Cyber Education

Parents Cyber Education

Cyber Education

       This was a question posted by one of my colleague and it really made me think of whose job is it.  I personally think that as a responsible parent of a tween and teenager, it is our job to educate ourselves because we are as connected as our kids.  Some parents are so connected that they don't budge when their young ones are trying to communicate to them.  Many parents are careful about what they post on their social networking system (at least most parents I know); some really go  out their way to find answers or know many things about guarding what they put out in the web.  Educating ourselves (parents) should be our responsibility.  

       As parents, ponder and reflect why we provide our children with all these smart technology if we do not have a clear purpose aside from the most obvious reason that is to get in touch with them.  Sometimes I think that we are in small way plays a role in why our children can get cyber-bullied by putting those smart technologies in their hands without a clear expectations, rules and consequences.  

Pondering Point

Cyber Stats

Common Sense Tip # 3

Here is another common sense tip to avoid cyber bullying for students:

How Parents Can Help

HELP!!!

So, you found out that your child is a victim of cyber bullying.  What are going to do next?  Honestly, give your child a big hug and thank your child for opening up to you.  This is actually the very first step.  I pretty sure that you have been communicating with your child but like what I mentioned in my previous post, it is sometimes hard to detect if your child is being cyber bullied.  Here are some things you can do:

• Block the Bully:  This can easily be done just by changing few things in the setting of any electronic devices.  
• Limit access to technology:  I am pretty sure that asking this maybe too much for your child (especially teen) but this is the only way the curb the temptation of checking text messages, websites, and emails.  Always keep any electronic devices public in the home, yes, even their own personal laptops--especially your child's own personal devices.  
• Know your child's internet/online world:  As a parent, you have the right to check what they posted, what they sent, basically their online history.  If they are on social media, ask that you have to be included as "friend," this way you are aware who they are coming in contact with on line.  Emphasize to them the importance of privacy and why it is such a bad idea to share personal information on-line.  
• Find web resources about cyber bullying:  Many parents maybe lost once they found out that their child is being cyber bullied and it can really be overwhelming and frustrating but take the time to find resources how you can help your child help, cope, and heal.  
• TALK, TALK, TALK to them:  Even if the unfortunate happened already, the importance of keeping an open line of communication with your child is indeed the first line of defense and first line to helping/healing.
• BACK TO BASICS:  Think of family activities.  Perhaps we can go back to the "old school" family activities.   Family needs to reevaluate what it means to be connected again, find basic things such as eating dinners together, camping, game nights, and movie nights are some things we need to reconsider.

Cyber Bullying

Cyber Bullying

Bullies..THEN

Technology has opened another avenue for bullies to perform what they are so good about—harassing, threatening, and targeting other people in the digital world.  This digital word has just given parents, care giver, teachers, and administrators a much bigger scope of responsibilities.   Now bullies are not just confined in our school playgrounds but as scary as it is, they are with us—right on our cell phones, tablets, and computers.  I say, it is getting too close to home!!!

Bullies.. NOW

So what then is Cyber Bullying? This is a term use in the technology world meaning to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person.  Cyber bullying can be as simple as a mean or cruel message through text message, tweet, and/or email.  Cyber bullying can be intentional or accidental as well.  Accidental ones are hard to spot since the impersonal nature of our texts, emails, and IMs sometimes make it hard to detect the tone of the sender, but repeated pattern of texts, emails, IMs is not accidental.

As more and more children are given access to computers, cell phones, tablets, and other technology, the incidence of cyber bullying is likely to rise.

While children will manifest different signs, here are some general signs that parents, caregiver, teachers, counselors, and administrators should be looking for:

• signs of emotional distress during or after using a cell phone, computer or smart tablet
• being secretive of their digital life
• some form of withdrawal from family, peers, and even from activities they used to enjoy doing
• grades are negatively affected
• changes in their moods, behavior, sleep pattern and even changes in their appetite

Common Sense Tip # 2

Here is another tip for the day to keep our children cyber safe...Parents and children need to watch this...

Pretty fun videos that children can understand.

Common Sense Tips

"Statistics vary, but at least 20% of our children will experience harassing, hateful, or insulting messages."

                                                      

I saw this from the Norton website and this is a pretty scary statistics.  I know this will continue to rise.  

TIP OF THE DAY:  

Limit your child's online usage to 30 minutes.  If they are to use it after that, let it be solely for homework, no social networking, IMs, etc.

Cyber World and the safety of our children

Technology has revolutionized the teaching and learning in schools.  Imagine the times that we have to lug all our textbooks in our backpacks every single day, to and from school (accounts for the many scoliosis cases I've seen) and then in many schools now, textbooks are accessible on the websites.  From lugging to logging-in, big change-huge as a matter of fact came into existence because of technology.  But in spite of this change, parents are still going back to using the textbooks instead of the textbooks online.  Why is this?  Is it because our children can by accident get into a website that might be harmful to them and the computer itself?  Indeed there is a risk of letting our children go online, but at the same time this is what the future of education--technology will be the biggest component. 

Students now are more technologically savvy than the previous generations. Because technology has been introduced in the classroom, their role as learners changed.  They are now more interactive.  They know that information can be access somewhere else aside from their textbooks.  The internet has given our children the world at a click of a button.      Students are actually more enthusiastic about a project and for some reason their learning is much richer than what the textbook can offer.  They content of their writing are far  deeper and comprehensive than what it used to be (researching from encyclopedias, magazines, and other forms of print).  Yet we are still apprehensive in letting our children surf the net.  

I truly believe that as a responsible adult, we have the responsibility to educate the students about the importance of safety in the cyber world just as we want them to be safe in crossing the street or in the playground.  The responsibility of the teacher has changed as well more so as an administrator--there is a huge accountability.  Not only do we need to educate them with information and necessary skills to be successful but we are there to protect them from things that the students do not physically see and feel but will affect them in ways that can be harmful to their success.  We have to be cognizant of what they are accessing, stay with them, watch them, and  communicate with them on a more personal way not in a technological way.  At the same we need to be the model for them.  They emulate what they see and if we are not conscious of how we behave technologically, then these children will do as they see as.  

References:  

http://www.onguardonline.gov/articles/0031-kids-privacy

http://www.onguardonline.gov/features/feature-0004-featured-net-cetera-toolkit

http://www.ctap4.net/projects/cybersafety.html

http://voices.yahoo.com/using-technology-todays-classroom-440690.html?cat=4

http://www.coppa.org/