Cyber Safety & Digital Citizenship
Presentation and Learning Session
Tuesday, September 27th - 6:30-7:30pm
East Grand Forks Senior High - PAC (Performing Arts Center)
FREE & OPEN TO EVERYONE GRADES 6 AND UP
Are you ever concerned that your children, or even you, may be making poor choices when it comes to modern technology?Are your children being safe while using their cell phones, video games, home computers and social media?
On Tuesday, September 27th, at 6:30 pm, in the PAC, the East Grand Forks Public Schools will be hosting this entertaining, informational and educational seminar on Cyber Safety & Digital Citizenship. This session is free and intended for audiences grade 6 to adult.
This seminar will be led by Kent Mollberg. Mollberg has a master’s degree in information technology and has created this seminar after witnessing firsthand some of the internet dangers that students confront on a daily basis. (Mollberg has presented at over 200 schools and professional conferences to an audience estimated at over 50,000)
From Kent Mollberg:
Why should we be concerned about modern technology?
The Internet is the new Wild Wild West. Nobody is in charge. Kids believe social networking is an extension of their lives that “lives” outside of their bodies. Technology now belongs to teenagers. When your cell phone is not working what do you do? You hand it to your son or daughter and say, “What’s wrong with it?” and they know!
How have schools changed since parents were young?
When I went to school the leading school discipline problems were talking, chewing gum, making noise, running in the hall, getting out of place in line, wearing improper clothing and not using the wastebasket. In 2021 the leading school discipline problems are drugs and alcohol, sexual harassment, robbery and assault, social networking, cyberbullying and school shootings. Throw a pandemic on top of that and schools today look nothing like the schools we attended when we were young. Also, today’s students are the first generation that cannot trust everything they read and hear.
Are online predators a concern?
There are over 780,000 registered sexual predators in the US. An estimated 100,000 have been lost in the system. We do not know where they are. Yet one of six teenagers is willing to meet someone they’ve only talked to online. Predators are real and they are out there looking for our kids.
Are we being tracked through our “digital footprint”?
Every single time you touch your phone or your device you are being tracked by someone. They are tracking every move you make. Also, your online actions have real world consequences. Once you post something online, you can’t take it back. What you post could have a “bigger” audience than you think.
What are some common mistakes kids make with technology?
The most common poor choices that kids make in a school setting that land them in trouble include, taking pictures in school bathrooms or locker rooms. Threatening harm to the school or other students and “liking” a shooting will also catchy unwanted attention as will posting to internet hate groups. Sharing an image of a teacher or administrator is another big mistake, but by far the most common mistake is inappropriate searches using school technology.
Should we be concerned about online theft?
If you use the web for commerce, there is a very good chance you will be a target. Rarely does anyone go to jail for internet theft as most thieves are from other countries and are never prosecuted, much less even looked for.
How big a concern is cyberbullying?
We are much more willing to write something in a text or an email that we would never say in person. Texts and emails are forwarded constantly. Spoken conversations are not. When you write something down it is permanent and can be used against you.