on recognizable safety that has always been espoused by security experts. The importance of maintaining privacy for our children is the fundamental goal with most of these suggestions.”

First and foremost, Parisi reminds us that cameras always tell more than we think they do. Simply put: students should always do remote classes with a bare wall behind them, and, if at all possible, they should not be in their own room. “Students that get bored have been known to start perusing the backgrounds of their classmates,” Parisi says. “The best way to avoid any breach of safety is to not reveal anything in the first place.” Also, parents and siblings may give an unintentional “photo bomb.”

READ MORE: Make remote learning easier

Also, parents should remember, and should tell their kids: everything on the internet is permanent. Anything they say or type into a chat or mutter to a friend when, say, the teacher steps away for a moment, will never go away.

Finally, regarding hacking to disrupt a class (which has happened, and will continue), Parisi reiterates that students should be told never to share any links or emails from the teacher. All requests to ‘send me the link’ should be directed to the teacher. Lastly, when sharing computers, do not to save username or password information.

It’s a strange, unfolding new world, but with precautions and mindfulness, we can get through it safely.



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