JCCS Internet Safety
Content
JCCS Internet Safety Collaborative Assignment ED 422EX - Spring 2010
1.
Identity Safety by Michele Weinhouse
Identity Safety is the responsible and proper use of technology so that one's private information is protected and controlled. Identitiy Safety, Week 3 Assignment Define the following terms (used provided information sheet to define terms): • phishing – bogus e-mails or phone calls to you, that appear to come from a reputable source, asking for personal information • pharming – when one accidentally downloads malicious code onto one’s computer that can direct one’s browser to phony websites • credit report – information on one’s credit history; good or bad • driver’s license – proof that one has met driver competency tests and allows one to drive. This is a popular form of acceptable identification. • pre-approved credit card – a credit card that one applies for with automatic bank approval. This becomes an issue when one does not have a bank account and can therefore indicate that one’s identity has been stolen • DOB – abbreviation for date of birth. This is often used as a way of identifying someone. • privacy policy – the agreement that a store will handle your personal information with care. This usually accompanies secure online purchases • Social Security number – the number issued by the US government that gives one the ability to work in the U.S. This number is one of the most precious ways to identify a person and should not be written out on a computer or cell phone. • password – this is the code word used to gain access to various Internet sites and accounts.
text message scam – similar to phishing in that bogus text messages are sent to you asking for personal information. • P2P file sharing – Peer-to-Peer file sharing software allows one to share music and movie files but at the same time can also put one’s private identity information at risk • padlock symbol – this symbol indicates a website is secure. The symbol can be found either at the top or bottom of the browser.
•
What does it mean to have your identity stolen, and how does it happen online? Identity theft occurs when someone (thief) poses as another person (victim) by using information about that person. This information is usually obtained without the victim’s permission or knowledge. The thief can now carry out a variety of tasks posing as the victim; such as making online purchases, opening credit card accounts and carrying out transactions on bank accounts. These negative behaviors will now become part of the victims identity and responsibility. Identity theft has become commonplace on the Internet because of the ease of stealing identities online. Identifying information (such as passwords, social security number, etc.) can be stolen using text messaging scams and phishing. More sophisticated stealing of identifying information can occur without the victim's knowledge through pharming and P2P file sharing. What are three ways that people can avoid online identity theft? First, when sending identifying information to and from websites, users need to make sure security measures are in place by reading the privacy policy of a website before transferring information. Second, on website pages that require transferring of identifying information, loo for the padlock symbol in either the top or bottom of the browser indicating the page is secure. When the symbol is not shown, do not transfer identifying information. Third, do not respond to e-mail sent to you asking for identifying information such as social security number, driver's license number, date of birth and passwords. In addition, be careful when downloading items or opening attachments on e-mails as they may contain malicious codes that can be downloaded onto your computer. How can you remind family members about online identity theft prevention? For younger family members, consistently reminding them to be cautious of e-mails, downloads and text messages that come from someone they don't know and to follow-up with the discussions of the most recent scams that may have recently happened. As a parent, one must always monitor your child's online activity to ensure proper usage. For older members, one should educate them of potential scams, explain to them how to avoid identity theft and making sure they are aware of the repercussions of their online behaviors.
Why this is important to teach: Identity Safety is important to teach my students because more and more people (how many of us can name at least one person?) today are having their identity stolen unknowingly because of seemingly innocent behaviors on the Internet. Once an identity is stolen, one's personal privacy is violated. As more criminals think of ways to steal personal information via our online activity, users need to be aware of a few simple techniques and behaviors to avoid becoming a victim and make it more difficult for thieves to steal our identities. Once an identity is stolen it can be difficult to stop and prove identity theft as well as costly to clear a bad credit rating. Prevention is the much easier approach to take protecting one's privacy and identity whereby education is key.
2. Cyberbullying by Amanda Wolfe
Cyberbullying is the use of interactive web based programs to intimidate, harass, and antagonize peers. It is specifically defined as harassment between minors. The use of cell phones, instant messaging, social networking sites, and chat rooms are commonly used in cyberbullying. It is a hurtful and destructive behavior with serious consequences for the victims. Victims may suffer from anxiety, low self esteem, and incidents of suicide and violence have occurred by victims of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying, Week 3 Assignment Response to the Ryan Halligan story from PBS Frontline: Have students watch the Ryan Halligan story from PBS Frontline Go to the website http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ kidsonline/view/ Have students write a one page response to the video content Ryan Halligan was 13 when he committed suicide. His family was devastated and shocked. His father, wanting answers went to Ryan’s computer that Ryan kept in his room and started searching. He asked Ryan’s friend on AOL if they knew why he might have wanted to kill himself, and they said he had been harassed on line a lot. Anonymous people would send him messages telling him he was a loser, and a rumor was started online that he was gay. His father also found a boy whom Ryan had shared his interest in committing suicide with. He contacted the boy’s family and told them his concern but he never heard back. This story is a chilling wake up call to how significantly cyberbullying can hurt a child. Unlike normal in-school bullying, cyberbullying does not stop when the child comes home. They can receive messages online through instant messaging, on social
networking sites, and on their cell phones. These messages can come to them anonymously. To the victim it can seem like everyone is against them and that they are powerless. Also it was pointed out that written words also have a different effect. Written words do not move out of the victim’s mind like spoken words may. The words are there to be read over and over again, and to the victim the words can become real. The ability and role of teachers and the school to respond to cyberbullying is limited. Most of the harassment is done by students using their home computers or personal cell phones, out of site of their teachers and parents. Teachers and schools can share in the responsibility of educating students on how to act appropriately online, how to avoid cyberbullying, and what to do if you or someone you know is being cyberbullied. Why this is important to teach: So much of cyberbullying is done “off the radar” of teachers and parents, and this makes it difficult for them to intervene. However, teachers can be proactive and can help prevent cyberbullying by educating students and parents about the serious effects cyberbullying. Teachers can give students strategies to deter and stop cyberbullying like: stop, block, and report to Internet Service Providers. Teachers can help encourage parents to learn more about their children’s Internet use, help them understand how technology could play a role in their child’s harassment, and give them strategies to deal with cyberbullying.
3. Cyber Predators by Rajah Gainey
Cyber Predator- Is someone who uses the Internet in any way to manipulate kids into relationships that could include sexually, emotionally, psychologically or financially. The predator uses his or her age and experience, to gain the trust and friendship of youth and teens that are need of attention. Cyber Predator, Week 2 Assignment Making Good Decisions Read each statement and check True or False. (Rajah Answers in Bold, then correct full answer next line) 1. Most Internet child molesters look for young children and preteens. True False False: Most online child molesters are not looking for children below the age of puberty. They are actually looking for relationships with teenage girls and boys.
2. Internet child molesters are often violent and abduct their victims. True False False: While this could happen, it is actually extremely rare. People who resort to violence often do so because they cannot relate well to other people. The Internet is not an easy environment for these violent kinds of people because they do not have the communication skills to establish close personal relationships. 3. Internet predators looking for sex with teens usually pretend to be teenagers themselves. True False (Incorrect) False: Actually, most adults looking for sex with teens usually tell their real ages. 4. Adults who express feelings of love for the teens they meet online want sex, not romance. True False True. Most online child molesters patiently develop romantic relationships and trust with their victims before moving the relationships offline for sex. The process may involve expressions of understanding about the teen’s problems, sending gifts or money, and offering job opportunities. 5. Predators don’t tell teens they are interested in sex until they get them into a face-to-face meeting. True False False: Actually, most teens who decide to meet face to face know that the encounter will include sex. So if teens are willing partners, what’s the problem? The problem is that sex between an adult and a teen below the age of consent (usually around 16) is a crime. 6. Teens who decide to meet their online acquaintances in person for sex often say they have feelings of closeness and romantic love. True False True. The adult may also have feelings of love for the teen. But because the adult is much older and more experienced, the teen may be unfairly convinced to get involved in sexual activity that they are not ready for. That is the reason the law says this is a crime—even if both people willingly agree to it.
