Introduction - ISTE Standards · Free Free and paid versions Paid version only Smartphone with Internet connectivity (Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G) in order to use this resource properly Age stipulations

Help Your Child Learn with Cell Phones with Web 2.0 1

Copyright 2013, ISTE ® (International Society for Technology in Education), Help Your Child Learn with Cell Phones and Web 2.0, Liz Kolb. 1.800.336.5191 or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Distribution and copying of this excerpt is

allowed for educational purposes and use with full attribution to ISTE.

IntroductionIn today’s technological world, children communicate and interact with their teachers, peers, and parents through a variety of digital devices, including cell phones (feature phones and smartphones), computers, BlackBerry devices, tablets, e-readers, iPads, and iPods, to name just a few. Of these, cell phones are by far the most common and accessible devices. They are quickly becoming an integral part of a child’s social life, and anything that takes up so much time and interest certainly deserves scrutiny.

In the 21st century, part of a parent’s role is to help their child navigate and stay safe in a world overflowing with technology and information. This book is full of resources, tips, and ideas on how to model effective, safe, productive, and appropriate cell phone use. The first cell phone that children usually receive is a fairly basic phone (often called a feature phone) with limited features. This book focuses mostly on activities that can be done on any cell phone (feature phone or smartphone). There are a few activities that do require a smartphone, but even most of those activities can be done with an iPod Touch or iPad (such as the QR code activities). If you are able to model and help your children understand mobile safety and appropriate use from the very first day they use a cell phone, there is a better chance that they will view their phone as a productive and valuable tool in their life. In addition there is a greater chance that they will have fewer problems with mobile safety issues during their lifetime.

The convenience of cell phones makes them a natural tool for professional activities. Finding useful ways to integrate these devices as tools for knowledge construction, data collection, and

Resources in this book that require a smartphone have this symbol:

2 Help Your Child Learn with Cell Phones and Web 2.0



collaborative communication provides opportunities for children to become more competitive in the digital world. In this book I have gathered and presented resources that provide examples for using cell phones as learning tools in hopes that parents might find these resources useful and worth exploring.

This book emphasizes learning activities for children ages 10–17. However, many of the ideas, activities, and extension suggestions presented could easily be adapted as learning tools for younger children and those 18 and older.

This book is for parents or anyone interested in using cell phones as learning tools. Although it is important to be familiar with various technologies, such as podcasting and blogging, parents don’t need to be experts. Included are dozens of activities, along with ideas for extending or altering the activities to best match you and your child’s interests and abilities.

This book incorporates materials from Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education and Cell Phones in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educators, both peer-reviewed books written for professional educators. In this book, I’ve modified the lessons into activities and presented the material in a simplified manner, appropriate for parents and others looking to help youth learn with tools that are part of their everyday lives.

Although the emphasis of the activities is on cell phones and encouraging children to view and use them as learning tools, it is important to note that children should be allowed to choose and use a variety of tools. For many of the activities you’ll set up, access to a home computer is also highly recommended. Likewise, children should also be encouraged to participate and complete the activities using their creativity. Don’t worry if kids “do it wrong”—the idea is for them to learn and have fun!

Introduction

Resources with age restrictions have this symbol:




You certainly can read this book from cover to cover, but it may be more useful to pick and chose activities or topics. Most of these activities can stand on their own and can easily be modified to suit your child’s age and knowledge level. Some activities can also be modified to suit various learning topics. These activities are intended as a starting place for helping parents who want to help their children harness the power of their cell phones.

It is extremely important to understand that you, as a parent, don’t need to know everything! If your math is a little rusty, you can grab your child’s textbook or math workbook and “borrow” some problems to use in the activities. In fact, even if you’re a math wiz, it is a good idea to make sure the challenges you set up in the activities are neither too hard nor too easy.

For other activities, such as setting up a scavenger hunt in your local community, you may find your local library, museum, or other business invaluable in offering ideas. Of course, family, other parents, and your child’s teacher can be great resources. Inevitably, in the process of helping your child, you’re sure to find yourself learning more than you expect!

Recognizing that everyone has a different comfort level with technology, the learning activities range from the intuitive (cell phone basics) to the more complex (downloading cell phone audio or photo files to use with audio editors, image editors, and video-editing software).

