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Cyber bullying

Cyber bullying – not just a school problem

Social networking is a modern phenomenon that can enrich communication and build friendships globally that were unimaginable 20 years ago – let alone the growing impact for business. But it has a dark potential.

I was told recently by a Headteacher of a large secondary school that whilst social networking was largely under control at school, it was the misuse at home (or out of school) that caused the most upset during school. Hours were spent trying to investigate comments and claims involving incidents that rarely occurred or began during school hours. Controlling this serious form of so called cyber bullying when it’s enacted over the Ethernet, as cowardly as ever, with the bullies hiding behind cruel lies, insinuation and gossip against their helpless victims is not easy

How can we prevent this long lasting damage before the legacy is left to fester on its victims?  It’s not possible to stop it all, but like traditional bullying, awareness and effort will go a long way.  Involving and raising understanding with parents is more than ever a key requirement. 

Bullies need to be shown how and what impact their actions have, innocent or not.  Parents must take responsibility for actions and not rely on the school to discover and solve the bullying.

Support of parents, teachers and friends by following the wealth of advice is all part of reducing this social crime.

There is loads of good advice to circulate and read by clicking on the links below and making the first step to helping a victim feel less alone and afraid by something they feel is beyond support.

• Childline
• Children and Young People Now
• TeacherNet
• Thinkuknow Teachers and Trainers Area (CEOP)
• Bullying.co.uk
• GovernorNet discussion forum
• Teachers TV
• BBC
• Modern Governor

Looking for free stuff online can be Dangerous

Source ( CNET News )

 Source ( McAfee )

It’s common knowledge that you can catch computer viruses on porn Web sites. But did you know it’s also risky to surf the Web searching for free movies or music?

A study from McAfee to be released on Tuesday finds that adding the word “free” when looking for entertainment content in search engines greatly increases the chances of landing on a site hosting malware.

For instance, searching for free music ringtones increases the chances of hitting a malicious site by 300 percent, according to the report, “Digital Music & Movies Report: The True Cost of Free Entertainment.”

Searching for “lyrics” for a particular artist is twice as risky on average as searching for “ringtones” for the same artist for the first five pages of results, the report found.

And including the term “MP3″ increases the riskiness of music searches in general. There has been a 40 percent increase in the number of Web sites that are delivering infected MP3 files or that seem to be built for purposes of financial fraud or delivering malware, according to the report.

Meanwhile, McAfee found malware associated with a number of Web sites around the world advertising free downloads of sports games, movies, and TV shows.

Twelve percent of sites that distribute unauthorized content are distributing malware, and 7 percent of sites offering unauthorized content have associations with cybercrime organizations, the report concluded.

“The sites often look very professional and attempt to lure the user with the idea of a ‘trial period’ or even some nominal fee that is much less than what may ultimately be charged,” the report says. “Once the user agrees, they have to authorize their computer to access and interact with computers that are involved in a wide range of schemes–from money laundering to stealing credentials such as user names and passwords. In addition, with this access, your computer is profiled–with all of its software versions, user agents, and any other date–and this information can be provided to third parties for malicious purposes. (This is often called ‘fingerprinting.’)”

To reduce the chances of landing on malicious sites, McAfee recommends avoiding the use of the word “free” in searches for entertainment content, avoiding clicking on links in banner ads on content sites that aren’t well established, not clicking on links posted in forums and on fan pages, keeping security software up to date, and using safe search plug-ins like McAfee Site Advisor that warns of potentially risky sites.

Also pay for the content you want from reliable sources itunes is a good one to start you can find music and films on there and they are not over priced.

How many ways can you use a ceiling mounted projector and screen in a school hall?

One of the biggest impacts that I’ve seen technology make on a school this year is the installation of a simple but powerful projector and electric screen in the school hall.

The hardware depends on the size of the hall but the application is similar for Secondary and Primary schools. We usually do a demonstration on completing the install and I love to see the faces of the staff as its potential begins to dawn. The gasps and smiles alone as the electric screen descends almost make it worthwhile. (I even had a round of applause from a hall full of children seeing it for the first time – we hadn’t even switched the projector on!)The sound system has got to be good and blowing the roof off is often the aim.

The installation must result in easy use for the staff and (dare I suggest) pupils and so complicated mixer desks and permanent connections are out.So imagine a multi media cabinet with high quality components that can be wheeled in and out of the hall. Put in a mixture of hardware

CD and/or tape player for assemblies, discos, dance

A DVD for showing cinema style to more than one class

PC or laptop for powerpoints to governors, parents or classes

Visualiser for quickly displaying hymns or ‘Top work’ to the whole school

School plays might need a microphone and backdrop

A Wii for use in Breakfast Clubs and after school clubs

etc

As the teachers begin to discuss and see the impact that this presentation system can have on learning we soon see it used every minute of the day. Now we need a solution for the booking sheet!What do you use yours for?please leave your comments here

What we recommend from a supplier:

High lumen projector, Automatic Screen, Lockable AV cupboard, AV equipment, High quality audio system,Projector security, Education aware installation, training session for staffSolutions from under £2000 at www.smartmoveit.co.uk or www.lamphouse.co.uk

What really sets the FizzBook Spin 10.1 apart from all the rest

What really sets the FizzBook Spin 10.1 apart from all the rest is its endless functionality in the classroom. If you buy enough (currently 18) SMART have licensed a range of their best selling classroom packages to be included and pre installed.

Imagine creating the lesson framework in Word or Notebook that you send out over Wi-fi to all the FizzBooks in the classroom.

The Fizzbook Spin

The Fizzbook Spin was always going to be a hit with teachers and particularly pupils – water and drop resistant, versatility as a laptop, eBook or tablet and with the best classroom software suite ever seen for a classroom.

The latest version FizzBook Spin 10.1 eliminates all of the remaining concerns. The price is reasonable and starts at £369 up to about £489 for the professional version with a 3 year warranty (www.fizzbooks.co.uk/products).

ViewSonic Europe has announced the launch of five new projectors in its already extensive projector range, directly targeting the education and training sectors

(Source: hexus)

The interactive PJD7383i and the PJD7583wi negate the need for costly interactive white boards as teachers are able to write directly onto the projected image with the included interactive pen without the need for alignment or calibrationAn additional teacher-friendly feature is evident in the 7 Series’ “short throw” projection, allowing 80-inch images to be projected from less than one metre away. This will put an end to teachers being blinded by the Projector Lamp.

Buying projector lamps from Lamphouse and Smartmove raises money for leading children’s charity!!

We at Lamphouse and Smartmove have decided to give a little back to show our appreciation for choosing us as your supplier.
We intend to do this by donating two percent of the money we gain from the sales of our projector lamps from 1st September to 31st October.
There are many charities that are worthy of our donations so choosing which charity to give to proved to be difficult.

Ofcom report highlights ‘multi-tasking media users’

(Source: BBC)

The average Briton spends almost half of their waking life using media and communications, data suggests. The statistics from regulator Ofcom suggest people in the UK spend seven hours a day watching TV, surfing the net and using their mobile phones.

Will the loss of Becta give schools a fresh chance to make technology click?

Will the loss of Becta give schools a fresh chance to make technology click?

Becta, the education technology quango is on its way out. Is this an opportunity to be more creative about how we use computers at schools?

The parents’ evening at our local secondary was going well until we came to the art department. I pointed out that our 12-year-old greatly enjoys making videos — cutting together films taken with a Flip video camera, choosing songs for the soundtrack, and synchronising them with frame-quality accuracy. Could she, I asked, do a film-making course? The school had some computers apparently dedicated to film-making. And it is art. Sort of.