Responsibility and accountability

Responsibility and Accountability:Education for Parents in a Digital World

Sr. Geralyn Schmidt, SCC

Concerns for Parents

• Child accessing information that is inappropriate for the child’s age group.

• Access graphically violent subject matter• Use of chat rooms – friendships of individuals

that do not have interest at heart• Use of internet for Hate Groups• Curiosity about questionable or dangerous

behaviors of persons in age groups.

Concerns for Parents

• Order drugs or weapons on line• Sites that ask children for private information

in order to win prizes• Virus/malware on computer

5 Ways of Using Technology

• Communicating

• Social Networking

• Web Surfing

• Downloading

• Gaming

5 Challenges for Parents

• Keeping up is hard– Teach kids safe and appropriate behavior

• Kids go online without us– KNOW where your kids go

• Kids know more that we do– Still need ground rules

• It’s a user-generated world– Think about what they post, read, and write

5 Challenges for Parents

• We stick our noses in at a time when kids want independence– Embrace their world– They need to be safe and smart

Internet Safety Basics

Help your kids understand that:• Never share names, schools, ages, phone

numbers, addresses – personal information• Never send pictures to strangers• Keep passwords private (except to parents)• Never open email from strangers• Tell an adult if something creepy happens• NOTHING on line is private• Never make plans to meet a internet friend in

person

Strategies for a responsible and safer Online experience

• Visit only age-appropriate sites– Check out site with your child

• Search safely– Safe search settings … safe browsers

• Avoid strangers• Be a good cyber citizen– Real life behavior vs. on-line behavior

Strategies for a responsible and safer Online experience

• Online cheating• Keep the computer in a central place• Establish expectations and limits– Time– What they do when online– Family Media Agreement

• View your own habits YOU are the role models

Strategies for a responsible and safer Online experience

• Be involved and have FUN with them!– Stay well informed– Show interest in the sites they visit– Play GAMES with them

“CSC”Communicate – Safety Rules -- Cyberbullies

• Once you have an understanding– Establish rules– Bookmark sites– Communicate about dangers / situations– Talk– Talk– Talk

Communicating

• Middle schoolers– Email– Instant Messaging (IM)– Chat Rooms– Blogs

• Online to:– Gossip– Chat– Do homework– Send pictures

• Online communication thrives on anonymity … fertile ground to cyber bulling

• No record of conversation

• HOT WORDS– SN– IM/AIM– Buddy list– My Space– Facebook – Xanga

Communicating• Instant Messaging– Create buddy lists

• not totally sure of whom you are talking with

• SN (Screen Names)

– Free– Communicate with friends

instantly– Disappear when program

closes – cyber bulling– Software traces

communication– Don’t believe if child says

knows everyone on list.

• Blog (Web blog)– Creativity– Self esteem booster– Inadvertently give out

personal information

– FYI … – 1 out of 5 minors

solicited onlone

Social Networking

• Bulletin Boards of Kids lives– Instant community (place to belong)– Upload pictures– Invite friends – Handy way for trying out new identities

Social Networking

• Cyber bulling• Great time eaters• Vehicle for self

expression• Digital footprint– Nothing is private– Ruin “future”

• Age limits• Balance between child’s

privacy and self expression needs with safety

• NOTHING is private• No personal identifiers• No meeting strangers

MovieBrad Paisley

Web Surfing

• ISP• Cable• DSL• WiFi• Home Page• Browser• URL• Search Engine

• Jet plane to uncharted worlds

• Puts the world at the fingertips of kids

• Parents can track where students go– Filters– Pop-ups

Web Surfing

• Surfing in an unfiltered and unsupervised environment can expose kids to inappropriate content

• Location• Check history• Never click on pop-ups• Investigate Internet safety software• Think smart … teach kids stuff on internet not always

true or accurate

Downloading

• If it can be surfed, it can be downloaded.

• Free/not free• Most parents are

involved in this – credit cards

• Peer-2-peer software

• Set rules about what can and cannot be downloaded

• Check for peer-to-peer file sharing systems

• DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Gaming

• Adults must be involved– Free/pay– Rated/not– Subscriptions– Chat rooms– Email address– Multiplayer games

• Gamer tags

• Addictive• Interface with strangers• Age appropriate• Set price and time limits• Know WHO your child is

playing with

Strategies for a responsible and safer Online experience

• Visit only age-appropriate sites– Check out site with your child

• Search safely– Safe search settings … safe browsers

• Avoid strangers• Be a good cyber citizen– Real life behavior vs. on-line behavior

Strategies for a responsible and safer Online experience

• Online cheating• Keep the computer in a central place• Establish expectations and limits– Time– What they do when online– Family Media Agreement

• View your own habits YOU are the role models

Strategies for a responsible and safer Online experience

• Be involved and have FUN with them!– Stay well informed– Show interest in the sites they visit– Play GAMES with them

“CSC”Communicate – Safety Rules -- Cyberbullies

• Once you have an understanding– Establish rules– Bookmark sites– Communicate about dangers / situations– Talk– Talk– Talk

Digital FootprintsMovie

Digital Footprints

• Online portfolios of who we are, what we do, and by association, what we know

• (2007) Survey – 80% of young people on line are networking and 70% discussing education related topics

• How to help kids create, navigate, grow in an effective, ethical and safe way

Digital Footprints

• We prepare the young people to be educated, owners of online spaces.

• Diverse network that expresses different points of view

• Make decisions about people who they interact while remaining safe

• WE ARE ROLE MODELS