Although every effort has been made to ensure the links and resources mentioned are up to date, the Internet, and Web 2.0 tools in particular, are very volatile. If a website or application should close down or otherwise become

Introduction

Web 2.0 is the read-and-write web. At Web 2.0 websites, a user can interact with and modify a web page, whereas a user can only read a Web 1.0 web page.




unavailable, you can generally find a similar resource through a quick Internet search.

Here is a key to the Web 2.0 resource icons found in Chapters 3 and 4:

Many of the web resources are inexpensive or free, and most of the activities don’t require advanced smartphones or unlimited data plans. However, you’ll want to ensure that the activities align with your specific phone capabilities and plans. There are usually alternatives to the methods and apps used in the activities that may fit your circumstances. Some resources have age stipulations. For instance, Facebook and Phonezoo specify users should be at least 13 years old to have an account and others will allow you, the adult, to agree to the terms of use but do not allow minors to do so. Please consult the terms of use of any resource you and your child use.

Free

Free and paid versions

Paid version only

Smartphone with Internet connectivity (Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G) in order to use this resource properly

Age stipulations (for example, at least age 13 for a Facebook account)

Introduction




Ultimately, the goal of this book is to encourage you to introduce cell phones to your children as potential learning tools and lifelong professional tools. Perhaps more importantly, the goal is to demonstrate that learning can be fun and is something children can do anywhere and at any time.

Introduction

Help Your Child Learn with Cell Phones and Web 2.0 7



Although the media often emphasize the reasons why educators do not or should not consider cell phones as learning tools in the school environment, it is important to contemplate the other side of the argument, why educators (and parent-educators) should consider cell phones as learning tools. This chapter focuses on the potential learning benefits of using cell phones, as well as briefly describing the research in literacy education, learning technologies, and youth studies that supports the use of cell phones as learning tools. Concerns such as cell phone etiquette, safety, and appropriate use are also addressed in this chapter.

1CHAPTER

Cell Phones as Learning Tools


CHAPTER 1 Cell Phones as Learning Tools



Harnessing Youth CultureToday’s youth has been called the M-generation because of adolescents’ ability to multitask with a variety of media devices and communication methods at one time, such as talking on the cell phone, instant messaging, and writing an essay all at once. Today’s youth are the first generation to grow up with interactive media; they want to share knowledge with each other. This M-generation has developed its own culture and society beyond school, often using Web 2.0 sites to create, share, and foster knowledge together. Studies show that gaming, instant messaging, texting, emailing, and accessing personal websites are the leading activities for children’s non-schoolwork use of technology. In earlier writings (Kolb, 2008, Toys to Tools, and 2011, Cell Phones in the Classroom), I pointed to some studies that show nearly two-thirds of today’s youth have created content that they have posted online.

A study of 1,500 students from ages 10 to 17 found that, during the summer, kids spend an average of 3 hours and 45 minutes using their cell phones each day (Disney Mobile Survey, 2007). Interestingly, one-third of survey respondents said they would rather give up video games, radio, or a trip to the mall before parting with their cell phone. One-fifth said they would rather give up television than their cell phone. This ubiquitous use of cell phones by youth is the exact reason why cell phones are a great tool for learning—children enjoy using cell phones and are highly motivated to interact with them. Additionally, most kids have their cell phone with them at all times, which encourages opportunities for learning any time, at any place.

Children are growing up in a rapidly changing technology-driven society where they are developing their own methods for using cell phones and the web as communication devices. As parents and educators we can adapt these everyday gadgets to create educational activities so children can learn to use them as technologies for


Cell Phones as Learning Tools CHAPTER 1



knowledge construction. It is also critical that we recognize that these are their tools—we need to allow kids, with guidance, to use these digital devices in the manner and in the ways that work best for them.

Global MobileIn many places around the world, cell phones are widely used as learning tools. For example, in Asia, East Asia, and Africa, students take entire courses, including dance and art, via cell phone; write and read novels via mobile devices; use text messaging for homework, quizzes, and communicating with their instructors; learn to become teachers through mobile devices; and use text messaging to support teacher training.

Cell Phones Can Improve Student LearningStudents learn better when their educational activities are situated in authentic real-world environments using familiar tools. Experts say that when children enter new learning situations, they may already have the skills for learning something new, but they may not have the knowledge of how to use their prior skills to learn in new ways. In other words, children may already know how to do lots of things with their cell phone, but they might not have thought of using cell phones for learning. For example, many children are often quite comfortable searching the Internet and may even have developed strategies for quickly determining which websites are likely to be fun. With guidance, children with those skills more easily grasp concepts such as evaluating news websites for possible bias or adjusting search strategies to get better results.

