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I'm surprised by this review of the Frontline program. I would have thought Eric would have been more critical. I agree that it's an important show to watch; however, I was concerned with a few things. One, I was concerned with the portrayal of a "helicopter" mom who wanted her kids' social networking passwords in case of emergency and I was also concerned about the kid who very cavelierly said he never read books. I also really wondered about parents who complained that their kids never turned off their cellphones at dinner time. I need to re-watch this program, but I think there is much here to be discussed that's not about the technology. It's about how we talk to and engage our students and children. It's really easy to blame bad behavior and scary incidents on technology.

[February 08] A summary of each chapter and commentary provided by Eric Grant.

This 10th grade student has written an exceptional post-project reflection. I hope you'll take time to read it. Here is an excerpt:\n\n"There is no doubt that this technology is dangerous. It is apparent that few people, not adults, not teenagers, truly understand how collaboration, conduct, and manners affect the internet. This project has to teach others that as well. It is necessary to know how to handle yourself on the internet. That's why Horizon Project is so important. We have to educate tomorrow's leaders how to use new technology without abusing it. The highlight of this project is the education we are giving every single person who has been a part of the Horizon Project."

An excellent post about how doing global collaborative projects can educate students on the safety they need. This is from a 10th grader.

A blog post from a ninth grader researching cyber security. He did a very nice job (with the exception of a typo or two.)

Seeing my students blog like this one on cybersecurity makes me realize that effective online communication and writing is important. I'm proud of my student bloggers and glad that we've made time to blog this year!

Kids can be mean.\n\nIt's a fact of life we've all experienced. Gone are the days, however, when avoiding a bully meant ducking out of the back door at school. Thanks to personal computers, cellphones and instant messaging, it's now easier than ever for children to attack each other, often anonymously.

Kristin Hokanson's wiki showing how classrooms can connect.

Kristin Hokanson's excellent wiki with many Web 2.0 resources. Excellent site!

Excellent wiki full of resources from Kristin Hokanson. Wow!

The folks at Common Sense Media in San Francisco created this video in partnership with Google [Feb 08]. You may find it elsewhere on YouTube but this is the original version and if you're showing it to a parent group at a school where YouTube is blocked, this is a better option. You can click on it and it will enlarge to full screen.

Cyberbullying video by Ad Council. "If you wouldn't say it in person, then don't say it online"

The author illustrates how he went about authenticating whether a Twitter plea for help (buried under rubble in Chile) was for real or a hoax. Great teachable moment not to believe everything you read. This story could be used to launch a classroom discussion.

"But there is growing consensus among lawyers and legislators that the child pornography laws are too blunt an instrument to deal with an adolescent cyberculture in which all kinds of sexual pictures circulate on sites like MySpace and Facebook. " But there is growing consensus among lawyers and legislators that the child pornography laws are too blunt an instrument to deal with an adolescent cyberculture in which all kinds of sexual pictures circulate on sites like MySpace and Facebook.

Digital Citizenship & Netiquette Slide Show by Steve Katz. Some great advice here.

Larry Magid writes that we need to "remind ourselves and our children that this kind of behavior is not only wrong, but it's abnormal and weird. Plenty of research shows that people are influenced by "social norms," how they think others behave. If people know that their neighbors don't smoke, they're less likely to smoke. The same is true with bullying. In other words, most people are nice and they're the ones we need to emulate. It's time to tune out the loudmouth boors who demonstrate their own inadequacy by picking on others."

Bullying is on the rise and putting all our kids at risk, on and off line. Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) joins blogtalkradio (at 8 minutes into the program) to help us understand the importance of digital citizenship in the online world as a buffer for challenging events such as bullying and as a necessity for being part of today's society in general.

In summer 2007, a music professor at BU was shocked to learn that he had a Facebook page - in his name, with a recent photo and a spot-on bio. But, the professor recalls, "embedded in the document were really scurrilous things that were reputed to have been said by me, and they were quite unpleasant and ugly and immature."

These materials are intended to be used with parents. After showing the Common Sense Video on cyberbullying tips, this discussion guide can be used with parents. There is also a Cyberbullying Tip Sheet that parents can refer to in the discussion. Provide the Family Media Agreement for parents to \ntake home and discuss with their family.

One of 12 games from On Guard. Compete with other contestants for a spot on the Friend Finder All-Star List. Earn your spot by showing you're savvy when it comes to making friends online

A teenage girl from Illinois survived a brutal attack by her peers that was captured on cell phone video by a male student who did nothing to intervene. Mercedes Michaels was beaten, burned and had most of her hair cut off during the attack.

Rumors had been flying at Freedom High School in South Riding, Virginia that students were distributing nude pictures of each other on their cell phones. It's a phenomenon, known as "sexting," that's become increasingly worrisome to educators across the country, and Ting-Yi Oei, a 60-year-old assistant principal at the school, was tasked with checking it out. The investigation was inconclusive, but led to a stunning aftermath: Oei himself was charged with possession of child pornography and related crimes

Promethean offers a free flipchart viewer and flipchart on Online Safety with Brainpop characters, Tim & Moby. (Registration is required). You've got mail! Surfing the Web can be fun and informative, but it can be dangerous, too. Let Tim and Moby help you sort out the good from the bad as you learn some rules to keep you safe in this BrainPOP movie on online safety. Figure out how to keep your identity a secret, how to identify people who might not be as nice as they seem, and who can help you stay safe online. You'll also discover some rules that are good to follow both online and in life and what can happen if you break the World Wide Web code of conduct.

The results of a survey showing that 35 percent of middle school and high school students with cell phones have used them to cheat at school is indeed alarming. And perhaps more alarming is the finding that nearly a quarter of the students don't even think it's cheating. Cheating is cheating regardless of whether you use technology or old-fashioned paper notes. I'm appalled that kids may be using technology to cheat in school, but I'm just as appalled at how schools are cheating kids when it comes to technology.