Should teachers “friend” students on Facebook?
Social networking is an amazing boon to communication, but what are its limits? Teachers returning to school in at least one district in Florida are being asked to not “friend” students on Facebook or to communicate with them via social networks.
The Lee County School District has issued guidelines (not rules) to teachers warning them of potential workplace issues that could arise from inappropriate contact with current students. Most school districts have websites and other online avenues for communication.
What do you think? Do you “friend” your child’s teacher? Have your children “friended” or contacted teachers online?
See also:
Should teachers “friend” students on Facebook? is a post on Digital Landing
Common Sense Media launches new app
One of my favorite go-to sources for staying on top of media for my kids is Common Sense Media. The website offers real-world reviews for experts, parents and kids of movies, books and video games.
You can’t possibly play every game, pre-screen every movie and read every book your child will encounter, but sometimes you do want to know what they might be exposed to. Now you can get info on the go with the site’s new iPhone app. It’s free!
This would have been really helpful the other day at the library when my son wanted to check out a book that upon getting home and reading the review was totally inappropriate.
See also:
Togetherville–social network for kids and parents
Togetherville is a social site for kids under 10 to play games, create art, and learn new things alongside their parents and people you know and trust to supervise.
Parents create their kid’s “neighborhood” using friends and family through Facebook.
On the site, kids can play ad-free games, create artwork, watch pre-screened videos and connect with approved friends.
The site says that parents can use the site to help teach their kids to be good members of the digital community.
As we know from other reports, kids are going to need all the help they can get.
Only parents can create a child’s account and parents are encouraged to use a child’s real name and photo to build real-world relationships. Togetherville builds a neighborhood for your child by drawing from the parent’s own Facebook network and linking with friends and children who are using Togetherville.
“Togetherville is social-networking training wheels for families,” said Anne Collier, co-director of ConnectSafely.org and co-chair of the Obama administration’s Online Safety & Technology Working Group.
My children are still a little young for this, but it could be a nice option as they age and start asking for their own Facebook pages.
Ads, Ads, Everywhere
In some ways technology has reduced our exposure to advertising–love that little fast forward button on my Tivo. However, in other ways, it makes it more prevalent than ever.
Whether it is mentions by your kids favorite stars on their Twitter feeds or product-themed web games, kids today are flooded with commercials.
Companies covet your children because they know that brand loyalty starts early. While you can’t avoid all ads, you can help them be more ad-savvy.
The FTC has a kid-focused site--Admongo--to help children understand more about how advertising works. It is a game that helps kids learn to ask questions like who made the ad and what does the ad want me to do.
Good stuff.
No Facebook, says principal
A New Jersey middle school principal implores parents to keep their kids off of social networking sites like Facebook and Foursquare.
Anthony Orsini, the principal at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, sent an email to parents asking parents to help him get all of his students off social networks and keep track of their text messages.
He says his primary problem with the sites is that kids are psychologically prepared to withstand internet name-calling. He said that many posts by this age group are mean-spirited and often anonymous.
He writes:
He also rightly points out that the threat from another teen online is more prevalent than those of sexual predators.
According to Facebook, children under the age of 13 are officially prohibited from having accounts.
Talk with your children about their online behavior and set appropriate limits. If you need help, visit wiredsafety.org or other similar sites.
TextArrest App makes driving safer
Texting and driving are a bad combination no matter who you are. Teens are especially susceptible given the sheer volume of their texting.
TextArrest is a clever new app that disables your phone’ when the device is in motion (over 5 mph). TextArrest Free™ and TextArrest Family™ launched today at CTIA WIRELESS expo. It keeps users safe while driving by disabling texting, instant messaging, calling, Web browing and other phone-based distractions.
Parents can add to their ability to manage their teens phones through Text Arrest’s subscription based service that offers more control.
The TextArrest Family version also includes these features:
- A Web-based management portal that lets parents take note of all phone use activity.
- A geofencing feature that lets parents draw boundaries on a map, such as around a school, and alerts parents when a phone travels beyond geofenced boundaries.
- Customizable alerts to notify parents in real-time when phones are traveling beyond speed limits, including a report of what speed at which the phone was clocked.
- Customizable alerts to notify parents in real-time when TextArrest settings are tampered with or overridden.
You might wonder, what if you are just a passenger, can you still use your phone? The program includes a “passenger” override option. Also, the app does not prevent you from calling emergency services regardless of conditions.
All versions of TextArrest require only a simple application download and no hardware changes to disable text messaging and calling functions. There are no set-up or activation charges, and TextArrest Family subscriptions start at $4.99/month to cover up to five family members, a price well below competing services that have fewer capabilities. At launch TextArrest supports Android and BlackBerry smartphones with additional platforms coming soon.
Chat Roulette not all fun and games
Chat Roulette is a popular new site where you can click to view a video link with a random person somewhere in the world. Sounds fun, right?
Unfortunately, like many things on the Internet, one person’s idea of a good time would shock many others. A local news crew (News 36) in Charlotte tried it out and within a few clicks encountered mostly men including one with no pants and more than one doing things you definitely would not want your children to see.
Make sure you are talking to your children about what they are doing online. Open communication goes a long way in keeping your children safe online.
For more ideas, visit the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
MTV Special on Sexting
On Sunday at 9 p.m., MTV will air “Sexting in America: When Private Goes Public,” to help teens and young adults understand more about what sexting is and how it can affect their lives.
One of the stories featured is from Ally who sent a naked picture to her then boyfriend:
“It was one picture, and he sent it out to everybody in his address book,” the now-20-year-old told MTV News. “We were broken up, and I guess he did it to make himself seem cool. I never thought anybody else would see it. … It was an impulsive thing that I did.”
Ally’s story illustrates that 1 in 5 sext recipients passes along the image to others.
Before you watch this show with your child, be sure to visit Common Sense Media’s in-depth description of the show. They rate it at being appropriate for those over 13.
Young kids top internet searches–#4 porn
Yep, you read that right. The word “porn” is the fourth most frequent search for children under 7 according to Symantec’s latest top 100 search term list via OnlineFamily.Norton.Com. Interestingly, that was higher than searches by older age groups who were more likely to search for “sex.” What are kids under 7 doing knowing what porn is, much less being free to look it up online frequently enough that it has soared into the top 5.
Of course, one has to question the data but when you look at the complete list it does ring rather true. So is big brother logging in with junior’s account so he gets blamed if mom and dad find out? Who knows. . .
By the way, YouTube, Google and Facebook were the top three. Other popular terms had to do with music (such as Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift), celebrities, online games or social networking.
Apparently parents are using the Symantec software to prevent their children from finding things online they don’t want them, too, but as they say the software is no substitute for parental supervision. Just a fresh reminder that parenting doesn’t stop in the virtual world, if anything it is more important since there are fewer restrictions.
Pong iPhone case makes phones safer?
You’ve heard the warnings about radiation coming from your cell phone and whether it is or is not causing a brain tumor in your head.
Now Pong has developed a protective cover designed to cut down on your exposure to radiation. Proven by FCC-certified labs, the case looks like a sleek, simple silicone case but it contains a “module that redirects the radiation away from your head.”
Now, I think the verdict is still out on how dangerous cell phones are, but especially with kids we should probably err on the side of caution.
The pong for iPhone is $59.95 and they have free shipping until December 15.
