Password protection can help prevent cyber-bullying or your children choosing rock solid passwords? In fact, many children tend to use the name of their pet, their street or even their teacher’s last name.
There now hundreds of social media platforms available. Every one of them must be accessed with a username and password. However, if the password is weak, it can be easily compromised.
Here’s a tip to help your children choose a password which will not be hacked. This is also effective for adults or anyone wanting to make sure they are safe online.
Think of a sentence with 10 to 14 words. Include at least one number and one symbol in the sentence. Here’s an example. My brother has 6 red 20 $ T-shirts in his bedroom closet. Take the first letter of each word and keep the numbers and symbols in the sentence. By doing that you now have the following password:
Mbh6r20$tsihbc
This 14 digit password has upper and lowercase letters. It has a symbol, two numbers and other characters also. There are no words found in this password. These are important features of a good password.
Use this method and encourage your children to do the same when choosing passwords which no one else will be able to guess or hack. Just make sure you remember the sentence and don’t write it down. Once you write down a password, chances are vastly increased that someone else could find and use it.
Did you know there is software available that can actually help prevent bullying situations from happening? It’s your choice whether you would want to choose to use this method to be proactive against the possibility of bullying situations occurring.
Hopefully you trust your children and have built an excellent healthy relationship. You probably do not see the need to look in on them when they are not aware you are watching. That would be spying. I believe it is important to build a solid relationship so you will have confidence in your kids’ choice of activities.
At the same time, it important to supervise children and make sure you know what they actually doing at any given time. As adults, we are responsible for our children. We must realize that kids are curious and always learning new things. The Internet contains constant Continue reading →
Schools have a role to play when it comes to children and their online activities. Parents and schools working together can greatly improve the online safety of children by teaching them the ropes of internet safety. Teachers should be aware of the following information so that they can advise parents and children when the opportunity arises.
Favorite Online Activities
Ask kids what on-line activities are their most favorite. This will give you a heads up as to what aspects of internet safety you need to be most concerned with. Is it email, instant messaging, gaming, facebook or others that I haven’t mentioned?
Website History
Keep track of what websites your child or student is visiting by reviewing the history files. Open Internet Explorer and click on the toolbar at the top of the page for history files. In some editions of Internet Explorer simply click on Tools > Toolbars > History. To adjust the number of days that Internet Explorer keeps the history, go to the tools button and select Internet options. Then click on the Gen. tab. You will find the history section at the bottom. If you are unsure how to check the history on your computer, just use Google search. Check to see what browser you’re using and then search by typing in the ‘browser name’ and ‘how to check search history’.
Instant Messaging
Tell your children that you will monitor their instant messaging conversations, just as you would be aware of their live interaction with friends.
Here’s an example: Open live messenger and login as the user you want to track. Select Tools > Options > Messages, and see the message history setting in the bottom. Make sure the box is ticked next to “automatically keep the history of my conversations”. The location of the saved conversations is shown here. Open the folder where the conversations are saved to review what has been said.
Games Parents and teachers need to understand that games can be taken very seriously by children and they can become so much a part of the game that they almost lose touch with reality. Some kids even have trouble determining the difference between fantasy and reality. Gaming time should be kept under control as some children will become obsessed and play for hours and hours, sometimes it even taking a break.
Filtering software
Parents and schools can use filtering software to help ensure that kids are going to safe sites. Search ‘Internet filtering software’ on your browser to find out what options are available.
Supervision
Children should not be searching the Internet without supervision. That means an Internet connected computer at home should be in a central place like the kitchen or family room where everyone goes. Students at school should also be supervised while on-line.
Parents and Schools CAN help to control what children are doing online.
Bruce Langford is a bullying prevention advocate located in Canada.
As an anti-bullying week event we visited Sir Wilfrid Laurier public school in Hamilton on November 19, 2012 to present a parent/child presentation called ‘Stand up – Keep Your Kids’.
Dayna Liddle, Parent Council Rep Sir Wilfrid Laurier PS
We had a great audience of receptive parents and children who were eager to learn more about bullying prevention. A group of enthusiastic children arrived early to practice role-plays, which they did with sincere conviction. Parent Council representative, Dayna Liddle, was one of the parents in charge of arranging and overseeing the event. Dayna is obviously adamant about bullying prevention.
We talked about a number of concepts which parents can use to help safeguard their children at home, school, and in their communities. Here is an overview of three strategies we discussed.
