Social Networking is a term that describes online websites used to connect people to other people. Users create personal profiles that allow them to be linked with other people that have similar interests. MySpace is probably one of the best-known social networking sites.
To say that social networking is popular with teens and “tweens” is an understatement. Kids love the many features available from sites such as MySpace that allow them to creatively express themselves (upload writing, images, video remixes, etc.), share, and keep in touch with friends. While there can be benefits to social networking, there are also potential dangers when posting information.
Parents can help their teenagers use social networking sites safely by learning more about websites such as MySpace.com or Facebook.com. The Internet Keep Safe Coalition (i-KeepSafe), a prominent Internet safety organization, and MySpace have teamed up to take the mystery out of social networking and Web 2.0 (read-write web) by creating a series of short videos. The topics covered include:
- Basics of Web 2.0
- Social Networking
- Social Networking Tools
- How to Set up and Protect a Profile
- How to Report Problems (cyberbullying, threats, online predators)
We encourage parents to visit – with their children – the iKeepSafe website at: http://www.ikeepsafe.org/PRC/videotutorials/myspace/index.html and view this excellent series.
KidsBookBlog – Kids Blogging with Other Kids about Books
The 5th and 6th graders in Mrs. Phillips and Miss Yee’s classes have created a blog about reading. This blog contains student book reviews for over 300 books. You can search by title, author or genre. There are also interactive book clubs that students can join, as well as video summaries, author podcasts and game show templates.
Through the KidsBookBlog project, the students in both classes are taught blog etiquette and Internet safety. When asked what they have learned about Internet safety through their project, students identified Internet safety tips, cyberbullying issues and copyright fair use as key topics. Listen to their recent Internet Safety podcast recorded by 2WebWatchers (click on the blue arrow):
The students have worked very hard to create this blog and would love some visitors. You can check out their KidsBookBlog project at: http://kidsbookblog.edublogs.org.
*Note: Podcast music from Bert Jerred – http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/14756 – through Creative Commons for attribution-share alike.
