TECHNOLOGY TOOLS
STUDENT TECHNOLOGY USE REMINDERS:
Students can use their school-enrolled Chromebook only.
Laptops, tablets, non-enrolled Chromebooks, are not allowed except under special circumstances and you will be made aware of this personally.
If a student argues this point, he is lying.
If a student is caught with a non-enrolled Chromebook device, it will be confiscated, the student will be written up, and the device will be taken to the office.
Phones are not allowed at all for junior high.
If you see it or hear it, confiscate it and take it to the office when you can. You do not need to write up this offense.
Phones are allowed at lunch, break, and before and after school for high school.
If a student has an assignment that needs to be scanned and turned in, he must ask first.
If there is a special assignment that a teacher would like them to use their phones for, that is up to the teacher, but it cannot be for a free time opportunity and it must be closely monitored.
They cannot listen to music on their phones. They have their Chromebooks for this, if they wish.
Confiscated phones should be taken to the office at your leisure. You do not need to write them up unless they argue or fight you on this.
Headphones must have a wire or be over the ear.
Air pods or the equivalent will be confiscated and turned into the office at a later time.
If you have other questions regarding our AUP, please see the attached link to our policies and procedures.
YOUTUBE:
It has come to our attention that a new website that allows unrestricted YouTube viewing has become popular among our students. To those parents and students that have made us aware of this, thank you so much. Keeping students safe and growing spiritually is a group effort!
The site is trpost.net
Verse Rain is a free app that allows you as the parent to upload your child’s weekly memory verse to practice. I have been using this app for years with my own kids and they love it! It makes hiding God’s word easy! Pro tip: It can be cumbersome to add the verse so give yourself grace and a little bit of time to set it up!
Do you have a library card? Does your child? If the answer is yes then start using the Hoopla app! It is a free app provided through the public library and it will provide access to thousands of ebooks, audio books, and read-to-me books! If you don’t have a library card yet, run out and get one!
SECURLY:
How to Set up You Parent Portal in Securly:
Big Valley Christian School uses the company Securly.com as part of their layered approach toward keeping your students safe online. An account in the Parent Portal will give you scheduled reports on all your child’s online activity and allow you to view your child’s online activity in real time. There is an app, Securly Home, that is the easiest way to manage this account. There is also a website with the same information at securly.com.
This account gives you access to real-time Internet activity as well as weekly reports (you can adjust the frequency of these reports). The Securly software recognizes when the Chromebook (and Google @bvcs.org account) is at school or away from school. You can adjust your child’s Internet category settings while he/she is away from school. You can allow him/her to access streaming and social media. You can specifically block any site you wish.
The email added to Securly’s parent portal is the one you provided the school. Please email Deborah Raingruber at draingruber@bvcs.org if you need help, or would like to add a different parent email.
Download Securly Home from the app store.
Click “Get Started.”
Enter the email you used to enroll your student.
Click “GET INSTANT ACCESS.”
Securly will send you an email.
If you check the email on your phone, click “SIGN IN TO SECURLY HOME.” It will take you to the Securly Home page. Go to step #10.
If you check the email on another device, click “CREATE A PASSWORD.”
After creating the password, go back to the App on your Phone and click “LOGIN” then click “USE YOUR PASSWORD.”
You should see the Securly Home Page. To see multiple students, click “SEE ACTIVITY.”
BEWARE OF AIRDROP:
If the airdrop function is turned on on your apple device, anyone may be able to send your child images. True story: a mom was out to lunch with her young daughter. The daughter saw an airdrop request/alert pop-up on the mom's phone and opened it, and it was an explicit, terrible image. Thankfully the young daughter didn't see the image, but the mom was horrified! Where did the image come from? Someone nearby.
Key take-aways: Remove the airdrop function on your child's phone. Better yet, don't give your child a smartphone until they are much older. Read more about airdrop by clicking the button. Read more about how you can be equipped to help and protect your child in the next section.
HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOUR CHILD IN A HYPER-DIGITAL WORLD?
What can you do to help your children navigate a digital world while also protecting them from the dangers they may face?
