Safer Internet Day

I'm a couple of days late blogging about this, but somehow I just found out about it. February 7, 2012 marked an international event known as Safer Internet Day (SID). This event is held on the 2nd day, of the 2nd week, of the 2nd month every year since 2004 (http://www.saferinternetday.org/web/guest/sid-2012). This years SID was entitled Connecting generations and educating each other, with the slogan: "Discover the digital world together... safely!" As educators we often talk about the opportunities brought through the the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies but we don't always fully express the danger or the personal responsibility we each have. There is a real danger in posting an inappropriate picture of yourself, or in cyber bullying. There are real predators and scam artists out there, and they are not always obvious. Maybe some of us do talk about it, in our role as educator or parent, but how often do we do it in such a way that people really pay attention? I'm not just talking about kids here either, the military is concerned about troops posting information that could be used against them, or about bad behavior being posted and going viral. Adults have found themselves in situations where they post information that can get them fired, are in violation of HIPAA regulations, or ensure that don't get that perfect job they just applied for. Over the past year we have heard how social media has helped organize protests and political movements all over the world, and think how small the world has become, and yet these same social networks can only reach those who know they exist.