Top Ways Kids Hide Their Online Behavior From Parents

via Huffington Post

Most parents believe they are in control when it comes to teaching a child about the use of digital devices. The reality is that children are learning at younger ages about technology, and they are largely unsupervised.

A recent report said 47 percent of kids ages 8 to 12 years old have a smart phone with Internet access. Another study said kids use digital devices more than seven hours a day.

In short, kids are using digital devices with Internet access most of the time after school and when not sleeping.

At the same time, most parents admit their child catches on quickly and seems to learn faster about technology than they did. Thus the challenge: kids learn faster than parents and parents give kids all-day access to powerful mobile computing devices. That combination spells potential trouble.

What Trouble?

Eight- to 12-year-old kids are not typically malicious, but they are curious. Kids innocently get into trouble online without thought of consequence. Young kids need to be protected from others, and from themselves.

Teens are another story. They know the truth and they can be mischievous. Teens are faster learners than their parents and they do know more overall about technology. They were born with it.

Unfortunately, there are teens that apply that advanced knowledge to hiding online behavior from parents.

A study last year revealed that nearly half of parents believe their teens tell them everything they do online, while 70 percent of teens revealed they have ways to avoid parental monitoring. In this fact lies the irony.

Teens trick their parents in the following ways:

• 53 percent = number of teens that clear their browser history to keep web visits off the record
• 46 percent = number of teens that close/minimize their browser when a parent walks near (to hide the web site)
• 34 percent = number of teens that hide or delete instant messages or videos
• 23 percent = number of teens that lie or omit discussing details with parents about online activity
• 23 percent = number of teens that use a PC their parents don’t check
• 21 percent = number of teens that use an Internet-enabled mobile device
• 20 percent = number of teens that use privacy settings to make web content viewable only by friends
• 20 percent = number of teens that use private browsing modes or proxy web sites (which are free)
• 15 percent = number of teens that create a private email address unknown to their parents
• 9 percent = number of teens that create a duplicate or fake social network profiles and share one of them with parents

Many of these tricks can be prevented or monitored.

Parental Controls

Parents are busy. They need help. Parental control software solutions monitor Internet browsing, for example. That way, a parent can limit the types of web sites visited based with a profile they choose for their child or teen. For example, if you don’t want your teen looking at drugs, alcohol, tobacco, pornography or lingerie web sites, you can set a profile to block those sites while allowing all others.

For parental controls solutions that monitor and control Internet browsing, go to a third-party review site such as Top Ten Reviews, ZDNet or CNET.

Second, there are Facebook/social network monitoring solutions available now. In fact, Tumblr now has a slight edge over Facebook when it comes to the sites most popular among teens.

Third-party review sites typically publish lists of Facebook monitoring software as well. Those types of solutions let parents view their child’s Facebook page, keep tabs on “friends” and posts and view photos. That type of information can save a digital identity, embarrassment or even tragedy.

Admin Rights

One more commonly overlooked issue: do not give a child “administrator” (or Admin) rights on a computer. To clarify, all computer operating systems have modes of operation. These modes restrict or grant privileges to the user.

For example, if you have Admin rights, you can create, delete or modify files, folders and settings on your computer. A teen with Admin rights doesn’t need to play by the rules to uninstall software programs or to delete critical files.

The computer’s operating system assumes that the Admin is in charge.

To learn more about this, see another blog: Don’t Give Admin Rights To Kids.

Talk About It

Overall, parents should openly discuss the use of technology with their kids. A parent has the right to protect a child (as the parent). In reality, the parent is likely paying for the device, the Internet access, and any mobile phone bill and, therefore, should establish clear rules of conduct.

You would establish rules for the use of the family car, right?

4 Things To Consider Before You Flip Your Classroom

via Edudemic

The Flipped Classroom model is gaining momentum in classrooms around the world. Much has been said and written about the benefits and advantages of the Flipped Classroom throughout the year, so during the last three weeks of school I decided to experiment with this model of instruction and I flipped my math classroom. Using Explain Everything on my iPad, I created a series of videos that my students watched prior to coming to school. In the classroom I had the opportunity to take advantage of the extra instructional time, as well as their excitement about sharing the knowledge they gained by watching the videos I created, and tried to engage my students in high order mathematical tasks.