Practically speaking, when kids are encouraged to explore using their own ways, with their familiar tools, they retain and acquire more knowledge. Activities are more engaging and enriching when





children are supported in making connections between a new task and their prior knowledge. It follows from this understanding that children will learn better when using the tools and methods they are most comfortable with.

There have been a few recent studies that identify cell phone use with student improvement. A study by Coventry University (“Is Texting Valuable or Vandalism?”, 2010) found that the more “textspeak” (also called “chatspeak”) kids used, the higher their test scores.

This study claimed that some children can develop phonological awareness through text messaging, which in turn helps their ability to spell correctly. Some experts even liken the fluent use of abbreviations and text slang with learning a foreign language!

Many experts and studies also suggest that the anonymity of text messaging can lead to greater participation in learning environments and thus greater knowledge growth. Text messaging, blogging, and other online communications help many shy youngsters communicate their ideas and feelings better.

Cultural CapitalCell phones have become a nearly universal tool for information seeking and communicating. At least 83% of American adults in 2011 owned cell phones and, of that group, one-third, or 35%, owned a smartphone of some kind (Smith, 2011). National surveys suggest the numbers are nearly as high among children, especially teens. Results in 2012 show that among today’s teens, 79% have a cell phone, and 15% have a smartphone device with Internet access (CTIA Advocacy, 2012). The numbers continue to grow.

See www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php for a list of common textspeak.





Children need to learn to use the tools and practices that are common in their peer groups in order to communicate effectively. Having cell phone skills and knowledge is already becoming an important form of cultural capital for students. Being digitally literate will only become more critical for their social and professional futures.

Fundamental Shift in Citizenship PracticesDuring the U.S. presidential election in 2008, a Pew Internet & American Life Project study found 55% of adults in the United States went online to take part in the political process by gathering news and information, or participating in discussions (Smith, 2008). The number of adults participating in the political process online almost doubled between the years 2004 and 2009. Over the past few years, the Internet has surpassed magazines and radio as a principal source of political information and news for American citizens. Additionally, the younger the population, the more likely they are to rely on the Internet as a primary news source. Many of today’s youth are not familiar with waiting for tomorrow’s newspaper to read the news. Many don’t even want to wait until they can get to a computer—they want the news delivered to them wherever they are, whenever they want it.

The 2008 Pew study also found that during the 2008 campaign, 74% of all 18- to 24-year-olds were politically active on the Internet. Although many voters shared their experiences from the polling places on election day, young voters (under the age of 30) were more likely to share experiences via text message, phone call, or blog post. The shift in U.S. society from print and analog media to digital media is now being reflected in participation in the democratic process.





Fundamental Shift in the WorkforceA fundamental shift over the past century in the U.S. economy, workforce, and business culture is ultimately reshaping the workplace with more than 80% of new jobs found in the information service sector, compared to years ago when the majority of jobs were found in the manufacturing sector (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2008). Technology has played a large role in these changes. Technological changes are displacing low-skilled workers and making room for workers with skills such as inventiveness, creativity, openness, communication, and global understanding. Many of these skills involve the use of digital technologies. These changes are driving new demands for different types of skills in workers. Employers are calling for schools to integrate new skills into education. Current employers lament that American students are “woefully ill-prepared for the demands of today’s (and tomorrow’s) workforce” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2008, p. 9). Employers are putting more emphasis on applied skills and less emphasis on skills found in the traditional core school subjects: mathematics, science, foreign languages, government/economics, humanities/art, and history/geography. Although 81% of future employers ranked information technology skills as “very important” to students’ future success, of all the core subject areas only English communication and language were ranked equally or more important.

Applied soft skills (e.g., team work, work ethic, and technology skills) are important to today’s employers. In the 2006 report “Are They Really Ready to Work?” J. Willard Marriot, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Marriot International, states:

To succeed in today’s workplace, young people need more than basic reading and math skills. They need substantial content knowledge and information technology skills; advanced thinking skills, flexibility to





adapt to change; and interpersonal skills to succeed in multi-cultural, cross-functional teams. (Casner-Lotto & Barrington, 2006)

In addition to future employers, the American voting public is also calling for these same changes in education. Nearly 100% of American voters polled believed that teaching students a wide range of 21st-century skills including computer technology, communication, and media literacy was vital to America’s future economic success (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, “Beyond the Three Rs,” 2007).