Confidence:
The energy a human being exudes often comes across as being positive or negative. It is important to ensure that our children are sending positive vibrations to the world, as in my opinion, this positive energy will also attract positive energy. As parents, it is important to encourage our children to walk with confidence and show confidence in the way they carry themselves. If we are constantly criticizing our children or finding fault with the way they do things, they will develop a low self-esteem that will begin to be apparent wherever they go. Instead, it is important to lift up our children, encourage them, look for the positive, and help them to understand that they are valued individuals who can make a decided difference with their friends or in their community. I strongly believe children who carry themselves in a positive manner, will be targeted less often in bullying situations.
As a parent myself, I understand that it is my job to direct my son if he makes a mistake or does not follow directions. I know I need to be firm and definite about my expectations, however, it is vital that I also help to build up his self-esteem on a continuous basis.
Be Aware of your Child’s Online activity:
When police officers do presentations about cyber bullying, one of the things they talk about is making sure that the computer is in a central place in your home. I also emphasize this very same idea. The computer should not be located at the back of your family room, the corner of your basement or in your child’s bedroom if it is connected to the Internet. Make sure the computer is in a central place like the kitchen or family room where everyone goes. As an adult we are all responsible for making sure we know exactly what our children are doing online. This includes games, research, online chatting, and social media websites such as Facebook or twitter.
Be aware of what your children are doing on-line
Cell phones, video, and YouTube:
Many parents are concerned about their child’s safety, and rightly so. As an effort to keep our children safe many of us provide our children with cell phones. However cell phones usually have many capabilities including cameras and video cameras and GPS. These functions while being very useful can also complicate life and provide interesting tools for would be cyber bullies. If a fight breaks out at your child’s school, someone is likely to pull out a cell phone and start videotaping the event. We all know that it is popular to upload these kinds of videos to YouTube or similar sites. Videos such as this often get a high number of hits and it can be a real perk for a student who is trying to get attention. Also what many parents don’t realize is that YouTube will pay users who get a large number of hits on their site. This can also be incentive to upload videos such as I have described.
As a presenter and anti-bullying advocate, I appreciate the fact that this anti-bullying event was made possible by an Ontario government PRO grant. Thanks to everyone who helped organize and support this event at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School in Hamilton.
Bruce Langford, anti-bullying advocate and presenter www.standupnow.ca
West Bayfield Elementary School in Barrie was our destination today, where we presented ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies to all students from JK to grade 8. Students were passionate about the topic. They were eager to learn as much as they could about the internet and the dangers of cyberspace. They told stories and acted out scenarios. The Simcoe County District School Board has raised awareness that dangers lurk in cyberspace. Students just wanted to learn the details.
We talked about how GPS encoding is embedded in photographs taken on many cell phones and how it can reveal exactly when the photo was taken. One student told us a story about how his facebook account had been hacked into and the violator set up another facebook account which was an exact duplicate of his own. The student had good news about the outcome. He was actually able to have the offending site removed, because he was able to get into it himself and have it deleted.
We were impressed when we arrived at the school, because students had posted visual artwork on the topic of ‘Caring’ and ‘Stand Up’ and how we can all stand together to trump bullying. I’ve included some of the photos here along with a short video.
Students, teachers and administrators told us how pleased they were with the three contrasting assemblies.
“Presentations were entertaining, insightful, and age appropriate. They were thoroughly enjoyed by all of our students and they learned a great from them. I would highly recommend Bruce’s presentations for any school.” Mike Geer, Principal, West Bayfield Elementary School, Barrie Ontario
Bruce Langford, Anti-bullying advocate and international speaker presenter: www.brucelangford.ca
St. Patrick’s Day 2012 is upon us so I decided to google Irish Bullying tips.
What I learned was shocking.
25 per cent of Irish students in Irish secondary schools are bullied according to the website bully4u dot ie. One in four or 175,000 youth in Irish high schools are victims of bullying. The website states: “the evolution of modern communication technologies combined with the increasing integration of our multicultural society has led to such new dynamics as cyberbullying and racist bullying in addition to the more traditional forms.”
The site goes on to encourage adult intervention in bullying incidents. It tells us that it is important for adults to let students know that aggressive behaviour is inappropriate. “Whether you are a bystander, parent or schoolteacher, there are steps you can take to ensure that children are kept safe and that their dignity is respected.”
