Online Safety

1. Online Safety A Survival Guide for All Educators FETC 2007

2. Welcome! • Steve Holland • Educational Consultant • Author, Online Safety Series - Scenario Learning • Former Publisher, Computer Education, South-Western Educational Publishing • Mark Stevens • Executive Director & General Mgr.,AOL@School • Former VP, Turner Learning

3. Agenda • Introduction – The Online World Has Changed Again! • Research –Teens, Tweens & Online Safety – Mark • Secrets –Truths Your Students May Not Want You to Know • Social Networking Web Sites: A Primer LIVE & Uncensored (gulp!) – An Unfiltered Look at Stefan’s MySpace Page • Three Greatest Online Dangers for Schools – Steve 1) Cyberbullying 2) Online Predators 3) Online Threats of Violence • Q & A - Discussion

4. Introduction:The Lines Have BLURRED! • What does “online” mean anymore? • Is a cell phone an online device? • Is a text message or an IM an online activity? • Does wireless networking mean your students can bypass your online filters?

5. Your Students … Send text messages and instant messages Find that evading adult supervision is fairly easy and view most adults as basically clueless Carry portable, unsupervised online devices into your school each day Your Teachers … Talk to people and send e-mail Believe (or hope) that student online activity is controlled through technical restrictions on PCs in the media lab Believe that online safety doesn’t impact them if their curriculum doesn’t involve PCs Introduction:The Generation Gap Is Back!

6. Introduction: Don’t Panic! • All educators need to learn the basics of online safety. • Teachers can bridge the “generation gap” with some basic training in teen online behavior. • Schools need to review and modernize policies involving students and technology. • If your district doesn’t perceive increased physical danger for students and staff as well as growing legal liability for schools, then they are asking for trouble. • You can do it!

7. Teens, Tweens &Online Safety| Mark Stevens |AOL@SCHOOL Teen research results

8. Teens | Who • Technology is central to every teens life • Online and offline worlds merge into one • Time spend with technology has increased 47% in past 5 years • Media inform, influence and entertain teens • Communication is central to teens lives • Technology always for person self- expression • Social Networking is the 21st century main street

9. Teens | What • Tech Tools • Computers, Cell phones, DVD burner, Game player • Online Tools • Email, IM, MySpace, Online game sites • Learn about tech • Self-exploration, friends • Favorite Online Activities • Communications, Music, Gaming

10. Teens | Why • Why do students like to use technology for schoolwork? • Info is the most accurate – 68% • More efficient – 69% • Allows for collaborative work – 43% • More fun – 66% • Can do multiple things at once – 60% • Less errors – 57% (Students in grades 6 – 12)

11. Teens |Online • Web is becoming the hub of ALL media consumption • Music • Communication • Information • Entertainment • Changing habits • “I go on the computer to look through music, chat with my friends and play games.” • – Athena, 15, New York • “It’s easy to spend six hours on the computer if you watch all your TV, movies and listen to music on it.” • – Tommy, 16, San Francisco Time Spent with Media and SelectedNon-media Activities in a Typical Day Activity Time Watching TV 3:04 Hanging out with parents 2:17 Hanging out with friends 2:16 Listening to music 1:44 Exercising, sports, etc. 1:25 Watching movies/videos 1:11 Using a computer 1:02 Pursuing hobbies, clubs, etc. 1:00 Talking on the telephone 0:53 Doing homework 0:50 Playing video games 0:49 Reading 0:43 Working at a job 0:35 Doing chores 0:32 Computer activity 2004 1999 Playing games 0:19 0:12 Visiting Web sites 0:14 0:07 Visiting chat rooms 0:04 0:05 E-mail 0:05 0:04 Instant messaging 0:17 N/A Graphics 0:04 N/A Total computer time 1:02 0:27 Source: Kaiser Family Foundation (3/2005)

12. Teens |Online • Teens are empowered by technology • It’s a part of their everyday lives • “I get up in the morning, wash my face, brush my teeth, I get [dressed], go downstairs, get on the computer.” • Demonte, 14, St. Louis • They wouldn’t know what to do without it • “We're so accustomed to having a computer and having information so readily available that I couldn't imagine not having it anymore.” • Alicia, 17, New York Teen Fact 87% or 21 million of all teens use the Internet. – Pew Internet & Trust (7/05)

