On listservs and blogs, education researchers and teachers are beginning to discuss how to handle this latest online application. To most educators, filtering is never a preferred option. Teachers and media specialists almost uniformly choose to use opportunities like this to teach students how to make decisions about what's appropriate on their own. "One of the responsibilities of working with students on the use of online resources is to make them aware of potential dangers so they can make informed choices," says Deb Logan, librarian and media specialist for Mount Gilead (OH) High School, by email. "A discussion of online resources like Chatroulette offers a learning opportunity. These opportunities sometimes come at unexpected times." But educators believe Chatroulette may be a bit different then other similar sites like Omegle.com and Facebook's PopJam in that video is involved-and there's no way to edit what pops up on the screen other than clicking "next" after it's already appeared. There's no lurking allowed on Chatroulette-once a user signs in, they're visible to anyone who chances upon them, and anyone, in turn, is visible to them. Needless to say, there's a bit of nudity and sexual play being reported on the site, and the swiftness of people moving from image to image doesn't allow children to protect themselves-other than signing off.

Anthony Orsini sent an e-mail blast to the Benjamin Franklin Middle School community in Ridgewood, New Jersey, on Wednesday, urging parents to take down their children's online profiles on Facebook and elsewhere. "There is absolutely no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site!," he wrote. "Let me repeat that - there is absolutely, positively no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site!" The main problem, he wrote, is that tweens do not have the resilience to withstand internet name-calling. "They are simply not psychologically ready for the damage that one mean person online can cause," he said.

Steve Balkam, FOSI: Digital Citizenship includes not just the rights of free expression (as important as that is) and the right to remain safe online but also duties and responsibilities of a full active and engaged citizen, respecting others' rights and looking out for other cyber citizens in a civil and respectful manner. Excerpts from conversation about National Broadband Plan adoption.

A range of research reports suggest that digital literacy should be a key part of curricular developments in both primary and secondary schools. Digital literacy is about far more than functional ICT skills: it requires support for children to access, create and communicate using ICT, as well as to be evaluative and critical about the influences and impacts of new media.

1-minute clip from Steve Balkam, CEO of FOSI about why we need to teach digital citizenship to kids. He calls it "Safety with a purpose."

A free online device that can be used for digital storytelling/cyberbullying. Children and teens create comic strips online by choosing backgrounds, characters, and props. They can also write dialogue using speech bubbles. There is a Comic Strip Planning Sheet, a printable PDF that comic creators can use to draft and revise their work before creating and printing their final comics. When the comics are completed, they can be printed out and shared. The sample comic strip shows a three-pane comic.

Here are 8 tips to monitor and protect one's online reputation from the U.S. Government Information Security Blog: Search your name. Type your first and last name within quotation marks into several popular search engines to see where you are mentioned and in what context. Narrow your search and use keywords that apply only to you, such as your city, employer and industry association. Expand your search. Use similar techniques to search for your telephone numbers, home address, e-mail addresses, and personal website domain names. You should also search for your social security and credit card numbers to make sure they don't appear anywhere online. Read blogs. If any of your friends or coworkers have blogs or personal web pages on social networking sites, check them out to see if they are writing about or posting pictures of you. Sign up for alerts. Use the Google alert feature that automatically notifies you of any new mention of your name or other personal information. Limit your personal information. Tweet/chat/discuss regarding business and the emerging trends in your industry, but limit posting information on your personal life, which could be a subject of major scrutiny by recruiters and hiring managers. Also, be sure you know how organizations will use your information before you give it to them. Use privacy settings. Most social networking and photo-sharing sites allow you to determine who can access and respond to your content. If you're using a site that doesn't offer privacy settings, find another site. Choose your photos and language thoughtfully. You need to ensure that information posted online is written professionally without use of swear words and catchy phrases. Also, be very selective in posting photographs, and use your judgment to ensure that these photographs are how you want the world to see you. Take action If you find information about yourself online that is embarrassing or untrue, cont

Eight Smithfield State High School students who joined a cyberbullying social networking group that branded another girl a "liar" have been suspended. The Smithfield High students, all girls, were suspended for one day and the Facebook group, which had 11 members, was shut down after The Cairns Post was alerted to it before the Easter school holidays. It is understood the Facebook group was started after an argument between friends. Smithfield High acting principal Barry Courtney said the school took a tough stance against any form of bullying."Our response is students who join any cyberbullying site will be dealt with and it is a suspendable offence and parents are contacted about it straight away," he said.

