Dariusz Stachecki graduated from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and from a postgraduate school of information technology and education management. IT teacher at a junior high school and a junior IT college. Deputy director of the Szołdrski Junior High School in Nowy Tomyśl. Organizer of National Conferences for School Computer Network Administrators KASSK in Nowy Tomyśl, ECD and ECDL Advanced examiner, OKE examiner, instructor at Cisco IT Academy, trainer of the Polish Foundation for Computer Literacy, Apple Distinguished Educator, member of the Polish Information Technology Society. 

Dariusz Stachecki has dealt with computer education at school since 1991. He has promoted the idea of using information and communication technologies at school. He has worked for safe school computer networks and improving children and young people’s safety on the Internet, taking an active part in various initiatives and campaigns, e.g., Safer Internet Day or Stop Cyberbullying. He conducts training for teachers, administrators of Internet Multimedia Information Centres and administrators of computer rooms. He has initiated many initiatives for implementing technology in education, school computerization, and creating/developing school technology infrastructures. Since 2006 he has been engaged in the e-School Wielkopolska programme.

The use of new technologies has become an inherent part of today’s school. We have to remember that young people we work with are “digital natives” – they use technology on a daily basis, treating it as a source of knowledge, learning, entertainment, and communication. To be authentic in this process, the teacher needs to use the same communication channels that are perceived by young people as trustworthy, attractive, and adequate. Today, it is just impossible to teach in any other way. 

Keeping this in mind, we try to provide young people with the broadest possible access to information and communication technologies. Today, school computer rooms do not surprise anyone in Poland, and computerized libraries and the use of new technologies during classes other than IT have become common. Computers ensure fast access to information, make classes more attractive, and make teaching more effective, appealing, and interesting. There are more and more devices that perform increasingly diverse functions. In this technological school reality we have to devote much attention to ensuring that the content available on the Internet is reliable and appropriate, and that the use of communication devices at school is safe. Each school and educational institution should have its own safety policy associated with the operation of the IT structure, similarly to various business organizations and workplaces. On the one hand, there should be safety rules concerning hardware, its optimal use and maintenance to guarantee high functionality of the entire infrastructure. On the other hand, the safety policy should ensure secure use of the school network by its users. This includes both the principles of safe and hygienic work, and the rules of moral security, i.e. such access to information that does not pose the risk of exposure to undesirable content or depravation and protects users’ privacy. Such policies should be also effective in preventing any attempts to use the network devices and resources for cyberbullying.