Although the results were highly encouraging and made me a fervent proponent of the Flipped Classroom, there are four things that I think every classroom teacher should know before they start using the Flipped Classroom model.

Some Students Will Take Longer To Adapt Than Others

Teachers should keep in mind that many students will need a week or two to adjust to the new “homework reality” that the Flipped Classroom is based on. In fact, during the first couple of weeks many of the most responsible and hard working students who typically never miss a homework assignment will manage to “forget” to do their homework. Although I suspect in my case, classroom fatigue is partially to be blamed for this phenomenon, after all, we were close to the end of a very long school year, I believe there is a deeper reason for this unwanted occurrence.

Some students might not do their homework because they are used to a more concrete and traditional paper-and-pencil homework assignment, and therefore they might perceive this “new homework” as abstract, irrelevant, and perhaps not as important. Providing access to a laptop and privileges to watch the videos before the beginning of the school day may alleviate some of the problems, but eventually the students will have to understand that in a flipped classroom, completion of the homework assignment is a key component to successful learning.

Teacher-Made Videos Must Be Engaging

Watching teacher-made videos before class is one of the most commonly used components of the Flipped Classroom model. It is widely accepted that the most effective videos are the ones that manage to keep students accountable for their learning. This can be achieved by using a number of clever techniques to attract the students’ attention and captivate their interest in the lesson. For example, at key parts of the lesson/video the teacher might instruct the students to pause the video and answer a question, or take notes, or make a prediction, or work on a short problem that requires students to apply recently learned knowledge. Such techniques make students active participants and empower them to take control of their own learning.

In my short Flipped Classroom trial, I found that the video lessons in which I instructed the students to pause the video and answer specific questions about the nature of the math concept the video explored, led to some unexpectedly rich discussions in the classroom, transforming my students into self-motivated and dedicated learners.

Recording Time Might Be Longer Than You Anticipate

Teachers should know in advance that the time they will be spending to record lectures will be longer than anticipated, at least in the beginning. A ten-minute video will take much more than ten minutes to complete. First, the teacher will have to collect all of the resources and previously prepared material he/she intends to use in the lesson, such as background pictures, maps, or math problems to name a few.

In addition, unless you are proficient in screencasting, chances are that you will need to repeat recording the same lesson several times in order to create the highly effective video you originally had in mind. This can be frustrating and even a deal breaker for some teachers. Most people who flipped their classroom agree that in the beginning, teachers should expect to spend an average of 30 minutes of recording time to create a 10-minute lesson. However, after the first four-five lessons, most people become more comfortable with screencasting and recording times reduced significantly.

Video Formats Should Be Chosen Carefully

Teachers need to make sure in advance that their students will be able to access the videos, and that these videos will be in formats that are playable by most video players. I ran into this problem myself. Using Explain Everything, I saved my videos in .mp4 format. It turns out that some of my students have computers at home that are really old and not equipped with up-to-date video players. Consequently, they were not able to watch the videos I made. Teachers should keep in mind that many students will not have access to the latest and greatest of technology, and therefore they might not be able to access videos created on iPads or lessons recorded using modern software. Saving each lesson in multiple formats might be a solution to this problem. Also, creating a Youtube channel and posting videos on Youtube will make videos more accessible to all students.

What about you? Have you flipped your classroom yet? If yes, what are some obstacles you ran into? Do you have any advice/insight to share?

Nikolaos Chatzopoulos currently teaches 4th grade Math and Science at Plato Academy, in Clearwater, Florida. Nikolaos can be reached at chatzopoulosn[at]platoacademy.net

10 Questions Your Kid’s Science Teacher Wishes You Would Ask

Science lessons deliver some of the most engaging and exciting activities of your child’s day. Children are inherently curious and high-quality science instruction allows them to channel that energy and wonder into discovering more about the world around them. As they grow older, science learning helps them develop the necessary skills and practices to solve real-world challenges and build important life skills.

