How to Keep Kids Safe in a MySpace World.

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How to Keep Kids Safe in a MySpace World.

• 2008 CoSN Conference

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Presenters

• Rebecca Randall, Director of Outreach Common
  Sense Media
• Erin Reilly, Co-Founder Platform Shoes
  Forum
• Carolyn Walpole, Director of Education and
  Curriculum Development
  
• i-Safe Inc
• Moderator Linda Sharp CoSN Director
  Cyber Security Initiative

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Session Goals

• Examine ways educators can achieve better
  technology integration while addressing safety
  and ethical issues
• Discuss cyber safety and ethics education
• Gain practical suggestions on how to address
  parental anxieties

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Cyber Safety, Ethics, Issues and Education

• Affect on the educational environment
• Parent-child digital divide
• Responsibilities of educating the whole child

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Kids are being introduced to media and technology
in the home at very young ages

• Media access at Home
• TV
• Movies
• Computer Access
• Internet Access
• Video Games
• Mobile Devices

PBS Toons Kid Sitcoms Reality
Older Sitcoms Older Drama Adult
Material
G G/PG-----
-----PG/PG13 (mild) ----- -----------
PG 13 (all) --------------R

Games Communication
Online Games Searching Email
IMing Chat/ Social Networks
E rated T rated
M rated
iPods Cell Phone Photos Texting
Internet Access

• PG 13 movies and TV 14 shows are aging
  downwards
• Children as young as 5 are proficient on
  computers
• Internet access is everywhere due to wireless
  technology
• 80 of all 12-17 males have a video game
  console, and M rated games like HALO are
  becoming popular for boys as young as 10
• Children as young as 9 are being given cell
  phones with cameras and internet access

Trends
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Schools are teaching technology skills and
introducing media into the curriculum

• Media access at School
• Computers in Classroom
• Typing
• Document Creation
• Online Homework/Research
• School Email Account
• Blogging/Commenting
• Laptop Program

Early basics Keyboarding skills
Word Power Point
Multi media
Posted Downloads
Interactive

• Children are becoming savvy computer users at
  school from the earliest ages
• Many schools have websites to view homework
  assignments and school activities
• By 7th grade, many schools now require students
  to have an active email account, download
  assignments and communicate via the internet

Trends
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The Good
The Statistics

• 93 of teens 12-17 use the internet and can
  access it from multiple locations
• 87 of parents are online
• 73 of families have broadband at home
• 66 online teens have cell phones
• 68 of teens using cell phone text
• 78 of teens say they believe that the Internet
  helps them with their education

Pew Internet American Life project, reports
2005, 2007
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The Good
The Participatory Culture

• More than ½ of all teens have created media
  content and roughly 1/3 of teens who use the
  internet have shared the content they produced

Pew Internet American Life project, reports
2005, 2007
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The Bad

• CyberEthics what are we really dealing with ?
• Identity Theft
• Hacking
• Downloading
• Software Piracy
• Cyberterrorism
• Plagiarism
• Cyberbullying

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The Bad

• What harm is there?
• The group at highest risk online are 11 ½ - 15
  year old kids
• 70 of the victims online are girls
• 30 are boys

Perry Aftab, Executive Director of WiredSafety.org
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The Not-So-Ugly

• What social networking can do for youth
• Global awareness
• Community citizenry
• Ex ZR/Friends of Zoey as a means to provide
  platform for good netizens
• Decreased political apathy-feeling they have a
  voice
• Collaborative problem-solving
• Vehicles like Current.TV, BoingBoing.TV-promote
  collective thought, feedback loop

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The Ethics Challenge

• Socialization, exploration, self-expression is
  happening whether were ready or not
• Focus should be on preparing our youth for their
  increasingly public roles as content providers,
  media makers, and participants of the community
  at large.

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Challenges for In-Service Education

• Rush to technology
• Lack of clear policy
• The reluctant educator
• Time constraints
• Apathy
• Educator-student digital divide
• Relentless progress

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Challenges for Pre-Service Programs

• Lack of clear policy
• Lack of consistent resources
• Funding issues
• Relentless progress

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Solution Strategies Integrate E-Safety/Ethics
into the School Culture

• Create/adopt policies
• Provide professional development
• Enable access to materials
• Build in automatic updates
• Involve parents

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Guide for Success

• Evaluate the challenges
• Define your involvement
• Understand strategy levels
• Evaluate your most effective role
• Engage others
• Coordinate resources and plan action
• Implement solutions

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Percent of Parents Who Have Talked to Their
Children About
Source Common Sense Media/Cable in the Classroom
(August 2007).
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Percent of Parents Who Have Monitored the Web
sites Their Children Visit
Source Common Sense Media/Cable in the Classroom
(August 2007).
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Percent of Parents Who Strongly/Somewhat Agree
that the Internet Helps Their Child to
Source Common Sense Media/Cable in the Classroom
(August 2007).
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Parents Views of Appropriateness of Select Online
Activities for Their Own Child
Searchable personal profile/webpage
Play online gameswith others
Source Common Sense Media/Cable in the Classroom
(August 2007).
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Percentage of Parents Whose Children Have
Experienced Issues Online
71 percent of parents said their child had
encountered at least one issue
Source Common Sense Media/Cable in the Classroom
(August 2007).
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Home School Media Education Partnership
SCHOOL
KIDS
HOME
Entertainment
Communication
Education
Use

• Research on Internet
• Word Process
• Create media presentations
• Email friends/teachers (homework)
• Chat study groups

• Play videogames
• Social networking
• Listen to, download, and create music
• Watch TV/movies
• Socialize (IM, Text, Chat)

Activities
Teachers
Parents
Adult Mentors
Emphasis
Media Technology Learning
Media Technology Popular Culture
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Schools can play a vital role in providing media
education resources to parents

• Stimulate conversations with parents, teachers
  and kids about these issues.
• Establish guidelines for kids digital behavior-
  in school and at home.
• Provide advice and guidance to students and
  parents on being safe, smart, and responsible
  digital consumers and creators.

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Questions, Comments?

• Platform Shoes Forum
• www.zoeysroom.com
• support_at_zoeysroom.com
• Common Sense Media
• www.commonsensemedia.org
• rrandall_at_commonsensemedia.org
• i-Safe Inc
• http//www.isafe.org
• education_at_isafe.org
• Cyber Security Initiative
• httpwww.securedistrict.org
• linda_at_cosn.org

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http//SecureDistrict.CoSN.org