7. Posting private identity information online puts teens at risk of unwanted invitations for sex. True False (Incorrect) False. Contrary to media hype, the typical online child predator does not carefully piece together identity information to locate and abduct unwilling teens. More typically, teens who go off with adult predators go willingly after a period of online romantic and sexual talk. It’s the combination of talking sexually to a stranger and providing private identity information that is risky. 8. Talking about sex to people only known online puts a teen at greater risk of invitations for face-to-face sex. True False True. Talking about sex online with strangers is risky. However, there does not seem to be a great risk in talking online with strangers about other topics. But you have to be careful because, in any conversation, one thing leads to another and if it starts turning to sex, then alarm bells should go off in your head. 9. Teens who post sexy photos online are more likely to receive sexual invitations from strangers. True False True. If you post sexually provocative photos of yourself online, you are probably going to get more contacts from strangers. And some of those contacts may be aggressive and scary. Some will be from adults and some will be from other teens. 10. Sending sexy photos of yourself or other teens over the Internet may result in these photos being passed around the Internet. True False True. Strangers who ask for sexual photos of teens may end up passing them along on the Internet, in violation of child pornography laws. These laws say that the possession, distribution, or production of sexual images of minors is a crime. There has been at least one case in which a boyfriend and girlfriend who e-mailed intimate photos of themselves back and forth were arrested for child pornography. 11. It’s illegal for adults to use the Internet to seek sex with teens. True False True. When older people use their greater experience to take advantage of a younger person, it’s called “online solicitation of a minor.” There are
laws in most states and in the federal penal code to punish the offender, even if the teen is a willing participant. Why this is important to teach: It is important for teachers to make students aware of the dangers of speaking to strangers over the Internet, especially those who are predators over the age of 18. Though the one obvious reasons would include personal safety, the others, and sometimes more detrimental reasons would be to preserve the student both mentally and emotionally. The latter two can have an even longer lasting effect on an student as he or she develops emotionally. I believe the more knowledge the students have, the less likely they will turn to a stranger online for support or engage in sexual acts.
4. Piracy and Plagiarism by Charlotte Cronk
Piracy or Intellectual Property refers to the ownership rights of materials, created, written, designed or expressed by individuals. These materials include music, games, movies, photos, and writing. Illegally downloading or sharing intellectual property without the permission of the creator is a crime punishable by law. Piracy and Plagiarism, Week 2 Assignment Ask students to imagine that a film they produced for a class assignment was copied and shared by other students. How would they react? Some students may see nothing wrong with this. Some may say, for example, that sharing is a chance for others to see and enjoy the film. Present the situation in a slightly different way to gauge how student reactions may change. Tell them that the film they produced and submitted for a class assignment was copied by another student, who also submitted the film and received a passing grade even though this other student did none of the work. 1. Is this cheating or is this stealing? Is there a difference between cheating and stealing? What is the difference? Copying and sharing for educational purpose would not be cheating or stealing. I believe it is important to be able to share work within the scope of education. In this case, what the students did first when they shared their copy with other students was great. However, copying and sharing to benefit yourself in terms of receiving a grade or taking credit for work you did not do is something different. This would be cheating. Furthermore, if you receive money for work you did not do it would be stealing. I think once there is money involved, it would be considered stealing. In this case I think it is more about cheating. I have heard about both parents and students who
have written their friends’/children’s essays to turn in so they can pass a class. I guess that would be called cheating and really bad parental involvement in your children’s education as well as setting terrible standards. 2. How would you solve this problem (a) if you were the student who produced the film? (b) if you were the teacher? (c) if you were the parent of the student who copied and falsely submitted the work? a) As a student I would actually make my professor/teacher aware of the situation. If I had proof of my work, rough drafts etc, I would provide this. Depending on my age as a student and the relationship you have to the other student, I would also approach the other student. b) If I was the teacher who found out that someone in my class had been cheating or stealing another student’s work, I would have a meeting with that particular student. Since this is a film assignment, I would assume the students are at an age where they understand what plagiarism is and the consequences for it. I would give an automatic F for this and the student would have to redo the class. c) We would have a serious discussion about honesty and providing your own work. The fact that you steal/use somebody else’s work does not make it yours. None of your own personal thinking is behind the work and it does not represent you at all. Also, it is very “cheap” to take credit for something you did not do. I also would have my student finish his/her own version and on top of that do a lot of extra work. I short, I think it would be very shameful and I would let my child know that by several consequences. 3. Which of the proposed solutions are likely to stop the stealing/ cheating behavior? A combination of all three. I think the student needs to understand the severity of plagiarism. The teacher, the student whose work was stolen, the parents of the student who stole the work and the student himself need to meet and talk. I also think that a student who cheats probably has no sense of responsibility for his/her actions and is also very likely to steal other items as well. They don’t sense the difference between “yours and mine.” I think it would be important for the student who actually did the work to express himself/herself and to let the student who just “took” his/her work know how much work, time and effort it took to make the film.
Using the Glossary of Key Terms, have students define the following terms:
•
•
•
• •
• •
•
•
Copyright: The exclusive right to the author of the work. It lasts for a certain amount of years and then it becomes public domain. You can license or transfer copyrights. Copyright infringement: When you violate the copyright owner’s rights. You can’t use or reproduce media what is licensed to somebody else. Fair use: Allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the owners of the copyright. It could be used for commentary, reporting, news etc. Film piracy: When unauthorized use of films, videos and music are made and distributed or sold. Intellectual property: Are the properties of the mind and the artistic thought behind the creation of the piece of work. It includes copyright, trademarks, patents, words, and inventions Licensing: An authorization to use somebody’s work or material. P2P Network: Refers to peer-to-peer. There is no central coordination between the participants. Peers supply and consume resources Public domain: If work is no longer covered by copyright law then it has entered the public domain. It is no longer covered by copyright or intellectual property right. Residual: In terms of entertainment and media, the author, creator, inventor receives residual income for their work every time it is being mentioned or used. For example, every time a song is played on the radio the songwriter will receive some money for it for the rest of his/her life.
Why this is important to teach: I believe it is even more important to discuss these issues today than before. Where do we really set the boundaries. I think it is difficult for students to see the boundaries when they use the Internet. The Internet appears to have no boundaries and what is offered seems to be open for use. However, it is not. We can't just take what we see on the screen. I think part of the problem is that you don't even think about it when you sit in front of the computer and look at information. I see all of these interesting images that I would like to use...now should I ask for permission when I copy and use them in a document. I probably should. But how complicated would that be to ask for permission on every little thing you do. Perhaps just borrow for a particular assignment for
educational purposes only...is there a rule for that? To learn and educate students about the what to do and not to do when using information from the Internet is crucial. As I was browsing around I found this link which seems very useful and user friendly as well, http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01896/lesson-plan/. This site will provide teachers with a complete lesson plan on how to learn about piracy and plagiarism.