13. Teens |Media • Media plays a vital and multi-functional role in a teen’s life • Media inform, influence and entertain teens • Teens are passing through a phase of self-discovery and are highly susceptible to external influences • Arguably, media has more of a stranglehold on teen behavior than do friends and parents Teen Fact Each week, American kids spend more time engaged with media than the average adult spends working. – Kaiser Family Foundation (3/05)

14. Engage | Communication “I have over 264 people in my buddy list.” – Katie, 16, Minneapolis • Instant Messaging • Instant messaging is the ideal way to communicate with friends—“It’s instant” • Nearly everyone was emphatic about instant messaging • AIM by far the most popular service • “I’m always on AIM, I'm on it right now. I'm onAIM right now.” Ziyad, 14, St. Louis • Other services mentioned were Yahoo and Google Talk • Teen Fact • Teens typically converse in text, but also share: • Funny links (50%) • Sent photos (45%) • Music or videos (31%) • – Pew Internet & Trust (7/05)

15. Engage |Communication • E-mail • The terms “e-mail” and “IM” were sometimes used interchangeably • Conversations about e-mail quickly turned into conversations about IM • “I have four e-mail addresses… one of them I only give to certain friends because I don’t want other people to know that I’m on.” - Sadie, 13, Minneapolis • Younger groups were more prone to talk about IM attributes during e-mail conversations Teen Fact 89% of teens send or read email (down 3% from 2000) while 75% (up 1% from 2000) use IM – Pew Internet & Trust (7/05)

16. Engage |Communication “You send them an e-mail, you have to wait for them to get it. But if you’re AIM-ing, they get it right back to you.” – Jonathan, 14, San Diego • E-mail • E-mail as a primary form of communication is waning • Social networks and IM are supplanting previouse-mail activities • “I have a MySpace and everyone I would e-mailhas a MySpace.” Evan, 17, San Diego • E-mail is used to communicate with older family members and other “adults” • More “formal” than IM • “With adults I use e-mail all the time. Everyone else has AIM.” • Antonella, 17, New York

17. Engage |Communication • Social Networking • Aside from instant messaging, social networks are popular destinations for teens online: they combine aspects of “Engage,” “Assist” and “Entertain” • Both a lean-forward AND a lean-back experience • “Sometimes, I just look at people’s pictures, others, I chat with people and mess with ‘em.” Kiyana, 16, San Francisco • Common-bonds and circles of friends driveinitial adoption • Younger teens have an insulated view of these networks • “I like the subscriptions—people subscribe to you— I’ve got this whole group of people at my school to subscribe to me.” • Mitchel, 13, Atlanta

18. Engage |Communication • Social Networking • Older teens show a little more sophistication with social network behavior • Realizing power of linking virtual and real worlds • Like-minded connections • Sophisticated behavior doesn’t preclude insulated view • Even older teens were seemingly unaware that others outside their interest group may be looking at their profiles • Some participants were embarrassed that the moderator had seentheir MySpace profile, even though participants willingly gave out info in the first place

19. Engage |Communication • Social Networking • Parental concerns • Particularly among the younger age ranges • Again—stranger danger • School involvement • Over the three months of interviews and groups, participants discussed schools becoming more and more involved with dangers of putting information online • Notes sent home to parents • Suspensions of students for content on public spaces were made very public/known

20. Engage |Communication • Social Networking vs. Chat Rooms • A picture says a thousand… clicks (at least) • Most participants viewed chat rooms as seedy/anonymous; social networks fun/friendly • Social networks allow control over whom you “talk” to • Pictures often evoke a sense of trust • Chat room impressions come from parental warnings • “I’m not allowed to go in chat rooms, apparently there’ s bad stuff in there.” – Stephanie, 15, Atlanta

21. Engage |Communication “…you can put your picture and different characters on [Black Planet] and everyone will know who you are, parents don’t understand this.“ – Joshua, 17, St. Louis • Social Networking • Community online has come to represent the culmination of Access, Communication and Expression • “There’re different kinds of people that you can meet from different States or different towns; just looking for a friend, somebody to hang out with or whatever—different age groups and everything.” • Mallory, 16, St. Louis

