Instructify

BY KEVIN HODGSON

My sixth-graders and I recently had a long in-class discussion about Facebook’s “no one under 13” rule, and about using last names on the site. I’m also a parent of young boys, and my wife and I continue to hold off on Facebook for our oldest son. I can’t imagine I am alone in wondering how to leverage the educational value Facebook while still looking out for the best interests of my students and my own children.

Connect Safely has produced a free resource for parents about Facebook. The Parents’ Guide to Facebook by Anne Collier and Larry Magid provides valuable advice for those who are completely out of touch (“What is Facebook?”), those who use Facebook themselves (how to optimize privacy settings for young people), and those with grave concerns (how to prevent suicide and harm). The guide has numerous screenshots and pieces of practical advice written in clear, concise language. I also found the companion recommended Facebook privacy settings a useful resource that I intend to send to my students’ parents.

In the conclusion of the guide, the authors wisely note:

“… just as in offline life, children need their parents’ help as they navigate both adolescence and the social Web. You can help them understand…

● How important it is for their own online well-being to be mindful of what they say, share, and upload (as well as send on mobile phones)

● How smart it is to present themselves in a positive light online

● How much better their online experiences will be if they stay on good terms with others in their online as well as offline communities.”

This guide has value for teachers as well, including those teachers who are uncertain how to navigate discussions around Facebook. We can’t ignore the phenomenon of social networking anymore. We can use the concept for discussions around learning in a digital age, however. This guide is a good place to start.

The Parents’ Guide to Facebook

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BY KEVIN HODGSON

It’s NOT always safe out there. But how can you teach your students to tell between a legitimate, useful website versus a treasure trove of viruses and malware? One way is to scan through website resources you plan to use in the classroom with URLVoid, a free service that puts a URL address through the paces.

URLVoid uses various virus search engines to scan a website. It then gives you a very useful report you can use to evaluate the safety of that site. For example, I did a scan of the Instructify website, and URLVoid not only let me know that our website is “clean” but it also gave me information about where the site is hosted, and by whom, as well as data about internet provider numbers. If URLVoid had found anything of concern, it would have let me know in the report. However, as the site notes, no one tool can find everything, so don’t place all your bets here. Ideally, your computer already has some active virus and malware detection system in place.

This kind of scan is useful for more than creating a wall against malicious sites; URLVoid can also give students some valuable insights about the veracity of a site, based on the hosting of that site.

URLVoid

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BY KEVIN HODGSON

We all leave behind a trail of digital footprints when we use technology, whether it is from searching with Google, adding a comment to a blog post, or logging into a social network. While most adults might be cognizant that, given the archiving abilities of the internet, our trail will never really go cold, it is doubtful that many young people realize this. Sites like MyFootprints are designed to fill that gap by giving students the tools and experience to understand that what they are doing today with technology might have ramifications for tomorrow.

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BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

When you talk about free anti-virus software, it’s always important to keep two things in mind. First, free anti-virus software never is going to protect you as well as a paid version. It’s why they cost money. Second, free anti-virus software is a much preferred option to no anti-virus software at all. Those two caveats recognized, Avast’s free anti-virus software is one of the best options available out there. Long preferred by users who want basic protection without the resource hogging that most anti-virus suites invariably entail, Avast covers all the basics and runs smoothly in the background.

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BY BILL FERRIS

If you use any of the free applications we talk about on Instructify, you’ve probably registered for user accounts on a lot of web sites. You have a different username and password for each of them, right? Right? I’m guessing you (and several of your students) use one password for several websites. If it’s a weak one, you leave yourself vulnerable to hackers who are betting that if they can find your less-than-secure password to some random web app, that password just might work on your bank account, too (aside: if your password is “password,” you deserve to get hacked).

You can stay much safer online by creating strong passwords. Microsoft has developed Password Checker, a handy app that tells you how strong your passwords are. (more…)

BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

My daughter, who is three, sent me a picture message from school yesterday (with the help of her teacher), and it just reinforced the reality that children are accessing the internet and mobile devices much younger these days. While the internet is such a valuable resource to bring concepts to life and research new topics, it also has large areas we would rather our kids not see. Figuring out a feasible plan to not only protect your kids from the seedy side of the internet but also explain to them why you’re doing it can be a delicate balancing act.

The people at NetSmartz are trying to make internet safety and education a little easier. (more…)

BY BILL FERRIS

I don’t know what I did to get on the Federal Trade Commission’s radar, but I’ve gotten a bunch of email from them lately. So far, it’s all been good — the first email was for YouAreHere, a cool site that tells kids how to be savvy consumers. Now they’ve sent me Net Cetera, a handy guide for good online citizenship.

