Speaker for a intenet safety program: ConnectSafely Forums: Community

Posts: 5

Registered: 6/20/06

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Re: Speaker for a intenet safety program

Sep 1, 2006 6:43 PM

Hi Zoey,

I give Internet presentations for parents, teens, faculty, etc.--I cover the predator stuff and safety info but also the moral, academic, spiritual and social repercussions of kids' abuse of the Internet--because predators don't act in a vacuum. Your own kid could be the next predator-in-training based on the warped ideas about sex that are out there for easy viewing online.

I concur with the findings on the previous posting--kids who are educated act no differently than those who are not because they are STILL KIDS--they don't have full awareness or judgment. I don't care how educated a kid is--kids are still kids and any parent will tell you that kids make stupid mistakes--we just pray that our kids' stupid mistakes aren't going to be around forever online, or, worse, the kind that can kill them.

What they need is closer supervision and restriction by parents who are AWARE. In fact, if I have a choice of whether to spend the time educating the parents or the children, I would choose the parents because it is the parents who will follow through if they love their kids. The key is to get the parents to attend...you must make the meeting mandatory, perhaps using the kids' report cards as the carrot...I know it sounds totalitarian, but SO MANY parents are not even aware enough to realize there is a problem--these same parents are not going to think they need to attend an Internet Safety Seminar. In my experience, once the parents are forced to go, kicking and screaming, they are amazed at how much they didn't know, and are grateful they were given the information.

Yes, it is THAT serious.

If you are interested you can go to my website www.moralert.com and find the information there on how to contact me. I hesitate to put my info on the site due to spam.

Good Luck to you...you're on the right path.

jbcoops

Posts: 37

From: Forest Grove, OR

Registered: 6/20/06

(3 of 4)

Re: Speaker for a intenet safety program

Sep 1, 2006 5:37 PM

Have you considered having an *online* workshop? There are a number of ways this could be done, and you could do more than a one hour (or one day) session, indeed, teaching parents how to keep an eye out, and offer sustained support over time.

My opinion about one shot workshops is that they may get the information out initially, but if you don't follow up (and follow through) with sustained support, you will lose 90% of your audience. Indeed, a review of the iSafe site (and I'm iSafe certified) showed that students who underwent iSafe workshops knew more than their peers about Internet safety, yet *acted virtually the same as the control group in their surfing habits*.

I also believe that any workshop (whether face to face or online) that stresses a "just say no" attitude towards sites like MySpace is doomed to failure. You won't reach kids by telling them not to do something, especially if you don't offer them a constructive alternative that they may take part in. Therefore any workshop that I lead would focus not on the dangers, but on positive sites and behaviors that the students (and parents) could use rather than stressing the horrific dangers of the Net.

Regards,

Jeff Cooper
Education Technology Support Consultant

Larry

Posts: 136

From: Silicon Valley, California

Registered: 6/19/06

(2 of 4)

Re: Speaker for a intenet safety program

Aug 31, 2006 9:41 AM

Zoey --
We do sometimes arrange for speakers but it's best to handle this by email so we can reach you directly. Please send an email to admin@blogsafety.com.

Thanks

--
Larry
Co-director
BlogSafety.com

zoey

Posts: 1

From: Shaker Heights, Ohio

Registered: 8/30/06

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