The Girl Scouts have gone digital

/in /by

Excited to get those Thin Mints? Are you like me and your daughter has moved on from Girl Scouts? Or did the little girl that you use to count on to show up at your door selling cookies go to college?  Worry no more. The Girl Scouts have gone digital with their sales. There is now the Girl Scout Cookie Finder App.

This is interesting from more than just a way to get cookies perspective. It is a clear acknowledgement of how digital our children’s lives have become. There is no denying how pervasive technology has become in both our children’s educational and social lives. But now we see it become a part of their extra curricular activity, and one that is probably the most organic of all.

This is a good thing. One of the goals of the Girls Scout Cookie Program is to give young girls the opportunity to be leaders in the business world and to develop entrepreneurial skills. If this is the goal of the program, how can the digital age not be involved in this objective? Anna Maria Chavez, CEO of GSUSA, says this:

For almost a century, the Girl Scout Cookie Program has been teaching girls to be leaders in the world of business and finance, and we intend to ensure that legacy continues in the digital age.

Like most things, GSUSA has put the emphasis on teaching the girls the proper, appropriate and safe way to sell cookies using technology. You have to be invited by a Girl Scout to use the app or the online platform, and all sales and contacts have to be approved by the Scout’s adult. Additionally, all scouts and adults have to sign the ‘Internet Safety Pledge‘ (this is a great contract that you can use for your own family). 

I love that GSUSA has found a way to take an iconic program involving thousands of young girls and bring it to this hyper digital age in such a positive and educational way. Additionally, it is exciting to see such a practical and historic activity be used in a way that increases children’s awareness of safety on the internet.  I applaud GSUSA and therefore will feel the need to support their cookie sales this year!

Controversial new cyberbullying law in Illinois

/in /by

As of January 1, 2015, Illinois law HB4207 went into effect. Illinois Government News Network describes it in these words:

House Bill 4207, sponsored by State Representative Laura Fine (D-Glenview) and State Senator Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago), prohibits bullying of students through technology outside the classroom or school. The law applies to devices not owned or used by a school, and requires a school’s anti-bullying policy to include an investigation for any act of bullying that causes a disruption to a school’s operations or educational process. This legislation expands on previous legislation signed by Governor Quinn which banned cyberbullying of students within schools. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2015.

Every coin has two sides. While the objective of the law is to protect children being bullied, there is controversy around the subject of student’s invasion of privacy, free speech and how much power a school should have. The prevailing question is whether it is legal for a school to require a student to turn over the passwords to social media during an investigation of harassment and bullying.

It cannot be argued that cyberbullying that is happening outside of school times has a direct and powerful impact on the victim DURING school hours. Cyberbullying cannot be separated by school hours.

Here are a few links to gain an understanding of the law and the arguments surrounding it.

New Trend on Instagram: Posting Phone Numbers

/in /by

Who was your celebrity crush when you were 13? Was it Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, or maybe it was Tom Cruise. Risky Business was a good movie. Regardless of who it was, our only option was to buy some bad teen magazine and hope for a picture and a bit of gossip.

Fast forward to today’s teen and the current crushes….Joe Jonas, Harry Stiles, or the rest of the 1D band. Crushes remain constant over time. However, what has changed dramatically is the level of information available to today’s teen via the internet vs. the 80’s teen reading Tiger Beat. As always, along with the level of information available to today’s teen comes riskier behavior and dangers.

The newest fad among today’s kids using social media is to track their favorite celebrity crush on Instagram. Everyone who is anyone in the celebrity world has an Instagram account. People are posting numbers in the comments section claiming to be the phone number of the celebrity. Obviously these are not the real phone numbers. Unsuspecting kids believe that these are actual phone numbers.

Kids are calling and texting these numbers hoping to talk to the star crush. The reality is that they have no idea who they are contacting. If Share my Location is enabled on the device, whomever they are calling or texting can see where they are and where they have been, a predator’s pot of gold.

You can do a couple of things to increase your children’s safety:

  1. Ensure that Share My Location is disabled by going to  Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Share My Location.
  2. Explain to your kids the dangers associated with sharing your location and the importance of protecting your personal information. Even if you have talked to them previously, talk about it again. Try a different angle on the talk. Try asking them why Share My Location could be dangerous.
  3. Remind your kids one of the golden rules of the internet: Not everybody is who they say they are on the internet. Use a story to demonstrate how someone would pretend to be somebody else. Stories are one of the most effective methods for teaching kids about this. The story holds their interest and sticks with them.

Most importantly, take the time to understand Instagram, how it works and what your child is doing. Research, along with common sense, indicates that if you are involved with your child’s online activity, they will be more cautious about what they post leading to better judgement when using social media.

 

 

 

Anti Bullying PSA Video: Don’t let it be too late

/in /by

Do you have 45 seconds? Take 45 seconds of your day to watch this Anti Bullying PSA video. This PSA was created with teens reading real posts left on the social media sites of teenagers who have been bullied and ended their lives as a result. It is both raw and moving at the same time. The message…put a stop to bullying now and don’t let it be too late to put a beautiful message on a friend’s site.

 

 

Was Sony hack job a form of cyber bullying?

/in /by

The topic certainly was one of the more popular ones of the various holiday gatherings that I attended. ‘Are you going to see The Interview?’ I heard that question numerous times. Everyone had thoughts and opinions on the hack job that is being called one of the greatest in history. The ideas and opinions expressed ranged from entertainment topics to political views to technology.

The one thing never mentioned was the idea of cyber bullying and how the hacking of Sony’s systems represents cyber bullying in one of its greatest forms. This editorial article says the following:

Let’s call this hacking what it was: an example of cyber bullying. Just as some children use computers and the Internet to deliberately harm others, the Guardians of Peace have used computers and the Internet to harm a corporation that did something they didn’t like.

Click here to read the full editorial