Website AccessAlthough not all websites are mobile friendly (that is, easy to surf and interact with on a cell phone or mobile device) many popular websites and search engines are. For example, both Google and Yahoo support mobile-friendly Internet searching. Additionally, most email hosts such as Yahoo and Gmail allow you to access your email with your cell phone.

Numerous online encyclopedias and reference websites such as Wikipedia are also mobile friendly. Websites that are mobile friendly often have a special website address known as .mobi, or dotMobi. For example, Wikipedia has a .mobi site called Wapedia that allows anyone to easily surf all Wikipedia articles through a cell phone. Typing http://wapedia.mobi into the address bar of your cell phone web browser will provide instant access to all Wikipedia articles.

Experts predict that eventually most websites will become mobile friendly. Having access to more mobile-friendly websites will open up more learning opportunities for kids. To find out if a website is mobile friendly, you can use the mobiReady testing tool at ready.mobi (http://ready.mobi). Enter any web address into the tool to get a rating of how well that website can be viewed on a cell phone.





How to Access the Internet Using a Cell Phone by Faizah Imani, Demand Media

There are many reasons you might need to access the Internet using your cell phone, such as to

check email, participate in social networking, get driving directions, or look up other information. To connect to the Internet using your cell phone, you must have a digital phone. If your phone uses a SIM card or is a smartphone, then it is definitely digital. If you’re not sure whether it’s digital, contact your mobile service provider.

Step 1. Ensure that you have a cell phone plan that contains a data package subscription. Some cell phone companies have data packages that allow unlimited data transfer. Others allow data transfer with restrictions. If the phone does not have a data package, you may be charged extra usage fees. For example, using the Internet if you don’t have a data package could result in astronomical cell phone charges.

Step 2. Check to see if you have a digital signal on your cell phone. This signal will generally be displayed by bars in the upper-right or left-hand corner of your cell phone display. The location of the bars will vary by phone model. If you don’t see any bars, it means there is no signal in the area and service is unavailable.

Step 3. Press the button on your cell phone that opens your menu. The location of this button will vary by cell phone model.

Step 4. Use your cell phone’s navigation keys to browse through the applications listed in your menu options.





Cell Phone UsesCell phones can be valuable tools for research and organization. It is important for children (especially those in middle school and above) to have opportunities to conduct research in real-world settings. Yet often in natural settings, many young people do not have access to the tools they need to successfully collect data and organize their research. These tools include calculators, scientific calculators, research journals, or data-entry software. In addition, children need a convenient way to organize their lives. Cell phones have the potential to become practical and accessible research and organizational tools for children.

Most cell phones allow access to the Internet where one can surf a variety of resources. Even basic cell phones have many built-in research and organizational tools, such as cameras, calendars or date books, voice-recording features, calculators, and clocks. These standard mobile features can be used in a variety of ways to aid in education.

Step 5. Select the Internet or web application. Wording may vary slightly by cell phone. If you are using a smartphone, such as the iPhone, simply open Safari or another Internet browser to begin browsing the web.

Step 6. End your Internet session by closing the web application. To be sure you are no longer connected, press the button on your cell phone that is used to end phone calls. This will ensure that you have completely disconnected from the Internet and that data is no longer being transferred.

Source: http://techtips.salon.com/access-internet-using-cell-phone-12686.html

Continued





Benefits of Web Surfing via Cell PhoneAlthough it is sometimes easier to surf the web on a computer (with its larger keyboard and larger screen) rather than a cell phone, the mobility of cell phones can make them important and valuable research tools in the real world. For example, on a field trip to an art museum, children could use a cell phone to research the work of an unfamiliar artist while simultaneously looking at an original piece of art. They could access an online encyclopedia and learn about the artist at that particular moment. Children could even create a podcast or photo blog (a blog with photos) about the artist before they leave the art museum.

Educational ResourcesChildren can access important and timely web-based educational resources from a cell phone. Your child might belong to a classroom Twitter account at school. At home, you might want to help your child join Twitter and set up an individual account. Twitter is an online service that allows users to access and send short text messages called Tweets. By sending “follow@twitterid” to 40404, your child can use a cell phone to access news resources or follow any other web pages that have Twitter feeds. For example, children can follow authors they are interested in, politicians, scientists, Nobel Prize winners, and more!

