Ministry of education EDUTech@Seychelles launches competitions for teachers and students

The EDUTech@Seychelles was officially launched in September last year by the minister for education, Mrs. Macsuzy Mondon during a ceremony at the Seychelles Trading Company conference room, in the presence of delegates from different ministries, and local and international companies.

The EDUTech@Seychelles competition which is open to all students and educators from state and private schools aims at promoting the use of ICT in teaching and learning, by providing opportunities for students to become independent learners and exploit the use of ICT, and helping teachers develop a vision to transform their classrooms into an environment that fosters 21st century learning and innovative teaching practices.

The main competition requires the participants to submit a project, or a lesson that uses ICT for teaching and or learning and provide evidence that ICT used has enhanced the teaching and or learning process.

The competition is open to students and teachers from state or private schools at crèche, primary, secondary, post secondary or tertiary education level either as individual or groups category.  Participants can collect a copy of the application form at the IT services section of the ministry of education after school or working hours, Monday to Friday and receive further information about the competition.   

The deadline to submit application forms for the competition is 11 March 2013 and all competitors have to submit the completed the project by 21 June 2013.

The ministry of education has also launched three other competitions for students as part of the EDUTech@Seychelles competitions for this year.  There is an essay writing competition for students at secondary level, a digital story writing competition for students at primary level and a public speaking competition aimed at secondary and post secondary level students.

The forms and details about each competition are available at the schools and the IT services section of the ministry of education.   

Participants have until 11 March 2013 to submit their application forms.

The deadline for essays and stories is 24 May 2013 whereas the public speaking competition elimination rounds will start on 13 June 2013.

Forum to promote responsible and safe online browsing

The initiative by the ministry of education to hold a forum to promote safe, secure and responsible online browsing and to mark safer internet day started in 2012.  The forum this year was held on February 22nd in the school of education auditorium, and was attended by the principal secretary for education, Mrs. Merida Delcy, officers from the ministry of education as well as students and educators from the primary, secondary and post secondary education institutions.  Officers from the National Council for Children (NCC) and the Cable and Wireless Seychelles (CWS) were also present at the forum.

The general aim of the forum was to help the participants understand and recognise their rights and responsibilities and to appreciate that new media technologies bring solutions as well as challenges.  In so doing also understand the consequences of inappropriate and irresponsible uses of new media technologies, for example accessing or posting inappropriate or harmful material.

In her opening address the principal secretary for education said that promoting online safety should not be only through a forum once a year but a belief that we should all uphold daily, every time we and our children are online, so that they are constantly reminded of the potential dangers of being online and the importance of taking precautions to stay safe.

She added that internet safety is not about a lot of rules rather it is about respecting and protecting yourself and others online, and about knowing your rights and your responsibilities and respecting the rights of others online.

During his presentation, the NCC’s communication coordinator, Mr. Jean Claude Matombe, presented an overview of the similarities between the rights and responsibilities of a person in the online and offline world.  He pointed out that a person’s rights and responsibilities do not stop when he is online.  We have the right to express ourselves when we are online and we are responsible for our actions as they affect others, just as we are in responsible for our actions in the offline world.

Schools and parents cannot enforce extreme restrictions on the use of technology in order to protect children.  Whereas access to websites at school that are improper or which contain harmful software is limited so as to maintain a safe working educational environment, children are still able to access harmful content when they are outside the classroom and unsupervised.

Mr. Matombe called on the parents to be more vigilant and aware of what their children are doing online, as nowadays more and more children have access to internet through mobile devices at an earlier age.  He noted that the same rules we set for our children in their normal everyday life should be applied in the online world. For instance, we tell our children not to talk to strangers or give their phone numbers or personal information to anyone they meet on the street, and yet our children are doing the opposite while they are online.

During the second presentation at the forum, Mr. Christopher Laurence, the products and services executive from CWS explained how SafeNet, the company’s new service will help parents and businesses remove the risk of accessing restricted sites and harmful content while online.

Mr. Laurence said the SafeNet service should not a replacement for the customer’s antivirus software, but rather an additional safety feature to complement their existing virus protection software.

The service which will be available at the end of February comes in three different bundles to suit the different customers’ needs.

During the forum, the audience was able to participate with comments and questions after each presentation.  They also viewed an animated story about netiquettes (etiquette on the net) and a video clip of a song with messages about the safety precautions they should take before they go online and while online.

Safer Internet Day

Message to mark Safer Internet Day in Seychelles 

05 February 2013

Safer Internet Day (SID) is observed in February to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile internet, especially amongst children and young people across the world. Each year hundreds of events around the world are organised to raise awareness about online safety issues. 

2013 is the 10th anniversary of Safer Internet Day which is being celebrated with the theme ‘Online Rights and Responsibilities’ and the slogan ‘Connect with Respect’,

Rights and responsibilities are fundamental to internet safety. Without it you leave yourself open to many different online attacks from fraud to online bullying.

In everything that we do online we have to think if it is within our rights and if we have the responsibility to do it. For many of us this may be difficult, because our rights and responsibilities online are different offline, which is why it is important to include these ideas into our daily lives at a young enough age and adapt to them quickly.

Many of you are skilled at understanding new technologies and cannot imagine how to live without them. You carry with you powerful access devices and are constantly linking to social network sites, building your own online communities and creating and sharing content.

However, as a child you can be impulsive and often you do not think through the consequences of your actions, whether you are on or offline. When communicating with electronic devices and on the Internet you need to be aware of your rights and responsibilities.

