Kelly Cougar Nettiquite
A KID'S GUIDE TO ETIQUETTE ON THE NET
Internet etiquette, or netiquette is a funny word for being polite on line. There are widely accepted rules of behavior to follow when you're online. It is very important to learn and follow these rules.
Sometimes the online world can feel "pretend" because you cannot see the person with whom you are communicating. So, it is very important to remember that you are dealing with "real" people online and you should use your very best manners - just as you would at home or at school.
#1: GET YOUR PARENTS PERMISSION FIRST
Explore the internet with your family. There are websites that are not appropriate for children and an adult's supervision is highly recommended to guide you.
#2: REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE
Be polite and courteous at all times. Remember that you're not communicating with a computer screen, but with a human being who has thoughts and feelings just like you. So, always think of the person on the receiving end of your messages. Don't be a "cyber-bully".
#3: WORDS CAN HAVE SEVERAL MEANINGS...
Remember that the written word is the only way you can represent yourself online, so spelling and grammar count. Be aware that words may be interpreted differently. The reader cannot hear or see facial expressions. Emoticons are sometimes used if you think you might be misunderstood.
:-) Happy!
#4: NEVER GIVE OUT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
Since the internet is interactive, web surfers are continually bombarded for information. As a child, you should NEVER respond to these types of inquiries without the permission of your parent or guardian. On Kelly School Loop we expect you to have your parents permission before visiting our site and that you ask if its appropriate before clicking on any ads or sending any email.
INTERNET RESEARCHING TIPS FOR 5TH GRADERS:
When you're looking for information on the Web for school -- or really any time that you care that what you find is true and up-to-date -- you have to evaluate the website to make sure that you can trust the information on it.
Here are some questions to ask when you're looking at a website that will help you decide whether or not it's good:
Who made it?
Anyone can make a Web page. In fact, not only can anyone make a Web page, anyone can make a Web page and lie about who they are! But sites that really belong to the people they say they belong to have some things in common:
- There's some way to contact the people responsible for the site; usually an e-mail address, sometimes a phone number and street address, too.
- Pages within the website look similar: they may have the same background color, or there will be the same logo on every page.
- Pages within the website link back to the home page, and to elsewhere in the site.
- The website shows signs of being proofread; there are no spelling or grammar errors.
If you're going to use information from a website for a school project, think about getting it from a website that you already know will have good information, such as the website of a library, a school, or a museum. Often, libraries, schools, and museums will have links on their sites to other sites that they have already evaluated for quality and accuracy.
When was it last updated?
Look for a 'last updated' date near the top or bottom of the site's home page. If a website has been updated recently, that's generally a good sign. It means someone's paying attention to the site, making sure links still work, maybe changing parts of it to reflect more recent news or research. But it's not always necessary for a website to have been updated recently for it to be valuable. For instance, if a website provides the full text of Shakespeare's sonnets, that text isn't going to change, so it's not necessary for it to be frequently updated.
Is it clear what it's about?
You should be able to tell why a website exists, and what information it's trying to provide. If the purpose of the website is confusing or unclear, that's a good sign that you should look for a different site.
Are there a lot of ads?
Ads can be long, rectangular banners at the top or bottom of the screen, or sometimes they are on the left or right side of the screen. It's not always easy to recognize all the ads on a page; sometimes ads will look like messages from your computer, or just like part of the website that you're looking at. Teach yourself to spot ads, and be aware that if a website has a lot of ads, you may want to think twice about whether the information on it is unbiased. However, many valuable sites do contain advertising to help support themselves.
Is it easy to find the information you need?
You won't always be able to find exactly what you need right on the very first page of the first website you go to. Looking at different places and gathering information from them is what doing research means. But if it's very hard for you to find the information you need, and especially if it seems that information from one part of the website contradicts another part, you may want to try another site.
With your parents supervision, and using your best Cougar "netiquette", click on the envelope below. Write "Nettiquite" and sign your first name ONLY and Teacher. At the end of the month, visit Mrs. Cobb's office for a special Kelly Website Prize! Impress your Principal with what you learned about netiquette or share your brilliant suggestions of how to make our school website #1!
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