Helping Students Stay Focused

Today I had a text from a student who (finally!) has recognized that her laptop is sometimes more of a distraction than a learning tool. In her senior year, she has  ground to make up and she wanted  help to stay connected with her work and disconnected from the things that pull her off track. She asked me if I could block a particular site that drags her off course.

I’ve played with the parental controls on the laptops and have found that when it comes to blocking websites, parental controls do more harm than good. For some reason, the parental controls DO block the websites we put in…and then they go a bit further and block ALL secure websites (those with https in the beginning of the address.) This makes it nearly impossible to use the internet- defeating the purpose of the controls in the first place.

And truthfully, it’s important for HER to regulate her internet use. I can clamp down the internet but it won’t keep her off her phone or her friend’s computer. She has to realize that the power to control herself lies ultimately within her- but it’s ok to add the needed supports.

And so rather than take her laptop and do unnecessary surgery, I pointed her towards the Chrome WebStore. A search of the webstore produced a number of apps and extensions that students can use to help keep themselves off of distracting sites. Here are a few that I like:

Strict Workflow– allows students to block sites for a particular time period, give themselves a break, then block them again. The default is 25 minutes of blocking with 5 minutes of break, but this can be customized as the student wishes. It can also be set so that it only allows certain sites for a time period – for example, a student could ONLY go on a limited list of sites during a 50 minute class period if it was on that setting.

Stay Focused – similar to Strict Workflow, StayFocused allows students to create a list of blocked sites. It allows a lot of customization- for example, there is a nuclear option that allows them to block sites or allow only certain sites, set the time, and go- with no way to cancel it until the time runs out.

Blocksite- like the other two, Blocksite lets a student customize a list of sites that won’t be allowed. The student can set a time to begin blocksite and a time to end it. In addition, Blocksite gives the option of creating a list of words that can’t be searched.

All of these tools are free. They are installed and controlled by the student.
They can just as easily  be uninstalled by the student. They don’t give teachers any control whatsoever- which is a good thing. What these tools DO give teachers is the opportunity to take advantage of a teachable moment. Telling a student who is addicted to Facebook to “just stay off of it” isn’t going to work. Nor is trying to watch their every move.  There is scientific evidence from brain researchers that says there is a chemical change in the brain that makes us seek the attention we get from others in social media. It’s OK for kids to understand that sometimes they don’t have the willpower to stay focused on a difficult task. I’ve used these tools myself to save myself from getting sucked into Facebook rather than doing homework.

I’m sending a link to this post to all of the students in grades 6-12. When the time comes, remind them that they have the ability to self-monitor themselves.

Opening the Discussion about Responsible Media Use

The middle school curriculum for tech class focuses heavily on online safety and the development of responsible digital citizens. This is a time when students begin to break away from their parents, and for some children, a time when they may not disclose everything to them.

It can be a frustrating time for parents who wonder just what happened to those sweet elementary kids who used to live with them! Trust me- the wonderful part of them is still there. We just sometimes have to dig a little farther to find it. Continued involvement and conversation are key.

I want to point you to a site called Commonsense Media– a very valuable resource in discovering what middle school kids are apt to want to do online. It also has reviews of movies based on their appropriateness by age. It has a Family Media Agreement– a document that can be used as a contract or as a starting point for important discussions between children and parents about media use.

It’s important to keep these conversations going as they move on to high school. Staying connected is very important, regardless of how much they kick and scream about their need for privacy. 

The site also has good resources for educators to use if they want to integrate digital citizenry into classroom conversations and activities.

My Kids Know More Than I Do: Help for Parents

Parenting a teen can be a rough road. The school has given your child a laptop. He or she has convinced you that they need a cell phone and they have also negotiated for texting and data services. You put in wireless internet so the laptop can be used anywhere in the house- or you live close enough to someone who has that your child uses their network.

 

All of a sudden it dawns on you – I don’t know what they are doing! I hope they are ok. But how do I know?

 

The teen years are not always a time of great self-disclosure. If they could put up a tangible perimeter fence, many would. And electrify it if possible. We are expected to have the checkbook at the ready and not to ask too many questions…like, why do you have to be online all the time? Who are you talking to? Do you sleep?

 

The reality is that as a parent, you DO need to know what your child is doing online. The technology continues to grow exponentially and it isn’t going away. At this point, any conversation about online safety needs to include cell phones as well, as the lines between personal computers, cell phones, and iPods are becoming increasingly blurred. Most cell phones allow students to take and send photos. The Apple iTouch is a pocket computer. The iPhone? Everything all in one- phone, internet, iPod. We are not far off from the time when a student can have a laptop that goes through a filtering service and a phone that connects via your cellphone provider’s satellite- offering the world, uncensored.

 

 At HDHS, we drive home the point that students have no expectation of privacy on their laptops. They can be and are checked randomly and regularly by staff and administration. Students are expected to follow the accceptable use policies that they signed and agreed to. Phones and iPods are not monitored by staff. This is where you come in!

 

You can be a part of this from home. Here are some guidelines for parents in dealing with laptops once they reach your house:

 

1. Start the conversation about good digital citizenry and keep talking. Let them know your expectations. Talk to them about the problems with posting inappropriate photos and comments on social networks. Encourage them to KNOW the people they talk to online. The idea of “friends” has changed drastically since we were in high school. 

 

2. Establish useage zones in your home.  No teacher will ever assign a project that needs to be done in the student’s room…with the door shut…late at night. Having the computer used in a common area (albeit a calm, quiet one) can do a lot to help your child stay within acceptable parameters. It also lets you see what they are doing.

 

3. Give the laptop a bedtime. Sometimes kids can’t disconnect. The fear of missing part of a conversation or a Facebook update or whatever vital piece of that evening’s social fabric may keep a kid connected well into the wee hours of the morning. Ditto trying to beat that one last level of a game. Establish time limits for your child. If actually removing the laptop from their hands is problematic, then limit when your child has internet access. Most service providers have parental controls built in that you are already paying for. They will teach you how to enable them. (This does mean, however, that YOU may not have internet access either.) 

 

4. Read the details of your cell phone bill. These bills contain a wealth of information about your child’s activity. You can see who your child is calling/texting, and when. Are they on the phone all night? Check for data transfers and downloads. Ask what they are sending and receiving. You are paying the bill – you should know what you are letting your kids have! Perhaps the cell phone needs a bedtime as well.

 

5. Learn to check the internet history. The laptops at HDHS use Safari for internet surfing and are filtered both at home and at school via our proxy server. This does not mean that everything that kids shouldn’t see is blocked! Students are notoriously good at getting around things. Check the history and see what they are doing and when. And – if the history is erased, this is a great opportunity to begin a conversation about why.

 

5. Determine ahead of time how you will react if and when your child slips up. It can sometimes be shocking to discover what they are up to. When you are upset with your child is not the time to mete out punishments (I was apt to want to take away everything but inhaling when I was upset!). Let your children know the consequences of GOOD behavior online as well as “bad.” Then stick to it.

Common Sense Tips for Digital Generation Parents | Edutopia

Common Sense Tips for Digital Generation Parents | Edutopia

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