Jdarg
SoWal Expert
We have a reporter that will attend this as well.
Great! I hope we have some parents there!
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Seahawk Parent Roundtable- October 14th
- Thread starter Jdarg
- Start date
Great! I hope we have some parents there!
Jdarg
SoWal Expert
Great! I hope we have some parents there!
Bump!
Saw 2 moms today that are coming tonight!
Jdarg
SoWal Expert
Thanks to all who attended this week?s Seahawk Parent Roundtable. It was quite an eye opening and informative meeting! Chuck McMullen, from the Florida Attorney General?s office, gave a presentation on the internet and our kids. I have to say that I thought I was pretty savvy and hip when it came to the Internet, but quickly realized that I knew nothing. I think other parents came away with the same thought! My notes are scribbled, but I noted the important points of Chuck?s presentation.
The cyber crime unit of the Florida Attorney General?s Office has about 30 employees , and they do everything from investigate cyber fraud to cracking down on internet porn. Chuck started the meeting with information on the most popular internet activities for kids and how they make the kids vulnerable to danger. Online video game sites, where the kids are playing and chatting online, are a big danger, since many games systems are not traceable (can?t find IP addresses), so anybody can access the players. World of Warcraft is the most ?law enforcement friendly? since it archives all activity.
Pere2Peer sites such as Limewire, Bearshare, and Kazaa are not great sites either- for example, 85% of Limewire?s available files are now pornographic files. Most of the parents in attendance thought Limewire was all music! :shock: The bad thing about these Peer2Peer sites is that they can be installed, files downloaded, and uninstalled, and nobody is the wiser. There are settings in Windows XP that will block filesharing programs. Chuck wasn?t so familiar with Mac, so Mac users can consult their info. Bottom line- Chuck said there is no reason to use any of these sites, period.
Interesting stats- Who Surfs the Internet Alone? (no parental supervision)---under 12 years: 15% of kids, 12-15 years: 50%, and 16 yrs. 75%. Some crazy and scary figures concerning the percentage of kids sexually solicited online, encountering pornography, etc. are available at the Missing & Exploited Kids website at www.missingkids.com.
Warning signs that your child?s internet use is becoming a problem:
Excessive online use (there are programs available that locks the computer for specified time periods)
Unsupervised time in chat rooms
Drastic behavior and attitude changes
Downloading large graphical files
Receiving gifts/phone calls from adults that you don?t know
Some tips for parents: Parents should be the primary administrators of the computer, and have a record of all kids? screennames and passwords, monitor profiles, make sure screennames are non-descriptive, periodically check internet history, and periodically check archived instant messages (Yahoo IM has this capability).
MySpace and Facebook were discussed- Facebook is the ?better? site since it is easier to recognize ?outsiders? in groups. Social networking is a huge part of the kids? lives now, and there are so many ?dangers? here. Chuck showed a short film about a child who gave away too much info on her Myspace, and the resulting easy success of finding her in the ?real world?. Cyberbullying was also discussed, on the internet and through instant messaging- this will become a huge issue in the future because it is very prevalent but ?under the radar? at the same time.
My ears perked up when Chuck discussed how colleges are rejecting applicants based on bad things found on the applicant?s profile pages on Myspace and Facebook, and employers are looking and rejecting too. We need to explain this to our children!
For more information, you can go to www.myfloridalegal.com, and they have links to the safe surf websites. Also, you may e-mail specific question or concerns to Chuck McMullen at chuck.mcmullen@myfloridalegal.com. Since he is a government official , he can?t recommend a specific product to put controls on the home computers, but did say the products recommended by Consumer Reports were the best (www.consumerreports.com).
Thanks again to Chuck McMullen, and the parents, teachers, and staff in attendance.
