*** Original Blog Post ***

I don’t know if anyone else had the opportunity to watch PBS’s FrontLine Special: Growing Up Online that aired on Jan. 22, 2008. If you missed it, I strongly urge you to take the time and watch it. You can view the full video program series online here.

The program is phenomenal. That’s the only word I can think of to describe the way it hit me. It really opens your eyes as to what is happening out there in our students’ daily lives. The stories/chapters within the program truly amplify just how “out of touch” we are as, so called, “digital immigrants.” It blatantly points out the huge generation gap that continues to exist between adults and children growing up in this era.

So I wonder – how do we protect ourselves? our students? our children? But more importantly, how do we prepare them to live in an online world where there are no true “boundaries” or “rules”?

With all the activity happening online there are no immediate consequences to one’s actions. Kids will say things online that they will not say to a person’s face, for instance insults and threatening remarks. People will post pictures somewhere online for everyone to see that they would never show in real life. We ask ourselves why? One answer may be clear; we have inhibitions for a reason. There are certain places and situations where we should not tell dirty jokes, there are things that you do not allow others to see. However, the internet and online social networking permits and even encourages people to engage in what we have been taught not to do. People can talk nasty and dirty without knowing the hurt they caused by seeing the look on the other person’s face, or getting “red-faced” themselves. Knowing when it’s appropriate to cut into a conversation or when to just listen; knowing what you can say to your best friend verses what you can say to someone you hardly know are all social skills that are developed in “real-life” – face to face – society. The internet makes bullying, insulting, threatening, and picking on or making fun of someone easy to do. Yet, these same acts are very hard to do in person. Therefore, kids are turning to cyber space to engage in these hurtful, disruptive acts.

My questions still remain the same. What now? How do we prepare our students, children and each other to live “protected” and “safe” in an online world?

I know we (the “digital immigrants” – both parents and educators) need to embrace the tools that they (the “digital natives”) are using; including social networking sites (myspace.com/Facebook), blogs, wikis, IM, etc… I have never denied that fact. The first step is to embrace these tools and utilize them in the classroom and to our advantage, yes, but what are the next steps?

What about preparing our students/children to deal with the “dark side” of being online and clickable? How do we prepare “the future” to handle negative, but impactful, situations online? How do we teach ourselves and our students to live in a society where these factors are fundamentally a way of life?

: Top Resources for Parents & Educators :

• NetSmartz Workshop – http://www.netsmartz.org
• CyberSmart! Curriculum – http://www.cybersmart.org
• iKeepSafe.org – http://www.ikeepsafe.org
• iSafe.org – http://www.isafe.org
• Yahoo! Safely – http://safely.yahoo.com
• CommonSense Media – http://www.commonsensemedia.org

: Safe Websites and Search Tools for Kids :

Finding content on the Internet that is educational, entertaining, and appropriate for kids is one of the most important things a parent can do. Bookmark appropriate websites for your kids by searching one of these sites first:

• Ask Kids – http://www.askkids.com/
• Get Net Wise – http://kids.getnetwise.org/kidsites/
• KidsClick! – http://www.kidsclick.org/
• Nettrekker – http://elementary.nettrekker.com/subject/
• ThinkQuest – http://www.thinkquest.org/library/
• Trinity School: Virtual Trinity Website Links – http://www.trinityatl.org/virtual_trinity/links.aspx
• Yahoo Kids! (Yahooligans!) – http://kids.yahoo.com/

: Internet Filtering and Monitoring Software :

• Net Nanny – http://www.netnanny.com/
• CyberPatrol Parental Controls 7.7 – http://www.cyberpatrol.com/
• Spector Pro – http://www.spectorsoft.com/

: Internet Safety Guides :

• Family Online Safety Guide – http://www.symantec.com/norton/familyresources/resources.jsp?title=online_safety_guide
• Keeping your child safe on the Internet – http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/downloads/homeoffice.pdf
• Parenting Online – http://www.wiredsafety.org/resources/pdf/parentingonline.pdf
  

: Internet Safety Online Resources :

• NetSmartz –
  http://www.netsmartz.org/
  NetSmartz® is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children (ages 5-17), parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet. The NetSmartz Workshop can be accessed at www.NetSmartz.org and www.NetSmartzKids.org. The NetSmartz Workshop was made possible via a public-private partnership with the United States Congress, United States Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
• NetSmartz Kids –
  http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexFL.htm
  Through games and activities, this site helps kids understand how to stay safe online, especially when communicating via instant messaging and social networking sites.
• Club UYN –
  http://clubuyn.netsmartzkids.org/
  Club UYN®, the free NetSmartz Kids fan club, offers you one more opportunity to engage your children with activities that will help them learn about being safer both on-and offline. As members of Club UYN your child will have the opportunity to play games, watch animated videos, and download crafts and activities. They can also send in their fan work – poems, pictures, stories, and safety tips to be posted on Club UYN’s website.
• Wired Safety – http://www.wiredsafety.org
  WiredSafety provides help, information and education to Internet and mobile device users of all ages. We help victims of cyberabuse ranging from online fraud, cyberstalking and child safety, to hacking and malicious code attacks. We also help parents with issues, such as MySpace and cyberbullying.
• CTAP4 –
  http://www.ctap4.org/cybersafety/
  The California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP)
  has created an INCREDIBLE resource for students, parents, and educators on the important topic of the awareness of CyberSafety (http://www.ctap4.org/cybersafety/). In addition, CTAP4 has created a downloadable PowerPoint presentation which links to what is perceived as one of the best cyber safety resources and contains video clips that support and teach the issues.
  
• iKeepSafe –
  http://www.ikeepsafe.org/
  The Internet Keep Safe Coalition group teaches basic rules of Internet safety to children and parents, reaching them online and in school. The iKeepSafe.org website teaches children to safely navigate the Internet through a virtual playground, Faux Paw’s adventures in storybooks, an animated video download, and educational games. Educational materials, including worksheets and tests, are also available for parents and educators.
  
• CyberSmart! –
  http://www.cybersmart.org/
  The CyberSmart! School Program develops curricula and training programs for professional development designed to help educators empower students to take full advantage of computers and the Internet. The site contains Internet safety information for students, parents, and educators, and includes lesson plans, activity sheets, downloadable posters, and safety tips.
• Family Education Network –
  http://www.familyeducation.com
  Visit this site to learn more about blocking, filtering, monitoring and tracking software. This site also offers games, quizzes, and articles especially for kids and teens.
• Childnet’s Kidsmart –
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/
  Kidsmart is an award winning practical internet safety program website for schools, young people, parents, and agencies, produced by the children’s internet charity Childnet International.