Tech Purchasing Advice for Parents at RIS

Frank Peterson, Digital Tech teacher for MYP and Integration Specialist at Raha spoke at the monthly Parent Tech Talk on March 24, 2015.

To view his slide show presentation, click here

YouTube Kids app for Tablets (it's free!)

Google and YouTube have just released a new app called YouTube Kids. This free app  has parent safety features, kid friendly channels, and the ability to search for videos by topic.

Currently, YouTube Kids is only available in the iTunes US store but is sure to be globally available soon.

                              

Common Sense Media's 3 Rules for Screen Time for Kids

Common Sense Media has added a new post to their parenting section about a 'Healthy Balanced Diet of Screen Time for Kids."  As with anything, balancing screen time with non-screen time is the goal you, as parents , want to achieve.

Below are the highlights of the article. For the full article, click here 

Use media together.

• Whenever you can, watch, play, and listen with your kids. Talk about the content.
• When you can't be there, ask them about the media they've used. Help kids question and consider media messages.
• Share your own values. Let them know how you feel about solving problems with violence, stereotyping people, selling products using sex or cartoon characters, or advertising to kids in schools or movie theaters.
• Help kids connect what they learn in the media to events and other activities in which they're involved -- such as sports and art -- to broaden their understanding of the world.

Be a role model.

• When kids are around, set an example by using media the way you want them to use it. Avoid posting everything that happens in your life, ask permission before uploading photos of others, and establish some media-free family time.
• Use media as a tool. Show your kids your mapping program, your news app, or your photo-editing programs. Demonstrate how your devices are a means to an end, not an end unto themselves.
• Avoid using media as a reward or a punishment -- that gives it too much power.

Keep an eye on the clock.

• Establish time limits that work for your family's needs.
• Let kids choose their entertainment options for the day. It could be a show, a game, or a learning app -- but giving them the choice helps them regulate their usage.
• Limit distractions. Keep phones and devices away when kids need to focus on other things -- homework or chores, for example. That'll make it easier for them to stay on task and make media use easier to track.

RIS Parent Tech Survey

Dear Parents,

In the interest of meeting your needs regarding technology in education at our school, please take 5 minutes to fill out the online survey  CLICK HERE  by the end of February.

It contains 5 simple questions asking if you have attended past Parent Tech Talks with Mary Kay Polly and what sort of topics do you wish to see offered in future parent tech talks.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

With warm regards,

Mary Kay

Cyberbullying

    What is cyber bullying? How is it different from bullying?

Cyberbullying is defined as: repeatedly sending or posting harmful or mean messages, images or videos about someone else using the Internet, cell phones or other digital technologies.

According to Common Sense Media, there are differences between bullying and cyberbullying.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/whats-cyberbullying-3-5

Differences:

In Cyberbullying...

• Kids may use more hurtful and extreme language online than offline.
• Cyberbullying can happen anytime, whereas regular bullying generally stops when kids go home. 
• Cyberbullying can be very public. Posts can spread rapidly and to a large, invisible audience because of the nature of how information travels online.
• Cyberbullies sometimes act anonymously, whereas with traditional bullying it is often clear who the bully is.
• In-person bullying can cause physical and emotional harm, while cyberbullying causes only emotional harm (though it can lead to physical bullying later).

Similarities:
In Cyber bullying and physical bullying...

• Both can make kids feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, helpless, sad, and angry

How can you, as parents, help keep our kids safe from cyber bullying?

1. Teach kids to speak and write respectfully.

2. Teach kids empathy.

3. Teach them to report cyberbullying.

FIVE THINGS PARENTS CAN DO: 

1. Set limits: on time and place and choose age-appropriate TV, movies, music and games.

2. Make rules: Cell phones belong outside the classroom and away from the dinner table. If your kids wouldn't say something to someone's face, they shouldn't text it either. And...IM? Not during homework.

3. Discuss Safety: Tell them what kind of photos, videos and information are ok to post online.

4. Be a media critic: Teach your kids not to believe everything they see or hear/ Online, in the movies or on TV. Talk to them about media messages, what you agree with and what you don't.

5. Join the fun: Watch, listen and play with your kids. Ask their opinions and embrace the wprld!

5 Ways to Stop Cyberbullying (video)  click here

There are 4 roles in cyberbullying:

aggressor- the bully

target - the one being bullied

bystander - those who are aware of the bullying and are standing by watching

upstander - those who step in to intervene as well as report the bullying

We want our kids to be the UPSTANDERS. 

Cyberbullying Prevention Guide for Kids  (video) click here

What do we do if our child is bullied?
Take a screen shot of the page to save as evidence, speak to your child about it and assure them that this is bullying and to tell a trusted adult. Contact your child's teacher.

What is RIS doing to discuss cyberbullying?

1. Jan(PYP Counsellor) is going into classrooms to teach about how to make friends and what bullying and cyberbullying are as well as ways to prevent them (Stand up and tell someone)
2. RIS has adopted the NETS standards which address online digital responsibility including digital citizenship which includes how to communicate in a kind way online.

3. Teachers are being proactive about discussing responsible digital citizenship. Classes have signed pledges about Digital Citizenship. (see previous posts on this blog)

Parents as Partners

Parents and school must work together to help combat cyberbullying. Children need to feel safe and secure knowing that significant adults in their lives are going to support them and protect them.

We can do this by helping kids to:

• THINK before they ACT
• STAND UP rather than STAND BY

What should you say to your young child about cyberbullying?

Explain that the same rules of respectful behavior apply online and offline, including being kind and respectful to others.

If they think they're being bullied, your kids should follow the rules of STOP:

• STOP using the computer.
• TELL an adult you trust what happened.
• Get the OK from an adult before going back online or returning to the website where the bullying happened.
• PLAY with other kids who don't take part in cyberbullying.

Lastly, your kid may want to tell the bully how his or her actions made him or her feel, after getting advice from an adult.

For more information, download the Common Sense Media Family Tip Sheet about Cyberbullying  Click here

Nickelodeon's, The Big Help, Digital Citizenship for Kids webpage click here

Safe Searching with Kid Rex

Kid Rex is a safe search engine designed for children and their parents. ( click here )  It is powered by Google Custom Search and Google Safe Search and offers similar features to a Google search but with filters for child friendly results.

To Set as a homepage on your computer, please follow the link on Kid Rex at the bottom of the homepage where it says PARENTS or (click here)   

For iPads, open Kid Rex (www.kidrex.com) through Safari or Chrome web browsers on the iPad. Choose the send icon and ADD TO HOME SCREEN. Then the icon will appear on the home screen of the iPad as an icon which can be opened easily. 

Of course, no search engine filtering is 100% accurate. There is no substitute for adult monitoring of the use of devices, especially when children are doing searches (in particular IMAGE searches). This, along with a shared understanding between children and adults about responsible online behavior and internet safety is crucial. Both Kid Rex and Common Sense Media address these topics and provide parent guidelines to help you support your child as they engage in using technology.

The key is to be a partner in your child's online and device use. Use this as an opportunity to engage with your child and share new information and ideas that have come up as they use their device. Guide them to be responsible users and consumers of online data by having open discussions about the opportunities as well as the possible threats that online behavior can have.

Born to Learn

This 5 minute video from the 21st Century Initiative shows what recent research tells us about the capacity to learn through play and inquiry which we are born with. This capacity must be nurtured so that children can learn. It goes on to show the physiological need for adolescents to rebel and that, once again, this should be nurtured. Rebellion as an adolescent is a normal stage in the development of the brain, but rebelling within a safe and nurturing environment is crucial.

How can we nurture the curiosity and normal brain development of our children?