22. Engage |Self-Expression • Blogs/JournalsExpression is more than fancy backgrounds and colors—it’s also communicating, writing the days events, or simply putting down thoughts/impressions of what’s going on, it is central to teens way of life. “Every day I write a new Web blog entry in my Xanga… and I visit other people’s Xanga.” - Mitchell, 14, Atlanta Teen Fact Only 11% of teens feel blogs are an important part of keeping up with the latest trends* – Frank N. Magid Assoc., 2005

23. Engage |Self-Expression “My Mom's a journalist, and she actually went through Google and searched for my blog, found it, and saw content that she didn't think was appropriate… …it's just like, OK, I just got rid of it and basically made sure that you can't search for my name and find it.” – Tommy, 16, San Francisco • Blogs/JournalsPictures allow teens to express who they are, as well as give them something to look at • “I just like it because it has a lot of picturesand I can read about people’s experiences. I like looking at pictures, but I don’t really talk toanyone very much.” - Chris, 16, New York Teen Fact Only 11% of teens feel blogs are an important part of keeping up with the latest trends* – Frank N. Magid Assoc., 2005

24. Secrets Shhhhh! A Top Secret Presentation by Kids About How They REALLY Use Technology and Evade Adult Supervision

25. Social Networking Web Sites Introducing … Stefan, a typical 8th grader, and his MySpace.com Web page. (Please don’t tell him I showed you this!)

26. Social Networking Web Sites • The fastest growing phenomenon involving young people and the Internet are so-called “Social Networking Web sites”. These free services make it easy for anyone to create a personal Web page. The best-known companies among students are MySpace, Facebook and Friendster. • To illustrate this growth in popularity, MySpace has ballooned to over 90 million members in only three years. According to research by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 61% of children between the ages of 13-17 have personal profiles on a Social Networking Web Site. • Social Networking Web Sites allow anyone to create their own personal Web page featuring pictures, music, video, a personal diary and even a blog.

27. Social Networking Web Sites • From their page, members can also: • complete “personal profile” forms (revealing potentially sensitive information) • post personal information • contact friends and strangers • leave messages on pages of other members • e-mail text and photos • instant message

28. Social Networking Web Sites • While most students’ Social Networking Web pages are just a fun way to communicate with friends and family, this technology can be exploited by cyberbullies, online predators and students involved in criminal activities such as drug dealing. • In each case, school safety can be impacted even though the activity may originate from home.

29. Online Dangers – Overview • The dangers posed by the online and electronically-connected world are nothing new. The problem is that popular technologies are increasingly being exploited in dangerous ways. This has created new liabilities for schools from some familiar nemeses. • The challenge is that electronic communication allows easy access to and instant dissemination of messages.

30. Online Dangers – Overview • The good news is that most school districts already have policies and procedures in place for dealing with these problems. The key is for educators to be knowledgeable about these dangers, identify the warning signs and know when to take action according to their district’s policies. • The three greatest online dangers for schools are: • Cyberbullying • Online Predators • School Violence

31. Online Dangers – Cyberbullying • Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that is experiencing an enormous growth in schools. It occurs when a bully uses communication technologies – such as cell phones and computers – in a way that meets the definition of bullying.

32. Online Dangers – Cyberbullying • Bullying occurs when three criteria are met. The criteria are: • Harm – the bully intends physical or emotional harm for the victim • Unfair Match – the victim cannot fairly defend themselves • Repeated – occurs more than once

33. Online Dangers – Cyberbullying • Cyberbullies use voice messages, e-mail, text messages, instant messages, photo images, videos, polling Web sites and/or personal Web pages in a deliberate attempt to repeatedly harass, intimidate or embarrass another person or group of people. • Cyberbullies inflict emotional harm and create an “unfair match” because victims cannot defend themselves from electronic distribution of the bully’s messages.

34. Online Dangers – Cyberbullying • According to research by attorney Parry Aftab, one of America’s leading specialists in cyberlaw, more than half of the children between the ages of 9 -14 have either experienced cyberbullying or had a close friend who did or had cyberbullied another. • Most of your students have probably already had some exposure to cyberbullying.

35. Online Dangers – Cyberbullying • Cyberbullying is just as serious as bullying that happens on the school playground. In fact, cyberbullying can happen anytime and anywhere. • This can create even greater problems since the bully’s message can be sent to students throughout your school in seconds – and forwarded to students in schools throughout your district in minutes. Although the bully’s activities may originate away from school, his or her actions can directly impact school safety and the learning environment.