5. Inappropriate Content by Rachel Osborne
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), a federal law enacted to address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers, defines inappropriate content as visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or material “harmful to minors”. Categories include pornography, hate groups, violence, illegal activity, extremist groups, or online advertising. Inappropriate Content, Week 4 Assignment Evaluating On-line Resources Background Libraries and reference libraries are trained in selecting high-quality resources for students. Most of the resources go through many stages of development to check for accurate and useful information. Some of the stages include: authors, editors, fact checkers, expert reviewers, copyeditors, designers, proofreaders, and publishers. In contrast, anyone can publish a Web site. The traditional stages of editing and fact checking are not required. You can find yourself looking at a website that is promoting hate groups, violence, extremists groups, and think that they are presenting facts instead of just opinions. The challenge and responsibility of sorting the good sources from the bad are left to you. Evaluate an online resource from a list provided and be thinking, what is the trustworthiness of the author? What is the purpose of the site? What is the accuracy of information?How easy is it to use the site? How useful is the information? The website used for the questionnaire is http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-performance-enhancingdrugs.htm. Tips on why evaluating a website is important is italicized within the answers of some of the questions. Questionnaire 1. Is the page’s domain extension .edu, .net, .org, or .gov? The domain is a .com. Anyone can create a .com or buy a domain name for a business or personal website. Likewise anyone can use a .org, not just a nonprofit organization. 2. Is the publisher of the site an organization you have heard of before?
The publisher on this site is wise geek. I have never heard of that organization. It appears to be an one-line magazine. They do have sponsors that I have heard of before such as yellow pages, Microsoft Sharepoint, and Mayo Clinic. If the domain name is a commercial Internet service provider, AOL, Earthlink, mac.com, etc then the page is likely to be a personal page and not endorsed or reviewed by any organization. 3. Is the author identified by name? The author of the article is Brendan McGuigan. If the url has a personal name, it may be a personal site and not an official website. 4. Does the author provide his or her professional or educational background? The author is a part of a team of researchers, writers and editors. His professional background can be found in the section, About, located at the bottom of the screen. The only information provided on Brendan McGuigan is that his education is in Linguistics and Cultural Anthropology. In addition he writes poetry, novel-length and short fiction. 5. Does the author’s background match the topic of the page? The author, McGuigan’s educational background does not match the topic of the article/page. The page is about performance enhancing drugs, why they are used, what they are, and how they can be tested. When reading any type of page it is better if it is written by someone who is knowledgeable in the subject. For example you don’t want a page about sports medicine written by a rocket scientist. 6. Has the site received any respected awards? After searching around the website I could not find any posted awards that WiseGeek has been awarded. 7. Is the site recommended by a site you trust? The site is not recommended by any sites that are trustworthy such as a public library or well-known newspaper. The website does have a disclaimer in their terms stating that the information found on this site is of general nature and is not intended to take the place of professional advice. The information is copyrighted and linking to articles is encouraged and can be found on most articles. 8. Can the author or organization be contacted if you have any questions? The author and organization can be contacted if there are any questions – it is actually encouraged. One the article page there is a comment box for readers to ask further questions about the topic, refute information, or
make any comments. The organization is also available for contact They encourage people to submit suggestions, comments, or article ideas. They can be reached via through a form on their website, e-mail, and snail mail. When looking for contact information on any website look for a “contact” link, e-mail addresses, street address, and/or phone number. 9. Do other trustworthy sites link to this one? I did not find that any trust worthy sites linked with www.wisegeek.com. The most common sites to link to it were individual blog spots. To find who links with a website you can go to Alexa.com and paste in the URL in the search box. 10. Do trustworthy sources have positive things to say about this author or source? I was not able to find very much information linking the author or source to other websites. I came across a few websites that review startup companies and they more stated what the website did – answer questions is a precise way that is easy to find and understand – that rate the source or author. To help you find if other trustworthy sources have positive things to say, Google the author or organization’s name and read what others have to say. 11. Can you find another source to confirm what the author says about him or herself? There were a number of articles that referred to a Brendon McGuigan who wrote a book, but I was not able to confirm that it is the same person who wrote the article for WiseGeek. One way to find other sources to confirm the author’s authentic is to type in the author and a related keyword from the site, for example “John Smith” and “Professor”. 12. Can you tell if the site is fact or opinion? The article appears to be as an informative piece with the absence of opinion. There are links to other pages within WiseGeek further explaining topics that were mentioned in the page. When looking through an article, if the information seems one-sided, or biased, you will have to go to another side to find the other side of the issue. 13. Are you reasonably sure this site is not a parody or intended to be humorous? I am reasonably sure the site is not a parody or intended to be humorous. The tone of the site appears to be straightforward. 14. Is the tone calm and fair?
The tone is calm and fair. There appears to be no biased or strong opinions. If you come across sites that are hateful and angry they may not be a good source of information. 15. Is the site free of advertising? The site is free from advertising. It only lists a number of different sponsored links. The links are at the top of the page and the bottom. They are written is small letter and do not take away from the page. 16. If there are ads, is it easy to tell the difference between ads and content? There are no ads. 17. Is the site sponsored by any organizations? The site is sponsored by a number of different organizations. The type of sponsors vary from kitchen appliances, spas, tutors, team building organizations, information on Crohn’s disease, and a weight machine. If there are a number of sponsors that share the same opinion it can give you a clue that there may be some bias. 18. Is it clear what audience the site is intended for? The intended audience is students is high school and older. Young children may not understand the information provided on the page. 19. Are you a member of the intended audience? I do fit the age range of the intended audience. When students are writing a paper they need to make sure they are getting audience appropriate information. A high school student should not be using a site created for young children to write a paper. 20. Is the site open to everyone? The site is open everyone to use and read. You do have the choice to become a member and receive e-mails with articles written in WiseGeek or post comments about the article. 21. Are the sources provided for all the facts? The sources are not provided for all the facts provided. 22. Are their links to these sources? The links provided in this page are to other pages written by other WiseGeek authors. It has internal links and none to outside sources. 23. Is there a bibliography?
There is no bibliography. If a bibliography is provided it is good to check the sources to see if they are reliable. 24. Is the date the article, page, or site was created given? The page gives the date the page was last modified, January 5, 2010. 25. Is the “Last Revised” date given? This is the only information given, the original date is not posted on the site. 26. Is the date of the facts and information recent enough to be accurate? The date of facts and information are recent enough to be accurate. To check the accuracy of the information go onto other websites and look to find the same facts and to see if there is any update information out there. 27. Is the site free of spelling, typographical, and grammatical errors? The site is free from errors. If there are mistakes in spelling or grammar, it is safe to assume the facts were not checked as well. 28. Do all the links lead to active pages? All the links lead to active pages. If there are dead links it can be an indicator that the information is outdated. 29. Is the text understandable? The text is written in a simple way that is easy to understand 30. Do titles and headings give a clear idea of the content? There is only one title, What are Performance Enhancing Drugs, and it gives an idea of the content. The content may not go into as much depth as one may hope by reading the title. 31. Is there a, “what’s new” feature? There is not a what’s new feature. 32. Is there a site map? There is a search tab at the top of the page. There are also links to the home page, FAQ, Contact, About, Testimonials, Terms, and Privacy Policy at the bottom of the page. 33. Is there a tool for searching the site?
