Blogging

In the article Dr. Luongo gave us to read, "Let Them Blog," a main concern that educator's have regarding a blog is Cyberstalking or sexual predation. This is a very real concern not only for educators, but for parents as well. The issue of providing privacy is very important to keep children. This applies to school and in the home. I think it is an easier task to do in a school setting, than in the home. Schools can incorporate secure sites & block out certain sites. teachers are montoring what the students are doing during class time. This not always so in the home. Computers are in the child's room and out of sight of the parent.

I read an article in U.S. News & World Report which discussed MySpace. The article was called Decoding MySpace. The fact that most parents don't know what is on their child's MySpace was brought. I thought this article would benefit parents to read. It talked about ways to protect children from Cyberstalking or sexual predation. One of the ways was to view your child's
account. Know what is on their. Limit their use on the computer. Explain the dangers. Tell them only to use it with the friends they know, and not to think everyone they communicate with is a friend ,or for that matter who they say they are. It explains to praents that places like MySpace have become the new social meeting places for the youth replacing the mall or sodoa shops.

We know that technology is a way of life and of the future. Let's be aware of the positives and negatives. As educators and parents we can ensure that it is used for the right reasons.
The link for this article is: http://www.usnews.com/unews/news/articles/060910/18myspace_5.htm.

Rosalind