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Here are some resources from my friends and colleagues Mike Donlin, who advises school in Washington State, and Sue Dowling, as school safety expert in Georgia:
"I have to say that the Seattle Public Schools student Network Use Agreement is among the best –https://inside.seattleschools.org/area/dots/forms/networkuseagreement.pdf – brief, clear, concise, kid-friendly, age-adaptable, online at the start of the school year, and extremely teachable! I had one teacher who turned this NUA into a very kid-friendly PowerPoint which he used in his classes to teach the concepts! And here's a link to the standard employee NUA (http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Forms/dots/NetworkUseAgreement_Student.pdf).";
Sue said she especially likes the NetSafe AUPs (Netsafe is New Zealand's national Internet-safety nonprofit organization, of which I'm a longtime fan too) – http://www.cybersafety.org.nz/kit/Use%20Agreements/index.html. "They are written for different age groups and cover all devices, not just the school network," she emailed me. Hope these help! -
Evening, though I love the early morning too. Hmm.
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Hate, but double hate if it's humid!
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Soho's great.
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Freddy and Fredericka, by Mark Helprin. Crazy (and fun)!
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Aaaaagh! (Seemed to call for that response.)
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Since my job is all about it, 8 hrs give or take overnight, US time.
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How about talking with them about what they've learned about the positives and negatives of social networking online from older siblings, cousins, and other social-media users they're close?
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Great question, actually one I get from my peers every now and then. But not an easy one because – though the evidence of how useful and good social media can be is all around us, people have to be willing to see it. All the negative media hype has predisposed some of us to see nothing positive.
There are all kinds of answers, but their effectiveness depends on where you are in that conversation with them. If they're big fans of what you're doing, tell them how social media help you and your work/interests – and those of your friends and fellow students or colleagues. The big-picture stuff – the fact that the complex problems of this little planet increasingly require not just sophisticated technology and people who know how to make and use it but also its increasingly social nature (the ability to find and bring together people with multiple complementary skills and expertise so they can collaborate in real time) – is part of the answer too, but it's often less effective with parents than their kids' own experiences and enthusiasm.
Or send 'em here! :-) I'm close to their age and love these tools – couldn't do my work without them (though sometimes I need to take a weekend away). I use each tool – blogging, Google Docs, Twitter, FB, email, etc. – for different things, but they go way beyond being productivity or publishing tools. Wherever I am, whenever, they connect me with amazing people – what's meaningful to them in their work and lives (family, friends, readers, colleagues, likeminded thinkers, etc.) – as well as the trends and news that help me do my work. I could go on and on, as we all could – and get more granular and bore your parents to death.
Which brings us full-circle – what would be meaningful for them to know about social media? Maybe they don't need to use them themselves. Maybe they can just appreciate how meaningful your use of these tools is to you. Or maybe they need to take a baby step or two. Maybe set them up with one account on FB – setting their privacy settings very, very private (check out our Parents' Facebook Guide at fbparents.org if you want a little free help) – then having them friend you so they can start enjoying checking in on your life every now and then (but be sure to tell them whether or not you want them writing on your wall!). Maybe that's enough for now. Or, if you blog, show them how easy it is to get to your blog. Or show them how fun and convenient it is to text with you (if they want to be a little more "asynchronous" than calling you). Maybe just one baby step that's purely fun for them. Help them be playful. I think social media can help us adults lighten up a bit, if we let them. I hope that helps. Good luck. -
Just hang out with friends and/or family.
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Rarely do I watch a movie twice, but I guess the Jason Bourne ones, Elf, and period films (sucker for anything Jane Austen).
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Risotto
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Sure! I think it's natural to. Just out of curiosity, I ask my husband and kids that every now and then, when they're really absorbed in a conversation.
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It's not my favorite anymore - we've had too many rainy days!
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Some time with friends and their baby, none of whom we've seen in too long a time.
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It's a toss up between Foghorn Leghorn and Pepe Le Pew.
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A harbor seal
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Anne’s Bio
Youth advocate and journalist blogging at NetFamilyNews.org