There is a tool for searching the site and other articles relating to the topic you wish to explore. 34. Do pages load quickly? The pages load quickly. You are able to move back and forth among the pages smoothly. 35. Are there links to other places within this page or website? There are links within the page to other pages within the website. 36. Does this site have enough information for you research project? The site does not go very in-depth about the topic and may not have enough information about the research topic. Other websites or links to other articles within the website may be necessary. 37. Is most of the information useful for your research? The information that is posted is useful of a research project. Why this is important to teach: Research on the Internet is very common for student whether it is school related or personal. It is important for students to learn about inappropriate content and to become knowledgeable in knowing how to discern which websites hold accurate be, nonbiased information. The Internet is filled with information and it can become overwhelming. If a student learns how to check the reliability of a site from the beginning it can help them sift through the many sites that come up from a search. Students can stumble upon hate groups, biased content, and extremest views on websites and mistakenly take the opinions as fact. Students are young and still exploring and learning and can easily be influences by what they read or see. Educating them in seeking out accurate and appropriate information will help them not get lost in the vast amount of information the web has to offer.
6. Social Networks by Katie Hill
A social network is an Internet program that is used for online interactive communication through profiles, pictures, web forums and groups. Each member creates a personal profile which can be viewed by other active members of this network. A few examples of these social networks would be Myspace and Facebook.
Social Networks, Week 1 Assignment 1. You are the young manager of an ice cream parlor that is beloved by local families. You are looking to hire some teens for the summer, when the shop is open late every evening. You require an application and at least one reference. It occurs to you that you could look online to find out a bit more about the applicants. Where would you look? And what might you find that would make you not hire someone? I would definitely look on social networks such as Facebook and Myspace to find that person that I was considering hiring. Now days it is so simple to type in someone's name and find out where they live, what they do in their spare time, who their friends are, and what kind of person they are among other things. Some things that would make me change my mind on hiring someone for my ice cream parlor would be if they had plenty of pictures of them drinking alcohol, if they had provocative pictures on their profile, or if they used foul language frequently in their posts. I would also look to see what kind of online friends they communicated with because that could give you an idea of what kind of person they are by who they communicate with. This is not a definite way of finding out who a person really is, but it definitely gives employers an idea of the kind of person they are hiring. 2. You have a social network profile and are smart enough to use the privacy settings to keep your stuff away from the eyes of people other than your friends. A friend of yours thinks a silly photo of you in your underwear is funny, copies the photo, and places it on her public profile. How might you feel? What might be the unintended results of such a photo in a public place? If I had a profile that was on a privacy setting, I would want all of the pictures on that profile to stay private. Therefore, I would feel somewhat violated if someone copies a picture like that for the entire online community to see. It would be embarrassing and I would almost be ashamed of myself for even taking the picture to begin with. When pictures like these are posted publicly, you never know who might get their hands on these pictures, which can be very scary. Even if a picture is posted and you take it down later, while the picture was posted, anyone could have copied it and saved it. Therefore, the picture could always be circulating the Internet. It is best to just not take pictures that you wouldn't want people to see. 3. You are a college freshman. Your cousin, who is a high school freshman, asks to “friend” you on a social networking site. You like your cousin and don’t want to hurt his feelings, but you say “no.”
What are some reasons you might not want your cousin to see your profile and friends? One might not want to "friend" members of their family because they are embarrassed by what is on their profile. Maybe there were pictures on the profile that someone wouldn't want their cousin seeing in fear that they might tell the parents and get them in trouble. 4. You join a social networking site and set up your own profile. You spend a lot of time making the profile look cool and you have links to many friends. Your mom makes her own profile and asks you to be her “friend.” Is that fair? Explain your thinking. Especially at a younger age, kids use social networks to have a gateway to talk to their friends without the constant supervision of a parent. I don't think that it is fair for the parent to expect their child to "friend" them online because the child may just want some space to communicate with their friends without being judged. However, kids need to realize that whether their parent is their "friend" or not, it is not a good idea to post pictures, or write postings that you would not want others, including parents, to see. If parents want to see what their kids are up to on social networks, they will find out. Kids need to understand that once something is posted on the Internet, it can get into the hands of anyone with the click of a mouse. Why this is important to teach: : It is very important to teach students the importance of online safety when it comes to social networks because these networks can be very dangerous if kids are not careful. There is so much information on these profiles that is made public for cyber predators and cyberbullies to take advantage of such as: personal addresses, embarrassing pictures, etc. Kids need to understand that for their own safety they should not post things on their social networking profiles that they would be embarrassed if their parents, teachers or future employers saw. With the continuing growth of technology in this world and the growing number of people joining these social networks, there are more opportunities for danger online and kids need to know the importance of online safety and how to achieve it.
7. Social Networks by Moira Goddard
A social network is an online service that allows users to set up "profiles" (collections of information about themselves) and communicate with others utilizing photos, email, discussion forums and web logs. Users are able to control who can view their profile and communicate with them.
This type of Internet service can be free or fee-based. Some examples of a popular social networks are Facebook or MySpace. Social Networks, Week 2 Assignment In this scenario, Ian is planning revenge on Mike for telling personal secrets. Ian creates a fictional person online and engages in an online romance with Mike. He subsequently tells other friends about the joke he has played on Mike. 1. Was Ian justified in teaching Mike a lesson? Although Ian was angry, a person can never justify teasing, bullying or harassment online. Ian not only faked being another person, he continually communicated with Mike online as this fictitious person. He also included others in the joke, which constitutes sharing personal information about another person. These fall into the "cyberbullying" category as indicated on the STOP cyberbullying website at http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html. Ian should have dealt with Mike directly instead of turning his anger into an online revenge. 2. How do you think Mike felt when he found out his "relationship" was only a cruel trick? Mike most likely felt humiliated at first, and then infuriated at Ian for devising the online scheme. 3. What problems might result due to Ian's actions? A variety of problems could arise in this situation. Mike could choose to retaliate online in some way-he may post embarrassing pictures or information about Ian on the Internet; he may be so personally humiliated he becomes depressed; or he may choose to take physical action against Ian. 4. What advice could you give Ian about self-control and respect? My first piece of advice to Ian would be to learn from his mistakes and know who you can trust. He may need to really think about who his friends are and whether or not he can trust them with personal information. He also needs to learn to take some time think about a situation (and cool down) before he acts upon it. This would help him to look at the repercussions of his potential actions and save him from regretting them. 5. Consider if Ian had told some other friends what he was doing. What could these bystanders have done?
The bystanders might be thinking a little more clearly than Ian and may discourage him from setting up the fake identity. They may also have gone to Mike to let him know about it, to save some heartache. 6. Top ten tips for being Cybersmart! 1. Reread your posting or email before sending it. 2. Cool down before you send an angry email 3. If you're not sure whether or not you should post or send something, you probably shouldn't 4. Don't pretend to be someone else 5. Don't use lewd language 6. Don't post personal information or forward information about others without their consent 7. Never threaten someone online 8. Never make fun of someone online 9. Don't steal others' passwords or hack into their accounts 10. Follow the rules on each website you use. Why this is important to teach: This topic is extremely important to teach students as social networks open them up to a variety of potential problems. These problems can include online predators having access to kids' personal information, other people posting embarrassing information or pictures for friends or potential employers to possibly see and teasing or bullying online (cyberbullying). Students who are bullied online can end up with depression, or in the most extreme cases, commit suicide.
