Monitoring Your Childs Laptop UseThe best way to monitor what your child is doing is to ask them. Conversation is the best tool most parents have for just about anything...plus a little tech savvy! When you think conversation might not be producing the whole truth, a little bit of knowledge of how to find pictures, movies, and visited websites can bring things back to normal.

Basic Computer Searches

Using the Mac HardDrive icon

Find this icon on the desktop. Double click it.

RSU2 Parent Training Fall 2011: Monitoring Your Childs Laptop Use

Choosing one of these will allow you to view all of the files of that type on your students laptop.

Keep in mind that you will see system files as well- video tutorials for software may show up in the movies folder, and backgrounds will show up in the images.

Making Searches More SpecificYou can also be more specific in your searches. Click on the desktop so that the word Finder is in the upper left corner. Click File/Find.

This will bring up a box like the one above.

Under Kind you can choose to search by name, date, or contents of the document.

Any allows you to narrow down what types of files you search for. A search of images named Lydia on my laptop brought up these results:

RSU2 Parent Training Fall 2011: Monitoring Your Childs Laptop Use

Searching the History:Every computer keeps track of where you have been while using the internet. This is very helpful when you know youve been to a site but you didnt bookmark it and you want to get back to it. It also lets us know what sort of activities our students are engaging in.

Your student has two options for webbrowers: Firefox and Safari. They may also download other browsers. Some of the more popular ones are Chrome and Opera.

Firefox:Open Firefox. In the menubar at the top, you

will see History Click it.

Show All History will give you a LONG list of all of the websites your student has visited.

This section shows the last 10 sites visited.

RSU2 Parent Training Fall 2011: Monitoring Your Childs Laptop Use

This tool allows you to choose sorting criteria

You can use search words here

Show All History:SafariOpen Safari. Click History in the menubar.

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Sites by days they where accessed

Checking PreferencesPreferences are a part of all Mac software. They allow users to customize the software to best suit their needs. Your student has the ability to set how often their history is deleted by going to the Preferences pane of both Firefox and Safari.

Students often say that their computers run faster if they delete the history. While this is technically true, the space that the history takes should not affect the way programs students use for school run. It is more often the case that students want to erase the history because:1. They want games to run faster. 2. They want to erase their tracks.

We require that MS students do not erase their history. HS students do not have the same restrictions; however, if you find that your student consistently has no history, its time to have a conversation about why.

Open either Safari or Firefox. Click on the name Firefox or Safari in the menu bar and choose Preferences. Use the table below to check the history settings.

Browser Tab for History Settings Settings Should Be

Firefox Privacy Keep my history for at least 90 days

RSU2 Parent Training Fall 2011: Monitoring Your Childs Laptop Use

Good to use if the browser window suddenly snaps shut when you walk by.

Shows all history. This window also gives you a place to search by keywords.

Browser Tab for History Settings Settings Should Be

Safari General Remove history items after one month.

Chrome Under the Hood uncheck:Clear Browsing HistoryClear Download History

Private BrowsingMost browsers now have an option for private or invisible browsing. This means that your students history will not be stored, making it look like they have not used the internet. In Firefox you will find the setting under Preferences/Privacy/ and then look under Firefox will: for custom history settings.

When you click the name Safari in the Safari menubar you will see an option in the dropdown menu that says Private Browsing. It is active if it has a checkmark next to it.

Many students like to use Chrome. To access Chromes privacy settings, you will go to Preferences/Under the Hood/Privacy/Clear Browsing Data. This will let you access the settings.

RSU2 Parent Training Fall 2011: Monitoring Your Childs Laptop Use

Commonly Used Shortcut Keys: F3: Opens all windows that are currently being used.

F8: Shows Spaces (if student has it enabled)

CMD H: Hides a windowCMD M: Minimizes the window

RSU2 Parent Training Fall 2011: Monitoring Your Childs Laptop Use

Checking the DockWhen all else fails, check the dock. It may be on the bottom of the screen or on the left or right, depending on where the student has put it. Any application that is open will have a white dot underneath it. Clicking on the icon above the dot will bring up that application.

Last but not least...always check the trash! Kids are good about getting stuff in there...not so good about emptying it. This icon shows that there is something in the trash waiting to be emptied. Clicking on the trash will show you what is inside.

RSU2 Parent Training Fall 2011: Monitoring Your Childs Laptop Use