INTERNET SAFETY

As schools implement remote learning there has been a lot of discussion in the media recently around internet safety for children. 

One area of concern has been with the use of Zoom for video conferencing between teachers and students, particularly “Zoom Bombing”, i.e. unexpected and uninvited intruders to meetings. You should know that St John’s has developed the following expectations and taken the following precautions to ensure that Zoom remains safe for our staff and students.

When students participate in a Zoom meeting for school they must:

• Dress appropriately for school.
• Be sitting at a table. Students must not be sitting or laying in bed during Zoom meetings.
• Use their real name.
• Turn on the camera so that the teacher can verify their identity. 
• If possible, turn on an appropriate virtual background. Otherwise, film against a blank wall.
• Behave and conduct themselves in accordance with the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) Student Responsible Use of Technology Agreement, which they signed earlier this term.

To ensure that Zoom meetings are safe, teachers have been asked to:

• Create instant Zoom meetings and share the link in Google Classroom only minutes before the meeting is due to commence.
• Turn the Zoom Waiting Room option on. When students click on the meeting link, the teacher will admit them one-by-one. The teacher will only admit students in the class. In some Zoom meetings, other teachers and support staff may also participate.
• Lock the meeting once all students have entered and/or after 5 minutes so that others cannot enter the meeting.
• Eject students who do not meet the expectations for students listed above.
• End the meeting when it is over.
• Never reuse a link for the next meeting.

All Zoom meetings are automatically recorded. The teacher cannot opt to not record. Recordings cannot be deleted. Recordings can be seen by staff at the Wollongong Catholic Education Office. I have asked staff to share links to the recordings in Google Classrooms so that students can review meetings later.

Students MUST NOT share these links with others. To do so is considered a breach of the CEDoW Student Responsible Use of Technology Agreement which they signed earlier this term.

Another area of recent concern has been with inappropriate advertisements popping up in educational websites.

Teachers are expected to use Google Classroom to share resources and communicate with their students. Access to a Google Classroom requires a CEDoW account and the Google Classroom code.

• Anyone who does not have a CEDoW account cannot join a Google Classroom, even if they know the Google Classroom code.
• Our students cannot join a Google Classroom under a false name.
• Advertising has been removed from all Education Services provided by google including Gmail, Google Drive and Google Classroom.

Where other websites are selected by teachers and used by their students for learning, e.g. Maths Pathway, Edrolo, Education Perfect, WordFlyers, Flat, etc - these websites must use Google authentication, i.e. students sign in with their CEDoW username and password.

For added safety we recommend that:

• Students install ad blocking software on their laptops, e.g. Adguard
• Families install an internet filter, e.g. Family Zone or Disney Circle
• Parents/guardians conduct random checks of their children’s emails and web history.
• Families visit and follow the advice of the eSafety Commissioner website: https://www.esafety.gov.au/