The devices you carry contain all kinds of information about you: phone numbers you call, friends you contact, your text or e-mail conversations, photos, videos, websites visited, location, and more. You have a right to keep this information private.

The Internet is a powerful tool for communication. Posting information on the Internet can be like publishing it in the newspaper. If the website is public, anyone can look at it.  Many Internet users, however, do not realize that they are publishing to the world and the Internet has potential for misuse.

You have the right to post on a public website, but do it responsibly and with care because other people could take your posting and copy it to another website where you cannot delete it. So think carefully before you post.

You have the right to express yourself online, whether you are writing e-mails, posting to a blog, updating a homepage, or talking in a chat-room, but you are also responsible for your actions as they affect others.

Schools and parents cannot impose complete restrictions on the use of technology in order to protect young people.

The school’s most important duty is to provide education for all students. As students you are responsible for following school rules so that the school remains a safe, welcoming place where all students can learn.   

School computers are equipped with filtering software that prevents access to websites considered improper for a school setting or which contain harmful software. There are limits on Internet access to sites in order to maintain a working educational environment.

Bullying, in-person or through electronic means, is a form of aggression that can cause fear, shame, and interferes with another student's right to receive an education.

Cyberbullying is online bullying, and happens when the Internet, cell phones, or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.

It is against the rules to bring a cell phone to school, and using a cell phone to secretly capture a video of other people and post it online from home violates their privacy.

Whether you are recording a conversation or taking pictures with your cell phone, you have to respect other people's privacy rights.  Ask for permission before you record a conversation, take pictures or video.  If someone asks you to stop, or the person you asked does not agree, recording the conversation is illegal.

Taking, sending, viewing and even possessing nude, semi-nude or other sexually explicit images, videos, or other digital content, also known as "sexting," can get you into serious trouble both at school and with the law. Underage sexting is illegal. Forwarding images, videos, or other digitally sexted content you receive from another person is a crime.

Putting your real name, address, or phone number on a public website is like putting the information up on a billboard – anybody can read and use the information for any purpose, without you ever knowing.

To protect your personal information from being used without your permission, you should not give out this information when posting or communicating online.

You have the right to protect your personal information and privacy.

You have a right to protect yourself online and ensure your personal information is secure.

We all have the right to educate ourselves and those close to us on how to stay safe online.

Respect and protect yourself and others. If a friend or someone close to you is experiencing cyber bullying, trolling, unwanted contact or sexting, encourage them to report it and seek support by talking to a trusted adult.

Playing games online and using consoles or games on a computer is great fun, but you to need to be careful how much you play and who you play with.

Your digital reputation is defined by your behaviours in the online environment and by the content that you post about yourself and others.  Connect with Respect. Know your rights and responsibilities and respect the rights of others online.

Safer Internet Day

Connect with respect to mark safer internet day  

(Seychelles Nation 05.02.2013 http://www.nation.sc/)

The National Council for Children (NCC) has been at the forefront of a number of educational projects focused on promoting safety for children and their families and to celebrate safer internet day it is launching a survey.

This survey will gauge students’ attitudes and perceptions through internet access, usage, safety issues, and restrictions.
Keeping children safe online is a key commitment which the organisation has taken with a coalition of key stakeholders from the private sector, Ministry of Education, the media, government departments, community leaders, youth organisations, non-governmental organisation (NGO) representatives and a member of parliament.
With  the help of two experienced child exploitation and online protection (CEOP) ambassadors (people who have expertise in training others on online safety) from the International school, the group met last year to discuss and share e-safety issues and work on a new plan, which includes a survey to mark Safer Internet Day.  The theme for this year is 'Online rights and responsibilities', and the e-safe committee is encouraging all users to 'Connect with respect'.
''We are living in the digital age and the younger generations are those most active online,” a spokesperson for the group said.
“These young people are particularly at ease with the use of the internet but they are still vulnerable to online threats. It is our duty as adults to keep our children safe – and this includes safety on the web. We have to reinforce cooperation at different levels to combat cybercrime, and especially the most horrible acts such as sexual exploitation and the dissemination of child sexual abuse material online," added the spokesperson.
The e-safe committee will develop various strategies to make the internet safer through development of e-safe materials and online content. Young people as well as adults need the skills and tools for using the internet safely and responsibly.
It was felt that schools were well placed to teach children the skills needed to make the most of online opportunities as they can reach all children – including the most vulnerable ones who may not benefit from adequate parental supervision.
Teachers should therefore be trained to advise children about online safety and equipped to discuss such issues as cyber-bullying and dangers of posting photographs or giving personal information. Educating parents, teachers and E-leaders will also be a means of protecting children online.
As the internet was originally designed for adults and not kids, there is a need to ensure that children are safe online. Hence the reason for kicking off the e-safe Seychelles programme with a survey that has been designed to capture quality information through questions that would help gauge students’ attitudes and perceptions through internet access, usage, safety issues, and restrictions.
The survey will give an idea about children’s online behaviour, risks and vulnerability to harm, and will help document existing preventive and protective measures to combat online abuse and exploitation and also indicate the type of activities needed for future promotion of the campaign. 
“We want to encourage schools, the private sector, government departments, local communities, police, youth organisations, churches and the wider public to get involved in promoting Safer Internet,” the spokesperson said.
“Staying safe online is important for everyone, and by reaching out together we can promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people not only here in Seychelles but across the world,” the spokesperson added.