Internet Safety for Parents

Internet Safety for Parents : 

Internet Safety for Parents LIS 560 Spring 2010 By Kathy Mar

Introduction: 

Introduction LESSON GOAL: To teach parents about enhancing internet safety via parental control software TARGET AUDIENCE: Parents who are concerned about their child’s safety online. These parents range in age anywhere from the twenties to the fifties (and beyond); it’s less about age than about interest in the subject Their main similarity is the desire to find out how best to protect their children’s cyber well-being

The Lesson - Outline: 

The Lesson - Outline Intro Attention Activity Relevance Discussion Lesson Commences Computer Labs Finish – Handout & Evaluation

The Lesson - Intro: 

The Lesson - Intro This workshop is designed to relate to all of the learning styles portrayed in both the McCarthy and Kolb models of learning. It includes: Information to make the subject personal & relevant A quiz (to engage people) Online demonstration & exercise Discussion of age-appropriate software titles for analysis Follow-up material

The Lesson - Attention Activity: Online Safety Assessment Quiz: 

The Lesson - Attention Activity: Online Safety Assessment Quiz Question 1. How much time does your child spend online? less than one hour per week between 1-2 hours per week between 2-3 hours per week more than 3 hours per week Question 2. Does your child have online friends/buddies whom you have never met? Yes No I don't know Question 3. Does your child “chat” with anyone online? Yes No I don't know Question 4. Do you know what sites your child visits? Yes No I don't know Question 5. Do you know what sort of content your child is viewing online? Yes No I don't know Question 6. Do you know your child’s passwords? Yes No I don't know Question 7. Do you have any sort of parental controls installed on your computer? Yes No I don't know Question 8. Would you know where to look for information if you were concerned about your child’s safety online? Yes No I don't know

The Lesson – So Many Options…: 

The Lesson – So Many Options… “ A cyber-security colleague Kirk Bailey (2008) made a comment at a recent meeting that if the Internet were a city street, knowing what he does, he would not walk it in daylight!” – Barbara Endicott- Popovsky

The Lesson – Part 1: 

The Lesson – Part 1 Go back to the opening quote. Discuss how, while clearly online safety is a primary concern, the Internet is also a wonderful source of information for students and it’s become a very important learning tool. We want to encourage students to use the Internet for learning (and sometimes leisure), but to do so safely. Determine the level of Internet savvy among the parents; reassure those with little experience that it’s not necessary to be computer whizzes to learn how to secure their home systems, and let those who are savvier know that they’ll still learn valuable tips and suggestions in the workshop. Find out the ages of the children; divide group according to children’s ages. Toddler-elementary school Elementary school Middle school High school

The Lesson – Part 2 : 

The Lesson – Part 2 Online Demonstration Instructor accesses the Internet using a computer with unrestricted access Visit several sites, including a few that might be considered “risqué” (but not too risqué) Instructor then accesses the Internet using a computer with parental control software installed Visit those same sites, demonstrating how parental control software restricts access to those deemed risqué. Class Activity—Parents try their own searches on both computers Parents conduct various guided searches on both the restricted and unrestricted computers to see how the parental controls work Provide a list of keyword terms to search on Provide a list of sites to visit Parents conduct their own searches using terms of their own devising

The Lesson – Part 3: 

The Lesson – Part 3 Finish up with closing thoughts on the importance of children staying safe online Provide follow-up material for parents interested in doing further research Ask for participants to fill out an evaluation of the class

Internet safety rubric: 

