Over the past couple of weeks, I have had some interesting conversations with students about social media. These talks have ranged from 2nd grade to 5th grade, and have been very eye-opening. When surveying a second-grade class and a fourth-grade class, I saw more students admit to having a social media account in SECOND grade than in fourth. What?! That's when I knew it was time to have real conversations with kids, informing them of being good digital citizens. Don't Place BlameFirst things first, I never place blame on anyone - parent or child. I tell them that most social media accounts require users to be 13 years of age or older. We talk about how parents may sign them up for accounts to play games or keep in touch with family. Also, I tell them the more honest they are about things that happen online, the less likely they are to be in trouble with an adult. Then we talk about making good choices. To me, it is important not to place blame on anyone or to tell them they shouldn't have the account. The most important thing, in my mind, is to inform students of being safe online and how to make good choices because they are going to use these accounts regardless of what they should be doing. We have to make sure they are smart. THINKI found this image online last night and decided it was perfect for my lesson with 4th grade today. Students and I talked about what each of these meant. They were very honest and open with me about their thoughts and feelings. Students told me what I wanted to hear, that they should go to an adult if anything happens online they aren't comfortable with. But let's be honest, will that do that when the time comes? That is where parents come in and keep track of the devices, what is being posted, and talking to their children.
Not sharing personal information, coaches and employers looking at social media, making good choices concerning posting about other people - all things we discussed. Keep the discussion going at home! Use this poster as a reference. Another good one (and you may think about putting up in a common area) is shared below.
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So you bought your pre-teen or teen a phone for Christmas. As you watch them navigate their new phone, using data, sending messages, surfing the web, you might be wondering how to set some boundaries. If you are an avid Pinterest user, you may have even taken to this popular website to find some ideas. That's what the kids of my co-worker did. She bought one child a phone and another an iPod. They each created a contract for their device. ,After going on Pinterest, her children and her found 4 contracts they liked and then worked to pull out the items in each they liked. Using highlighters they found the most important pieces of each and then, working together, they created their own phone contract. Click the icon to go to my Pinterest board with the 4 contracts they used. Here is what their process looked like. Basically they put what they were responsible for and then what they would not do with it. Kids will tie more respect to the rules if they are helping to create them. By setting the rules for them, kids are more inclined to want to skirt around them. Let them be involved, but also set your expectations. Doing rules that started with "don't" or "no" aren't as helpful because it just tells them what not to do. Use rules that tell them what you expect.
I recommend including:
In my classroom I started using rules that gave my expectations instead of those that said what I didn't want. It was a more positive approach and it actually told them what I wanted. For example, "No running in the halls" becomes "Walk in the halls". Then "Don't talk out" becomes "Raise your hand to talk". Good luck making your contracts! Happy New Year! As posted on my Facebook page:
Follow-up on the After School app...if you have an Android device, you will not see the same things as an iPhone user. They have the ability to comment, see photos, and more posts. It is just part of the interface of the app right now. Also, the app had been taken out of the app store after first coming out in order to add security features. If a student posts something alarming the After School app employees that they may harm themselves, someone comes on that asks if they need to chat. If they believe there is a threat to the school/community, they alert local authorities and the superintendent. Even though this app says it is "anonymous", remember, it must verify a student is a student through Facebook. Meaning, this is not REALLY anonymous. Watch for a report on KOMU (I will let you know when), where I talk with a reporter about this app! Remember, if it isn't this app, it will be another. Stay informed (I recommend commonsensemedia.org) and remember that a child's safety is more important than their privacy. Last night while doing a Twitter chat, a question about "ghost apps" came up, and many of the educators in the chat were not familiar with this term. I had only just heard it recently, so we had a discussion about it. I feel it is important to share this information with families so you can talk to your children about digital safety and permanence of posting. What are Ghost Apps?Ghost apps have icons that appear to be a normal app, but when you enter into it, it hides photos you would not want others to see that you have on your device. For example, there is one that appears to be a calculator, but when it is opened, it hides explicit photos the user takes. Now, it isn't as easy as just clicking on it. Most of these apps, you have to hold down your finger on the app and it will prompt you for a password. Then you would see the content they are hiding. Keeping Kids SafeWhile schools do their best to educate students, it is also an open conversation that should happen at home. Discuss the internet and how what you do is more of a digital "tattoo" than the "footprint" we heard so much about before. What you do is permanent. It does not go away after awhile. Also, the understanding that some messages and images that are sent could land a student in hot water because of being underage. Sending these messages have resulted in some teenagers being tried for sending and looking at child pornography since the users were under 18. This is a great news story on the importance of talking to your children and learning about ghost apps. Remember that in talking to your children, try to keep a calm demeanor. Many parents find the approach of just asking them about how certain apps work, whether they have heard of ghost apps, or what their friends are doing, will open up conversations. Charging at them with accusations or hostility may cause the child to shut down and not share with you. What to Look ForAfraid your child has fallen into bad habits? Gotten themselves into a tough place they aren't sure how to handle? Watch for signs that your child has maybe already started using their device inappropriately.
