ACOE Teams Up with Spanish Language Paper

Visión Hispana has set aside space for the Alameda County Office of Education to have a front page column in its weekly newspaper. Visión Hispana, which is published in Spanish, is distributed free on Saturdays in Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco. You can reach Visión Hispana at (510) 865-6274 or VisionHispana@aol.com. Comments about the columns can be directed to askacoe@acoe.org.

Help Youth Surf the Web With These Cybersafety Tips

by Sheila Jordan
Superintendent of Alameda County Schools

The Alameda County Board of Education, looking to ensure that students are protected when using the Internet, has passed a resolution urging school districts to implement safety measures that would protect students when they surf the net.

The Cyber-Safety resolution was introduced by Alameda County Board of Education President Fred Sims because he said he hopes to send a message to educators, parents and school administrators about the need to introduce strategies that would protect students.

The resolution is non-binding and symbolic in nature, and is designed to encourage discussion among parents, students, teachers and school administrators about the need for cyber protection.

The resolution comes at a time when student Internet use is at an all-time high and climbing. While we want to encourage our youth to use the Internet as an important communication and learning tool, we have to be aware that there are pitfalls, too.

Parents can take an active role in helping their children avoid inappropriate Web sites and dangerous online conversations. Parents should talk with their children about the Internet and the dangers posed by meeting strangers in person, no matter how long the child has been "chatting" with the person online; and reminding youth to not give out any personal information online.

The state of California has a list of 10 tips for parents located at www.cybersafety.ca.gov/tips.shtml. There is also a link to resources for parents at www.cybersafety.ca.gov/partners/partners.shtml.

Among the state's recommendations are keep the computer in an open area of the house in order to make it easier to monitor what children are viewing; install filtering software on the computer; visit the Web sites that children are visiting; and ask them to show you what they like to do online.

Another tip is to be familiar with the shorthand abbreviations that are commonly used online, such as "ASL," which stands for Age/Sex/Location; "POS," which means Parents Over Shoulder; "LMIRL," Let's Meet In Real Life; "PIR," Parent In Room; and "WYCM," Will You Call Me?

To learn more about other abbreviations, visit the Web site of NetLingo at www.NetLingo.com.

Other useful Web sites for parents include:

The BlogSafety Forum: www.blogsafety.com

i-SAFE America, Inc.: www.isafe.org

Web Wise Kids: www.wiredwithwisdom.org

Protegiendo a nuestros hijos de la internet

Por Sheila Jordan
Superintendente de Educación del Condado de Alameda

A fin de asegurar que los estudiantes esten protegidos cuando navegan en la internet, el Departamento de Educación del Condado de Alameda, ha votado a favor de una resolución en la que urge a los distritos escolares a implementar medidas de seguridad que protejan a los estudiantes cuando naveguen en la internet.

La resolución denominada Cyber-Safety fue introducida por Fred Sims, Presidente del Consejo de Educación del Condado de Alameda. Con esta resolución Sims espera enviar un mensaje a los profesores, padres de familia, y administradores escolares.

La resolución no es abligatoria, más bien su naturaleza es simbólica. Además de que se presenta en un momento en que el uso de la internet está creciendo, y las escuelas estimulan su uso como herramienta de comunicación y aprendizaje.

Los padres de familia pueden jugar un rol activo ayudando a sus hijos a evitar sitios web inapropiados y peligrosos. Los padres deben hablar con sus hijos de los riesgos de la internet y recordarles -a sus hijos- que no proporcionen información personal por internet.

El estado de California cuenta con recursos en línea para ayudar a los padres en www.cybersafety.ca.gov/tips.shtml y www.cybersafety.ca.gov/partners/partners.shtml.

Entre las recomendaciones que el estado sugiere se encuentran:

• Tener la computadora en un lugar abierto y visible.
• Visitar los sitios de internet que nuestros hijos frecuentan.
• Preguntarles qué es lo que les gusta hacer en la internet.

Otras recomendaciones valiosas son el conocer las abreviaturas más comunes utilizadas en la internet, como "ASL," que significa Age/Sex/Location; "POS," Parents Over Shoulder; "LMIRL," Let's Meet In Real Life; "PIR," Parent In Room; and "WYCM," Will You Call Me?

Para aprender más acerca de estas abreviaturas puede visitar el sitio www.netlingo.com.

Recursos:

The BlogSafety Forum: www.blogsafety.com

i-SAFE America, Inc.: www.isafe.org

Web Wise Kids: www.wiredwithwisdom.org