1.
Identity Safety by Michele Weinhouse
Identity Safety is the responsible and proper use of technology so that one's private information is protected and controlled. Identitiy Safety, Week 3 Assignment Define the following terms (used provided information sheet to define terms): • phishing – bogus e-mails or phone calls to you, that appear to come from a reputable source, asking for personal information • pharming – when one accidentally downloads malicious code onto one’s computer that can direct one’s browser to phony websites • credit report – information on one’s credit history; good or bad • driver’s license – proof that one has met driver competency tests and allows one to drive. This is a popular form of acceptable identification. • pre-approved credit card – a credit card that one applies for with automatic bank approval. This becomes an issue when one does not have a bank account and can therefore indicate that one’s identity has been stolen • DOB – abbreviation for date of birth. This is often used as a way of identifying someone. • privacy policy – the agreement that a store will handle your personal information with care. This usually accompanies secure online purchases • Social Security number – the number issued by the US government that gives one the ability to work in the U.S. This number is one of the most precious ways to identify a person and should not be written out on a computer or cell phone. • password – this is the code word used to gain access to various Internet sites and accounts.
text message scam – similar to phishing in that bogus text messages are sent to you asking for personal information. • P2P file sharing – Peer-to-Peer file sharing software allows one to share music and movie files but at the same time can also put one’s private identity information at risk • padlock symbol – this symbol indicates a website is secure. The symbol can be found either at the top or bottom of the browser.
•
What does it mean to have your identity stolen, and how does it happen online? Identity theft occurs when someone (thief) poses as another person (victim) by using information about that person. This information is usually obtained without the victim’s permission or knowledge. The thief can now carry out a variety of tasks posing as the victim; such as making online purchases, opening credit card accounts and carrying out transactions on bank accounts. These negative behaviors will now become part of the victims identity and responsibility. Identity theft has become commonplace on the Internet because of the ease of stealing identities online. Identifying information (such as passwords, social security number, etc.) can be stolen using text messaging scams and phishing. More sophisticated stealing of identifying information can occur without the victim's knowledge through pharming and P2P file sharing. What are three ways that people can avoid online identity theft? First, when sending identifying information to and from websites, users need to make sure security measures are in place by reading the privacy policy of a website before transferring information. Second, on website pages that require transferring of identifying information, loo for the padlock symbol in either the top or bottom of the browser indicating the page is secure. When the symbol is not shown, do not transfer identifying information. Third, do not respond to e-mail sent to you asking for identifying information such as social security number, driver's license number, date of birth and passwords. In addition, be careful when downloading items or opening attachments on e-mails as they may contain malicious codes that can be downloaded onto your computer. How can you remind family members about online identity theft prevention? For younger family members, consistently reminding them to be cautious of e-mails, downloads and text messages that come from someone they don't know and to follow-up with the discussions of the most recent scams that may have recently happened. As a parent, one must always monitor your child's online activity to ensure proper usage. For older members, one should educate them of potential scams, explain to them how to avoid identity theft and making sure they are aware of the repercussions of their online behaviors.
Why this is important to teach: Identity Safety is important to teach my students because more and more people (how many of us can name at least one person?) today are having their identity stolen unknowingly because of seemingly innocent behaviors on the Internet. Once an identity is stolen, one's personal privacy is violated. As more criminals think of ways to steal personal information via our online activity, users need to be aware of a few simple techniques and behaviors to avoid becoming a victim and make it more difficult for thieves to steal our identities. Once an identity is stolen it can be difficult to stop and prove identity theft as well as costly to clear a bad credit rating. Prevention is the much easier approach to take protecting one's privacy and identity whereby education is key.
2. Cyberbullying by Amanda Wolfe
Cyberbullying is the use of interactive web based programs to intimidate, harass, and antagonize peers. It is specifically defined as harassment between minors. The use of cell phones, instant messaging, social networking sites, and chat rooms are commonly used in cyberbullying. It is a hurtful and destructive behavior with serious consequences for the victims. Victims may suffer from anxiety, low self esteem, and incidents of suicide and violence have occurred by victims of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying, Week 3 Assignment Response to the Ryan Halligan story from PBS Frontline: Have students watch the Ryan Halligan story from PBS Frontline Go to the website http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ kidsonline/view/ Have students write a one page response to the video content Ryan Halligan was 13 when he committed suicide. His family was devastated and shocked. His father, wanting answers went to Ryan’s computer that Ryan kept in his room and started searching. He asked Ryan’s friend on AOL if they knew why he might have wanted to kill himself, and they said he had been harassed on line a lot. Anonymous people would send him messages telling him he was a loser, and a rumor was started online that he was gay. His father also found a boy whom Ryan had shared his interest in committing suicide with. He contacted the boy’s family and told them his concern but he never heard back. This story is a chilling wake up call to how significantly cyberbullying can hurt a child. Unlike normal in-school bullying, cyberbullying does not stop when the child comes home. They can receive messages online through instant messaging, on social
networking sites, and on their cell phones. These messages can come to them anonymously. To the victim it can seem like everyone is against them and that they are powerless. Also it was pointed out that written words also have a different effect. Written words do not move out of the victim’s mind like spoken words may. The words are there to be read over and over again, and to the victim the words can become real. The ability and role of teachers and the school to respond to cyberbullying is limited. Most of the harassment is done by students using their home computers or personal cell phones, out of site of their teachers and parents. Teachers and schools can share in the responsibility of educating students on how to act appropriately online, how to avoid cyberbullying, and what to do if you or someone you know is being cyberbullied. Why this is important to teach: So much of cyberbullying is done “off the radar” of teachers and parents, and this makes it difficult for them to intervene. However, teachers can be proactive and can help prevent cyberbullying by educating students and parents about the serious effects cyberbullying. Teachers can give students strategies to deter and stop cyberbullying like: stop, block, and report to Internet Service Providers. Teachers can help encourage parents to learn more about their children’s Internet use, help them understand how technology could play a role in their child’s harassment, and give them strategies to deal with cyberbullying.
3. Cyber Predators by Rajah Gainey
Cyber Predator- Is someone who uses the Internet in any way to manipulate kids into relationships that could include sexually, emotionally, psychologically or financially. The predator uses his or her age and experience, to gain the trust and friendship of youth and teens that are need of attention. Cyber Predator, Week 2 Assignment Making Good Decisions Read each statement and check True or False. (Rajah Answers in Bold, then correct full answer next line) 1. Most Internet child molesters look for young children and preteens. True False False: Most online child molesters are not looking for children below the age of puberty. They are actually looking for relationships with teenage girls and boys.
2. Internet child molesters are often violent and abduct their victims. True False False: While this could happen, it is actually extremely rare. People who resort to violence often do so because they cannot relate well to other people. The Internet is not an easy environment for these violent kinds of people because they do not have the communication skills to establish close personal relationships. 3. Internet predators looking for sex with teens usually pretend to be teenagers themselves. True False (Incorrect) False: Actually, most adults looking for sex with teens usually tell their real ages. 4. Adults who express feelings of love for the teens they meet online want sex, not romance. True False True. Most online child molesters patiently develop romantic relationships and trust with their victims before moving the relationships offline for sex. The process may involve expressions of understanding about the teen’s problems, sending gifts or money, and offering job opportunities. 5. Predators don’t tell teens they are interested in sex until they get them into a face-to-face meeting. True False False: Actually, most teens who decide to meet face to face know that the encounter will include sex. So if teens are willing partners, what’s the problem? The problem is that sex between an adult and a teen below the age of consent (usually around 16) is a crime. 6. Teens who decide to meet their online acquaintances in person for sex often say they have feelings of closeness and romantic love. True False True. The adult may also have feelings of love for the teen. But because the adult is much older and more experienced, the teen may be unfairly convinced to get involved in sexual activity that they are not ready for. That is the reason the law says this is a crime—even if both people willingly agree to it.
