Ensure Online Safety for Students
According to the 2018 State of the States report, 44.7 million students and 2.6 million teachers are now able to access the internet at school, and 98 percent of school districts nationwide now have internet access and are able to benefit from digital learning. With more students accessing the internet in schools every year, technology safety for students continues to be of great concern for teachers and administrations. GoGuardian remains committed to providing innovative technology solutions that address these concerns. GoGuardian’s Admin and Teacher programs make it easier than ever to navigate classroom management, create safe online learning spaces, and otherwise ensure internet safety for students through:
- The ability to set district, school, and classroom-specific “policies” of varying levels of restriction that define terms for student navigation and access of the internet and content.
- Comprehensive web-filtering that includes keyword/multi-word keyword blocking, blocking/allowing URLs, domains, and paths, wildcard filtering, and proxy blocking.
- Smart alerts that notify teachers when students attempt to access restricted content or search for flagged keywords.
- Teacher-student chat function that gives teachers a way to easily guide distracted students back on task.
These features and many others are how GoGuardian is leading the charge to make sure increased internet access for students in school does not come at the expense of ensuring student internet safety.
Keep Kids Safe at School Through Internet Filters
Internet access empowers students with more ways to learn and access information, but it also puts students at risk of accessing information, ranging from sensitive (graphic violence and pornography) to dangerous (hackers, scams, and predatory strangers). On school devices, it is the responsibility of schools to facilitate online safety for students by protecting them from knowingly or unknowingly coming into contact with these dangers. For decades, web filters have been one of the most impactful ways of restricting access to content and promoting computer safety for students. The challenge with web filters, however, has been to provide schools with the means of restricting content without cutting students off from access to vital learning tools.
GoGuardian successfully overcomes this challenge through web filtering that deviates from the traditional “all or nothing” approach to content filtering, and instead lets teachers and administrators customize how and when filters are applied. Rather than blocking google searches, you can instead block Google image and video search functions and specific keywords. Instead of blocking Youtube, you can set protocols that allow only specific YouTube channels and disable access to comment sections. This allows both students and teachers to benefit from safely utilizing sites for learning that could otherwise be dangerous or distracting for students.
Since 2001, the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires schools and libraries to create and implement policies for ensuring student online safety. This includes restricting access to sensitive media and sites that would collect data from children, protecting students using email and chat functions, and educating students on these policies and how to conduct themselves safely online. Schools and libraries must comply with CIPA guidelines and regulations to qualify for the E-rate program and receive discounts on internet and communication services.
Monitor and Report of Internet Safety Issues for Students
Monitoring and reporting online activity is an important part of ensuring web safety for students. By monitoring students’ internet usage and utilizing digital reports, teachers and administrators are able to detect potential dangers and provide intervention to stop potential threats. GoGuardian not only provides schools with the technology necessary for content monitoring and reporting, but with products composed of leading-edge technology that is intuitive and responsive.
Content monitoring in Teacher does this by showing not only when a student has attempted to access restricted content, but which students do so, how frequently, and which types of content. Each student has their own monitoring/reporting history, allowing teachers to provide individualized support and intervention for students based on their needs and online habits. Additional responsiveness is added by our Smart Alerts feature, which sends notifications to teachers in real time when students use keywords or search terms that are flagged and could indicate issues with bullying, harassment, or thoughts of suicide.
Cybersafety Made Easy for Teachers
GoGuardian understands both the importance of internet safety for students and the need for teachers to be able to prioritize teaching rather than monitoring every detail of a student’s online experience. With Admin and Teacher, schools and internet safety have support that is teacher-friendly by implementing systems-level filtering that restricts content at district-wide and school-wide levels before entering a classroom. This means that most of the work for managing and restricting access to content is handled by school and district administrators, leaving teachers only responsible for customizing policies and filters to better support their classrooms and learning needs and creating minimal distractions from focusing on what matters most… teaching.
Learn How GoGuardian Can Keep Your Students Safe at School
Learn more about GoGuardian Teacher for easy classroom management and Admin’s advanced filtering for maximizing student safety online.