Free web resources are also available that can help parents if they want to make their own web pages mobile friendly or if they want to create new mobile-friendly learning web pages. Web resources such as Ubik or Dudamobile or GoMo (howtogomo.com) provide tools to help people create mobile-friendly web pages.





Libraries with Text-Messaging ServicesChildren can text a reference question to an increasing number of libraries and receive a response within two or three hours. For example, children could be in the middle of collecting data in the field, realize they have a question concerning the data, text a librarian their question, and receive an answer in a timely manner. Although children could use a cell phone to independently search the web for answers, librarians have more experience determining the reliability of websites and they also often have access to journals and periodicals that may not be available with basic mobile web service. Many public libraries use Elf (www.libraryelf.com), which allows patrons to use text messaging to manage their library accounts (such as renewing overdue books). Many local libraries allow kids to text a local librarian.

CalculatorsAlthough free calculator apps with complex equation editors or graphing features are currently available for smartphones, most standard cell phones are equipped with a basic calculator and may offer these more sophisticated features in the near future. As a result, kids with cell phones may no longer need to purchase a separate calculator for their assignments and projects because they will have access to their calculation tools, any time, at any place. Ready access means more real-world assignments. For example, kids studying measurement systems can use their cell phone to calculate grocery store bargains by comparing prices charged for the same item in different-sized packaging. (Kids can even use their cell phone camera to take photos of the items or use the voice-recording feature to create a voice memo of their mathematical observations.)





Concerns about Cell Phones When kids use cell phones as learning tools, it raises some concerns for parents: access to cell phones, the costs associated with cell phone use, safety, advertising on websites, and children publishing content from cell phones to the Internet. A parent’s job is to help children navigate and stay safe in their media world. Kids are often unaware or indifferent to the consequences of their use and misuse of technology. Currently, many kids do not worry about protecting their own privacy or the privacy of others when using digital media. For example, surveys show more than half of young technology users say they do not care whether the digital material they use is copyrighted. Additionally, only 25% consider online safety and cost to be concerns when using the Internet.

It is important for parents, guardians, and educators to decide if and how they would like to include cell phones as learning tools for children. Such decisions should be informed decisions based on more than media hype or an assumption that cell phones are purely the social toys of a younger generation. The following topics allow for an open discussion of both the concerns and the potential benefits of using cell phones as learning tools.

Financial ConsiderationsCost is among the most important factors to consider when using cell phones and services offered by Web 2.0 sites. Although many Web 2.0 sites are free to use, some sites may charge minor fees that are added to your cell phone bill. It is important to be aware of the fee policies for the Web 2.0 services you use and also to keep current of these policies in case they change. For example, Google Voice, ipadio, and Yodio all currently provide audio services for free, but it is important to distinguish between their free services and fee-based services by reading carefully through the policies on their websites.





Online storage services often offer server-based storage (also called “cloud storage”) for data such as photos, ringtones, wallpaper, and videos. This storage can often be free, but many sites also charge monthly fees based on the amount of storage used. Additionally, it may not be free to use your cell phone to send a photo, ringtone, or video to an online account. Your cell phone provider may charge you for sending this type of data, depending on your cell phone plan. If you do not have a data package with your cell phone, extra usage fees may accrue every time you send data or access the web. Heavy use of the Internet via cell phone without a data package could be very costly.

It is important that children understand that being a responsible cell phone user means being knowledgeable about their cell phone plan. Helping kids realize that cell phone text messaging or calls are not always free creates an opportunity for them to learn about their cell phone plan and avoid unnecessarily large bills associated with text messaging or web surfing.

AdvertisingAlthough Web 2.0 apps are fast becoming free and easy alternatives to purchasing expensive software, some Web 2.0 sites for use with cell phones have advertisements. It is understandable that parents may worry about the advertisements children are exposed to when surfing the web. Although no inappropriate advertising was witnessed while researching this book, that does not mean children will never come across something inappropriate. At the same time, it is not in children’s best interest to keep them from experiencing many engaging online learning activities simply because of the advertising they might come across. As a matter of fact, in this day and age, it is vital to talk with kids about the power of advertising on the Internet and to discuss what they can do when they come across something inappropriate.