7. Posting private identity information online puts teens at risk of unwanted invitations for sex. True False (Incorrect) False. Contrary to media hype, the typical online child predator does not carefully piece together identity information to locate and abduct unwilling teens. More typically, teens who go off with adult predators go willingly after a period of online romantic and sexual talk. It’s the combination of talking sexually to a stranger and providing private identity information that is risky. 8. Talking about sex to people only known online puts a teen at greater risk of invitations for face-to-face sex. True False True. Talking about sex online with strangers is risky. However, there does not seem to be a great risk in talking online with strangers about other topics. But you have to be careful because, in any conversation, one thing leads to another and if it starts turning to sex, then alarm bells should go off in your head. 9. Teens who post sexy photos online are more likely to receive sexual invitations from strangers. True False True. If you post sexually provocative photos of yourself online, you are probably going to get more contacts from strangers. And some of those contacts may be aggressive and scary. Some will be from adults and some will be from other teens. 10. Sending sexy photos of yourself or other teens over the Internet may result in these photos being passed around the Internet. True False True. Strangers who ask for sexual photos of teens may end up passing them along on the Internet, in violation of child pornography laws. These laws say that the possession, distribution, or production of sexual images of minors is a crime. There has been at least one case in which a boyfriend and girlfriend who e-mailed intimate photos of themselves back and forth were arrested for child pornography. 11. It’s illegal for adults to use the Internet to seek sex with teens. True False True. When older people use their greater experience to take advantage of a younger person, it’s called “online solicitation of a minor.” There are
laws in most states and in the federal penal code to punish the offender, even if the teen is a willing participant. Why this is important to teach: It is important for teachers to make students aware of the dangers of speaking to strangers over the Internet, especially those who are predators over the age of 18. Though the one obvious reasons would include personal safety, the others, and sometimes more detrimental reasons would be to preserve the student both mentally and emotionally. The latter two can have an even longer lasting effect on an student as he or she develops emotionally. I believe the more knowledge the students have, the less likely they will turn to a stranger online for support or engage in sexual acts.
4. Piracy and Plagiarism by Charlotte Cronk
Piracy or Intellectual Property refers to the ownership rights of materials, created, written, designed or expressed by individuals. These materials include music, games, movies, photos, and writing. Illegally downloading or sharing intellectual property without the permission of the creator is a crime punishable by law. Piracy and Plagiarism, Week 2 Assignment Ask students to imagine that a film they produced for a class assignment was copied and shared by other students. How would they react? Some students may see nothing wrong with this. Some may say, for example, that sharing is a chance for others to see and enjoy the film. Present the situation in a slightly different way to gauge how student reactions may change. Tell them that the film they produced and submitted for a class assignment was copied by another student, who also submitted the film and received a passing grade even though this other student did none of the work. 1. Is this cheating or is this stealing? Is there a difference between cheating and stealing? What is the difference? Copying and sharing for educational purpose would not be cheating or stealing. I believe it is important to be able to share work within the scope of education. In this case, what the students did first when they shared their copy with other students was great. However, copying and sharing to benefit yourself in terms of receiving a grade or taking credit for work you did not do is something different. This would be cheating. Furthermore, if you receive money for work you did not do it would be stealing. I think once there is money involved, it would be considered stealing. In this case I think it is more about cheating. I have heard about both parents and students who
have written their friends’/children’s essays to turn in so they can pass a class. I guess that would be called cheating and really bad parental involvement in your children’s education as well as setting terrible standards. 2. How would you solve this problem (a) if you were the student who produced the film? (b) if you were the teacher? (c) if you were the parent of the student who copied and falsely submitted the work? a) As a student I would actually make my professor/teacher aware of the situation. If I had proof of my work, rough drafts etc, I would provide this. Depending on my age as a student and the relationship you have to the other student, I would also approach the other student. b) If I was the teacher who found out that someone in my class had been cheating or stealing another student’s work, I would have a meeting with that particular student. Since this is a film assignment, I would assume the students are at an age where they understand what plagiarism is and the consequences for it. I would give an automatic F for this and the student would have to redo the class. c) We would have a serious discussion about honesty and providing your own work. The fact that you steal/use somebody else’s work does not make it yours. None of your own personal thinking is behind the work and it does not represent you at all. Also, it is very “cheap” to take credit for something you did not do. I also would have my student finish his/her own version and on top of that do a lot of extra work. I short, I think it would be very shameful and I would let my child know that by several consequences. 3. Which of the proposed solutions are likely to stop the stealing/ cheating behavior? A combination of all three. I think the student needs to understand the severity of plagiarism. The teacher, the student whose work was stolen, the parents of the student who stole the work and the student himself need to meet and talk. I also think that a student who cheats probably has no sense of responsibility for his/her actions and is also very likely to steal other items as well. They don’t sense the difference between “yours and mine.” I think it would be important for the student who actually did the work to express himself/herself and to let the student who just “took” his/her work know how much work, time and effort it took to make the film.
Using the Glossary of Key Terms, have students define the following terms:
•
•
•
• •
• •
•
•
Copyright: The exclusive right to the author of the work. It lasts for a certain amount of years and then it becomes public domain. You can license or transfer copyrights. Copyright infringement: When you violate the copyright owner’s rights. You can’t use or reproduce media what is licensed to somebody else. Fair use: Allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the owners of the copyright. It could be used for commentary, reporting, news etc. Film piracy: When unauthorized use of films, videos and music are made and distributed or sold. Intellectual property: Are the properties of the mind and the artistic thought behind the creation of the piece of work. It includes copyright, trademarks, patents, words, and inventions Licensing: An authorization to use somebody’s work or material. P2P Network: Refers to peer-to-peer. There is no central coordination between the participants. Peers supply and consume resources Public domain: If work is no longer covered by copyright law then it has entered the public domain. It is no longer covered by copyright or intellectual property right. Residual: In terms of entertainment and media, the author, creator, inventor receives residual income for their work every time it is being mentioned or used. For example, every time a song is played on the radio the songwriter will receive some money for it for the rest of his/her life.
Why this is important to teach: I believe it is even more important to discuss these issues today than before. Where do we really set the boundaries. I think it is difficult for students to see the boundaries when they use the Internet. The Internet appears to have no boundaries and what is offered seems to be open for use. However, it is not. We can't just take what we see on the screen. I think part of the problem is that you don't even think about it when you sit in front of the computer and look at information. I see all of these interesting images that I would like to use...now should I ask for permission when I copy and use them in a document. I probably should. But how complicated would that be to ask for permission on every little thing you do. Perhaps just borrow for a particular assignment for
educational purposes only...is there a rule for that? To learn and educate students about the what to do and not to do when using information from the Internet is crucial. As I was browsing around I found this link which seems very useful and user friendly as well, http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01896/lesson-plan/. This site will provide teachers with a complete lesson plan on how to learn about piracy and plagiarism.
