Waffle Bytes

As someone that works with teens, there is a group of apps you should be aware of that could make a negative impact on your classroom environment (or your homelife if you have preteens and teens).  These apps allow students to post pictures and/or make comments - often anonymously.  The newest of these apps to gain notoriety is called Burnbook - you can read a bit about it here: http://mashable.com/2015/03/26/burnbook-app/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link This app joins a host of other apps (YikYak, Whisper, AfterSchool, Ask.fm, to name a few) in the same category - they easily promote the escalation of cyberbullying among students.  So, what are ways you can combat this? 1. By Educating - as technology becomes more seamlessly integrated with our lives, and especially with learning, we cannot rely on AUPs or Terms of Use to guide students' behavior.  We need to provide modeling and conversations.  There are great resources out there (CommonSe...

From Discovery Education:   We are pleased to announce Discovery Education’s cyber safety certification program, the  Intel ®  Security Digital Safety Program: Think Before You Link . Intel Security and Discovery Education have partnered to present a series of  free, interactive tools  that educators, students, and parents can use to gain critical information on  cyber safety, cybersecurity and cyber ethics . Each self-paced, interactive student module is about 10-15 minutes long and concludes with a  certificate of completion , endorsed by Intel Security, Discovery Education and the  National Cyber Security Alliance.   The accompanying  educator guides  prompt in-class activities to extend learning beyond the online interaction. To facilitate parental engagement, the program also provides  parent-facing modules  that give caretakers tips on how to promote positive online behavior in the home. PROGRAM...