Category: Parents and Tech

Middle School and Social Media

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To support grade 5 students with their transition to middle school,  four grade 6 students came by this morning to chat with fifth graders.

We discussed the increased pressure to use social media in middle school. The sixth graders also discussed how to successfully navigate this new frontier by doing the following:

  • THINK before you share/post
  • ASK for permission before sharing or posting a photo or video of another person
  • If you don’t want your mom, dad, or principal to see it… don’t post or share

Interestingly, all of the sixth graders agreed that life was easier without social media and pointed out that you don’t have to have a phone or social media… it’s probably easier if you don’t!

Please take a moment this week and talk with your child today about social media today!

Parenting in the Age of Social Media

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In an effort to better understand our children’s social media use and to provide support for purposeful parenting of children and social media use, the Elementary School held a Parent Coffee Morning.

Principal Roberta Wiens, Vice Principal Kit Wilding, School Psychologist Lesley Clark, and Technology Integrator Claire Wachowiak discussed current research as parents discussed ways in which they tackle social media issues within their own homes.

Also presented were results from a current survey given to fourth and fifth grade students. The survey asked students questions regarding using technology at home, what social media apps they use and what it means to be a good digital citizen. From this, we discussed how to best guide students to have a healthy, well-balance digital life at home and at school. All in all, it was a good morning for responsible technology use!

Please find the presentation below:

Spider Sense Tingling?

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With our current digital citizenship lesson in grades 4 and 5, we have been discussing ‘Spider-Sense’ and the Internet. There are three big ideas that we reviewed:

  1. The Internet is forever; be thoughtful about what you post, text, share or comment
  2. Privacy online is never guaranteed; if you don’t want the world to see it then don’t put it online
  3. Use your Spider-Sense – ‘ listen to your inner voice’ – if you aren’t sure, re-think and question it.

In order to help students visual this, we asked them to think of a red balloon.  Once the student has sent a photo, texted a friend, shared an experience, etc. the red balloon is released and it is out of their hands. The student can no longer control where the digital message goes, who sees it or what someone might do with that digital message.

We strongly encouraged students to talk to their parents about social media. If something comes up that they are uncomfortable with then talk with your folks.

The Internet is a wonderful place full of information, creativity ideas and learning communities. However students need to be thoughtful and savvy when participating in this gigantic digital world. Talk to your child today about social media!

Don’t Open That!

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In an effort to promote smart online choices, students focused on strategies to avoid Spam and never clicking on a ‘pop-up’ ad.

Even though Elementary students’ email accounts are on a ‘Restrict Delivery’ mode, (school email cannot send to or receive emails from outside of the school domain ‘gemsdaa.net’), this will not always be the case. Plus, many students have mobile phones and personal email accounts. As a result, we spoke to students about staying safe online regarding Spam emails and pop-up ads.

Based upon Common Sense Media lesson ‘You’ve Won a Prize!’ objectives: Spam, how to deal with it and to also never click on a pop-up, we discussed strategies.  These included not opening up emails if the sender is unknown, never give out personal information especially to an unknown entity and listen to your common sense.  Additionally students are strongly encouraged to speak with their parents regarding strategies for keeping safe online.

Fake News

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‘So, I guess this means I can’t drink water anymore.’
Grade 5 student after looking at a ‘fake’ webpage on the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide (H20).

A couple of weeks ago, Grade Five teachers asked me to discuss with students how to know if a website is credible with reliable information or is it a website that should not be trusted.

We discussed questions that students should be asking when looking at websites:
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We wanted to stress that just because it is online, does not mean it is true, real or credible. In order to demonstrate this to students, we looked at a fictitious or fake website called ‘Dihydrogen Monoxide – DHMO Homepage’. There are several fabricated websites created by educators to help students see how easy it can be to be fooled.

After looking at the www.dhmo.com website, the alarm bells began to ring as students read how ‘dangerous’ Dihydrogen Monoxide is to humans.  Students were asked to look at the questions (see image above) and at a certain time, we asked students to cross-reference to verify their findings.  Once we tried to verify the Dihydrogen Monoxide website, many students still had difficulty grasping the idea that the information on the original website was false and that Dihydrogen Monoxide was just water… H2O.

