Seventh graders at Sashabaw Middle School learned valuable lessons about staying safe online this summer after they helped save a young teen from the clutches of a smooth-talking Internet predator.
Although the teen’a fictional character called Zackman’was part of an interactive computer game, his dilemma was based on a real-life story of a boy who headed off to meet someone he believed was a friend.
Each of the school’s 700 seventh graders participated in the weeklong program, working in groups of 2-3 to review evidence, record clues, and decipher codes in a game designed to illustrate dangers of talking to strangers online.
Now in its second year at SMS, the course was approved by the school board last year after a proposal by Detective Kirk Matich of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Independence Township substation.
‘It’s a good time to do this,? said Matich, who serves as school liaison for Sashabaw Middle School, as well as Clarkston Junior High and all seven of the district’s elementary schools. ‘It’s summer, and many of these kids are going to be home alone while their parents are working.?
Matich said students were receptive to the program, and seemed more likely to understand dangers when they were able to play the game, rather than listen to a teacher or other adult delivering a lecture on the topic.
‘The kids are becoming more cognizant about what they’re putting online and who they’re talking to,? Matich said. ‘They’re starting to see that people are often not who they say they are.?
Program facilitators stressed the importance of Internet safety, but also encouraged the kids to use critical thinking skills and have fun with the game.
‘The kids are excited this year more than last,? said Kim Prentice, Sashabaw Middle School technology integrator. ‘It’s really neat to watch them toward the end of the game as they get close to solving the mystery. The kids really like it’you can tell by the energy and the feel in the room.?
And most seem to walk away with a new understanding of risks involved in chatting with strangers online.
‘You have to make sure you pay attention to what you put online,? said seventh-grader Jordan Stuart, who said she doesn’t have’or want’a MySpace account. ‘You shouldn’t put a picture of yourself in any kind of jersey or anything like that, because someone could figure out who you are.?
Once the program was complete and the mystery solved, students were asked to complete an Internet safety plan and fill out a questionnaire about what they liked and didn’t like about the program.
Friday, a representative from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Computer Crimes Unit reviewed the game’s main concepts and also told kids about real-life predators the unit has encountered.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard recommends Safekids.com as a source of information for parents. Concerned parents can also call Mandy Andrews, sheriff’s community liaison, for information on Internet safety presentations or to request child safety literature, at 248-858-1947.