I love my new position as a 21st Century Skills teacher. As a parent, however, I've run into a few problems caused by the lack of awareness of how 21st Century tools are being used by our students when they are not monitored. Information, whether delivered through technology, books, news, movies, you name it, will be misused. There is no stopping the speed and validity of information in this century. Educating yourself and your child is vital for their safety. Hopefully, you'll find these cyber savvy tips helpful.
If your children have a smartphone, tablet or access to the internet, it's time for a checkup. These are just a few of the social media apps that kids are using.
Snapchat
Ask.fm
Kik
Whisper
Tinder
Instagram
Voxer
Yik Yak
Twitter
Facebook
Whatsapp
Vine
Viber
Timehop
*Rooms was launched today by Facebook
Parent information about some of these apps can be found here:
http://www.chicagonow.com/tween-us/posts-about-online-safety/
A few rules for your kiddo:
1. If you can't show it to your family, don't post it.
2. Your cyber friends should be the same friends you have in the physical world.
3. Devices can be requested by the parent at any time.
On a personal level, I use my cellphone company to turn off devices at a certain hour. Only people listed as "trusted contacts" can get through. Kids don't just read with flashlights anymore. They are texting and surfing at all hours of the night.
**Websites linked are solely for awareness of digital safety issues. They are not monitored or produced by this author.