Infrastructures and Security News European Safer Internet Day 2008 European Safer Internet Day 2008
- 11/02/2008
European Safer Internet Day is on Tuesday, 12th February 2008. Just as in previous years, it is expected that 55 countries will hold awareness-raising actions on safe Internet use on this day. This event is organised at the European level by Insafe, a cooperation network of projects promoting awareness-raising for safer Internet use by citizens.
The Safer Internet (site in Portuguese) project is the responsibility of a consortium coordinated by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) and which also involves the Directorate-General for Curricular Innovation (CRIE) at the Ministry of Education, the Foundation for National Scientific Computation (FCCN) and Microsoft Portugal. This consortium represents Portugal in Insafe and has arranged some events within Portugal to promote safe Internet use. In particular, coordinated activities have been prepared in more than 110 Internet Spaces in various parts of the country, as well as the launching of the JovensOnline.Net curriculum, workshops at the Ponto JÁ Stores of the Portuguese Youth Institute and activities in schools.
1. Safer Internet Initiative in the Internet Spaces
The Safer Internet (site in Portuguese) project sees one of its main objectives as being information on the safe use of the Internet. Internet Spaces are free public access points where computers and the Internet are regularly available, supported by their own staff (monitors), to help people use these technologies. Many of these spaces meet accessibility criteria for citizens with special needs. As such, the Internet Spaces Network is a particularly appropriate place for activities providing information on surfing the Internet safely.
On the European Safer Internet Day awareness raising activities were held in more than 110 Internet Spaces. Widening the scope of these activities to other Internet Spaces will be considered for the future.
For more information about the Internet Spaces which have already jointed the Safer Internet project please go to http://www.InternetSegura.pt (site in Portuguese) .
2. “Young Adults Safe Online” Curriculum
The Portuguese version of the “Young Adults Safe Online” (Jovens Seguros Online) curriculum has now been made available online. This adaptation was carried out by Seguranet (the Directorate-General for Curricular Innovation and Development and CRIE – the Team working on Computers, Networks and Internet in Schools, of the Ministry of Education, and by Microsoft Portugal. This curriculum brings together material consisting of interactive stories and suggestions for activities (questionnaires, lesson plans, activity guides) and is aimed at Parents, Teachers, and Primary and Secondary School Students. It was originally designed in 2005 in Finland for the National Safer Information Day, and has been used in a number of countries, such as Switzerland, Denmark, Lithuania and Spain.
For more information about the “Young Adults Safe Online” Curriculum please go to http://www.seguranet.pt (site in Portuguese).
3. Workshops at Ponto JÁ Stores
The Safer Internet (site in Portuguese) project encourages other bodies outside the consortium to organise activities. The workshops carried out at the Ponto JÁ Stores of the Portuguese Youth Institute (IPJ) are one example of this type of collaboration. Working sessions are being organised at each of the five Regional Branches (North, Centre, Lisbon and the Tagus Valley, the Alentejo and the Algarve) of IPJ, with the aim of promoting the active involvement of young people in using the Internet.
4. Safer Internet in Schools
Primary and Secondary schools throughout Portugal are to a certain extent carrying out activities based on the Safer Internet European Day. This initiative has been promoted by Seguranet (site in Portuguese), the part of the Safer Internet project working with students, schools, teachers, and guardians and families of students.
A competition sponsored by Seguranet (site in Portuguese) is currently taking place which already has 126 schools enrolled, 177 teachers, 2 578 students and 68 parents. Each month they receive various challenges for which the enrolled teams can obtain points. Those reaching 1 000 points earn the right to take part in a regional event on Internet Safety.
For more information about activities taking place as part of the Safer Internet (site in Portuguese) project aimed at schools please go to http://www.seguranet.pt (site in Portuguese) .
On the Safer Internet Project
The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has profoundly altered the way people live – how they learn, work, spend their free time and interact, both in terms of personal relationships and organisations.
As well as all the possibilities and benefits of ICT use, namely access to knowledge, collaboration between people and organisations, social inclusion and wealth creation, we must ensure, as with other means of interaction, that there are appropriate mechanisms and strategies to minimise possible abuse or illegal aspects stemming from the use of these technologies.
Actually, given the widened use of the Internet and the resulting access to the benefits it provides, it is beneficial to provide better general clarification on how to use the Internet more safely.
The Safer Internet project was presented to the public in July 2007, and is the responsibility of a consortium coordinated by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), which also involves the Directorate-General for Curricular Innovation and Development/CRIE – Computers, Networks and Internet in School, at the Ministry of Education, the Foundation for National Scientific Computation (FCCN) and Microsoft Portugal.
Websites for the Safer Internet project:
- Safer Internet (site in Portuguese) Portugal, containing information on the safe use of the internet presented in easy-to-understand language and with resources for users.
- Seguranet (site in Portuguese) website, containing information on how to make sure you use the Internet safely, aimed at those attending school: schools, teachers, pupils and parents, guardians and relatives of pupils.
- Linha Alerta(site in Portuguese) for whistle blowing any illegal content discovered by Internet users.