From the front page of today’s SacBee: Teens Love Their Phones. If you are the parent of a teen, it’s doubtful that this news item comes as a surprise. The statistics are from the latest Pew Internet and American life Project study, which was released on Tuesday: 33% of teens send more than 100 text [...]

Parents who attend our Internet Safety workshops typically arrive with a good bit of  anxiety about the Internet, particularly around issues of online predators. It is our goal to provide parents with tips for keeping their children safe from others. But we also want to make sure that parents understand the need to monitor how their children are acting [...]

Computer security company Trend Micro has an offer for any teen (or adult) who cares about Internet safety and security and is looking for opportunities to become an award-winning filmmaker. The company has launched a contest called What’s Your Story? The lucky person who submits the best short video (no more than 2 minutes) can [...]

If your children are using Facebook, do they understand that everytime Facebook updates its privacy settings, they will  need to update their settings – immediately!? Because the default for many privacy options for minors is “friends of friends,” your kids could easily lose control of what they’ve posted to their Facebook accounts. We recommend sharing with your children Common Sense [...]

How do we educate ‘tweens and teens about the ethical use of cell phones? Sexting* has become an issue in communities the world over, largely due to the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones with cameras. Unfortunately, many students do not understand the consequences of their actions. We hope the video below from the AdCouncil and [...]

Elementary computer lab teachers will soon be rolling out the i-SAFE program as an integral part of their curriculum. This comprehensive program provides teachers with resources, lesson plans, and even handouts.  We invite all who use the i-SAFE curriculum to add to ideas below on incorporating “green” technologies into the program.

Does your child text while driving? If the answer is “yes,” he or she is at the same risk of causing a fatal accident as someone who is driving while legally drunk. The statistics are far reaching and frightening. Across the nation, celebrities and organizations are grappling with this escalating problem. Oprah Winfrey is taking [...]

During this busy time of year, 2WebWatchers hope you can set aside an hour on December 16 at 9:15 – 10:15 to log on to the 2009 K12 Online Conference – Bridging the Divide. High school teacher Vicki Davis and her students will be sharing their year-long Digiteens Global Project: As part of the k12 [...]

Parents often ask 2WebWatchers about the best ways to set parental controls on their home computer.  We think you’ll find Google’s SafeSearch worth checking out.  Of course, nothing replaces parental supervision, but the Google team is doing their best to provide parents with a user-friendly tool that attempts to block explicit or inappropriate sites. Thanks to very conspicous [...]

Is your principal or vice principal out there in the edublogosphere? If so, wouldn’t it be awesome to have an EGUSD administrator join the ranks of bloggers who have been added to Scott McCloud‘s growing Moving Forward wiki, such as elementary school principal Vincent Baxter, middle school principal Chris Lindholm, and high school principal Patrick [...]