Rockingham County Public Schools

Internet Safety and Digital Ethics for Parents

Video for Parents Shared from the Spotswood High School Web page

Our efforts across Rockingham County Schools have recently focused on several topics including:

• Cellphone Use and Misuse
• Social Media such as Facebook and MySpace
• Cyberbullying and Harrassment
• Privacy and Reputation Damage
• The importance of teaching with digital tools in the 21st century classroom

• Why we teach with digital tools and their importance
• Common Sense - One of the best pages yet to date for parents. A++ Media rich with easy read links and information
• Get Net Wise - This page has a unique feature for parents... an interactive "tool" chooser that allows the parents to discover what is best for their personal and family needs based on operating system, method of use, etc.
• Enough.org - This major player in child protection covers current issues like pornography, bullying and more. This unique page gives parents "tools" to deal with these situations.
• Joe Showker's Digital Safety Page - This page has tags such as "video" and "parent" that lead the search for information.
• Safenetting.com - Joe and Fred Showker's page on a variety of Internet Safety and CyberCrime information
• Great video on cellphones and texting from CommonSense.com
  

HOW can I report an incident? Download the cybertipline fact sheet ~ www.cybertipline.com  OR Call: 1-800-843-5678

Internet Filters for the Home & Cellphone Parent Controls

Suggestions:

• NetNanny acquired by ContentWatch is the best home filter. The software is $40/year for Windows & MAC
• K9 Blue Coat filter software - Free, works only on Windows computers and has excellent reviews
• Safe Eyes - $50/year works on Macs and Windows computers
• CyberSitter & CyberPatrol - rated tops for paid home filters for $40/year for Windows only computers
• Most Cellphone providers offer some type of "family safe" filtering and parental controls.
• AT&T's Smart Cellphone Controls for parents - AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless is an online service that enables you to provide your children with the freedom and security of a cell phone while setting sensible boundaries for its use.
• Verizon's Parent Control Center for Cellphones - Verizon helps you manage and create the digital experience that's just right for your family with tools like Usage Controls, Family Locator, and Content Filters.
• All purpose link @CommonSense.com for parents about to purchase cellphones for their kids.

iPod and iPad Touch Internet Filters for the Home

Suggestions:

• Mobicip
  This is rated as #1 by customers online. It costs $5 to purchase the app. This browser then replaces Safari as a safe browser for surfing online. For $10/year, a parent can get detailed reports of websites.
• Inet Safety
  One time fee of $20 to purchase this app.
• Safe Eyes
  One time fee of $20 to purchase this app.
• Free Bsecure Mobile iTouch Internet Filtering

Kid-Safe Email and Browsers for the Home

Suggestions:

• AOLKids
• K-Mail
• Mouse Mail
• Yahoo Family Accounts
• TK for Kids

Common Sense Media's Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sites provides information, links and reviews for top-rated online resources that are safe for kids. Common Sense Media also provides a resource for information about the best email programs for kids.