Instructing kids to be mindful and aware during Internet and cell phone use should be part of all information literacy education in the 21st century. Some websites (such as Phonezoo) have “family filters” that parents and families can use to eliminate inappropriate advertising for children. In addition, most cell phone companies will create parent controls and allow parents to block websites or contacts on a child’s phone. Parents can slowly release access to certain websites and features as they deem their children responsible.

Web PublishingPerhaps the largest concern with using the Internet is keeping children safe from predators and harmful information. To help kids stay safe it is important to teach them how to safely participate in collaborative communities and safely post media and text online. Children need to become digitally literate citizens and learn how to safely navigate Web 2.0 resources. Many kids participate in social-networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube with very little instruction about how to appropriately communicate in these worlds. Using cell phones, blogs, and other Web 2.0 resources for learning provides many opportunities to teach children digital literacy. For example, kids will have opportunities to learn about the difference between public and private spaces on the web; how to register or sign up for accounts; what information is appropriate for a profile; what types of images, text, and video can be published; where to find and change default settings; and how and when to communicate with others.

Most Web 2.0 resources have private space that can be downloaded directly to your cell phone. Using this space means that your child’s work can stay private. When material is in private space, parents can decide whether to publish their child’s work to the Internet or keep it private for personal use. At the same time, almost every Web 2.0 site provides opportunities to publish work online, and





kids need to be aware of why they would or would not select to publish to the web. If you want to publish your child’s work online to share with others, but not post your child’s identity, one solution is to use a pseudonym for your child’s name and keep the focus on content rather than personal information. For example, instead of recording a personal reflection that includes details of their life, kids can record their findings from a scientific experiment or debate a controversial issue.

Digital Etiquette, Cell Phone EtiquetteAnother reason to consider introducing cell phones in learning is to promote digital etiquette, a concept unfamiliar to many people. According to a 2006 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

More than a quarter of cell phone owners (28%) admit they sometimes do not drive as safely as they should while they use their mobile devices. ... Furthermore, 82% of all Americans and 86% of cell users report being irritated at least occasionally by loud and annoying cell users who conduct their calls in public places. Indeed, nearly one in ten cell phone owners (8%) admit they themselves have drawn criticism or irritated stares from others when they are using their cell phones in public. (The Pew Internet & American Life Project, “How Americans Use Their Cell Phones,” 2006)

Many parents also worry about using cell phones as educational tools because they think kids already misuse the phones as social toys. According to a 2007 survey, almost all 10- to 17-year-olds (9 out of 10) believe they are polite on their cell phones, but more than half admit to sending text messages during a movie or while at a theater, and nearly one-third admit to sending text messages while at the dinner table (Disney Mobile Survey, 2007). These statistics





demonstrate that teens and tweens are unaware of cell phone etiquette, and parents have an opportunity to teach them appropriate uses of this communication device. Traffic safety laws and theater announcements regarding texting have also become more common for the purpose of promoting good cell phone etiquette.

Children need to understand when it is appropriate and when it is inappropriate to use cell phones. They also need to understand how text messaging and digital jargon (such as LOL) may not always be acceptable for their future professional lives. In addition, children should understand some basic etiquette, such as when to turn off cell phones and when not to answer cell phones (it is sometimes shocking how frequently kids will answer their cell phone in the middle of an important meeting or during a face-to-face conversation with another person).

By the time children reach high school they have often already developed many poor cell phone habits. Early intervention may be the key

to help kids develop appropriate cell phone etiquette.

Three Top Points

The following are three points that are important to any discussion about cell phone safety and use.

Safety. How are we going to stay safe with online resources?

Etiquette. How are we going to make sure that the cell phone activity is appropriate?

Responsibility. What are the consequences for not complying?





Cell Phone Safety and Appropriate UseEvery year the average age that children start using a cell phone and receive their first cell phone gets younger and younger. Before kids have their first cell phone, it is important to talk with them about how to use one appropriately and safely. These lessons then need to be reinforced often.

Give an online safety quiz to your child such as the one at SafeKids (www.safekids.com/quiz) or Kidzworld (www.kidzworld.com/quiz/online-safety-quiz) or, for older teens, the McAfee Teen Safety Test (http://home.mcafee.com/SafetyQuiz/QuizTeen.aspx?culture).Before having your child take the quiz, you might want to look at it first. The quizzes are short and some answers are predictable, but they are a good starting point to introduce children to online safety.

In addition to concerns of safety, an understanding of the financial costs associated with cell phone plans is extremely important for appropriate cell phone use. Children need to be made aware of the financial costs associated with cell phones, and it is beneficial to talk with your children about the fees attached to certain types of cell phone services.

