Internet Safety Summary
On April 25th and May 3rd, Connie White, Director of Technology at Lakeview Academy, came to Wesleyan to talk with our parents about internet safety in an effort to further the school’s partnership with the parent body on this important topic. Mrs. White is a well-respected expert in this field, as well as an educator and parent. She has partnered with numerous schools and school districts, as well as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The last six weeks of the school year are among the busiest for families, and if you were unable to attend either of these internet safety sessions, a brief summary can be found below.
All of the information that Connie presented, and more, can be found on her Wiki page at: http://cwhitetech.wikispaces.com
Here are some highlights:
As parents, we must educate ourselves regarding the technology that our children are using. For example, if you do not already have a Facebook account, you should get one and familiarize yourself with how it works.
Become aware of the parental controls for YouTube and Facebook, as well as iPhones, iPods, and other mobile devices. Parents often do not avail themselves of these safety measures, even though they are relatively simple to enact.
A great website to visit and become familiar with is Common Sense Media. This site will provide you with ratings of all forms of media, including movies, television programs, video games, websites, and music. The web address is: www.commonsensemedia.org
Give strong consideration to establishing a safety contract in your home. Establish guidelines for the use of all forms of media. Just because devices are mobile, you don’t have to change your house rules (Note: the school continues, and will continue, to encourage families to restrict computer use to highly trafficked areas in the home, and not in basements or bedrooms where children can use the internet without supervision).
Finally, many of the questions raised in both meetings centered on internet filtering and monitoring. While on campus, your child’s tablet will have internet filtering and monitoring. Our internet filter will block numerous websites based on a list of key words. This prevents students from visiting inappropriate websites, based either on content or on the potential distractions that such sites can create. Since no filter is 100% foolproof, Wesleyan also uses monitoring software that allows us to track internet activity. When students visit sites that are inappropriate, this software alerts us and gives us the opportunity to address it with them.
When students leave the Wesleyan campus and the Wesleyan network, the filtering as described above will remain with the tablet. Therefore, the same list of websites that are blocked at school will also be blocked elsewhere. There will be some exceptions to this blocking. For example, high school students will have access to Facebook and YouTube after school hours as we see some significant educational and social / communication advantages to these sites. However, what will not follow your child’s tablet when they leave Wesleyan is the internet monitoring. We believe that the issue of off-campus internet monitoring is one that is best resolved by each family. Some families will want little if any monitoring, while others will want an extensive level of accountability with their child on this matter. Wesleyan is recommending a software program called eBlaster, which can be installed on your child’s tablet. The software costs approximately $100 and will allow you to monitor everything your child does on his or her tablet, including all internet use and e-mail. While the parents will have to purchase this program, the school’s IT Staff will be happy to assist you with the installation, if necessary.
Wesleyan continues to be excited about the one-to-one program, and we hope you and your child share our enthusiasm. Between now and the start of next school year, you will hear from your child’s division principal regarding instructions for tablet distribution, as well as many other details regarding the one-to-one program.
Thank you for your continued support of Wesleyan!