Some Apps to Watch ForThis summer I stumbled across a past student's social media page. She talked about how peers were bullying her online. A coupe of weeks later, her friends had a made a page to support her and raise her up because of all the hate being spewed at her online. This is heartbreaking as this child is only in middle school. Many students have had this same situation happen, but their solutions are not as pleasant.
Social media is full of 'likes' and 'comments'. Many children feel it is a way of acceptance when they get 'likes' on their pics. If they don't get them, many stalk their own images for activity, may take down the photos, and many become depressed. In this day and age, we must see the way social media affects the lives of children. How can we do this? I start with the knowledge that I am the adult. This is what needs to be the first thought in our heads. We are the adults, we set the rules, and it is OKAY to say NO! Here are some ways parents can start to control the devices in their children's lives. 1. Set boundaries for your children. I spoke with a few families who told me their go-to rules included, no screen-time without an adult present, devices can only be used up to 6:00pm, and no cell phones in the bedrooms. 2. Ask children to show you how to use something. When you talk to a child like you want to know something they can do, you often will get a very willing participant. "How do you use Instagram?" would be a way to learn about their account, what they do with it, and you can see the content without the child seeing that you are prying into their business. Remember, this is their social life. It's like when our parents would ask who was calling us on our phone at night. We didn't want to answer these questions when we were kids, same as them not wanting to answer questions related to social media. 3. Open a dialogue between yourself and other parents. When you are curious about something, ask another parent. They may be able to give you insight into something your child isn't talking about. Be advocates for each other. If you hear or know something, talk to the parents of the child. We would want someone to do it for us, let's do it for others, too. Technology is powerful. Adults often feel helpless when it comes to technology because of how quickly it changes. If in doubt, don't allow it until you know more about it. A great site to use to check on the newest technologies is Common Sense Media. Apps are rated and reviewed here. BE INFORMED! Also, if you have any concerns, contact me and I will be more than happy to check out an app for you. Welcome back! Remember, you can request a blog topic by clicking on 'Topic Request' on the navigation bar. Every Monday check back for a new post for parents! Need some safe search options for your kids? I am always a little fearful of what will come up when I Google something. For that reason, I often have kids turn away or I freeze the board. Another option is to use it as a learning experience, showing kids what to click on and what not to click on when online. A great option to use for when kids are in the classroom or at home, are safe search engines just for kids! Google Safe Search This is my go-to search for kids. It is like searching Google, but very filtered. If you scroll down, there is even a safe image search available. If kids type in some words (like "sex", "naked", etc), it will put a stop sign up and not let them continue. KidRex Searches emphasize kid-friendly websites. Also uses Google SafeSearch technology. Again, if you search certain terms, it will put up a note saying "Oops!" KidzSearch This search only returns Google "strict" search results. Another great option for searching. It reminds me a lot of my first choice at the top. You can also go through and set your search to SafeSearch. Do this by clicking on Settings on the bottom right (that's where mine was). Then it gives search options. You can checkmark the SafeSearch box. You can even lock it so no one can turn off the option except for the people with the password. Common Sense Media is a website that is ideal for parents wanting to keep a close eye on the media their children use. As they say, they "rate, educate, and advocate for kids, families, and schools". This website allows a user to explore by the age and media desired. They rate age appropriate movies, games, tv, books, apps, websites, and music. WOW! They tell you the best age for using or viewing the given media as well as the reasoning behind their rating. Here is an example of a movie rating done by Common Sense Media. They also added a new section called Parent Concerns which gives guidelines, videos, and articles to help you get through issues such as, screen time, cyberbullying, learning with technology, reading, etc.
This is a post that I did on my original blog page before Christmas, but I wanted to put it on the parent page as well. This is a cheat sheet explaining in a non-techie way how to change safety settings on different Internet resources. Click on the image below to get more sites you can change the settings for in order to keep your children safe.
Education is important - even for adults. Make yourself a better digital citizen by learning more about Internet safety. You can do this by going to NetSmartz for Parents. This website provides support for dealing with cell phones, cyberbullying, Internet safety, identity theft, and more! Watch videos with your child and then turn it into a conversation. They can then go to the Kids, Tweens, or Teens part of the website to explore it in their terms. There are videos, games, quizzes, stories, and more for kids to explore the same topics. |
AuthorA teacher turned techie with an obsession with Google, teachers that love learning, and students that love life! Archives
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