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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