Tag Archives: safety

The Broadband Act and Protecting Children in the 21st Century

In October of 2008, the United States Congress passed into law the Broadband Data Improvement Act (S.1492, Public Act 110-385). The intent of the Act was to improve the quality of data, at both the Federal and State levels, around broadband services across the United States. Insofar as the United States falls well below other nations in broadband penetration, the intent also included the promotion of affordable broadband deployment throughout the country. The Act required that the Department of Commerce, through the National Telecommunications Information Agency (NTIA), conduct studies around broadband deployment so as to inform future legislation, enhance economic development, and further public safety, health care and educational opportunities through broadband. Basically, the Act was intended to help bring the United States up to speed, technologically. Think: rural electrification in the 1930’s, nation-wide phone service…now, in the 21st century, broadband deployment and impact. Continue reading

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The Teen Sexting Problem and What Schools Can Do about It

In the recent past, the term “sexting” has come into our lexicon. Sexting can be defined as creating, sending and/or receiving sexually explicit images or texts. It has been described as a 21st century variation of you-show-me-yours-I’ll-show-you-mine game. However, with the added factor of 21st century technology, it is a whole new game!

There is a lot of conversation among law enforcement, the legal community, educators, prevention-intervention people, counselors and others as to whether sexting falls into the category of criminal activity as child pornography. There is no single, simple answer. Each situation is different.
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Protecting Data Privacy on School Computer Systems

K-12 and higher education school computer systems contain private data of staff, students and parents/guardians. Cybercriminals are motivated to gain unauthorized access to school computer systems because the data on these systems could be used by the attacker to commit crime, such as identity theft, computer system vandalism, fraud using stolen credit card numbers, and privacy breaches to students’ education records. Continue reading

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Protecting School Computer Systems from Cybercrime

K-12 and higher education school computer systems are under attack. Cybercriminals are targeting school computer systems because if they can gain unauthorized access to these computer systems, then they can steal student and staff private information, such as Social Security numbers, medical records, and other private data. Cybercriminals are also motivated to commit other crimes, such as changing grades, causing damage to school computers’ hardware and software, and other crimes. Some examples of these crimes can be found by doing Internet searches for articles related to school computer security breaches. By typing “hacked school computer systems” in the Google search engine, you will find over 600,000 hits related to this topic. Some links even provide guidance on how to illegally hack into school computer systems. Some important stories are: Continue reading

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Breaking Barriers: Ending School Violence, Improving Security and Creating a Culture of Learning in Schools

I witnessed one of my best friends getting shot in the daylight and I couldn’t do anything – we were in the wrong place at the wrong time… It takes time but I am going to have to take back everything the devil stole from me. It’s a work in progress, but with prayer and supplication I will do it.
Eleventh grader, Dyquan Caldwell, shared his tragedy in “A Mile in My Shoes Writing Project: African-American Males Telling Their Own Stories.” According to a recent study, teenagers like Dyquan are more likely to walk to school, pass through a metal detector when entering school, have major distractions from doing school work, have fewer opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities, and sadly, more likely to report that their teachers say and do things to make students feel bad about themselves. Continue reading

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Five Reasons Students Don’t Report Cyberbullying

Chelsie, a vibrant freshman in third period, is no longer vibrant. Most days, she’s not even present. When she does show up to class, she often comes early and alone. Her grades have slipped. She makes up excuses in the computer lab about why she can’t go online or she pleads a stomach ache and heads for the nurse’s office. When she’s in class, Chelsie prefers to work alone and not in groups. If other students ask her to join a group, she snaps at them.

Chelsie’s change in behavior is consistent with that of a cyberbully victim, Hindjua and Patchin wrote in Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying. Continue reading

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What Should Teachers Do about Sexting?

Like it or not, what happens in cyberspace doesn’t stay in cyberspace. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, 15 percent of our students have received a nude or nearly nude photo or video of someone they know. Four percent are sending sexual photos or videos of themselves.

As teachers we know that the schoolhouse gate doesn’t serve as a barrier to information from the real world. The sexual text messages and instant messages (sexting) our teens send to one another during their online evenings can create a lot of trouble during the offline school day. Continue reading

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Students Online: Time Wasters or Innovators?

Your students are spending a lot of their free time online. Think of the number of hours you estimate they spend online. Double it. The doubled number is probably closer to the truth.

According to the Norton Online Living Report 2009, parents believe their children spend 21 hours online. The reality is that students in twelve countries reported spending 39 hours online. Don’t tell me these kids don’t have time to finish their assignments or clean their rooms. Continue reading

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Technology Literacy is an Important 21st Century Learning Skill

According to a report from The Center for Public Education, next to critical thinking and problem solving, employers believe that students should be prepared to apply information technology in their future jobs. Tied for third place are teamwork and collaboration skills as well as creativity and innovation.

In other words, employers want creative thinkers who can work in groups and solve problems using technology. Continue reading

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Making Schools Emotionally and Physically Safer for Students

We all want our classrooms and schools to be safe for students. But a safe location isn’t enough, according to a Girl Scouts of America (GSA) study about girls’ safety. “Trusted relationships, in which girls feel valued and supported, are what make girls feel emotionally safe,” researchers for “Feeling Safe: What Girls Say” wrote. Continue reading

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