5. Inappropriate Content by Rachel Osborne
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), a federal law enacted to address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers, defines inappropriate content as visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or material “harmful to minors”. Categories include pornography, hate groups, violence, illegal activity, extremist groups, or online advertising. Inappropriate Content, Week 4 Assignment Evaluating On-line Resources Background Libraries and reference libraries are trained in selecting high-quality resources for students. Most of the resources go through many stages of development to check for accurate and useful information. Some of the stages include: authors, editors, fact checkers, expert reviewers, copyeditors, designers, proofreaders, and publishers. In contrast, anyone can publish a Web site. The traditional stages of editing and fact checking are not required. You can find yourself looking at a website that is promoting hate groups, violence, extremists groups, and think that they are presenting facts instead of just opinions. The challenge and responsibility of sorting the good sources from the bad are left to you. Evaluate an online resource from a list provided and be thinking, what is the trustworthiness of the author? What is the purpose of the site? What is the accuracy of information?How easy is it to use the site? How useful is the information? The website used for the questionnaire is http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-performance-enhancingdrugs.htm. Tips on why evaluating a website is important is italicized within the answers of some of the questions. Questionnaire 1. Is the page’s domain extension .edu, .net, .org, or .gov? The domain is a .com. Anyone can create a .com or buy a domain name for a business or personal website. Likewise anyone can use a .org, not just a nonprofit organization. 2. Is the publisher of the site an organization you have heard of before?
The publisher on this site is wise geek. I have never heard of that organization. It appears to be an one-line magazine. They do have sponsors that I have heard of before such as yellow pages, Microsoft Sharepoint, and Mayo Clinic. If the domain name is a commercial Internet service provider, AOL, Earthlink, mac.com, etc then the page is likely to be a personal page and not endorsed or reviewed by any organization. 3. Is the author identified by name? The author of the article is Brendan McGuigan. If the url has a personal name, it may be a personal site and not an official website. 4. Does the author provide his or her professional or educational background? The author is a part of a team of researchers, writers and editors. His professional background can be found in the section, About, located at the bottom of the screen. The only information provided on Brendan McGuigan is that his education is in Linguistics and Cultural Anthropology. In addition he writes poetry, novel-length and short fiction. 5. Does the author’s background match the topic of the page? The author, McGuigan’s educational background does not match the topic of the article/page. The page is about performance enhancing drugs, why they are used, what they are, and how they can be tested. When reading any type of page it is better if it is written by someone who is knowledgeable in the subject. For example you don’t want a page about sports medicine written by a rocket scientist. 6. Has the site received any respected awards? After searching around the website I could not find any posted awards that WiseGeek has been awarded. 7. Is the site recommended by a site you trust? The site is not recommended by any sites that are trustworthy such as a public library or well-known newspaper. The website does have a disclaimer in their terms stating that the information found on this site is of general nature and is not intended to take the place of professional advice. The information is copyrighted and linking to articles is encouraged and can be found on most articles. 8. Can the author or organization be contacted if you have any questions? The author and organization can be contacted if there are any questions – it is actually encouraged. One the article page there is a comment box for readers to ask further questions about the topic, refute information, or
make any comments. The organization is also available for contact They encourage people to submit suggestions, comments, or article ideas. They can be reached via through a form on their website, e-mail, and snail mail. When looking for contact information on any website look for a “contact” link, e-mail addresses, street address, and/or phone number. 9. Do other trustworthy sites link to this one? I did not find that any trust worthy sites linked with www.wisegeek.com. The most common sites to link to it were individual blog spots. To find who links with a website you can go to Alexa.com and paste in the URL in the search box. 10. Do trustworthy sources have positive things to say about this author or source? I was not able to find very much information linking the author or source to other websites. I came across a few websites that review startup companies and they more stated what the website did – answer questions is a precise way that is easy to find and understand – that rate the source or author. To help you find if other trustworthy sources have positive things to say, Google the author or organization’s name and read what others have to say. 11. Can you find another source to confirm what the author says about him or herself? There were a number of articles that referred to a Brendon McGuigan who wrote a book, but I was not able to confirm that it is the same person who wrote the article for WiseGeek. One way to find other sources to confirm the author’s authentic is to type in the author and a related keyword from the site, for example “John Smith” and “Professor”. 12. Can you tell if the site is fact or opinion? The article appears to be as an informative piece with the absence of opinion. There are links to other pages within WiseGeek further explaining topics that were mentioned in the page. When looking through an article, if the information seems one-sided, or biased, you will have to go to another side to find the other side of the issue. 13. Are you reasonably sure this site is not a parody or intended to be humorous? I am reasonably sure the site is not a parody or intended to be humorous. The tone of the site appears to be straightforward. 14. Is the tone calm and fair?
The tone is calm and fair. There appears to be no biased or strong opinions. If you come across sites that are hateful and angry they may not be a good source of information. 15. Is the site free of advertising? The site is free from advertising. It only lists a number of different sponsored links. The links are at the top of the page and the bottom. They are written is small letter and do not take away from the page. 16. If there are ads, is it easy to tell the difference between ads and content? There are no ads. 17. Is the site sponsored by any organizations? The site is sponsored by a number of different organizations. The type of sponsors vary from kitchen appliances, spas, tutors, team building organizations, information on Crohn’s disease, and a weight machine. If there are a number of sponsors that share the same opinion it can give you a clue that there may be some bias. 18. Is it clear what audience the site is intended for? The intended audience is students is high school and older. Young children may not understand the information provided on the page. 19. Are you a member of the intended audience? I do fit the age range of the intended audience. When students are writing a paper they need to make sure they are getting audience appropriate information. A high school student should not be using a site created for young children to write a paper. 20. Is the site open to everyone? The site is open everyone to use and read. You do have the choice to become a member and receive e-mails with articles written in WiseGeek or post comments about the article. 21. Are the sources provided for all the facts? The sources are not provided for all the facts provided. 22. Are their links to these sources? The links provided in this page are to other pages written by other WiseGeek authors. It has internal links and none to outside sources. 23. Is there a bibliography?
There is no bibliography. If a bibliography is provided it is good to check the sources to see if they are reliable. 24. Is the date the article, page, or site was created given? The page gives the date the page was last modified, January 5, 2010. 25. Is the “Last Revised” date given? This is the only information given, the original date is not posted on the site. 26. Is the date of the facts and information recent enough to be accurate? The date of facts and information are recent enough to be accurate. To check the accuracy of the information go onto other websites and look to find the same facts and to see if there is any update information out there. 27. Is the site free of spelling, typographical, and grammatical errors? The site is free from errors. If there are mistakes in spelling or grammar, it is safe to assume the facts were not checked as well. 28. Do all the links lead to active pages? All the links lead to active pages. If there are dead links it can be an indicator that the information is outdated. 29. Is the text understandable? The text is written in a simple way that is easy to understand 30. Do titles and headings give a clear idea of the content? There is only one title, What are Performance Enhancing Drugs, and it gives an idea of the content. The content may not go into as much depth as one may hope by reading the title. 31. Is there a, “what’s new” feature? There is not a what’s new feature. 32. Is there a site map? There is a search tab at the top of the page. There are also links to the home page, FAQ, Contact, About, Testimonials, Terms, and Privacy Policy at the bottom of the page. 33. Is there a tool for searching the site?
