Instructional Techno English 5-12

Volume 1, Issue 2

logy

October 2012

BVCPS

Inside this issue:

What We Need to Know to Keep Our Teens Safe
Feature Article: Keeping Our Kids Safe Safety for Mobile Devices Are Adults Keeping Safe? 1 Over 80% of American teens in the 13-18 age bracket have a profile on a social networking site. [1] They know how to post and access information and images, but they don't know how to stay safe while doing it. Less than half of teens with an online profile have made their profile private and viewable only by friends. [2] Teen profiles contain an extraordinary amount of personal information, information that can be used by predators. 50% include their real age, 62% post photos of themselves, 41% provide the city they live in, 45% post the name/location of their school, places where they typically go (9%), and 14% even post their cell phone number. [2] 76% of teens with online profiles think it would be hard or very difficult for a stranger to figure out who they are from their profile. [3] However, in 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the offender used the victim's social networking site to gain information about the victim's likes and dislikes, 65% used the victim's social networking site to gain home and school information about the victim, and 26% used the victim's social networking site to gain information about the victim's whereabouts at a specific time. [5] And teens act on their belief that online friends arre safe - 14% of students in 10th-12th grade and 9% of students in 7th-9th grades have accepted an invitation to meet an online stranger in-person [8] Too many teens (20%) think it's ok to post or send nude or suggestive images of themselves. [9] These teens dont always understand the consequences that posting information and pictures could have on their future. Many are not aware that once something is posted on the Internet, that removing it later doesn't mean it's really gone, even if the website doesn't even exist anymore. They were not familiar with websites like the Wayback Machine which allow people to find images and information that was posted, and deleted, years ago. These teens dont always understand the consequences that posting information and pictures could have on their future. And very few teens are aware of geotagging and that others can track their location using pictures posted online via free plugins for Firefox (Exif Viewer) and Internet Explorer (Opanda IExif). Teens also dont understand issues such as social media etiquette and cyberbullying. While 69% of teens using social media think that their peers are mostly kind on social media sites, 88% have also seen someone be mean or bully someone on a social media site. [5] This bullyContinued on page 2

VA DOE: Profes4 sional Development Opportunities Recommendations: Websites and iPad apps 4

Page 2

Instructional Technology

What We Need to Know (cont from page 1)

ing has resulted in teen violence and suicide by the victim of the bullying as well as criminal charges and civil lawsuits against the bully. More facts: There are over 644,865 registered sex offenders in the United States, and over 100,000 are lost in the system.[10] The majority of victims of Internet initiated sex crimes are 13-15 years old. [6] One in seven kids receives an online sexual solicitation.[7] 44% of online solicitors are under the age of 18. [7] Of aggressive sexual solicitations of youth (when the solicitor attempted to establish an offline contact via in-person meeting or phone call), 73% of youth met the solicitor online.[7] Sexual solicitations of youth occur via:[7] Chatrooms (37%) Instant Messaging (40) Other sources such as gaming devices (21%) Sources:

[1] Edison Research. (2012). The social habit. [2] Cox Communications Teen online and wireless safety survey in Partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (2009) [3] Teens, privacy, and online social networks, Pew Internet and American Life Project(2007) [4] Teens and Digital Citizenship Survey, Pew Research Center, FOSI, & Cable in the Classroom. (2011) [5] Use of social networking sites in online sex crimes against minors: An examination of national incidence and means of utilization, Journal of Adolescent Health, 47(2)

(2010) [6] nternet-initiated sex crimes against minors; implications for prevention based on findings from a national study, Journal of Adolescent Health, 35(5) (2007) [7] Online victimization of youth: Five years later, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (2006) [8] How risky are social networking sites? A comparison of places online where youth sexual solicitation and harassment occurs, Pediatrics (2008) [9] Clinical report - The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families, Pediatrics, 127(4) (2011) [10] United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Safety for Mobile Devices

Mobile Devices Laptops, tablets, iPads, smartphones, anything you can carry around that can connect to the Internet or used to transmit information. These devices have some additional safety issues you need to be aware of to keep your personal information personal. Keep your software/operating system current. If virus protection/malware software is available use it and keep it updated. Connecting through WiFi hotspots: Be careful about the type of business you conduct through unsecured servers. Just for Phones: We carry our phones everywhere and they are easily lost or stolen. Your phone contains an amazing amount of information about you and your family. Use a passcode to unlock/lock your phone Only give your mobile number to people you know and trust. Never give out anyone elses number without their permission. Learn how to turn off geotagging of pictures on your phone. Did you know that predators can use the geotagging info on pictures you post of yourself, family and friends to track your location and find you? Before you download an app, understand what data it can access on your phone or account. Information in this article courtesy of: Enough is Enough Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center

October 2012

Page 3

Are Adults Keeping Safe?