Net Cetera deals with the benefits and hazards of P2P file sharing, privacy issues, identity theft, phishing, spamming, cyberbullying, sexting, and other cleverly named vices unique to the internet. (more…)

BY BILL FERRIS

Whenever a new social networking tool shows up, a horror story of someone getting into trouble for abusing it follows shortly thereafter. A teacher in Scotland got into trouble recently for writing about her students on Twitter, during school hours no less.

You’re all smart people, and I have no doubt that you always maintain the utmost professional decorum in your online communiqués. Nevertheless, it can’t hurt to remember to exercise discretion while playing around with Twitter, Facebook, and to a lesser extent these days, MySpace. Here are three…I won’t say “rules.” Let’s call them guidelines for safe social networking.
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A new site from the AdCouncil is designed to help communicate with teens about the problems associated with “Cyber pressure.” Times are certainly different for teens now than they have ever been before, thanks to technology being as accessible and popular as it is. Thats Not Cool is a site that helps teens find ways to respond to pressure brought on by their peers through texting and social networking. What’s more is that the site is clever, funny, and engaging, without being overly preachy or authoritative. Specifically, the topics covered are such things as “textual harassment” (harassing cellphone messages from a significant other), “Pic Pressure” (requests from a boyfriend or girlfriend to send lewd pictures) and  “privacy problems” (which is about what it sounds like, especially when it comes to social networking).

The site has some great content, including cute sock-puppet starring videos that are designed to tell both sides of the story, which allow viewers to make decisions of what choice the subject should take at the end. There are also “Callout Cards,” which are badges and graphics that site visitors can take and paste onto the profiles of someone who may be harassing them. It allows teens to take matters into their own hands before they escalate too far, and to educate them about the perils of peer pressure and disrespect.

As cheeky as the site is, there is a lot of merit to the AdCouncil’s initiative, as it affects teens in a way they haven’t had to deal with in the past. There’s even a section for teens to get further help if they need it. Let your students know there’s assistance out there on the web if they are being pressured to do things they aren’t comfortable with, or if their friends are harassing them in ways they can’t relate to adults. For a site that’s called “Thats Not Cool,” this site is pretty darn cool. -JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

Thats Not Cool

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As educators, it is our responsibility to provide our students with the tools necessary to be successful, not only in our classroom, but in life. As a technology integration specialist, I believe part of this responsibility we have is to teach our students how to be good cybercitizens.

Most districts in the United States and around the world implement some sort of web filter. In some districts, the web filter is doing exactly what it is designed to do, protect our children from online pornography, obscene material, and anything else deemed harmful to minors as required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act. Others, however, are much more restrictive.

Jon-Michael Poff, a senior at Batesville High School in Batesville, Arkansas, has written an excellent article in Edutopia  entitled “Stop Blocking Online Content” which focuses on web filters from a student’s perspective. He discusses his frustration with the filters in place and describes a situation in which a fellow student was unable to access a blog that was assigned by his teacher and an incident in which another student was unable access image files, from a popular image hosting site, for her desktop publishing class.

No responsible educator would argue that students do not need to be somewhat protected when accessing computers in our schools, but what about teachers? Teachers are trusted with the safety and well-being of our nation’s children everyday yet, in most districts, they are not trusted to make sound, responsible decisions with regards to the internet.  In some cases, teachers are “digitally handcuffed” and are unable to use some of the best resources available. Google Docs, YouTube, and Flickr all have high educational value but are blocked in most districts. Why?

Last I checked, we live in an unfiltered world. Are we truly preparing our students for life after school when we have such restrictive filters in place?  In many districts, why are teachers not treated like professionals and given the opportunity to make the decision on what is appropriate or inappropriate for their classroom?

This topic always raises many more questions than answers. If you have an opinion, let us know in the comments. – JERRY SWIATEK

“Stop Blocking Online Content”

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It seems that the news lately has been full of teachers running afoul of technology. There’s the case (ably covered by Instructify editor Bill Ferris) of the Austin teacher who incurred the Wrath of the Internet by writing, very mistakenly indeed, that “No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful.” There’s the case of the “Drunken Pirate” student teacher who posted a rollicking picture to her MySpace page, was denied her degree in Education just before her graduation from Millersville University, and then sued — and lost.

And then there’s the case of Julie Amero. In 2004, Amero was substituting in a seventh-grade classroom when inappropriate, possibly pornographic pop-ups began appearing on the computer. Amero was arrested and then convicted in January 2007 of four counts of child endangerment, and she was facing up to 40 years in prison until her conviction was vacated a few months later and a new trial ordered.