Pray over the influences in your child’s life. Go to the Lord and ask for His wisdom and direction as you help your child grow and develop into a young adult.
Start early. Children have access to smartphones/screens at an early age. Set up your ground rules from the start, with a plan to have limited rules by the time they leave high school.
Monitor their screen usage. Pay attention to what they’re doing on their screens. The Bark app and Securly are two monitoring tools you can use.
Limit their screen time. Set strict rules about when and how long they can use screens and stick to them.
You own the phone/device. As more and more kids have access to connected devices, it’s also important to remind children that having a device is a privilege, not a right.
Have a contract. Require your child to sign a technology contract in exchange for a device. You can find a sample here.
Keep the lines of communication open. Your kids need to know they can talk to you when they come across something inappropriate or concerning.
Watch your child’s behavior. Smartphones and their apps are designed to be addictive. Also, the kind of content your child is viewing can make an impact on their behavior. Some “typical” pre-teen/teen behavior is normal, but be aware when your child withdraws from you too often.
Keep up on the latest trends. You will have to do some research because trends are always changing. Right about the time adults are figuring out something “new,” kids are on to the next thing. A great resource can be asking someone in their early 20s what’s new and concerning.
Some other practical tips to develop healthy habits around screens are:
Don’t allow kids to have their devices in their bedrooms.
Have a device parking lot for when your kids have friends over.
A young child should only be allowed to use a cellphone for emergencies.
Increase minutes for each year of age and set nighttime boundaries by placing the phone out of reach of your child.
Create quiet zones by putting phones away during meals, family games, and time with friends.
Set limits on screen time and check their screen time usage.
Start your child off with a non-smartphone. This enables pictures, calls, and texts, but not access to the Internet.
You always have the right to monitor and limit usage. Check messages regularly and spontaneously.
Be on your child’s social media and email accounts - even their school Gmail account. Know their log-in information and log in as them. Often.
Be involved with what your kids are listening to, watching, and being exposed to. Hold their hand, so to speak, and help them see and understand the dangers. As they mature, let them know you’re involved and that there is accountability that helps develop trust as they grow - keep talking about the dangers. Finally, with training, support, and accountability, your child should launch into adulthood, able to make godly decisions around the choices they allow to influence their lives.
DO YOU HAVE A TECHNOLOGY CONTRACT FOR YOUR CHILD AT HOME?
"As more and more kids have access to connected devices, the pressure for parents to provide kids with their own smartphones and tablets is heating up. But technology is a privilege, not a right. In most cases, parents are the owners of their kids’ devices, not the kids themselves. It’s OK to remind your kids that you’re loaning them the device in good faith, and you require them to sign a technology contract in exchange."
LEARN MORE HERE.
THE PORN DILEMMA:
The average age a boy sees porn is between 8–10 years old. If you have young kids, how are you going to prepare to speak to them on this issue? If you have older kids, what follow-up conversations need to take place?
So what can you do? The Porn Dilemma, a series on RightNow Media is available, with the purpose to inform, educate, and Biblically ground what Christian parents should know about as well as provide a path forward for family understanding and discussion around how we should view the issue. WATCH THE PORN DILEMMA ON RIGHTNOW MEDIA.
IS YOUTUBE OK?
With YouTube, there are many dangers that parents should be aware of including explicit content – A lot of videos uploaded to YouTube contain content that includes language such as swear words, inappropriate song lyrics, violence, and sexualized behavior.
THE BARK APP:
Bark monitors texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and social media platforms for signs of issues like cyberbullying, sexual content, online predators, depression, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and more.
With content monitoring, you can get email and text alerts when Bark detects potential issues so you can talk to your child and make sure everything is OK.
CHECK IT OUT HERE.
CHECK YOUR CHILD'S PHONE REGULARLY:
The following is an excerpt from an article by Focus on the Family's titled: 5 Tips for Cellphone Use -
"Mom and Dad always have the right to monitor and limit usage. My husband and I check messages regularly and spontaneously, both on the phone and through online account access (where we can see deleted messages and what time messages were sent). This helps us keep tabs on his use of the phone and ensures nothing inappropriate is being sent or received."
Read more about how to manage your child's smartphone here.