Inside NetSmartz Workshop
Educate. Engage. Empower: Save-the-Date: It's Time to Take 25!
How long does it take to make a difference in a child's life? Try 25 minutes. Taking 25 minutes out of your day to talk with children about personal safety can empower them to make safer choices and perhaps even save their lives. With nearly 800,000 children reported as missing to law enforcement each year, talking to children about safety is critical.
To help parents, guardians, educators, and others start these important conversations, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children launched the Take 25 campaign. Designed in commemoration of National Missing Children's Day, annually honored on May 25, Take 25 encourages adults to take 25 minutes out of their days to talk to children about important safety issues.
This year, more than 100 local and national organizations will come together to bring vital safety information to children and families in hundreds of communities throughout the United States and Canada. With more than 3,000 local Take 25 events taking place in over 1,300 cities and all 50 states families will be provided with the necessary tools and resources to keep their children safer.
Getting involved with Take 25 is easy. With everything from safety tips and conversation starters to event planning guides available on the website, planning a Take 25 event is simple. So what are you doing on May 25? The clock is ticking! Visit www.Take25.org and help make child safety a national priority.
Bulletin Board: NSTeens Goes Beyond the Classroom
Did you know that 8-18 year-olds spend an average of 7 ½ hours a day consuming media? That's more than 53 hours a week! That's why NSTeens.org is making sure your tweens and teens are prepared for a summer of responsible Internet use. We're taking NSTeens beyond the classroom with some exciting changes, just in time to kick-off Internet Safety Month in June. Tweens will not only find a new NSTeens video, but a new game about cyberbullying. NSTeens.org will also offer more for teens, including the video series Real-Life Stories and Teens Talk Back. They'll hear teens talk about their online lives and issues such as cyberbullying and revealing too much information.
Don't forget to mark your calendars for the soon-to-be released NSTeens video, "Mike-tosis." Like most NetSmartz Workshop videos, "Mike-tosis," is accompanied by an activity card which reinforces the video's lesson. It's a gentle reminder every middle school student needs before they begin their summer as responsible digital citizens.
In addition to the new video, NSTeens.org will release a new game which will have students using their NetSmartz to defeat cyberbullying zombies who want to spread nasty online rumors about them and eat their brains. The game will be accompanied by a tip sheet which students can use to draft rules about cyberbullying in their classes and schools.
Help celebrate Internet Safety by visiting www.NSTeens.org this June!
Social Spotlight: Jamila Boddie
National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN) Program Coordinator Jamila Boddie overseas the Internet safety website www.bnetsavvy.org. The website serves as a go-to resource for families and educators who want to help kids connect smartly and safely to the Internet.
Q: What do you consider to be the most important issue for parents trying to teach their children Internet Safety?
A: What you do online is never private. It's easy to hide behind a computer but remember the entire world lives on the other side of that screen.
Q: What was the biggest technological advancement of your generation?
A: The Internet! I remember being told about it in high school but never really used it until college. I hated it until I understood how to use it. That makes me sound ancient, but I'm only 30 years old!
Q: Who is your favorite NetSmartz character?
A: Webster; he's got great advice.
Q: What is the best advice you have for parents who want to keep their kids safer online?
A: To remember that the Internet does not have to be a scary place. Get familiar with the Internet and the benefits it has to offer. Don't just restrict your kids from using certain sites, make safe alternative suggestions too.
Q: How did you get involved with NetSmartz Workshop?
A: Managing bNetS@vvy, a partner organization which strives to help tweens better understand the risks associated with Internet use and educate adults about the power of Internet.
Q: Name one technology or gadget you can't live without.
A: My cell phone; it's got everything on it-- music, Internet, camera, phone!
Q: What do you think is the biggest safety risk to youths online??
A: Sharing personal information that could possibly cause them physical danger or jeopardize their futures.
Q: What advice do you have for young people online?
A: Think twice about the information you share online, this includes photos. Once it's in cyberspace it no longer belongs to you and you can't yank it back.
Q: What is your favorite online activity?
A: Online shopping. Be sure to read about consumer safety to protect your personal information!
Q: What do you think the Internet will look like in five years?
A: It's so hard to say because technology changes so fast and so often. I imagine that more laws/rules will be in place to protect digital citizens in five years.
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Any views or opinions presented in Social Spotlight are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily represent those of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.