As October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the Curriculum Research and Development Group (CRDG) in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education is urging all digital citizens to think about how their online decisions and actions affect their safety. The CRDG School Internet Safety Initiative encourages students, parents, educators and community members to be safe, responsible and respectful online.
Cyber security is about the safety of our devices and digital content and how to protect these from unauthorized access. With today’s reliance on companies to protect personal data—everything from medical information to bank accounts—the initiative reminds that the first step of cyber security begins with the individual.
“With so many different kinds of information on our devices, it is crucial for us to protect our content, so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands,” shared Truc Nguyen and Lauren Mark in a joint interview. “Some important tips include protecting and changing our passwords regularly, backing up our data frequently, refraining from opening files from strangers and installing virus protection software.”
Internet safety also includes modeling appropriate behaviors—teaching children the importance of security, ethics, healthy social skills and emotional expression; and practicing smart decision-making, problem-solving and responsibility for one’s own actions.
For more information about internet safety, please contact the School Internet Safety Initiative.
—By Jennifer Parks