There is a tool for searching the site and other articles relating to the topic you wish to explore. 34. Do pages load quickly? The pages load quickly. You are able to move back and forth among the pages smoothly. 35. Are there links to other places within this page or website? There are links within the page to other pages within the website. 36. Does this site have enough information for you research project? The site does not go very in-depth about the topic and may not have enough information about the research topic. Other websites or links to other articles within the website may be necessary. 37. Is most of the information useful for your research? The information that is posted is useful of a research project. Why this is important to teach: Research on the Internet is very common for student whether it is school related or personal. It is important for students to learn about inappropriate content and to become knowledgeable in knowing how to discern which websites hold accurate be, nonbiased information. The Internet is filled with information and it can become overwhelming. If a student learns how to check the reliability of a site from the beginning it can help them sift through the many sites that come up from a search. Students can stumble upon hate groups, biased content, and extremest views on websites and mistakenly take the opinions as fact. Students are young and still exploring and learning and can easily be influences by what they read or see. Educating them in seeking out accurate and appropriate information will help them not get lost in the vast amount of information the web has to offer.
6. Social Networks by Katie Hill
A social network is an Internet program that is used for online interactive communication through profiles, pictures, web forums and groups. Each member creates a personal profile which can be viewed by other active members of this network. A few examples of these social networks would be Myspace and Facebook.
Social Networks, Week 1 Assignment 1. You are the young manager of an ice cream parlor that is beloved by local families. You are looking to hire some teens for the summer, when the shop is open late every evening. You require an application and at least one reference. It occurs to you that you could look online to find out a bit more about the applicants. Where would you look? And what might you find that would make you not hire someone? I would definitely look on social networks such as Facebook and Myspace to find that person that I was considering hiring. Now days it is so simple to type in someone's name and find out where they live, what they do in their spare time, who their friends are, and what kind of person they are among other things. Some things that would make me change my mind on hiring someone for my ice cream parlor would be if they had plenty of pictures of them drinking alcohol, if they had provocative pictures on their profile, or if they used foul language frequently in their posts. I would also look to see what kind of online friends they communicated with because that could give you an idea of what kind of person they are by who they communicate with. This is not a definite way of finding out who a person really is, but it definitely gives employers an idea of the kind of person they are hiring. 2. You have a social network profile and are smart enough to use the privacy settings to keep your stuff away from the eyes of people other than your friends. A friend of yours thinks a silly photo of you in your underwear is funny, copies the photo, and places it on her public profile. How might you feel? What might be the unintended results of such a photo in a public place? If I had a profile that was on a privacy setting, I would want all of the pictures on that profile to stay private. Therefore, I would feel somewhat violated if someone copies a picture like that for the entire online community to see. It would be embarrassing and I would almost be ashamed of myself for even taking the picture to begin with. When pictures like these are posted publicly, you never know who might get their hands on these pictures, which can be very scary. Even if a picture is posted and you take it down later, while the picture was posted, anyone could have copied it and saved it. Therefore, the picture could always be circulating the Internet. It is best to just not take pictures that you wouldn't want people to see. 3. You are a college freshman. Your cousin, who is a high school freshman, asks to “friend” you on a social networking site. You like your cousin and don’t want to hurt his feelings, but you say “no.”
What are some reasons you might not want your cousin to see your profile and friends? One might not want to "friend" members of their family because they are embarrassed by what is on their profile. Maybe there were pictures on the profile that someone wouldn't want their cousin seeing in fear that they might tell the parents and get them in trouble. 4. You join a social networking site and set up your own profile. You spend a lot of time making the profile look cool and you have links to many friends. Your mom makes her own profile and asks you to be her “friend.” Is that fair? Explain your thinking. Especially at a younger age, kids use social networks to have a gateway to talk to their friends without the constant supervision of a parent. I don't think that it is fair for the parent to expect their child to "friend" them online because the child may just want some space to communicate with their friends without being judged. However, kids need to realize that whether their parent is their "friend" or not, it is not a good idea to post pictures, or write postings that you would not want others, including parents, to see. If parents want to see what their kids are up to on social networks, they will find out. Kids need to understand that once something is posted on the Internet, it can get into the hands of anyone with the click of a mouse. Why this is important to teach: : It is very important to teach students the importance of online safety when it comes to social networks because these networks can be very dangerous if kids are not careful. There is so much information on these profiles that is made public for cyber predators and cyberbullies to take advantage of such as: personal addresses, embarrassing pictures, etc. Kids need to understand that for their own safety they should not post things on their social networking profiles that they would be embarrassed if their parents, teachers or future employers saw. With the continuing growth of technology in this world and the growing number of people joining these social networks, there are more opportunities for danger online and kids need to know the importance of online safety and how to achieve it.
7. Social Networks by Moira Goddard
A social network is an online service that allows users to set up "profiles" (collections of information about themselves) and communicate with others utilizing photos, email, discussion forums and web logs. Users are able to control who can view their profile and communicate with them.
This type of Internet service can be free or fee-based. Some examples of a popular social networks are Facebook or MySpace. Social Networks, Week 2 Assignment In this scenario, Ian is planning revenge on Mike for telling personal secrets. Ian creates a fictional person online and engages in an online romance with Mike. He subsequently tells other friends about the joke he has played on Mike. 1. Was Ian justified in teaching Mike a lesson? Although Ian was angry, a person can never justify teasing, bullying or harassment online. Ian not only faked being another person, he continually communicated with Mike online as this fictitious person. He also included others in the joke, which constitutes sharing personal information about another person. These fall into the "cyberbullying" category as indicated on the STOP cyberbullying website at http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html. Ian should have dealt with Mike directly instead of turning his anger into an online revenge. 2. How do you think Mike felt when he found out his "relationship" was only a cruel trick? Mike most likely felt humiliated at first, and then infuriated at Ian for devising the online scheme. 3. What problems might result due to Ian's actions? A variety of problems could arise in this situation. Mike could choose to retaliate online in some way-he may post embarrassing pictures or information about Ian on the Internet; he may be so personally humiliated he becomes depressed; or he may choose to take physical action against Ian. 4. What advice could you give Ian about self-control and respect? My first piece of advice to Ian would be to learn from his mistakes and know who you can trust. He may need to really think about who his friends are and whether or not he can trust them with personal information. He also needs to learn to take some time think about a situation (and cool down) before he acts upon it. This would help him to look at the repercussions of his potential actions and save him from regretting them. 5. Consider if Ian had told some other friends what he was doing. What could these bystanders have done?
The bystanders might be thinking a little more clearly than Ian and may discourage him from setting up the fake identity. They may also have gone to Mike to let him know about it, to save some heartache. 6. Top ten tips for being Cybersmart! 1. Reread your posting or email before sending it. 2. Cool down before you send an angry email 3. If you're not sure whether or not you should post or send something, you probably shouldn't 4. Don't pretend to be someone else 5. Don't use lewd language 6. Don't post personal information or forward information about others without their consent 7. Never threaten someone online 8. Never make fun of someone online 9. Don't steal others' passwords or hack into their accounts 10. Follow the rules on each website you use. Why this is important to teach: This topic is extremely important to teach students as social networks open them up to a variety of potential problems. These problems can include online predators having access to kids' personal information, other people posting embarrassing information or pictures for friends or potential employers to possibly see and teasing or bullying online (cyberbullying). Students who are bullied online can end up with depression, or in the most extreme cases, commit suicide.
