GooseberryAlert21SmartToysandTechnology–Timeforare-boot?

Welcometoyour‘GooseberryAlert’,noweveryotherweek.Pleasefeelfreetosharethe‘GooseberryPlanetTips/ThoughtsoftheWeek’.HelpingtokeepyouandyourwholeschoolcommunitySaferOnline.

GooseberryStudent‘Activity’oftheweekTheBigQuestion:Howsmartareyouwhenitcomestochoosingtechnology?

Imagineifyouwereyourparent/carerandwereaskedtobuyasmarttoy.

Tohelpmakeyourdecision,itmightbehelpfultothinkaboutthefollowing…• Whatisa‘smarttoy’?• Whatarethepossiblerisksofsmarttoysanddevices?• Howmightyoufeel?Wouldyouhaveanyworriesorconcerns?• Whatmightyoubethinkingbeforeyouwentaheadandboughtit?• Whatmightyouneedtoknowtohelpyoumakeyourdecision?• Whatsafetyandsecurityfeaturesmightyoulookoutfor?• Howcouldyouhelpmakesurethesmarttoyordevicewassafetouse?

Pleasesharewithstudents.

GooseberryTeacher‘Reflection’oftheweekTechnologyispartofoureverydaylivesbuthowcan/shouldtechnologybemanagedsafelyandeffectivelyinaclassroom?PerhapsthebiggerquestionisShouldtechnologybebroughtintoourclassroomsatall?

Discussingand taking time to reflectupon these issues couldhelpbring clarity foryourwholeschoolcommunityandhelptokeepeveryonesaferonline.

Herearesomeothersuggestionsthatmightprovehelpfulwhenstartingdiscussionaroundtheuseoftechnologywithinyourschool.

• Schoolpoliciescanbepowerfulandshouldbeeffectivetoolsusedtoensureconsistencyandclarity, but how often does policy reflect and respond to the needs of technologicaldevelopment?Areexpectationsclearforthechildren,parentsandstaff?Howeffectivelyandfrequentlyarepoliciesreviewed,updatedandapplied,consideringchange?Arethepoliciesfortechnologyuse,meaningfulandhelpful?

• Usingtechnologyasatoolcanhelpsupportteaching,encouragecommunicationandcreativewaysof working and promote learning and engagement, but is it clear what and how technologycan/should be used by different stakeholders? Is there agreement about acceptable use oftechnology?

• Wearable technology and personal devices are now common place, butwhat technology dopeoplehave, bring anduse in school?Areexpectations reviewed,managedand consistentlyapplied?

• Banningtechnologycanbeaneffectivewaytomanageandcontrolitintheshortterm,butisthebanningoftechnologybeingbroughtintoschoolandused,enough,movingforward?

UsingANYtechnologyrequiresustobesmarterwhencreatingstrategiestoplan,organise,manageanduseit.

Pleasesharewithstaff.

GooseberryParent‘Top10TechTips’forthefestiveseasonThepressureofhavingtoownthelatesttechnologycanbeoverwhelmingformostofus,butknowingthesafestdevicesandtoystobuyforourselvesandourchildren(andbeingabletoaffordit),canbethebiggestchallengesofall.Keepingsafeonlinecanbeginevenbeforeapurchasehasbeenmade!Beforemakingthedecisiontobuyanytypeoftechnology,smarttoyordeviceyoumightfindithelpfultoconsiderthefollowing.

• Do your research! Read reviews of the product you are looking to buy.Importantly,findoutaboutthesafetyandsecurityfeatures.Understandwhatitdoes,howitworksandhowyourchildwilluseit.

• Howisdatausedandprotected?Readingthetermsandconditionsofwhatdataiscollectedandhowitisprotectedorsharedwhenusingsmarttoysanddevices,mighthelpyoutodecidewhethertobuyornot.

• Takenoticeof‘agerecommendations’andfollowthem.Youknowyourchildthebestandhavetheresponsibilitywhenitcomestomakingsafedecisionsaboutthekindsoftechnologytheyuseandown.Following ‘age recommendations’ can help to ensure that your child is playing with toys andtechnologythatissuitablefortheiragegroup.

• If indoubt…thinkbeforesplashingout! Ifyouhaveanyconcernsatallaboutthesafety,privacyorsecurityofthetoyordevicethetoughestbutsafestdecisionmightbenotbuyingitatall.

• Bepatient!Waitingawhiletoseehownewtechnologyperforms,inthefirstfewweeksofitsrelease,canhelptoseeifthereareanyproblemswiththesoftware.Youprobablywouldnotbuyatoyordevicethatcouldcauseinjury,soavoidbuyingtoysanddevicesthatareproventobeinsecureonline.Waitingbeforebuyingorgivingitasagift,shouldalsogivemanufacturerstimetofixanybugs,glitchesorsafetyconcernswiththeproduct.

• Secureyourrouter!Ensurethatyourhomerouter(theboxthatmakesitpossibletoconnecttotheinternet) ispasswordprotected. Use themanufacturerswebsite to secure the routerand setupparentalcontrols.Itiseasierthanyoumightthink.Somerouterswillallowyoutocustomisesettingsfordifferentusersanddevices.

• Opentheboxandsetitup!Beforegivingthetoyordevicetoyourchildreducethestressofhavingtotakeitawayagainandjustlikeputtinginthebatteries,taketimeto‘setitup’beforehand.

• Encryption!Unsecurewebconnectionsarenottheonlythingthatcanputouronlinesafetyatrisk.Some toys and devices have been found to have unencrypted Wi-Fi connections or unsecuredBluetooth,whichcanmakeiteasierforpeopletoaccessthedevices.Ifthereisnooptiontosecuretheseinthedevice’ssettings,considerwhetherusingthedeviceisworththerisk.Ifthereisanoption

toprotectthemwitheitherapasswordoraPINensureyouchooseastrongone.

• Securityandsafety. Sometoysanddevicesarefittedwithwebcameras/microphonesandlocationGPS.Theabilitytotake,shareandstoreinformationisboththeirbiggestsellingpointand,ifnotsetupcorrectly,potentiallytheirbiggestweakness.Taketimetoreadtheinstructionsbeforehand,tohelpmanageandsecurethesefunctions.

• Healthandwellbeing. Toysanddevicesareagreatsourceofentertainmentandcanbeawelcomedistractioninadifficultsituationbutremember,theycanneverreallytaketheplaceofspendingqualitytimewithfriendsandfamily. Thinkaboutthebesttimeforplayingwithtoysanddevicestohelpeveryoneenjoythebestofbothworlds.

PleasesharewithParents.

Inthenews…Inthenews…Inthenews…Inthenews…Inthenews…Thefestiveseasonis infullswingbut itcanbedifficulttoknowwhat,whereandhowtobuygiftsonlinesafely. TheBBChaverecently reportedthat thetoppresentsbeing ‘faked’areclothesandmobiles.(Readthefullarticlehere:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42085557)Therehavealsobeenincreasedreportsinthemediaoffakewebsites,productsandonlineaccounts.HerearesometoptipsfromBBCNewssupportingSaferShoppingOnline.

Simpletipstoavoidfraud

§ Ifsomethingseemscheaperthanexpected,itcouldbepoorquality,fakeorjustnon-existent

§ UsemethodslikePayPalwhenbuyingonauctionsite

§ Nevertransfermoneytoanunknownsourceorperson

§ Ifyou'rebuyingticketsforevents,alwaysbuyfromofficialsourcesandneverpaybydirecttransfer

§ ResearchonlineholidaydealstoensurethatyouarebuyingagenuineofferandcheckthatitisregisteredwithABTAandATOL

Source:BBCNews23November2017

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