The more you know, the more you can support your child’s science learning at home. So what should you know about science education at school? Start with these key questions for your child’s teacher:

1. How is science taught in your classroom? What methods or activities do you use? Are there sample lessons I can review?
2. What science topics will my child learn and what skills will he/she master by the end of this year? How does this relate to what my child learned last year and what he or she will learn next year? How does it relate to what my child is learning in math, other subjects, or the world in which we live?
3. Do you have access to local informal science opportunities? Will there be field trips to local museums or science centers?
4. Will there be science homework and what will it look like?
5. What types of questions should I ask my child about science on a day-to-day basis?
6. What can I do to support my child’s science learning? Are there science projects or activities we can do together at home, or apps, websites, or learning games we could explore?
7. How does the school support education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects? Is STEM incorporated throughout the day and if so, how? Are there after school STEM clubs, programs, or science and engineering fairs that would support my child’s learning?
8. How will learning be assessed? Will you use only formal assessments like tests or will children be able to show you what they know through other avenues?
9. What happens if my child doesn’t achieve the learning goals of a lesson or unit of study? Can he or she get extra help?
10. What types of science equipment and technology will be used throughout the year?

There are no standard answers to these questions, but a teacher who creates a rich classroom environment for science exploration will be happy to discuss them with you. And while you are having this valuable conversation, look around. These are just some of the signs that the classroom environment supports science learning:

• Space and storage: Science requires “stuff.” Whether the shelves are filled with rocks and leaves or hand lenses and measuring instruments, it’s important that teachers have the materials nearby to teach science.
• Safety equipment: To explore science in the mode of a scientist, your child will occasionally need eye protection, gloves, soap, and water. There are many experiences that are both simple and safe, but safety criteria must always be in mind.

Whatever the answers are to your questions, a great response to close a conversation would be, “What can I do to help?” Most teachers would be thrilled to know if you have a background in science, technology, engineering, or math, or have time and resources to share.

A strong foundation in STEM will put your child on the road to success in school and beyond.

12 Ideas to Increase Productivity

December 13, 2014 There is no secret recipe to enhance one’s productivity. It all boils down to how much dedication and will power you have and are willing to invest in your work. But sometimes people do have the will power to be productive and achieve more  but they just can’t put it down  to action. The distractions in their lives are too many to let them work as they want. This is where…

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How to Support Teachers for 21st Century Learning

via eClassroom News

Experts weigh in on how administrators can support teachers in implementing collaboration and creativity

Implementing broad concepts like critical thinking and communication may seem like natural next steps to educators, but unless teachers receive support from school policy and infrastructure, providing students with a true 21st century education may not be so easy.

This was a key topic of discussion during a recent Connected Educator Month webinar, hosted by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) and EdLeader21—a national network of school and district leaders focused on integrating the 4Cs into education.

The 4Cs–communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity–are part of P21’s mission to help educators teach students 21st century skills. Webinar panelists said this task can’t be accomplished without support from school administrators in the way of space design, instructional practices, and school policy.

Dana Strother, chief academic officer at Douglas County School District in Colorado, said her district “looked at Bloom’s Taxonomy and vetted our state’s standards through the taxonomy” during an evaluation of instructional practice.

“Areas that were lacking we improved through what we call ‘World Class Outcomes,’ and instructional design that allows for the 4Cs. We also provided CIA curriculum and instruction alignment and wove authentic learning experiences into the curriculum for support,” she said.

The district also made it a priority to provide supporting infrastructure through district policy on risk-opportunities.

“It’s important to let teachers know, in various ways, but also through policy, that we support risk-taking opportunities, or new strategies, projects, or professional development opportunities that may be new or unique,” she said.

For example, Douglas County lets teachers experience inquiry-based professional development opportunities in order for teachers to learn through the same practices they’re expected to teach students.

“We’re asking teachers to incorporate new kinds of teaching that include the 4Cs, so why should teachers in turn be taught in a different manner? Sometimes by thinking outside of the box and going against traditional methods, especially from an administrator standpoint, the results are better,” Strother said.

Randy Fielding, chairman and founding partner of educational facilities planning and architectural design firm Fielding Nair International, said he believes school design also factors heavily into incorporating the 4Cs into a student’s daily life.

Fielding’s design firm tries to incorporate 20 “learning modalities” into school design, which include concepts, such as Independent Study, Peer Tutoring, Team Collaboration, and One-on-One Learning, to support the 4Cs of instruction.

“To have a truly 21st-century school, you have to inspire organic collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication, and focusing on design can help.”

