Friday, February 10, 2012

Internet Safety: Educational programs for parents and kids

I recently read a Facebook entry by one of my “tween” relatives that disturbed me.  She probably thought it was an innocent remark but to a predator it could have been interpreted differently.  I wanted to find the right words to convey what I thought and provide some good education resources for her and her mom.  In surfing the web, I found a website with some interesting statistics:
 
Did you know that..?
  • 26% of children report having a public social networking profile.
  • Children of all ages are lacking digital skills –confidence is often not matched by skill!
  • 12% of 9-16 year olds say they have been bothered or upset by something on the internet… however, 56% of parents whose child has received nasty or hurtful messages online are not aware of this.
  • One in eight parents don’t seem to mediate their children’s online activities…while 56% of parents take positive steps such as suggesting to their children how to behave towards others online.
  • 44% of children think that parental mediation limits what they do online, 11 per cent say it limits their activities a lot.
Here are some safe Internet resources I found - please share them with your children, family and friends.We all have a role to play in ensuring that every child is safe online.

A Parents' Guide to Facebook a soup-to-nuts guide to Facebook privacy settings, profile settings, group settings.

NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) that provides age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on- and offline. The program is designed for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement.
http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents

PBS Kids offers the Webonauts Academy in which elementary school students can learn about safe online behaviors.

Through the Wild Web Woods games teach children about potential dangers online and how to avoid them. http://www.wildwebwoods.org/popup_langSelection.php

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Army OneSource Virtual World

Explore the new Army OneSource Virtual World and stay connected to Family and friends! This virtual environment allows you to collaborate, learn, socialize, host or attend training sessions, and participate in daily events. By using a customizable avatar, a virtual self-representation, participants can access a variety of Army services by simply exploring the virtual world. Army OneSource programs are also at your fingertips in this three-dimensional environment. The Army OneSource Virtual World was built specifically to serve Soldiers and their Families and features each Army Resiliency in their own virtual region.

As part of Army One Source Virtual World, the Virtual Resiliency Campus offers Community members engaging and enjoyable ways to build strength in the five areas of Resiliency: Spiritual, Family, Social, Emotional and Physical.The Army OneSource Virtual World regions are open to Army Soldiers, staff, volunteers, Veterans, Family and friends. All you need is an existing Army OneSource login!

https://www.myarmyonesource.com/CommunitiesandMarketplace/VirtualWorlds/ArmyOneSourceVW/default.aspx

Free Webinar: 2/10 - Litmos "Love your LMS": Experience the world's most user-friendly Learning Management System

February 10th, 1:00pm ET
Space is Limited
Reserve Your Webinar Seat Now At:
http://www.rapidintake.com/webinar


Litmos is the Learning Management System (LMS) that people love to use. Easy to assemble courses, assign them to learners and watch the results come in.

The best part is Litmos is a hosted training system, which means you'll never need help from the IT department to set up. You can literally get started in minutes.

Key features in Litmos:
· Hosted/SaaS LMS
· SCORM 1.2 Certified
· Accessible via Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad and Android
· Themes/Brand Customization
· API - for integration with other systems
· eCommerce and self sign-up
· Certificates
· Course Library
· Automatic compliance reminders
· No software to download
· No long term contracts

Real time reporting makes it easy to track learner results and get ROI for your online campaign. At any time you can see if your students have completed their training, how long they took and what scores they achieved. Plus, all of this information can be instantly exported to Excel or PDF.

Monday, February 6, 2012

ASTD Houston Membership Mixer: Use the power of KINECT for Windows to transform training

Register at:  http://astdhouston.org/en/cev/647

Come and Join the Fun! Kinect has changed the way people play games and experience entertainment. Now, Kinect for Windows offers the potential to transform how people interact with computers and Windows-embedded devices in multiple industries, including education, healthcare, retail, transportation, and beyond. We’ll discuss how the Kinect technology will change the face of training. We’ll also provide a demo of Kinect working in the Windows environment.

Join or Renew your Houston ASTD Membership
Take $25 off your General Membership fee if you join or renew your membership at this event. Membership in the Houston ASTD chapter creates the professional opportunities you need to compete in today’s rapidly changing marketplace. Whether you are a professional in the field, a student just starting out, or you are transitioning into Training and Development, find networking opportunities, programs, events and conferences just for you.

Date and Time: Feb 22, 2012, 8:30 – 10:00am
Location: Microsoft Store Galleria Mall, 5015 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77056, Phone: (713) 860-5790
Cost: No charge!
Presenters: Debbie Richards - Creative Interactive Ideas. Yoshi Takekawa - Microsoft
Refreshments provided by:  Obsidian Technical Communications
Door Prize Donated by the Microsoft Store: One year MS Training membership (one hour per week). Get the most out of your PC experience with a one-on-one training session with a Microsoft Answer Tech at the Microsoft Store.