1. Choose important topics to address – (sexting, stalking, sharing too much information, social networking, etc.)Choose a topic that students, teachers or parents are passionate about. Find out what students, parents and teachers’ Internet safety concerns are. It’s probably best to choose only one topic for your first session. Make sure the topic is one that the audience is familiar with but also comfortable discussing in public. 2. Decide on your target audience – (students, parents, teachers, school administrators, community leaders)Choosing which topic to discuss can also help with choosing your target audience. If your topic is about cyberbullying, the audience may be very broad. But if your topic is consumer safety or precautions of sharing personal information online, the audience may only consist of high school juniors, seniors and parents. An important question to ask is who can benefit from the discussion? 3. Determine the style of your session – (open forum, panel discussion, Q&A, group activities, all of the above)Once you know who your target audience will be, determine how you want to conduct your session. If you have a small group, having an open forum may work well. If you have invited an expert to attend, a panel discussion or question & answer session is very beneficial. Depending on how long your session will be (two hours vs. a full day) you may be able to incorporate various discussion styles. 4. Central location – (school, community center, religious establishment, local library, coffee shop)Once you have determined who your target audience will be you must choose a location. Choose a central location that is easy for most participants to get to. If your audience consists mostly of students, it may be best to find a location close to a mass transit system. It may be difficult to know who will show up for the Internet safety session but consider who your audience is and what marketing methods were used to advertise your session. If you only marketed to the 6th grade class and their parents you can assume that a smaller venue will work best. However, if you have opened the session to the entire school and local community, a larger venue is necessary. 5. Plan out the agenda for the session – (session details, objectives, session time frame, location)Creating an agenda for your Internet safety session can serve as a guide for how the session should flow. Providing pre-printed agendas to the audience can help stream line the discussion and prevent audience members from moving away from the topic. This also allows participants to determine how much time to allot to this event. You may choose to have a two hour session after school or a two day session over the weekend. Even if the agendas are not pre-printed you should go over the session objectives, explain what events, if any, have led to the session, and what you hope they will gain from it. Remember to discuss the positive aspects of the Internet, not just the negative.6. Methods of marketing – (printed flyers, website, e-mail, phone, permission slips,)Knowing your school environment can best determine which mode of marketing will be most beneficial. There are numerous ways to market your Internet safety session. Flyers can be posted throughout the school and local community. Some school systems have automated phone calls or e-mails sent to parents sharing school updates. Most schools have websites and may choose to use this as a marketing resource. If you choose to use video or photography during your session, it’s best to send out permission slips or waivers for parents to authorize their child’s participation and any use of video or photographs.7. Choose a moderator – (student representative, parent, teacher, principal, expert, community leader)Having a moderator is important for staying on topic, keeping time and diffusing any lengthy or heated discussions. Almost anyone can serve as a moderator. The goal is to maintain order and encourage participation. The moderator may also take notes to ensure that important questions or comments are recorded.8. Expert involvement – (police officers, lawyers, researchers, professors)When talking about an important issue like Internet safety, it’s always best to have an expert to fall back on. They add validation to the session as well as clear up any myths that may arise. Expert opinions can come from anyone who has day-to-day involvement or experience with Internet safety topics. You may even want to consider having a teen or parent present who can share their first hand experience with Internet safety issues in their school or community. They should share what works well and things to avoid.9. Make it fun – (door prizes, Internet safety quiz, snacks)Internet safety is an important topic but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it. Remember your objectives for your session while creating a fun environment. Door prizes are a great way to get audience participation. Providing a quiz and prize is a good opportunity to learn and have fun at the same time. Depending on the time frame for your session you may want to provide drinks or snacks. 10. Ask for feedback – (evaluations, comment/suggestion box, survey, discussion, etc.)It is always important to get feedback from your audience as well as your invited guests, panelists and participants. Figure out the best method of gathering information. Most participants will probably find a discrete survey or evaluation to be the best method of providing suggestions for improvement. Another option is to set aside the last 15 minutes of the session for open discussion of what worked best and what didn’t work well. Make sure you have a dedicated person to take notes to refer back to when planning your next Internet safety session.We’d like to hear from you. Share how your Internet safety session went.
Categories