“To have a truly 21st-century school, you have to inspire organic collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication, and focusing on design can help. For example, you could have a ‘watering hole’ space off hallways where students could casually converse; you could have a ‘cave space’ where students could reflect for independent thinking; and you could have a ‘campfire space’ where everyone gathers to collaborate,” Fielding said.

Panelists emphasized that it’s also important for administrators and teachers to understand that instruction focused on the 4Cs doesn’t just work for certain kinds of subjects, students, or teachers.

“The 4Cs work for every kind of student and teacher in classrooms across the country,” said Donna Harris-Aikens, director of Education Policy and Practice at the National Education Association (NEA). “It’s less a series of requirements and more just authentic learning. For example, a math class could use its English and design skills to help draft a proposal to help senior citizens in their community make their homes more accessible. For this kind of project, you need the 4Cs in STEM, English, and community service.”

Fielding said it’s important that school and district leaders support teachers in working together to develop collaborative projects for their students.

One of the schools his firm works with has a student-run lunch program through which students negotiate with local farmers. They serve the week’s menu selections on carts around the school so students can taste-test their creations. Students in the program generate quarterly reports on profit and loss, and send those reports off to the school board.

“Students get credit for working in this program, which essentially teaches them collaboration skills, analytical skills, and even creative skills, thanks to cooking,” he said.

However, panelists said that there are still barriers for teachers who want to pursue the 4Cs, including getting first-world experience on how to actually teach broad concepts like creativity.

“That’s why we introduced the Creative Innovator Network in our district, which allows teachers to collaborate with not only their peers on different projects, but also local businesses to brainstorm ideas on how students can better serve the community,” said Strother. “We also bring students into the teacher professional development sessions to hear their voice and how they enjoy learning, so that teachers can adapt their instruction.”

“The biggest barrier for teachers is time,” said Harris-Aikens. “Finding time to make everything work effectively and collaborate is hard, especially because planning, or collaborating, time needs to be on a consistent and continual basis. Students also need a large amount of time to work on these projects, and to have time flexibility in case they make mistakes, as well. Administrators need to make sure teachers and students can have that time in their day.”

For more on this topic, watch the full webinar.

Minecraft for Moms – What You Need to Know

7 Chrome Apps for Science (STEM) Education

1- 3D Solar System

This is a 3D solar system simulation application, which gives you the approximate location of the planets in the solar system at different time, and some information about each one of them.

2- Anatomy 3d

Anatomy 3D provides you with a bunch of interactive tools to use to dissect, explore and learn about the human body in 3D. The tool is also available for Android and iOS users.

3- Anatomy Games

This extension offers users a variety of anatomy games and atlases to help them learn about human anatomy

4- Planetarium

Planetarium is a beautiful interactive sky map that students can use to explore the stars and learn about planets. The tool shows over 1500 stars with a magnitude of up to “+5”.

5- Useful Periodic Table

This is a periodic table of the elements that has all the elements and most of their respective properties collected and stored in one easy to use and simple to find location.  Contained within this periodic table is a unit converter that will convert some of the scientific dimensions.  Also, containing links to wikipedia for further literature on that element that you wish to know.  Great for students because of the elements quiz contained within.

6- BioDigital Human

The BioDigital Human is a 3D platform that simplifies the understanding of anatomy, disease and treatments. Explore the body in 3D!

7- Anatomy Skills : Bones

Learn all of the major bones in the human body using three different modes: Learn, Game and Quiz. The app covers all of the major bones in the body from the phalanges to the femurs. Carefully selected graphics make the features easy to identify.

Obama, free community college may not work

In his SOTU, President Obama proposed making community college tuition free for two years

Michael Horn: We need a better strategy for skills training before going down the track of subsidizing students

“Michael B. Horn is co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation and executive director of its education program. He is author of “Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools” and “Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns.” The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.”

(CNN)In his State of the Union address, President Obama proposed making community college tuition free for two years to boost college graduation rates and lift more people into the middle class.

Unfortunately, his plan doesn’t make the grade. The proposal would not only pile up more debt by further subsidizing runaway college costs, it would also perilously undercut the emergence of more innovative educational programs designed to help students succeed in the workforce.

