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Internet Safety – Do’s and Dont’sIn this lesson you will learn:How to maintain information privacy.How to take necessary precautions while browsing.Email etiquette.

Jyoti: I heard that a leopard was sighted near your house yesterday night. Did you see it?

Tejas: No. The Security officer gave usinstructions not to come out. So we stayed inside.Jyoti: Today I saw a notice from the Security officer called “Be smart and stay safe”! Moz: It is good to observe the rules of safety. On Internet too, you should follow some safety rules. You can remember the rules using the acronym SMART. Can you guess what the letters stands for?Tejas: Does the first letter ‘S’ stand for Safe?Moz: Yes, S stands for “Keep Safe”. Now what all information should you keep safe?Jyoti: One safety rule that we know is to keep our password secret. We should not share the password even with our friends.

Tejas: We never give our address or our phone number to people whom we do not know. This rule can apply to Internet too.

Moz: Both of you are correct. How about photos?Jyoti: Photos too are personal. So we should think carefully before we share a picture of ourself, our friends or our family. Moz:Why should you not give personal information to strangers?Tejas: We do not know whether these stangers are good or bad people. Jyoti: They may contact us, even when we do not want them to do so.Moz: On Internet they can also pretend to be you and get you into trouble. So never give personal information to strangers.

Jyoti and Tejas were discussing about the leopard sighting in their campus.

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Jyoti: Do people hide their real age and pretend to be our age? Moz: Yes. This called masquerading (disguising as somebody else). This happens offen on the Internet. A bad person can pretend to be a very nice person. They can trick you into giving all the information and harm you, your family or friends.Tejas: How can they cause harm?

Moz: Let us understand this through an example. Suppose, a 45 year old stranger pretends that he is a12 years old girl called Sweta. He now makes friends with Jwala who is 12 years old.

Jyoti: I will never forget this rule. Tejas: We should also not give our School name and city where we live in.Moz: Never tell the whereabouts of your family, friends etc. Never tell anyone that you are alone at home.

Here is how the conversation goes.Jwala: Hello. Stranger: Hello. My name is Sweta and I am 12 years old.Jwala: I am also 12 years old.

After a few such conversations:Stranger: By the way here is my photograph. I am eager to see how you look.

Jwala sent her photograph too. After a few more conversations:

Stranger: I stay in Hyderabad. Where do you stay?Jwala: We stay in Sion, Mumbai.Stranger: So do you go to St. Xavier’s in Sion?Jwala: No. I go to Navnit, near the station.Stranger: Do you have a play ground near your house to play in the evening?Jwala: No. We play at my friend’s place as all our parents are working. No one is at home when we come home after school.

Now the Stranger knows where Jwala stays, how she looks and that there is no adult in their home after school. One day he may come to Jwala’s place when her parents are not around and harm her.

SMART - Keep SafePasswords should be kept secret. Passwords should not be given to even •your best friends. It’s important to keep your personal information safe and secret. •For registering at sites for a service like email you can give a nickname and •enter only compulsary fields. Do not reveal your personal information to strangers through email or •any other internet application.

personal information

Full name

Email Id

Password

Home address

School name

Phone numbers

Upload photo

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Moz: Internet is a medium through which you can easily keep in touch with friends and relatives. You may also make online friends.Tejas: My brother has made some online friends. But he says that we should not meet these people as we do not know who they are.Moz: On Internet, people can pretend to be what they are not. The person may say that he or she is ten years old, but can be an adult with bad intentions.Moz:It is best not to meet an online friend, in person.

Stranger masquerading as a 12 year old girl

Tejas: Look, in my Inbox. There are a few mails from someone I do not know.Moz: Do not open the mails and do not reply to emails from strangers. Tejas: See one of the mail subjects says, “Happy Birthday”. The name of the attachment is “Gifts”. Can I please open this mail?

SMART - Do not Meet upThe Internet is a great way of keeping in touch with friends and family. You •might also make new friends online.However, you should never arrange to personally meet an online friend, •because it can be dangerous.No matter how well you think you know people, they might be pretending.•

What is personal information?Full name, email Id, password.•Home address, school name, phone numbers, photos.•Details of your daily schedule, or that of your family and friends.•Details of your holiday plans.•

Why should you not give personal information?The information can be used to contact you. •Someone can pretend to be you. •Someone can pretend to be a friend and possibly get you into trouble or •harm you.

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Moz: Is this email from a friend or a person you know? Is it your birthday today?Tejas: No I do not know the person. And my birthday is not today but next month. What will happen if I open this mail?Moz: Yesterday, news papers reported about such a mail, “Happy Birthday”. There was also a warning not to open the mail, since it causes problem to computers. The screen can go blank if the “Happy Birthday” attachment is opened. It has a virus.

