Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship

n June 2008 a diverse group of representatives from technology companies, child advocacy and parents' groups, educators, health researchers and policymakers gathered in Washington, DC to begin work on a set of recommendations for best practices that participants in the Internet industry could adopt to help keep children safe and smart when online. The result of the year-long effort is the report PointSmart.ClickSafe.: Task Force Recommendations for Best Practices for Online Safety and Literacy.

The Miami-Dade school district wants to lead the nation on educating teens and parents about the consequences of sending nude photos over phones.

School officials in the Calallen, Corpus Christi, Flour Bluff, and Tuloso-Midway independent school districts say their existing policy prohibiting cell phone use during school hours goes a long way to addressing any potential sexting problems. West Oso Independent School District Superintendent Michael Sandroussi said his district has a similar cell phone policy, but he thinks sexting is a serious issue that should be addressed. "Besides confiscation of phones, further disciplinary measures should be considered."

School officials in the Calallen, Corpus Christi, Flour Bluff, and Tuloso-Midway independent school districts say their existing policy prohibiting cell phone use during school hours goes a long way to addressing any potential sexting problems. West Oso Independent School District Superintendent Michael Sandroussi said his district has a similar cell phone policy, but he thinks sexting is a serious issue that should be addressed. "Besides confiscation of phones, further disciplinary measures should be considered."

The Internet can be a rich and valuable source of information - and an even richer source of misinformation. Sorting out the valuable claims from the worthless ones is tricky, since at first glance a Web site written by an expert can look a lot like one written by your next-door neighbor. This lesson offers students background and practice in determining authority on the Internet - how to tell whether an author has expertise or not, and whether you're getting the straight story.

The Internet can be a rich and valuable source of information - and an even richer source of misinformation. Sorting out the valuable claims from the worthless ones is tricky, since at first glance a Web site written by an expert can look a lot like one written by your next-door neighbor. This lesson offers students background and practice in determining authority on the Internet - how to tell whether an author has expertise or not, and whether you're getting the straight story.

The Internet can be a rich and valuable source of information - and an even richer source of misinformation. Sorting out the valuable claims from the worthless ones is tricky, since at first glance a Web site written by an expert can look a lot like one written by your next-door neighbor. This lesson offers students background and practice in determining authority on the Internet - how to tell whether an author has expertise or not, and whether you're getting the straight story.

Assemblywoman Pamela R. Lampitt (D-Camden) has introduced three bills to curb the practice, called "sexting." The package is the latest in a wave of state legislation designed to help young users of the internet and electronic devices to avoid sex predators, bullies, stalkers and other dangerous contacts.

Today's media environment provides an opportunity--and responsibility--for parents and schools to teach critical thinking. Not only must young people learn to "consider the source" of what they take in but also think critically about what they post in a world where just about every young person is now potentially an author, photographer, and videographer. Kids--who may never even know who Walter Cronkite was--need to have a miniature version of him inside their head by asking questions such as "Is this true?" and "How do I know it's true?."

Educator Ning for exploring images in the 21st century classroom.

Demonizing the internet is unwise; teaching young people how to use it safely and what to do when cyber-bullied is preferable.

These technology guides from the Australian government provide information about some popular online services and tools and some of the key points about children and young people's technology use

This latest report from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute concludes that the risk of a vehicle crash can be up to 23 times higher when the driver is texting, compared to a driver who is paying full attention to the road. The report concludes that driving while texting should be banned, and that cell phone use should be banned for newly-licensed drivers.

To many parents, text messaging is an enigma - a practice their children engage in when they could just make a phone call or walk down the street to their friends' houses. It seems to be a strange but harmless means of communication. What most don't know is that too much texting can actually be detrimental to their teens' health.

Teaching materials on cybersafety from Wales.

Educators find themselves with mixed opinions about the role of social media in higher education and its importance in the classroom. Some see it as the technology of tomorrow, an important piece to the puzzle of connecting with students, while others try it doubtingly in their classrooms, assuming that the traditional face-to-face contact cannot be replaced.