Offering only a lukewarm pathway to the job market, community colleges are incapable of fulfilling the President’s lofty ambitions. Although there are some high-performing community colleges and stellar stories of success for certain students, the overall picture of success at two-year community colleges is dismal.

According to the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, only 22% of students graduate within three years, and 28% graduate within four. More telling, 80% of students say they want a bachelor’s degree or higher, and yet only 20% of these students transfer to a four-year institution within five years.

Even for those who earn a community college degree, it often isn’t as useful as other options. Thanks to credential inflation, pursuing a professional certification — which more clearly indicates a person’s skills than a degree — often pays off better than an associate’s degree, according to Census Bureau data.

The conversation around making community college free also masks a larger problem, which is that community colleges are already heavily subsidized and far less affordable than commonly believed.

At $3,300, community college tuition is well under the $5,730 currently available in Pell Grant aid to low-income students. But the expenditure per student at a community college — the true cost of the education — is far higher, about four times more at $13,000 per student. That means that more than 60% of the cost of community college isn’t paid for through tuition, but through various forms of government aid at the federal, state and local levels.

As a result, even if the President’s plan passed, it wouldn’t help the large number of already-overcrowded community colleges that have waiting lists numbering in the thousands. Tuition is only a small part of the funding needed to educate additional students.

What’s more, because of the limited productivity gains possible in the community college model, those costs will continue to rise, which means that tuition will, too. The proposal’s $60 billion price over 10 years is likely to grow with only a questionable return on the investment.

Opinion: Two years of free community college makes sense

The larger question the proposal misses is not how to allow students to afford college, but how to make college affordable. There’s a huge distinction. The focus should be to make postsecondary education less costly and of better quality, such that the question of how to afford it becomes manageable. The President’s proposal merely charges education, in the form of debt for future generations of taxpayers, rather than changes it.

Instead we need to encourage students to seek innovative offerings that are lower cost and improve the quality and accessibility of higher education.

Such options are emerging. Patten University offers a new online, competency-based program that charges undergraduate tuition of $350 per month, or $1,316 per term. Tuition includes access to as many courses as one can complete and all the ebooks and course materials needed, and Patten receives no government funding. Another online, competency-based program, Southern New Hampshire’s College for America, charges annual tuition of $2,500.

Rather than supporting innovative options like Patten and Southern New Hampshire, the President’s plan would nudge students toward a community college sector that is incapable of repositioning its model around student success and fuel rising college costs.

5 ways community colleges are fixing higher education

If enacted, the President’s proposal would be unlikely to achieve its ultimate aims and would exacerbate a larger problem lurking behind college financing. Although the plan amounts to little more than political posturing given the current congressional makeup, it will negatively influence the political conversation around higher education in the years ahead.

By supporting free community college, President Obama is merely kicking the can down the road for future generations to confront. We need a better strategy for skills training overall before we go further down the track of subsidizing students to attend community college only to emerge with little to show for it.

Taking Control of Technology Before Technology Takes Over Your Family

5 Ways to Stay Safe (Relatively) on the Internet for Parents and Students

 

Click on any title to learn more about each tip.

1- Enable SafeSearch

By enabling SafeSearch, you can filter out most of the mature content that you or your family may prefer to avoid. If an inappropriate result does sneak through, you can report it to Google.

2- Filter YouTube Content by Enabling Safety Mode

If you’d prefer to not to see mature or age-restricted content as you browse YouTube, scroll to the bottom of any YouTube page and enable Safety Mode. Safety Mode helps filter out potentially objectionable content from search, related videos, playlists, shows, and films.

3- Control what your family Sees on The Web

If you want to control which sites your family can visit on the Internet you can use Supervised Users in Google Chrome. With Supervised Users you can see the pages your user has visited and block the sites you don’t want your user to see.

4- Limit access to just approved apps and games

Want to share your tablet without sharing all your stuff? On Android tablets running 4.3 and higher, you can create restricted profiles that limit the access that other users have to features and content on your tablet. Learn more about this feature from this page.

5- Use app ratings to choose age-appropriate apps

Just like at the movies, you can decide which Google Play apps are appropriate for your family by looking at the ratings: everyone, low maturity, medium maturity, or high maturity. You can filter apps by level, and also lock the filtering level with a simple PIN code (keeping other users from accidentally disabling the filter).