Jyoti: Does a virus destroy everything on the computer?Moz: Often, the computer may not start and you may have to reinstall everything. Jyoti: Oh! That means our files on the computer would have been lost due to the virus.Moz: Correct. A virus is often transferred through attachments sent by email. So, do not open attachments from people whom you do not know.

Tejas: Can other attachments also have such problems?Moz: Yes, it is possible. The computer can be safeguarded against these viruses by using anti-virues software. You will learn more about this later.

Jyoti: Look, I got an email which says, “Forward this mail to ten more people and you will have good luck. Do not break the chain, or else you will have bad luck”.Moz: You should not believe in such mails. Never forward such mails to others, however tempting they may be.Jyoti: What happens if we forward the mails?Moz: Such mails create unnecessary traffic on the Internet. They are called SPAM mails. If everyone starts forwarding such mails then our mail boxes will be flooded and important mails can be missed out.

Jyoti: How can SPAM mails flood our mail boxes? Moz: The mail you mentioned says “Forward to ten more people”. Suppose you do as it says. Then each of the ten people to whom you sent it, again forward the mails. So now how many mails have been sent?Jyoti: 10 times 10 that is 100 mails.

Tejas: Oh! If I send to 10 people, each of whom sends to 10 more, each of whom send to 10 more. Then in just three levels of forwarding, 1 mail becomes 10,000 copies!Moz: You got the point. Also never believe the predictions in such mails, which usually say, “Good things happen if you forward it and bad things happen if you delete it”. Tejas (with an expression): Millions of these junk mails are going around on the network. What a waste of network!

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SMART - Do not Accept emails from strangers and do not open Attachments.Email is a quick and easy way to send messages and share pictures etc with •people whom we know.However, Accepting emails, or opening Attachments, which contain pictures •or texts from people you don’t know can lead to problems. The Attachments in an email, especially from a stranger, may contain viruses •or nasty messages.The viruses can harm the computer. You may loose all the files on the •computer.Do not forward or reply to any tempting mails that you receive from strangers.•Do not believe mails that say, “You have won”. Do not forward mails that say “Good things will happen if you forward them”. •They only lead to a waste of Internet resources.

Tejas and Jyoti do some exercises for a break. Then they start searching the Internet for information about earthworms. They find some information which seems unbelievable.

Tejas: This web page says “Earthworms live for more than 5 years. If you cut an earthworm into two or more pieces, each piece will grow into a worm.” Can’t believe it!Jyoti: I have seen earthworms in our garden. I don’t think worms can grow back if they get cut.Moz: Good thinking. When you feel that you cannot trust some information that you find on internet, ask your elders like teachers or parents.Tejas: Does it mean that people can even write false information on Internet?Moz: Yes. It is possible. Anyone can publish on the internet. Internet does give us a lot of useful and accurate information. However, when we come across information that we feel is false or doubtful, then we need to think carefully before trusting such information.

Jyoti: Not only information, sometimes we cannot trust messages in mails too. I got a mail which said “You have won a gold set worth Rs. 10, 000. Pay Rs. 1000 when you receive the gift, towards delivery charges.” I did not reply to it. My friend also received such a mail. She replied to it. When she received the packet, she found that it was worthless.Moz: Never trust such messages and advertisements. They are not reliable.

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SMART - Check for Reliability of information and messages on the internet. Internet is full of useful and amazing information. However, sometimes the •information is not reliable. People might say or write things which are untrue, so you should always think •carefully before trusting any information. When in doubt, ask your teachers or parents.

SMART - Tell your parents, elders or teachers about any information or message that you do not trust.

Internet is full of fun and interesting things. But when you find something that •you do not like or disturbing, then you must tell your parents or elders whom you trust.Any message calling you for meetings should be discussed with your parents.•

Tejas: Today our family is going for a movie. Can I search for information about the movie on the internet?Moz: Yes. Go ahead. Tejas enters the movie name, finds out about the movie and shows it to Jyoti.Tejas: Jyoti, Would you like to join us? It is a nice movie.Jyoti: I have to ask my parents. If they give me permission I will come.Moz: You should also ask your parents when you want to use the Internet. It is similar to taking permission when you go out.Jyoti: My mother sits with me whenever I want to use Internet. She not only helps me but we also discover interesting information together.Tejas: I too browse the Internet with my elder brother and sometime with my father. Once Dad and I beat the computer at chess. It was fun. Tejas: Once I was browsing when Dad was busy. Then I misspelled the word “Lego”. I got some weird sites. I called my Dad. He told me to ignore such sites, correct the spelling and search again. Moz: You have done the right thing. In the city, there may be places where your parents say that it is not safe for you to go. Similarly on internet too, there are some web sites which are not safe. Remember to inform your parents if you come across information that makes you uncomfortable.

