Sixth Grade Parent Meeting

1
Sixth Grade Parent Meeting

• Monday, October 30, 2006

2
Announcements

• Halloween
• Science Share, Thursday, 11/2
• No classes for middle school, Friday, 11/3.
• Friday, October 28th is our last football
  tailgate.
• Turkey Train, Tuesday, 11/14.
• Drop-in, Saturday, 11/18.
• Mid-quarter 2 ends, Friday, 11/17.

3
Technology Discussion

• Sixth Grade Parent Meeting

4
Email

• Each Baylor student has an email account.
• Free email accounts are available from dozens of
  providers online.
• Email is not private, particularly when a student
  uses their Baylor email account.
• Because of its impersonal nature, email can lead
  to problems when students send inappropriate
  messages.
• Keep usernames and passwords private.

5
AOL Instant Messaging, AIM

• AIM is free and available www.AIM.com. It takes
  just 2 minutes to download the application
• AIM is used to chat with buddies online
• Each user on AIM has the ability to create a
  profile which can include private information
• You can locate new buddies by indicating your
  interests
• Other free internet sites area available to
  upgrade your profile. http//www.aimprofiles.com/i
  ndex.php
• Online bullying is an unfortunate side effect

6
Acronyms used in AIM

• LOL Laughing Out Loud OR Lots Of Love
• MAYB Mad About You, Baby
• LZ Loser!
• MTFBWY May The Force Be With You
• IMU I Miss You
• DWAI Don't Worry About It
• BTW By The Way
• BTWBO Be There With Bells On
• AYT Are You There?
• For a complete list, go to http//www.teenangels.
  org/articles/sms.txt

7
Internet

• Every computer has a distinguishing IP Address
• When you visit a website it is recorded in the
  history and with a cookie
• Spyware is software that covertly gathers user
  information through the user's Internet
  connection without his or her knowledge, usually
  for advertising purposes.
• You can check the history by selecting the
  history shortcut (looks like a sundial)
• You can check the cookies by opening the
  Documents and Settings folder located on the
  C drive of the My Computer icon

8
Personal Websites

• Access to free webpage creators has never been
  more simple. People can put private information
  on personal webpages with little or no effort.
• http//www.myspace.com/
• Blog (Web Log)- http//www.blogger.com/start

9
Video Games

• There are three types of games kids play
• Personal Games played by one user on personal
  pc
• Multiplayer Games games purchased in stores
  that have multi-player capabilities via the
  internet
• Internet Games games that are played for free
  or for a fee through websites. Opponents can be
  from anywhere in the world. IM capabilities also
  exist.

10
Mobile Phones

• Text messaging is a service that allows people to
  communicate via short messages
• Camera phones allow users to take pictures and
  send them to other camera phone owners
• When used responsibly, these services can be
  positive and fun
• Negative uses

11
Tips for Parents

• Dont prohibit them from using technology.
  Instead, help them become responsible users.
• Keep the computer in a central, common location.
• Take the time to understand the things your child
  is doing on the computer.
• Know your childs usernames and passwords.
• Make sure there is no personal information (phone
  number, address, picture) on your childs AIM
  profile or webpage.
• Cell phones with text messaging and picture
  taking capabilities may not be best for children
  this age.
• Discuss when online communication is best, and
  when it can lead to problems. Encourage
  face-to-face and phone conversations when
  warranted. Remind them that online conversations
  can be printed.
• Talk frankly with your child about your
  expectations, involve them in discussions that
  set restrictions like amount of time online and
  where they may visit, and check up on them often.