Sometimes it is helpful to have some ideas on how to start the discussion process with kids about cell phone safety and appropriate use (if you have not already done so). The following two topics and the Sample Cell Phone Rules Chart are especially important to go over with younger children and provide tips on teaching children of all ages how to use cell phones appropriately.

• Help your children understand the financial cost of using a cell phone. Go over your cell phone plan, so your children understand the costs associated with using the tool. For example, you might say to kids that “Every time Mom sends a text message, it costs Mom 10 cents.” You could even have a “text-message bank,” where you put in a dime every time you





help your children send a text message so they can see the relationship between the text message and its cost. To help your children understand the costs associated with calling and overcharges on minutes, you can give them a certain number of minutes that they can use your cell phone each day or week (such as five or ten minutes). If they want to use the phone for a longer period of time, they have to give you a few cents or do a chore.

• Talk about when it is appropriate and inappropriate to make and receive calls or text messages. Together with your kids, create a rules chart that describes where and when kids (and parents!) are allowed to make and receive calls and text messages. A sample rules chart follows.

Sample Cell Phone Rules Chart

Rules for Children

• [Child] may only call and text message people the child knows and who are approved by [Mom or Dad].

• [Child] may not make or receive calls or text messages during meal times.

• [Child] may make and receive calls and text messages only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

• [Child] may only make emergency calls and text messages at other times.

• [Child] may not make or receive calls or text messages when in a public place where it may disturb others nearby. Public places include movie theaters, libraries, restaurants, and places of worship.





• [Child] does not need to speak loudly when talking on the phone.

• [Child] should always get the approval of [Mom or Dad] before sending a picture or video of self, a friend, or a family member to someone else.

• [Child] should not call or text message someone when in the middle of a conversation with someone else.

Rules for Parents

• [Parent] should not call or text message someone when in the middle of a conversation with someone else or in a public place where doing so may disturb others.

• [Parent] should make children aware that people around them can hear their cell phone conversations, so they need to be careful about the information they are giving out over the phone (such as their home address or even their name).

• [Parent] should make sure to talk to children about the reasons why calls or text messages should not be made during certain times, such as late in the evening when many people are asleep.

• [Parent] should talk with children about how they speak and text message on the cell phone.

• [Parent] should talk about the reasons why children should or should not speak or text message a certain way on the cell phone. For instance, point out that it is polite to pay full attention to the person who is speaking to you.





Mobile Activities Are Part of Your Digital FootprintA digital footprint (also called a digital dossier) includes a person’s Internet activity such as social-networking posts; email; chat room conversations; cell phone text messages; phone calls; voicemail; and photo, audio, and video messages. Kids often think these communications are private, but in reality they are archived by cell phone companies and Internet resources that are in turn backed up by servers. For example, if a child uses Gmail, every email sent and received by that account is archived by Google. If a child sends photos to Flickr, every image is archived by Flickr’s servers. Text messages or posts to the web from a cell phone often can’t be erased! To help kids understand the concept of what creates a digital footprint, you may want to watch and discuss the video Digital Dossier (www.youtube.com/watch?v=79IYZVYIVLA).

The media may sometimes overemphasize the dangers of predators and online activity. Most Web 2.0 sites, such as blogs or wikis, are not created to be harmful to minors. Some websites have age restrictions to protect minors. Instead of restricting access to sites that are age appropriate, we should teach children how to properly use these new web resources. It is a good idea to get into the practice of reminding your children of cell phone safety and appropriate use each time they use their cell phones.

Many websites have age restrictions for creating accounts and using the features of the website. Often these restrictions are hidden in the privacy policies under terms of use or terms of service. It is important to teach your children to look for the age restrictions before signing up for any website. Many websites require that participants be at least 13 years of age. The age restrictions are there to protect both the minors and the web service. It is important that children not lie or make up a birthdate (to make themselves older) just to create an account. This could lead to legal trouble for them





and/or their families. If there is a web service in this book with an age restriction (we have tried to highlight those and briefly explain their stipulations in Chapter 4), the parents should create the account and emphasize to their child that children cannot have an account of their own until they are of legal age to do so.

Documents

Introduction - ISTE Standards · Free Free and paid versions Paid version only Smartphone with Internet connectivity (Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G) in order to use this resource properly Age stipulations