The cyber crime unit of the Florida Attorney General?s Office has about 30 employees , and they do everything from investigate cyber fraud to cracking down on internet porn. Chuck started the meeting with information on the most popular internet activities for kids and how they make the kids vulnerable to danger. Online video game sites, where the kids are playing and chatting online, are a big danger, since many games systems are not traceable (can?t find IP addresses), so anybody can access the players. World of Warcraft is the most ?law enforcement friendly? since it archives all activity.
Pere2Peer sites such as Limewire, Bearshare, and Kazaa are not great sites either- for example, 85% of Limewire?s available files are now pornographic files. Most of the parents in attendance thought Limewire was all music! :shock: The bad thing about these Peer2Peer sites is that they can be installed, files downloaded, and uninstalled, and nobody is the wiser. There are settings in Windows XP that will block filesharing programs. Chuck wasn?t so familiar with Mac, so Mac users can consult their info. Bottom line- Chuck said there is no reason to use any of these sites, period.
Interesting stats- Who Surfs the Internet Alone? (no parental supervision)---under 12 years: 15% of kids, 12-15 years: 50%, and 16 yrs. 75%. Some crazy and scary figures concerning the percentage of kids sexually solicited online, encountering pornography, etc. are available at the Missing & Exploited Kids website at www.missingkids.com.
Warning signs that your child?s internet use is becoming a problem:
Excessive online use (there are programs available that locks the computer for specified time periods)
Unsupervised time in chat rooms
Drastic behavior and attitude changes
Downloading large graphical files
Receiving gifts/phone calls from adults that you don?t know
Some tips for parents: Parents should be the primary administrators of the computer, and have a record of all kids? screennames and passwords, monitor profiles, make sure screennames are non-descriptive, periodically check internet history, and periodically check archived instant messages (Yahoo IM has this capability).
MySpace and Facebook were discussed- Facebook is the ?better? site since it is easier to recognize ?outsiders? in groups. Social networking is a huge part of the kids? lives now, and there are so many ?dangers? here. Chuck showed a short film about a child who gave away too much info on her Myspace, and the resulting easy success of finding her in the ?real world?. Cyberbullying was also discussed, on the internet and through instant messaging- this will become a huge issue in the future because it is very prevalent but ?under the radar? at the same time.
My ears perked up when Chuck discussed how colleges are rejecting applicants based on bad things found on the applicant?s profile pages on Myspace and Facebook, and employers are looking and rejecting too. We need to explain this to our children!
For more information, you can go to www.myfloridalegal.com, and they have links to the safe surf websites. Also, you may e-mail specific question or concerns to Chuck McMullen at chuck.mcmullen@myfloridalegal.com. Since he is a government official , he can?t recommend a specific product to put controls on the home computers, but did say the products recommended by Consumer Reports were the best (www.consumerreports.com).
Thanks again to Chuck McMullen, and the parents, teachers, and staff in attendance.
ShallowsNole
Beach Fanatic
My ears perked up as well when it was mentioned that colleges and employers now routinely check out applicants via their MySpace and Facebook pages (and other parts of the presentation, too). Really scary when kids refuse to believe that the 'net is not private. 
Miss Critter
Beach Fanatic
Scarier still was when he said that taking your page/pics down doesn't mean they're no longer available; that there are companies who catalog these things and sell them to colleges/employers/whomever. You can now safely assume "once on the net, forever on the net." Best to keep your drunken, scantily-clad, profanity-laced escapades to yourself, but now that everyone's phone has a camera. . . . .
Good meeting, jdarg. Thanks.
Good meeting, jdarg. Thanks.
The School Board will be considering a new bullying (and cyber bullying) policy at a workshop meeting on November 3, 2008 (the Monday before the election) at 4:00 p.m. I am trying to get the district to post the proposed policy on the webpage. Before then, the district can provide you a copy if you call and ask for one. I would love to hear from you guys regarding the policy and any changes you might suggest. Thanks.
Jdarg
SoWal Expert
Thanks Mark- the easier we can make it the better- any chance of posting this on SoWal or getting into the newspapers? I bet many people (including me) will forget to ask for a copy or drive to DeF to get one.
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