Your Holidays, Unplugged!

We're not talking total ban here, but Common Sense Media has published some suggestions for creating more balance in holiday activities. Some of them even involve ways to use technology together. Click on "Unplug Your Holidays" below to see the article.

Unplug Your Holidays

There are additional links to other helpful holiday tips, from saving money to reading and movie suggestions.

'Tis the Season

Need help with choosing those digital media gifts, making the Christmas season meaningful, or managing the stress? Common Sense Media is there to assist you. Check out their Holiday Hub for tips on all your holiday needs.

When all else fails remember this: daylight time starts increasing on December 22nd!

Are your kids into digital media?

I just discovered a website called Kidscreen that looks interesting and one of the articles they posted is about a free Kids Media app that was recently released by Common Sense Media. If you would like help evaluating media to get for your kids, either this holiday season or all through the year, you may want to check this out.

Kidscreen website

Kids Media app article

Digital Gift-giving Tips

Common Sense Media provides a gift guide for parents. Below is the promo I just received. Check it out if you are considering any sort of digital entertainment gifts this holiday season. Just click on the words "gift guide" in the first sentence.

You probably have heard this before, but . . .

. . . sleep is important for all of us for a variety of reasons. It's not just for "beauty." It is especially crucial for brain development during the teen years. More research findings were highlighted in a recent CTV news report that I found in MediaSmarts News.

Sleepiness from round-the-clock texting hurting teens, doctors say

How Safe is Your Password?

We often get reminders about password security such as,  "Don't share your password with anyone," or, "Don't use the same password for all your accounts." Even though we may feel these are too much work we really should be heeding the warnings. My recent newsfeed from the Common Sense Media people included an updated reminder about secure passwords. It contains a reminder of four things to remember when trying to create a foolproof password:
                                                    (provided by Microsoft's Safety and Security Center)

• length (at least 8 characters long)
• complexity (not just letters and numbers)
• variation (changing the password often)
• variety (Don't use the same password for everything. Have you heard this before?)

In addition there are links to interesting background stories, humorous takes on the struggle to create secure passwords, sites for help in both creating good passwords and managing your passwords.

If you're like me you have a multitude of accounts of various types and attempting to have a multitude of safe passwords is mind-boggling at best. For some very interesting suggestions and just some fun reading check out the "rest of the story" at the links below.

How Safe is Your Password? - from Common Sense Educators

sublinks in the above article
     (in case something looks interesting and you don't have time to check out the entire article):
          Young, in Love and Sharing Everything, Including a Password - from the New York Times
          PIN analysis - from the DataGenetics blog
          How I'd Hack Your Weak Passwords - from lifehacker.com
          If you're using 'Password1,' change it. Now. - from CNN Money
          Password Strength - from the webcomic xkcd
          xkcd Password Generator - from preshing on programming
          The Usability of Passwords - more on multi-word passwords from Thomas Baekdal
          Why Multi-word Phrases Make for More Secure Passwords Than Incomprehensible Gibberish
                     - a post to lifehacker.com by Adam Dachis  
          How Secure Is My Password? - site for, you guessed it, checking out your password

A note to teachers: check the Teaching Tools tab for some lessons from Common Sense Media on passwords.

October - Cyber Security Awareness Month

STOP/THINK/CONNECT (www.stopthinkconnect.org) is an organization focused on "keeping the web a safer place for everyone." Connected with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, they provide resource materials and promote programs to educate us all about safety and security on the internet.

This and other organizations are promoting National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). More information is available at the stop.think.connect site as well as at StaySafeOnline.org.

Among the resources on the StaySafeOnline page are a couple safety tips documents, one for all computers, the other for use with mobile devices.  Links to these files are provided below.

STOP.THINK.CONNECT.Tip Sheet

STOP.THINK.CONNECT. Mobile Tip Sheet

They are both PDF files which you can download and save to your computer if you wish.

Social Media and Sexting

There are many organizations that have ongoing campaigns around the theme of online safety and security and share resources online to help us all. One website I came across recently is that of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The particular article that grabbed my attention is

Talking to Kids and Teens About Social Media and Sexting

Check out their web site, www.aap.org, for more information on internet safety and other helpful topics.

Commmon Sense Media Brings Learning to Life

Common Sense Media is not just about digital citizenship. If you have checked out their web site you will find much more than help with keeping yourself and your kids safe and secure on the world wide web. They also provide help with evaluating various types of media (tv, movies, etc.) and education in general. Here is an example of their efforts in the learning realm.

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/guide/back-to-school-guide

Using Devices Safely - Texting

One aspect of digital citizenship involves using your devices in a manner that is safe for both you and the people around you in physical space. I just discovered an opinion piece in the New York Times about texting on a phone while walking. It includes a short video created by the author to point out the dangers. Take a peek. The link is below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/opinion/texting-while-walking.html?ref=sunday

Do you know the warning signs of inappropriate online behavior?

Rachel Linton recently spoke about internet and technology safety at Messalonskee Middle School. Ms. Linton is education manager at the Sexual Assault Crisis & Support Center. Click on the link below to view her presentation.
http://ustre.am/J88I

Facebook Settings/Privacy Help

Have you or your child checked your Facebook privacy settings lately?  A Facebook Guide for parents has been uploaded to the "Cyberbullying" page to help you and your family use Facebook safely.

Online Safety Habits Need to be Learned Early

The following is an excerpt from a recent posting by Commonsense Media.

Why Internet safety matters

Kids today can go online from so many different sources, including video game consoles, iPhones and smart phones, and even handheld gaming devices. Young people are increasingly living their lives online, and their digital devices are some of their favorite toys and tools.

Shouldn’t this new playground be a safe and nice place? With your guidance, it can be. Teaching Internet safety in the elementary years will have lasting rewards for you and your kids.

The site shares some very basic recommendations on keeping kids safe when using the internet, including sharing of personal information and photos, passwords, and when not to open email messages. It also outlines more detailed strategies for being both responsible and safe when on line.

To check out those details and more go to Internet Safety Tips for Elementary School Kids

Accidental Porn Search Results?

The Cyber Safety Lady from Australia has some tips for avoiding such mishaps when searching with  Google as well as some modem and computer filter suggestions.

Protect Your Kids On Google Search From Porn And Adult Content

Facebook "Friending" Lesson

The link below is a short, cute lesson on accepting friends on Facebook.

Facemoods' Online Safety Kit - Little Red Riding Mood

"Am I Pretty or Ugly?" - Disturbing Trend

Caught a segment on the Today Show during February break about a new online trend among young girls. They are posting videos on YouTube asking viewers to weigh in on their looks. The link is below if you would like to view the story.

http://moms.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/24/10498893-teen-girls-ask-the-internet-am-i-ugly

Since seeing the above news piece we have run across more articles on the trend. Here are links to a couple of them.

Raising cyber-children - safely
YouTube craze has girls asking 'Am I pretty?'

Battling Stereotypes

Are you concerned about the stereotypes portrayed in the media accessed by your children? Common Sense Media has some tips in their latest alert.

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/tips-battling-stereotypes