Student government members at BTHS received an email saying a construction accident caused school to be closed the following day. From there, the message spread rapidly across social networks. Problem was there had been no accident, and the email, while appearing to come from an official school address, was a gag, which the student newspaper subsequently reported later that evening. "This looked believable, but it could not be corroborated from an official source," says Kevin Jarrett. That's critical, he says, and goes to the cornerstone of any lesson on Internet safety for students-make sure to know where information is coming from by developing a healthy skepticism. But administrators also need to learn how easily these kinds of pranks can be generated."

Innovative examples of how technology can help kids learn to read, learn to write, learn to think and better determine what's worth reading and what's not, what's worth writing and what's not.

This is a demo of the microblogging and communications platform Edmodo, a private social network for K-12 education. http://www.edmodo.com/

Digital Citizenship wiki from the Heartland Area Education Agency (HAEA).

Teachable moment about the significance of digital footprints and online reputation in today's job market, even beyond corporate America. This blog recounts the story of someone who advertised for a housekeeper on Craigslist, researched the job candidates' social networking history and then, reports on what they found.

This excellent series of interactive case studies explores 8 topics: Wireless, Social Networking, Digital Permanence, Cyberbullying, Misinformation, Fair Use, Privacy and Downloading. Through multimedia activities, students examine issues affecting schoolwork, class papers, entertainment activities and online safety. Units are illustrated with Nickelodeon-style graphics and include assessments of learning. "Power to Learn" is Cablevision's nationally recognized education initiative. Some of the resources here are available in Spanish.

One of eight interactive case studies for kids (GR 4-8) from Cable In the Classroom: Power to Learn. These days, what goes up online, often stays online. It may not be where it was initially posted, or in the same format, or it may disappear and resurface somewhere else - even though it's digital, it can still be permanent. Ensure that what you post won't get you in trouble or affect the online impression you make. This unit explores the concept of "digital footprint". The graphics are Nickelodeon style. Topics are presented for student debate. For the entire series, check out: http://powertolearn.com/internet_smarts/interactive_case_studies/index.shtml

One of eight interactive case studies for kids (GR 4-8) from Cable In the Classroom: Power to Learn.
It's very popular for young people to meet and connect online at sites like MySpace.com. However, an awareness of the risks and steps for being safe can ensure a positive experience with social networking. Don't give yourself away! This unit explores the concepts of identity, at-risk behaviors and safety online. The graphics are Nickelodeon style. A short quiz assesses learning. For the entire series, check out: http://powertolearn.com/internet_smarts/interactive_case_studies/index.shtml

One of eight interactive case studies for kids (GR 4-8) from Cable In the Classroom: Power to Learn.
An understanding of the wonderful world of wireless will help the young people avoid any pitfalls that may arise from using laptops, smart phones, and PDAs. And if they are going to be using wireless technology it doesn't hurt if they understand how it works. This unit explains the importance of password protection and cybersecurity. The graphics are Nickelodeon style. A short quiz assesses understanding. For the entire series, check out: http://powertolearn.com/internet_smarts/interactive_case_studies/index.shtml

One of eight interactive case studies for kids (GR 4-8) from Cable In the Classroom: Power to Learn.
Educating students about the legal and ethical aspects of illegal downloading offers the best opportunity to minimize the ethics gap which allows otherwise law-abiding kids to break the rules. Case studies are explored. Students are asked to develop an essay question. The graphics are Nickelodeon style. For the entire series, check out: http://powertolearn.com/internet_smarts/interactive_case_studies/index.shtml

One of eight interactive case studies for kids (GR 4-8) from Cable In the Classroom: Power to Learn.
Establishing basic guidelines for Internet use is the first step in ensuring students' online safety. Learn what information should and shouldn't be shared online and appropriate interaction with online "friends." This unit explores the concepts of privacy in social networking destinations, the importance of being honest but not revealing too much information. The graphics are Nickelodeon style. A template allows students to create class rules. For the entire series, check out: http://powertolearn.com/internet_smarts/interactive_case_studies/index.shtml

One of eight interactive case studies for kids (GR 4-8) from Cable In the Classroom: Power to Learn.
With no central authority or librarian to help students separate valid information from junk online, assessing the credibility of a site is an important part doing internet research. This unit explores evaluation of web sites and other online resources for authenticity. The graphics are Nickelodeon style. There is a quiz on spoof sites. For the entire series, check out: http://powertolearn.com/internet_smarts/interactive_case_studies/index.shtml