As we celebrate St. Patrick’s day around the world, make a vow to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and make a difference by empowering yourself and others to act against bullying behaviour.
Cyber-bullying has become such a concern with parents that many are looking for ways to monitor their children’s activities while on-line.
I recommend limiting the amount of time your children are on the web, and stay nearby while they are surfing. Show interest in what they are doing and encourage them to ask questions if they are not sure about something. Keep their on-line experience positive.
Be supportive and upbeat about the internet. It has tremendous potential as a tool for learning as well as powerful social benefits.
If you still feel it is necessary to use software monitoring, here are some suggestions: SpytechSpyagent.com
WebWatcher.com SpectorPro.com Learn about the above monitoring products before purchasing them. Read some reviews and understand that these tools have the potential to be misused. Use them with care and realize the best parental monitoring is simply being there.
www.StandUpForRespect.com
Bruce Langford is an anti-bullying advocate who presents talks and presentations on bullying and cyber-bullying
The U.S. Virgin Islands Anti-bullying Vow We solemnly vow to abolish bullying!
We hereby declare we will use our courage and strength to not be a bystander,
but instead be a leader, take action and to take a stand.
Be determined to reach your goals,
Have confidence, strength, belief
Power and stand up for your rights
Self-esteem might cause you to break
But you can always talk it out with a friend
Be strong, have courage and fight for your rights …
Cyber-bullying is not the way to go!!
Bullying To come against bullying
We need power, determination and confidence
It affects you, it affects me and even society
It lead to destruction and something we can’t run from
Bullying Determine to stand up for what is right … no matter the fight (bullying, verbal abuse)
We have the courage and the power to choose and decide the right reaction to a negative action.
No matter the content of your insults,We have the confidence to determine the results.
No matter the argument or the fight,
Once it’s against bullying, it’s always right.
What you have read above are samples of the work of seventh to twelfth graders; students in the United States Virgin Islands Department of Education Schools at their Stand Up Against Bullying Youth Summit, 2012 with presenter, Bruce Langford.
We created the island declaration against bullying seen at the top of the page.
Bravo students!!!! You should be proud.
Bruce Langford is currently in the U.S. Virgin Islands doing school presentations on the topic of bullying at the Stand Up Against Bullying Youth Summit 2012.
Visit his website at www.standupagainstbullying.com
Bullying can often be prevented by having a well developed level of self-confidence. In fact, studies have led people to believe that confidence is the single most important quality to help you avoid being bullied. However, there is a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance. People who are arrogant and cocky tend to be that way in one area of their lives and when they move into a different environment, they no longer have the ability to appear confident. Doubt yourself for a second, and people will be able to pick up on that momentary self-doubt.
Make up your mind to learn as much as you can about self-confidence and how to achieve it. You will learn that self-confidence comes from many sources such as personal experience, background and your ability to control your thought processes.
Let us know what you have learned about self-confidence. Share a comment and we’ll all learn a little more about this incredibly important topic.
We share tips about confidence in our ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies designed specifically for school audiences. www.StandUpForRespect.com
Here are some great ideas for making friends quickly.
(Good friends can help you through tough situations like bullying)
1/ Say ‘hello’ to lots of people even including people you don’t know very well.
2/ Smile at people. It makes them feel warm and fuzzy.
3/ Give compliments to at least three people a day.
4/ Help people out as much as you can. Go ahead, you can think of lots of ways.
5/ Share. That might mean those Choco-Berry treats you just got, or even your gym shorts.
6/ Use good manners. Being polite can make others really feel special.
Something as simple as the above proven strategies for making friends can help make sure you avoid being bullied.
Practices the ideas above and you will start to develop great people skills. Who knows, you may even become one of those kids that everybody just wants to hang out with.
Stand Up Against Bullying School Assemblies that have lasting effect.
Think of a sentence with 10 to 14 words. Include at least one number and one symbol in the sentence. Here’s an example. My brother has 6 red 20 $ T-shirts in his bedroom closet. Take the first letter of each word and keep the numbers and symbols in the sentence. By doing that you now have the following password:
Schools have a role to play when it comes to children and their online activities. Parents and schools working together can greatly improve the online safety of children by teaching them the ropes of internet safety. Teachers should be aware of the following information so that they can advise parents and children when the opportunity arises.