When I first heard the case described on the radio, it was immediately obvious to me that the computer had been hijacked by malware. I’ve only had a computer hijacked once, but once was more than enough, believe me. No one who has been startled by the appearance of multiple pop-up windows that spawn yet more pop-up windows when you try to close them would be likely to doubt Amero’s protestations that she hadn’t been deliberately visiting porn sites in class. Since my own hijacking, I’ve been very careful about installing and automating programs like the free Ad-Aware on my own computers. Ad-Aware updates itself and scans my system automatically, but every once in awhile I look at it, and it’s catching some nasty stuff every time, let me tell you. All the major web browsers now also allow pop-up blocking, and I make darn sure that it’s turned on, especially since I can grant pop-up exceptions when I need to. Your school’s IT staff almost certainly puts such protections in place for your classroom’s computer(s), but it might be worth a delicate inquiry — especially since evidence shows that the IT staff at Julie Amero’s school weren’t taking basic precautions.

It’s widely agreed in the tech community that the Julie Amero case was a tragedy and a travesty and a farce and just, well, extremely frustrating. At least it’s now over: on November 21st, 2008, Julie Amero chose to end a four-year court battle by pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct, paying a fine of $100, and having her Connecticut teaching credentials revoked. What does she think about computers, after all this trouble? She doesn’t “touch them except for e-mail.” — AMANDA FRENCH

State of Connecticut vs. Julie Amero (Wikipedia)

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The recent disgraceful outcome of the Julie Amero case does at least show how very, very much we want our children to be protected from the worst parts of the internet (and there are some very, very bad parts of the internet). If you know some parents who are worried (or ought to be) about what their little ones might see online, you might recommend that they give KidZui a try. KidZui, which is meant for kids younger than 12, is basically a kid-safe browser; you download it to a hard drive and, presumably, remove the icons to other browsers such as Internet Explorer or Firefox so that your kids can’t use those.How can a browser be kid-safe? Well, it’s only allowed to access certain sites and certain content on certain sites such as YouTube; over 200 teachers and parents worked for about three years to create a long list of approved online content. A parent can add additional sites with a parent account, and can even recommend those sites for inclusion in everyone’s KidZui. Parents can also track exactly which sites their kids are visiting, which makes me a little uncomfortable — but then again, kids under 12 don’t have or even need the same level of privacy that teens or adults do.

Perhaps most importantly of all, there are many educational websites on KidZui’s approved list, and a “Homework Helper” is available in the paid version (the “Basic” version of KidZui is free). The Homework Helper is described as “an exclusive teacher designed [sic] system of websites and content matched to their grade level and the subjects they’re studying in school.” (I hope they study hyphenation at some point.) It’s nice to see a company that trusts teachers so much that it involves them so thoroughly in the design of a piece of technology. — AMANDA FRENCH

KidZui

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Some of the best ways to boost your brainpower have nothing to do with studying. Brainteasers and puzzles, critical thinking, and the occasional nap all work as the equivalent of mental calisthenics to keep you thinking faster and more creatively. I’ve started doing #22, learning to juggle, and I feel it’s made me think better on my feet. Plus I can impress friends and loved ones. I’m also intrigued by the title of #14, SCAMPER!

10 Tips for Immediate Productivity Results
Ever feel like you’re working hard but not meeting your goals? This list will help you get organized and get things done. Tips like not confusing “urgent” with “important,” and batching small jobs together and doing them at once are great ways to boost your productivity.

10 Most Common Passwords
It’s a fine line between creating a memorable password and making things too easy for hackers and identity thieves. PC Magazine lists the 10 most common passwords on the Internet. Suffice it to say, if the password to your bank account is on this list, you’d best change it ASAP. -BILL FERRIS

Photo credit: Thomas Hawk on flickr

Stranger Danger! Children are taught at an early age how to recognize a stranger in their community and how to respond appropriately. However, in the 21st Century our students are socializing in more communities, on and 0ffline, rather than just with their local neighbor. As many more of our students are becoming active participants in the community of the World Wide Web we need to teach them safe ways to interact without shutting them down.

iKeepSafe is a website full of ideas on how to keep our students safe online. They focus on the three main dangers students will face: inappropriate contact, inappropriate content, and inappropriate conduct. They provide great resources for parents on hot topics such as social networking and cyber-bullies. For educators, iKeepSafe has resources that can be customized to align with your state’s laws. The site also includes game simulations for students to put into practice what they have learned to keep them safe.

This site would be great to introduce to your parents during an open house or a family reading night. So the next time you are teaching your students safety rules, don’t forget the global community. Remember, as parents and educators we have a responsibility to our students to keep current, keep communicating, and keep checking! -MONIQUE ST. LOUIS

iKeepSafe