Jyoti: Once we got a mail saying that all our friends are meeting in the park. It looked like it was from my friend. But none of us had decided to meet. So, I told my parents about the same. They checked the email address and found out that it was not my friend’s email id. Moz: You did the right thing. Always inform your parents about such emails and also about information that you cannot believe in.

Moz: These are the rules which you should follow while browsing the Internet. Be SMART and browse safely. Chin Chinaki...

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Lesson Outcome

After you have studied this lesson, you will

be able to:

Browse internet safely.

Maintain information privacy.

Be aware of computer virus and spam.

Parents’ CornerBe your child's partner on the information highway:

Sit with your children when they are online. Encourage them to share with you •information about whom they communicate with and for what purposes. Ensure that they use the Internet mainly for educational purposes. Make an agreement with your children about how long they can use Internet per week •andforwhatpurposes.Letthemsignitsothattheyfeelcommittedtorespecttheirpromise.Assist them to create online nicknames. Caution children against sharing personal •information with online friends or unknown websites. Instructchildrennottodownloadprograms,music,orfileswithoutyourpermission.•Evaluatetheproposeddownloadonpossibilityofvirusattacks,spaceconstraintsofyour system and copyright issues before giving the permission.Inform your children that all the activities done on the Internet are logged and we can •get its record. This will make them more accountable for their actions.Encourage your children to tell you if something or someone online makes them feel •uncomfortable or threatened. Stay calm and deal with the situation.

Be proactive: Place computers in the family room and/or place the monitor such that you can get a •quick glance at the activities on the monitor while passing by. Be alert to sudden changes in your child's behaviour. Some pointers that should alarm •you are: Does your child spend more time on the computer? Has s/he become suddenly more secretive? Does s/he try to keep the screen turned away so that others cannot look what s/he is doing on the computer?Installanti-virussoftwareandscanyourcomputerregularly.Takebackupofimportant•data at least once a fortnight. Install Internet safety tools like kidlogger, refog, spiceworks to limit access to content.•Regularly track history of the Internet application. To do this, click History at the top •ofthewindowtoopentheleft-sidehistorybarandtrackbrowsinghistory.Be a positive role model. All family members are role models for young children who •are just starting to use the Internet. Your children learn more by observing what you do on the Internet rather than telling them to follow the rules.Playoutdoorgameswithyourchildrentoavoidgettingthemhookedontothecomputer.•Remember that Internet can be addictive and kids need to be guarded against this.

Check the following URLs:1.http://cdachyd.in/downloads(read the posters, brochures and handbooks)2. www.youtube.com (watch Internet safety videos)3.http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computer/topic.aspx?id=97(learn how to protect yourcomputeragainstvirusattacks)4.http://www.sbac.edu/~media/internet_safety_information.htm(get Internet safety information)

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There were a series of burglaries in 1. Sania’s neighbourhood. Sania has recently made a few friends online. The police found that two of Sania’s online friends were the burglars. They had got the information about the neighbourhood from Sania. Sania is a very nice girl. She was aghast.

What was Sania’s mistake?

What did she unknowingly reveal to the online friends?

Sonu, Monu and Savani worked hard and 2. finished the report for a school project. The report was prepared using a word processing application on the computer.

The computer was later used for checking mails by Sonu’s brother and his friends. Next day, Sonu could not take a printout, as the computer was infected by virus.

Answer the following:

The computer could have got the virus through the i. __________________ of an email.Sonu’s friend was able to print, because Sonu sent an ii. ___________________with the report as an _________________ to his team. Sonu was able to print the report in school because he iii. _______________ the report on a CD or a pen drive.

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

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Alia and Sweta went to the beach one day. Answer the 3. following and put the letter corresponding to the SMART rule, that matches the situation in the square box.

It is high tide time. Do Alia and Sweta go for swimming in i. the sea?

Yes/No Reason: ___________________

They meet some people on the beach who were going to a beautiful island near the ii. beach. They ask Sweta to go with them. She wanted to see the island. Does she go?

Yes/No ____ Reason: ____________________

Alia was feeling thirsty. Sweta offers her a cool drink. Does she drink it?iii. Yes/No ____ Reason: ____________________

There was a crowd near a boat. The boat man who might not be a reliable is saying that iv. he can show them a shark and dolphins in the sea. Do Alia and Sweta take the boat to see the shark and dolphins?

Yes/No ____ Reason: ___________________

Alia and Sweta enjoyed their beach outing. When they were back at home should they v. narrate the events to their parents?

Yes/No ____ Reason: ____________________

What does Sweta specifically tell her parents?vi.

WORKSHEETSBook V Lesson 7

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Five situations and a list of phrases are listed below. For each situation, explain the 4. safety rule by selecting the phrases that apply to that situation.

Ask permission of parents.a. Safety rules.b. Check if it is appropriate for age.c. Tell parents. d. Check for reliable information.e. Do not accept. f. Do not reveal personal details.g. Safety of people around.h. Ask parents to accompany.i. Precautionary measure.j.

