Gary Kovacs delivers a compelling message, both as  the CEO of Mozilla and as a parent, on the need to be aware of how our personal data is being collected and shared – with and without our knowledge or permission.  Mozilla now offers  Collusion, “an experimental add-on for Firefox that allows you to see all [...]

You would think that an app with a cute looking ghost for its logo would be pretty harmless, no? That’s not necessarily the case with Snapchat, a free mobile app that allows users share to images or videos that disappear (supposedly) after a few seconds. Snapchat was created less than a year ago by a [...]

With the new school year just starting, we thought parents would appreciate some strategies for helping kids deal with the uncomfortable position of being a witness or bystander to bullying/cyberbullying incidents. Dr. Michele Borba, educational psychologis, parenting expert, and author, posted a comprehensive article to her Reality Check blog on how kids can step up [...]

If you teach kindergarten – or know a kindergarten teacher – we wanted to share a lesson created by Mary Beth Hertz (@mbteach on Twitter), an elementary computer teacher in Philadelphia, PA, and a regular blogger on Edutopia. Mary Beth uses free resources from BrainPop to introduce her young students to Internet safety, with a [...]

If you or your students or your children use Twitter, we think you will like this news about new ways individuals can protect their privacy on the Internet. Twitter announced it will support the new Do Not Track feature in web browsers, giving users one-click control over whether or not Twitter keeps track of which [...]

If you’re looking for opportunities to take your students’ videos to beyond the classroom, check out this contest from the Digital ID project: Digital Citizenship PSA Contest Tell us/show us, as a (digital) citizen, how you exercise your rights and act responsibly. To help make your declaration public, we’ve created an online opportunity. Check it [...]

2WebWatchers had the pleasure of participating in “When Cyberbullying Spills Into School,“ a webinar hosted by edweek.org and sponsored by Talk About It Anonymous Communication Service. Presenters included two nationally-recognized experts on bullying: Nancy Willard, executive director, Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use and Barbara-Jane Paris, principal, Canyon Vista Middle School in Austin, Texas. Michelle R. Davis, senior writer, Education Week [...]

Tips for setting or updating your privacy settings As social media users, it’s very important to understand the responsibilities and realities of posting to social media websites and to be aware of program updates and changes. Let’s take a look at recent changes to Facebook. Facebook has introduced a new timeline layout, which will eventually [...]

“Protecting one’s equipment is not only a matter of personal responsibility but also necessary for protecting the community.” Mike Ribble For students to practice good digital citizenship, they need to value their privacy and understand how to protect their personal information. Here are a few resources we recommend: Protecting Online Privacy and Security – More [...]

Kamala Harris,  attorney general of California, wrote an excellent piece on cyberbullying for San Jose Mercury News. We encourage you to read the article, but if you’re pressed for time, a couple of standout points include: California recently enacted two laws criminalizing certain forms of online impersonation and giving school officials the authority to suspend [...]