Parent Page

Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy is a Partnership

It's What We Don't Know That Hurts

The Internet, mobile technology, and social media have changed everyday living. From how we communicate and collaborate to how we say hello and goodbye, technology is changing our lives in both positive and negative ways. As technology has changed, so has parenting. We now need to understand the technologies our kids are using and how they are using them in order to protect them and help them grow. This page is devoted to sharing information that will help you understand how your child is using technology.

We strive to teach and model positive digital citizenship and digital literacy beginning at an early age and continue through grade 12. In fact, that is part of the requirements in our school's technology scope and sequence (see page on Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy).

Here is a link to a Common Sense Media page that answers some common questions parents have about social media.

Here are a few apps that you might want to know about:

There are many apps that double as a calculator and photo vault. One of the most popular is called Secret Calculator Icon (iOS)which looks like and functions as a calculation app; however, it provides backup of photos, videos, notes, contacts, to-do lists, and even location.

It offers several different passcode options and security options:

Decoy option – if users simply enter their passcode in reverse, the app will appear legitimate.
Panic Mode – shake, flick, or place your phone down to change your location.
Intruder Reports – provides a break-in report (with photos and video) of anyone who has tried getting into the phone
Self-Destruct – remove contents if phone is lost

Apps To Help

(From Common Sense Media)

For the teen who says, "But I barely waste any time!"

RescueTime. Before you start shutting things down, get a sense of what’s up. Designed to improve work-life balance, this plug-in tracks how much time you spend on certain sites, generates reports about productivity, and lets you set limits to either totally block sites or allow a set time for certain activities. No one can argue with the hard data.

After School App

The After School App is currently being used as a way for high school students to anonymously express their thoughts and feelings.The App is currently available on over 22,000 high school campuses across the United States. Read more...

What is the After School App? (Blog Post - December 2015)
Millions of Teens are Using a New App to Post Anonymous Thoughts... (Washington Post)
Safety Advice for 'After School' and Other Anonymous Apps (Forbes)

For the teen who says, "I feel so overwhelmed!"

Dayboard: New Tab and Site Blocker. As kids move through high school, their schedules and schoolwork get more demanding. Dayboard is a plug-in that can be helpful for anyone who needs a simple, visual reminder of what they need to do. Just enter a total of five tasks and you'll see them every time you open a tab on your internet browser. That means whenever you launch Google Chrome, for example, to search for outfit ideas when you're supposed to be researching the Vietnam War, you'll see your list. For teens who are still distracted, there's also a site blocker to help keep them focused.

Omegle

Omegle is a site allows users to anonymously chat with other anonymous users via an instant message and / or webcam. If you don't want to chat with the person on the other end, you simply choose "next" and you will chat with another random user. The following is the wording on the Omegle website:

Omegle (oh·meg·ull) is a great way to meet new friends. When you use Omegle, we pick someone else at random and let you talk one-on-one. To help you stay safe, chats are anonymous unless you tell someone who you are (not suggested!), and you can stop a chat at any time. Predators have been known to use Omegle, so please be careful.

If you prefer, you can add your interests, and Omegle will look for someone who's into some of the same things as you instead of someone completely random.

YikYak

Yik Yak is quickly becoming a popular App on college campuses across the country because it allows users to annonymously post messages and pictures to users based upon their geographic radius. Although the site only permits users to be 18 years and older, many high school students are "riding the yak." It has been a popular App for spreading rumors and making anonymous threats.

Free Apps Parents Should Know About (Yik Yak)
What is Yik Yak and Why Do College Students Love it So Much? (NBC News)

For the teen who says, "But what's in it for me?"

Forest: Stay focused, be present. Unlike other site blockers, Forest offers a virtual reward for staying focused. As you work, a digital tree grows, and at the end of your session, you can add the tree to your collection. If you click out of the app, however, bye-bye tree. You can see how often you stay on task just by looking at your virtual forest. As an extra incentive, you earn coins that you can use to buy different types of virtual trees or donate to an organization that plants real trees.

Snapchat

The majority of Snapchat's users are between the ages of 13 - 34 years old. There are over 100,000 users of Snapchat are called "snapchatters," who use the service to send pictures, videos, and stories with other snapchatters.

Instagram

Instagram is a type of social media that allows users to take, create, and share photos and short videos with friends.