Internet safety rubric Skills to be assessed Beginner (newbie) Intermediate (well-versed) Advanced (savvy, expert) 1. Knowledge of what their child does online Unsure of what sites the child visits. Unaware of how much time the child spends online. Child has private access to computer (e.g., in his/her room) or other distant location. Able to name and find sites that the child frequents. Aware of how much time the child is spending online. Keeps the door to the computer room open at all times. Knows sites the child visits as well as the child’s login credentials. Monitors the amount of time the child spends on the internet. Computer is located in a central area, clearly visible. 2. Knowledge of software titles (and/or sites) designed to provide parental controls on the internet Unable to name more than one software title or site that promotes internet safety for children. Unsure of the benefit of parental control software. Able to name a handful of software titles and sites that promote internet safety for children. Able to list a few reasons why s/he may want to install parental control software. Able to name several software titles and sites that promote internet safety, and sort them according to age-appropriateness. Able to identify multiple reasons for installing parental control software. 3. Ability to select an age-appropriate parental control title for their family’s personal use Unaware of various features of different software titles. Unsure of how or where to purchase parental control software. Able to do simple comparisons of titles’ features. Knows where to purchase the title selected. Expert knowledge of features (and limitations) of the titles; knows which would best suit their family’s needs. Able to purchase the selected title immediately. 4. Ability to install selected parental control software, either via disc or via online download Unable to install software without guidance. Unsure of which features to include in the install. Able to install software via the “simple install” option. Features are preselected in this process, so general knowledge of how to install software will suffice. Can readily and properly install software. Able to install software using “custom” settings, selecting the features that they know they’ll need. 5. Ability to properly use installed parental control software Needs to read instruction manual thoroughly; may need to contact technical support in order to use the software. Must do further research (via the web) to learn basic functions of the software. May need to consult with a savvier user for further insight. Able to perform or figure out basic functions of the software. May need to do more research to learn about expert tips and tricks. Can work independently on most parts of the tasks. Able to use the software immediately upon install. Can customize the software to suit the family’s needs. Able to run the software remotely, so can monitor activity even when not at the child’s computer. 6. Able to monitor progress and see that the parental control software is working properly Unsure of how to track progress or look up stats about the software usage. Not versed on the more basic features of the software. Need to consult with more expert users for insider tips. Able to check in on software logs/records to get an overall understanding of how it’s performing. Not versed on the more nuanced features of the software. Able to help “ newbies ” with basic tasks. Can expertly read logs to see how the software is performing. By analyzing data, is able to refine customization even further, making it more useful. Is able to provide guidance to others who currently use or plan to install parental control software.

Further Research: 

Further Research Parental Control Software Titles: Toddler Peanut Butter PC 3.0 Hoopah Kidview Computer Explorer 6 KidZui 5.0 Elementary and Middle School Net Nanny 6.5 Safe Eyes 6.0 CyberPatrol Parental Controls 7.7 CyberSitter 11 OnlineFamily.Norton K9 Web Protection 4.0 Webroot Parental Controls Middle School and High School NETBLOX PC Pandora 6.0 Spector Pro 2009 Webroot Parental Controls Sites That Provide More Information About Online Safety: American Library Association | Online Resources for Parents and Children http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=litoolkit&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=50662 FBI Publications – A parent's guide to Internet safety http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm Microsoft Online Safety http://www.microsoft.com/protect/parents/childsafety/age.aspx Wired Safety http://www.wiredsafety.org/parent.html Yahoo Safely http://family.yahoo.com/

References: 

References Burriss , L. L. (2003, January 1). Safety in the cybervillage : Some guidelines for teachers and parents. Childhood Education , Annual Theme , 318-319. Bushong , S. (2002). Parenting the Internet. Teacher Librarian , 29 (5), 12-16. Cranmer, S., Selwyn, N., & Potter, J. (2009). Exploring primary pupils’ experiences and understandings of ‘e-safety’. Education Information Technology , 14 , 127-142. Endicott- Popovsky , B. (2009). Seeking a balance: Online safety for our children. Teacher Librarian, 37 (2), 29-34. Enhancing child safety & online technologies: Final report of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force to the multi-state working group on social networking of state Attorneys General of the United States. ( n.d .). Berkman Center for Internet and Society . Retrieved April 19, 2010, from cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/ISTTF_Final_Report.pdf FBI Publications – A parent's guide to Internet safety. ( n.d .). FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation Homepage . Retrieved April 19, 2010, from http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development . Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. McCarthy, B. (1997). A tale of four learners: 4 MATs learning styles. Educational Leadership, 54.6, 46-52. Protecting kids’ privacy. ( n.d .). Federal Trade Commission . Retrieved April 19, 2010, from http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec08.shtm Rubenking , N.J. (2010). Keep your child safe online. PCMag.com. Retrieved May 12, 2010, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2346997,00.asp Schmidt, C. M. (2009). The library media specialist's role in teaching online safety. Library Media Connection , 28 (1), 10-13. Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens. ( n.d .). Federal Trade Commission . Retrieved April 19, 2010, from http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm