Tech Help Web for Parents

In addition to the resources below, access Online Safety Pledges (under categories on the navigation bar to the right).

NetSmartz

NetSmartz is an easy-to-navigate and extremely helpful site offers safety tips for parents and kids, safety pledges for children and teens, activity cards to prompt discussion at home, internet definitions, an exploration of online risks, statistics related to online victimization, related news articles, and videos of real-life cases (that can jumpstart family discussions).

Media Awareness Network

1. Safe Passage: Teaching Kids to Be Safe and Responsible Online
You can email the group with questions. The "websites" section addresses the following topics: Tracking Where Kids Have Been Online, Managing the Internet at Home, Family Online Agreements, and Online Predators.
2. Practical Tips for Protecting Online Privacy
3. Joe Cool or Joe Fool? is a CyberTour through websites, with questions to prompt discussions about Internet decision making. After taking the CyberTour, you can work through the CyberQuiz ("twenty questions about the Net and how kids use it") to test your Internet "smarts."

GetNetWise

GetNetWise is another site that offers practical advice to parents.

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 04:07 PM | Permalink

Try these safety pledges to find one that fits your family's needs. In simple terms, these documents help children understand online risks and responsibilities.

Media Awareness Network's "Internet Checklists for Children, Teens, and Parents: Are you web aware?"

Internet Safety Pledges from NetSmartz (grades K-2, 3-6, middle and high school)

“My Rules for Online Safety” from the Eugene, Oregon School District

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 04:04 PM | Permalink

For Netiquette advice (guidelines for good citizenship online), we like the Boston Public Library's "Netiquette for Kids" article that outlines eight simple rules to follow to protect others' feelings and your own privacy.

Often articles focus on the potentially hurtful effects of instant messaging and other online chatting, but a recent piece uncovered a positive twist. Take a look at “Pupils Texting to Stop Bullies."

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 03:59 PM | Permalink

Anytime, Anywhere Computing - The Philosophy Behind the Initiative

Athens Academy began the Media Across the Curriculum Project (MACP) in 1990, and in the ensuing years, has pursued the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning, utilizing evaluation to inform these developments. MACP has three primary goals:

expanding the innovative practices with the integration of personal technologies (laptop computers)
enhancing and developing models for faculty development
developing and implementing an evaluation study to document the impact and the effectiveness of the personal technologies on teaching and learning

21st Century Skills

Information Access
Communication
Visualization and Interaction
Creating Quality Products
Student-Centered, Project-Centered Learning and Authentic Assessment

The original rationale for the infusion of laptop computers focused on creating a “toolset” that could be effectively used in almost every curriculum area and could be used anywhere, anytime to facilitate writing, communication, and resource use. The laptop initiative at the Academy is predicated on the belief that computing has become an essential tool for thinking, problem-solving, and learning in the 21st century.

Students enter the laptop program in 7th grade and keep the same unit for three years. In 10th grade, they are issued new laptops to use through the senior year.

To support teachers as they develop authentic, project-centered learning and assessment, staff development sessions are now focused on individual teacher projects that focus on using technology to improve student performance and attain curricular objectives.

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 03:58 PM | Permalink

Featured Article: "Video Games: Finding a Balance"
(by Laura Davis and Janis Keyser)

Your best resource for exploring issues related to video games is the Media Awareness Network.
Their Managing Video Games section offers a comprehensive overview of the good, the bad, and the confusing.

Here's the list of issues the site covers:

The Good Things About Video Games
The Concerns
Special Issues for Girls
Special Issues for Young Children
Special Issues for Teens
GETTING INVOLVED
Understanding the Rating System
Managing Video Game Playing in the Home
Choosing Good Video Games for Your Kids
Taking Action
Voice Your Opinion

Another area of the Media Awareness Network's site covers Talking to Your Kids About Media Violence, an issue often connected to gaming.

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 03:43 PM | Permalink

Tech Tips for Hardware and Software

Transport the laptop in its bag for safekeeping.
You are responsible for the laptop at all times.
Recharge the battery in the evening.
Bring your laptop every day, and keep it in good working order—just as you would carry pen, paper, and books.
When prompted, UPDATE!
Backup current projects daily and all work weekly.
Organize files into folders (Outlook files and documents).
Reply to email from faculty and staff.
Check your teachers’ web pages daily.

Think of the Laptop as a Car

You don’t smash into your mailbox carelessly.
You change the oil regularly, right?
When it gets messy, you need to clean it.
If it conks out, you find an alternate mode of transportation. It could break down, so you have to have a Plan B!
When you take it to the service station, you carefully explain, in detail, the problems you’ve had with it. You might “test drive” it to demonstrate the trouble.
Sometimes the mechanic has to order new parts to fix it.

Be Kind, Safe, and Tech Savvy

Do not give out personal information online.
Never agree to meet in person someone you’ve met online.
Notify an adult if you receive threatening or offensive messages. Do not respond to the sender.
If you encounter something that offends you, confuses you, or makes you uncomfortable, notify an adult.
Respect Intellectual Property

Remember the Honor Code.

If you didn’t create it, you must get permission to use it, copy it…
Anything created after 1922 is copyright protected.
What is Copyright?

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 03:40 PM | Permalink

A concise list of “Acronyms Online”

Net Lingo

Exhaustive list of terms (Teen Angels)
This site even lets you download a “Chat Translator” to make sense of teen text.

‘ru online’: the evolving lexicon of wired teens

"Generation Text": Teens' IM lingo evolving into a hybrid language

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 03:37 PM | Permalink

Can't tell the difference between a Blog and a Chat Room? Worried about the amount of time your child spends Instant Messaging? Not sure what Instant Messaging really is? You've come to the right place.

Read "The IM Life of Middle-Schoolers."

We've located some terrific resources to answer your questions and assist you as you encourage your children to develop good tech habits and stay safe online. Follow the links above to learn about Athens Academy's program and to access resources that range from online safety pledges to rules for online citizenship.

Join other parents in discussions related to these and other topics by participating in the Parent Book Club.

Can't find answers to your questions on these pages? Have suggestions for additional topics? Contact:
1. the Middle/Upper School Guidance Department
2. the Media and Technology Department

Search the Internet Glossary on NetSmartz.org.

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 03:31 PM | Permalink