36. Online Dangers – Cyberbullying If you become aware of cyberbullying: • Take bullying seriously • Document all evidence. For instance, print and record e-mail, instant messages, text messages, digital images, Web pages and URLs. In addition, threatening phone messages should be saved.

37. Online Dangers – Cyberbullying • If cyberbullying occurs on campus or during school hours, report bullying incidents immediately according to your school district’s policies and procedures. • If the cyberbullying takes place away from campus and outside of school hours, schools may not have disciplinary authority. However, they can notify and work with parents. • Threats of violence are always illegal, whether they occur at school or not.

38. Online Dangers – Cyberbullying • According to Aftab, all schools should consider adding a provision to their “acceptable use” policy reserving the right to discipline students for actions taken off-campus if they are intended to have an effect on a student or they adversely affect the safety and well-being of a student while in school

39. Online Dangers – Online Predators • According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 1 in 5 children online is sexually solicited. • Experts have referred to the online world as the “Wild West”. Students have unprecedented opportunities to meet other kids who share the same interests. Despite parental controls and other types of safety systems, the openness of the internet still creates a fertile ground for online predators.

40. Online Dangers – Online Predators • Online predators are usually adults who are looking to exploit children’s undeveloped critical thinking skills and lack of life experience. Those who become victims of predators may be the smartest or most technology-savvy in your school. In fact, online predators depend on the overconfidence and naiveté of young people. • Online predators commonly seek out young people in chat rooms or Social Networking Web Sites. Because online service providers do not verify age or identity, a predator is able to create any identity they wish. For instance, any person can create a Social Networking Web page with photos, music and messages typical of a young teen peer. • The ultimate goal of the online predator is usually to win sufficient trust of their target (a process called “grooming”) so that the child will meet them in real life away from parents and other adults.

41. Online Dangers – Online Predators • Recent research by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on teen online behaviors revealed that: • 14% of teens between 13-17 have actually met with someone they know only from the Internet; • 30% have considered meeting with someone they only know online; • 71% received messages from an unknown person;

42. Online Dangers – Online Predators • Recent research by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on teen online behaviors revealed that: • 45% have been asked for personal information from someone they don’t know; and • 40% will chat or communicate with a stranger who contacts them on the Internet. • Educators should be aware of these facts in cases where their adult judgment may help ensure a child’s safety.

43. Online Dangers – Online Predators Adults should keep the following in mind: • Be skeptical. Remember that the goal of the online predator is usually to arrange a meeting with children away from parents. •  If a child tells you that they plan to meet with someone they only know from the internet, this is a potentially dangerous situation. Always advise students to consult with their parent or guardian before agreeing to meet anyone they only know from the internet.

44. Online Dangers – Online Predators Adults should keep the following in mind: • Do not allow a child to be picked up from school by someone whom they have never met before. • Teach children to follow the “NetSmartz” online safety rules published by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. • Children should never post any personally identifiable information online. Children are often not aware that strangers can see this information.

45. Online Dangers – Online Predators • If a child has a Social Networking Web page, they should set the preferences to “Private” (if possible) so that only invited friends may communicate with them or view their images or content. • The safest decision is always for a child to never agree to meet in real life with a person they only know online.

46. Online Dangers – School Violence • The danger of school violence exists when an individual or a group threatens physical harm to themselves, an individual student, a group of students, school staff or the school itself. Those threatening violence increasingly use technology to communicate among themselves or with other students. • In recent years, it has been common for potentially violent students to document their threats and their plans in the form of online diaries, blogs, e-mail, instant messages, text messages, online chat sessions and personal Web pages. Other students may become aware of threats and report them to you.

47. Online Dangers – School Violence • If you become aware of any threats of violence, remember: • ALL threats of violence should be taken seriously • Immediately report any threat of violence to the school principal or school resource officer and follow your district’s procedures. • Do not attempt to resolve the threat yourself before notifying school authorities. • Differentiate between an actual threat of violence and common complaining about other students, teachers or classes.

48. Thank You! • Thanks for attending FETC and joining us for this session! • Don’t forget to fill out your evaluation forms. • Resources from this session will soon be posted at this Web address: http://www.safeschools.com/fetc2007 • Contact me if you have any questions! • Steve Holland • Holland & Associates • Atlanta, GA • 404-909-1212 • sbholland1@comcast.net