Not always according to the latest research. 15% of Americans have never checked their social networking privacy and security account settings. (National Cyber Security Alliane (NCSA)-MacAfee Online Safety Study, 2011) 24% of Americans say they are not at all confident in their ability to use privacy settings. (National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA)MacAfee Online Safety Study, 2011) Of the active adult users of Facebook, 66% reported they did not know privacy controls existed on Facebook and/or they did not know how to use the privacy controls. (Consumer Reports, June 2011) What Can You Do to Keep Safe? CIS (Center for Internet Security) is conducting its second annual Cyber Security Pledge campaign, which encourages citizens to declare their commitment to online safety. The pledge outlines positive behaviors such as creating strong passwords, protecting mobile devices, and reporting cyber security incidents. The pledge can be signed online at: https://msisac.cisecurity.org/cyberpledge/ In general: Dont store sensitive info on mobile devices without encrypting it first. Android and Apple apps are available to secure photos, passwords, and more.
Dont respond to emails, even

been compromised, change your password IMMEDIATELY.

Use different passwords for

different accounts
Use different passwords for

the ones that look official, asking for personal info.

Logoff your computer when

work and personal accounts More Ideas: Use PayPal when shopping online. Dont give your credit card out to any websites unless you trust them completely. Dont click on links in emails or download attachments. And just because it looks official doesnt mean it is. Check the sender address carefully. Lots of Phishing on the Internet. Want to know more? Visit these websites and learn more about how to be safe online and how to keep our children safe. http://www.internetsafety101.org/ https://msisac.cisecurity.org/ index.cfm MS-ISAC Cyber Tips Newsletter: Safeguarding your Data Microsoft Safety and Security Center: Create strong passwords MS-ISAC Daily Tip: Protect Yourself from Phishing Scams MS-ISAC Cyber Tips Newsletter: Online Shopping MS-ISAC Cyber Tips Newsletter: Securing a Wireless Network

youre not using it.

When banking and shopping, look for URLs that start with https:// and shttp:// which indicate a secure site.

Use good password behavior: Should be at least 8 characters (many sites require this), contain at least one upper case, one lowercase letters, numbers and symbols
Avoid words and proper names regardless of language. Hackers use programs to guess passwords by trying every word in a dictionary Dont use personal info

name, childrens name, birthdates, etc. that someone might know or easily obtain.
Never share your password

with anyone.
Never write your passwords

down.
Protect devices with strong passwords that cant be easily guessed and change password periodically If you think your account has

From the Virginia DOE

SAS Curriculum Pathways usersthere is a new online course, The VDOE will be offering free 6Beginning to Teach with SAS Curweek online courses featuring the riculum Pathways. This asynchroIntel Elements Courses: Thinking nous, self-paced learning option Critically with Data, Assessment in introduces SAS Curriculum Path21st Century Classrooms, Projectways and provides guidance and Based Approaches, and Collaborasupport as teachers develop indition in the Digital Classroom. See vidual lesson plans to address http://www.intel.com/content/www/ their instructional goals. There is us/en/education/k12/teachno fee, and documentation is proelements.html where you can view vided for those who complete the a PDF of the syllabus for each course (10 contact hours). Becourse. Classes will be begin in cause the course includes classmid-October (we hope) and you room-integration assignments, it will receive a note from me indicatmust be completed during the ing dates for these excellent PD school year. courses and how to sign up. Professional Development Virginia Tech offers a Masters in Instructional Technology online: http://vto.vt.edu/progdesc.php? id=itma The new site A Platform for Good (http:// www.aplatformforgood.org/) addresses the need for communication about digital citizenship: Our vision for A Platform for Good is to start a dialogue about what it means to participate responsibly in a digital world. While recognizing the potential risks, we will celebrate technology as a vehicle for opportunity and social change. We hope to achieve this goal by providing parents and teachers with the resources to learn about and interact with new technologies, and by giving teens the ability to engage and teach their peers, family members and educators. Through this approach, we hope to encourage good digital citizenship, responsible online behavior, and the use of technology for positive change and making a difference.

Recommendations
Websites Newspaper GameWhat makes a good headline? Heros Journeyinteractive for students with corresponding lesson plans for teachers. Mystery Cube learn how to find the key parts of a story then use the skills to write your own stories. Interactive for students with corresponding lesson plans for teachers. Professor Garfield Comics Lab practice writing skills by creating your own comics to print and share. Teachers register your classes for free. Reading Comprehension Gr. 5+ Read a passage and answer MC and short answer questions testing your understanding of the passage. Paragraph ParamedicsSearch the paragraph(s) for errors in spelling, grammar, word choice. Replace with the correct word. Apps for iPads Grammar DragonGood for middle school and HS remediation. From Radford U and correlated to VA SOLs. A Novel Ideagetting started in writing a novel or story. Grammar Up: Free Editiondesigned to help post-secondary students pass the TOEIC, this can also be used with secondary students. SAT Vocab Cardsimprove your vocabulary and your score on the SATs. Practice English Grammar 2quiz format using MC, matching, fill-in-theblank, etc. Teaching Resources The Teachers Caf (English) - source for lessons, worksheets, online books, presentations, ideas and more. Have a great site or app to share? Please send me the info and Ill include it in the next newsletter. Sue