Things to do at home:

  • Teach your child to verify sources
  • Model how to question motivations
  • Help your child to think critically when researching

Below are to articles that go a bit more in depth about this subject:
Most Students Don’t Know When News Is Fake, Stanford Study Finds
Students Have ‘Dismaying’ Inability To Tell Fake News From Real, Study Finds

Resources:
Source of Website Questions

Personal v. Private Information

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screen-shot-2017-02-04-at-6-20-52-pmWould you be able to tell the difference between personal information and private information?

Based upon the Elementary School Community Technology Agreement G3-G5, students in grades 4 and 5 are taking a closer look at the guideline regarding personal information v. private information.

  • Keep my personal information private by not sharing it with anyone online or in person. I will also not share my friend’s, classmate’s, or family’s information.

Currently, we are looking at what information is private information (not safe to share online) and personal information (what is safe to share online). We want students to learn about the benefits of sharing information online, but also about the safety and security risks of sharing certain types of information. By distinguishing between the two, students are empowered to stay safe online.

And we always tells students, if they are not sure or are questioning an online information requests… when in doubt, ask your parents or a trusted adult.

Below is a Family Tip sheet from Common Sense Media.
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After The Hour of Code…

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As we look back at the Hour of Code and the next steps we want to take in regards to students and coding, we are asking the questions: Why coding? How can we integrate coding into our curriculum?

on our way to the Asian side...At a recent LTEN conference, Claire Wachowiak and Brycen Davis, our Technology Integrationists, met Bager Akbay. Among other things, Akbay runs a Coderdojo in Kadıköy. A Coderdojo is a community-based programming club for young people. In these free clubs, kids learn how to code, create apps, and explore technology in a comfortable and open environment. How can we bring this to IICS? Ms. Wachowiak and Mr. Davis, along with tenth grade students, Philipp and Ayush, decided to take the ferry to the Asian side to find out.

Upon visiting this Coderdojo, they found an environment of engaged students, many of them using the same tools that we have been using at IICS. Both students and volunteers learned together in a space that invited creativity and learning. As we watched the students collaborate to solve problems, a 3D printer produced student made designs. We witnessed another student using a ‘Makey’ to bring his code to life. It was an atmosphere that encouraged innovation and fun.

Over the next few months, IICS will be looking to bring this energized spirit around coding and computer programming to IICS. We want to thank Bager Akbay and his crew for their generosity in allowing us to visit this Coderdojo.

Talk to your kids about coding! Here are some coding resources if you would like to explore this innovative world.

Talking with Parents About Digital Safety

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As part of Digital Citizenship Week, Claire Wachowiak and Brycen Davis, our Tech Integration Team, discussed Internet safety and digital balance with parents during a PTA Coffee Morning. Susan Taylor hosted the event.

Claire speaking with parents

During this time, a lively discussion took place regarding the concerns parents have about their children being online. While understanding that the Internet has become an integral part of our daily lives, students need to be guided on how to use this incredible tool as its significant functionality also comes with some inherent dangers.  We talked about what IICS is doing to help keep students safe online, including lessons and the Acceptable Use Policies, and also what parents can do at home.

While each home is unique, there are several suggestions below that may help guide students in making smart online choices and to develop healthy screen time habits:

  1. Talk with your child; make sure to check in with your child about their online lives
  2. Create an ‘at home’ media agreement with your child
  3. Talk to your child about Internet safety rules; don’t assume
  4. Keep technology in a central location
  5. Limit screen time
  6. Be a role model for your child in using technology safely and effectively

To help with this, Claire and Brycen have also created a resource page for parents to get information about keeping their children safe online. Additionally, they are currently creating a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) for parents to help navigate this ever changing landscape.

Thank you again to Susan Taylor and the PTA for hosting our Tech Integration Team. It was a lovely morning and we look forward to many more.

Claire with parents