Information Technology Update – July 28, 2016

July 27, 2016

Online Safety Parent Information Evening

On July 25 a number of parents attended an Online Safety Parent Information Evening at 7:00 pm in the College Pavilion. The presenter was respected educator and online safety authority Mr Ray Nasher who also presented to the students and the staff on the day.

Ray presented to the students and the key part of his presentation was -’25 Tips & Truths’ which he spent time explaining and putting into context. Ray talked quite a lot about bullying and that it is important that those who feel they are being bullied to seek help and report this to an adult. He also emphasised that bystanders have a really important role to play in bullying by -‘shining a light’ on it. Stand up, speak out and act was Ray’s advice to all young people who witness bullying and that if we don’t do this we are actually assisting the bully. He emphasised on several occasions the importance of young people feeling comfortable to reach out to adults in their lives to discuss any situation they are feeling uncomfortable about. Ray also talked about the need for young people to re-evaluate any sites they might access online that they would feel uncomfortable about if teachers and parents were to know. He went on to say that our actions go on to become our words that become our habits and our values and that it is really important that we carefully guard our thoughts when accessing sites online. A full copy of the 25 Tips & Truths and some explanatory notes can be found on the iPad Parent Support website at http://ipads.stpats.vic.edu.au/presentations.html

Ray also talked about how we as parents can help support our children in the positive and productive use of IT. A key part of this strategy involves us as parents spending valuable time with our children, involving ourselves in their activities and having those conversations that help instil our family values. We can act as role models that also has a very powerful influence in the way our children act. Our actions, care and interest in what our children do, above anything else, can have the most powerful effect in helping to shape the way our children behave and think.

Ray’s Top 10 Parent Tips include:

Top 10 tips for parents

  1. Speak to your children

  2. There are no technical solutions to social problems

  3. The Internet is the people. The good side, the ugly side

  4. No-one ever said parenting was easy. Take an interest in what your children are doing. You need to have the conversation with them.

  5. There is no app that will protect our children.

  6. Online or offline – people are people!

  7. If you instil the right values, you don’t need to teach cyber safety.

  8. Show an interest in what your children do, spend time with them, lots of time!

  9. Engage with the school community, share experiences with other parents.

  10. Keep teaching the explicit values in this new world.

iPad Setup Requirements Semester 2

In an effort to help support our boys more in the positive use of their iPads and easier compliance with the -Protocols for using my ICT Device Responsibly for Learning-, which they all agreed to at the start of the year, and in consultation with College Leadership, we have decided to institute some changes in the setup of the student iPads to begin at the start of Term 3. These changes will be simple for the boys to comply with and will greatly support them with the positive and educational use of the iPads in and outside the classroom.

Essentially we will be asking the boys to make sure their iPads are setup with the following:

  • The 5th row of apps that appear at the bottom on every screen are made up of only the most frequently used apps during the school day (NOT games, messaging, music or social media)

  • Inappropriate content – Ensure that personal content on the iPad is appropriate at all times and remember that storage space for school related content is a priority. Any inappropriate images/videos /memes that you have stored on your iPad either in your Camera Roll or other apps are to be deleted.

  • That -‘Black listed’ apps are deleted permanently including Snapchat, Instagram, Kik and Tumblr

  • That any Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are deleted permanently (used to get around the College web filter). Check iPad Settings/General/VPN

  • Hidden Files: Use of the iPad is to be completely transparent, therefore any app that is designed to hide photos, videos, text messages, documents etc. are to be deleted from your iPad permanently. This includes, but not limited to apps such as Lock Photos, Private Photo, iVault, Secret Calculator, Album Lock and The Vault. The best way to check for these apps is to view the full list of apps installed on the iPad in Settings at the bottom of the left hand side.

All students have been emailed these changes which gave them the holidays to tidy up their iPads and set them up in the manner required. You can see the attachment the boys were emailed outlining these requirements on the iPad Parent Support page at http://ipads.stpats.vic.edu.au/term-3-2016-setup-requirements.html

Starting this week, we will run a series of -‘Random Checks’ on iPads in classrooms to check with student’s compliance with the requested changes. These checks will be done in class by teachers on a small number of boy’s iPads chosen at random. These checks will occur in an ongoing manner while the College feels they are needed to help support the boys.

Your support in assisting the boys with this would be greatly appreciated.

Mr Mark Holland

Director of ICT