Kartar’s dad was in the kitchen. He smelt gas. He ii. immediately opened the windows, doors and rushed out and asked everyone to come out of the house. Kartar immediately informed the neighbours. Kartar’s mother informed the gas providers about the same. Kartar’s dad followed ________________________________________________________________Kartar followed _____________________________________________________________________Kartar’s mother followed ______________________________________________________________

Fiona and Kimi are of the same age and are good friends. They met online and later iii. became good friends. How did they meet?

Fiona and Kimi followed _______________________________(Hint: Their parents __________ them when they met for the first time.)

Example: Simi asked her parents if she can go with her friends to a movie. It was an i. adult movie so her parents explained to her that she can see such movies only when she is older and suggested another movie.

Simi followed a) by asking permission of parents to go to the movie. ___________________________________________________________ Parents followed c) by checking if the movie is appropriate for Simi’s age. _________________________________________________________

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WORKSHEETSBook V Lesson 7

Manoj is flying to Goa to meet his grandparents. A well dressed person named Sanjay iv. comes and asks Manoj to take a gift for his grandson in Goa. Manoj agrees. Sanjay asks Manoj about his personal details so that his grandson can collect the gift. Manoj gives his personal details. When Manoj arrives in Goa he tells his grandparents about the gift. The grandparents tell the police about the gift. Later on, the police catch the culprits who come to burgle Manoj’s home..

Manoj followed __________________________________________Manoj did not follow ______________________________________Grandparents followed ____________________________________

Guha got 20 marks for the report that he prepared v. on dinosaurs. He checked only one resource for information and the teacher has commented that most of the information was not correct.

Guha did not follow _________________________ Kelvin got 75 marks for the report on Dinosaurs. He checked books in the library,

disscussed with his parents and checked atleast 3 sites on the internet. Kelvin followed ______________________________

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Explore!Find out the different names of some Virus that 1. can attack your computer.Find out the different anti virus software available.2. Observe how an antivirus software scans and 3. protects your computer.

Virus Killer: 2. Aim of the game is to score points by destroying viruses and with bonuses at the end of each round. Viruses will stream in each round and begin to make their way towards your directories. Viruses can be destroyed by firing your kernel laser at them.

For each of the SMART rules, prepare a poster showing one situation where the rule was 1. followed and one where the rule was not followed. Specify the rule clearly on the top of the poster. Use images, drawings, paintings, or cartoon characters to illustrate the rules in the poster.

Form groups of 5 students. Each one should collect information about one of the topics given below. Think of a situation for any one of the topics and enact a skit to show what happens when safety rules are followed. Also show what happens when the safety rules are not followed.

Cooking in the kitchen.a. Swimming.b. Driving a car.c. Working on a construction site/mining site.d. Eating food outside the home.e. Taking care of a small baby at home.f.

Group Activity

Book V Lesson 7ACTIVITY

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Teacher’sCornerThe purpose of this lesson is to teach the students how to safeguard oneself while using Internet and email services. While, earlier lessons have asked the students to be cautious whilesurfing,thislessonprovidesexplicitguidelines.

Narratea story thatgives informationonwhathappens ifone isnot safe.Forexample,Nafisamadefriendsatasocialnetworkingsite(e.g.Facebook)andtheyaskedhertocomeoverforacupofcoffee.Shewasabductedandreleasedwiththehelpofpolice.Emphasizeonnotsharingpersonal information.Youcangiveexamplesofwhat ispersonal,sothatit becomes clear to them that sharing snaps, videos, address, details of family members, phone number are all personal information. Tell the students that strangers may not have good intentions and therefore they should be cautious. Instruct them to use the Internet under the supervision of an older family member/ teacher.

Educatethestudentsabouthowaviruscanattacktheircomputer.Mentionthatattachmentsreceived in email and pen drive are the most common ways of spreading virus. Inform them about what a virus does and how to protect the computer from it.

Tell the students that not all the information available online or received in email is reliable. Use the examplementioned in the lesson about winning a prize money to teach thispoint.

Emphasizethattheyneedtobringtonoticeoftheirparents/teachersaboutmailsreceivedfromstrangers,anyothermaterialthatisdisturbing.Usethisopportunitytosensitizethestudents about the possible abuse that can happen while using Internet.

You can make a poster of SMART guidelines and put it in the computer room to remind thestudentsaboutsafeonlinebehaviour.EmphasizethatInternethastobeusedmainlyforeducational purposes and for not more than a couple of hours per week.

Further Reading:http://home.disney.go.com/guestservices/safetyhttp://www.wiredkids.org/http://www.connectsafely.org/safety-tips.htmlhttp://www.badguypatrol.ca/default.htm

Book V

Lesson 7