Chapter 5: Developing a Cybersafety Program for early Childhood Education: A New Zealand Case Study

Young children are our most precious resource. As role models, parents and educators have both a moral and legal responsibility to ensure all practical measures are taken to provide a physically and emotionally safe environment in which young children may flourish. Information and communication technology (ICT) is opening up new opportunities for learning and discovery. It is changing the way people communicate, and it is allowing families to become more involved in their children’s learning, even when distance separates them. The use of ICT in the learning environment does, however, come with some risk. Nevertheless, that risk can be managed and need not detract from the ultimate goal of ICT in education - to improve learning.