catsoninternet

Parents on the Internet: Presentation Outline

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I. Images for the Internet -which is closest to your experience? mouse art by Katie Boucher

cyberspace, library, public forum, tool, information highway,

“galaxy of sight and sound,” global threshold, new frontier, riding a wave

Apply Scriptural analogy -“put out into the deep” (Luke 5:4) by surfing with Jesus

II. Adult, parent and child uses differ – based in values, technological skill, personality, goals like:

Leisure, work, social networking (Facebook, My Space, Webkinz), learning, communication

III. Explore the Internet with a WHISK -- useful process for adults and young people

WHAT am I looking for? Focus in on a topic and use: background information for self-enrichment, place to pray

(sacred space), resources to share with young people --photos, video, connections with others

HOW am I going to look? Finding a site –Search engines and information architecture, techniques for navigating a site,

using links, site maps, graphic organizers

Tutorials: http://www.learnwebskills.com/search/main.html

Information I found it! How much is too much or too little? When to stop.

Says who! Rely on trusted sites, values, criteria for choosing pieces of information

http://edselect.com/web_Site_evaluation.htm

Trash or Treasure; Teaching Students How to Evaluate Internet Resources

Keep it! Use bookmarks, monitor what kids are keeping [and not just viewing] www.safekids.com

IV. Internet as part of a media culture inhabited by young people, visited by elders

Redefines relationship to time, knowledge and space. Will it redefine worship?

Young people gather around broad array of media instead of a fireplace or just a TV

Cultural shift toward global environment, yet from a subjective point of view

Challenge for all generations --promote balanced use, versus addiction and isolation

Moral questions that require parental involvement, and fostering of explicit gospel values

Can be a place of charity(www.thehungersite.com) or an agent of social justice (www.climatecrisis.net/

and www.povertyUSA.org)

V. Internet as a means of communication: communication between young people and families, information within parish, anonymous spiritual seeking, interaction with other believers, building of learning communities, prayer sites [e-mail for elderly, chat, instant messaging, podcasts, message boards]

Issues of control [content & time spent], monitoring use, filters, check out kid’s home page, email addressbook

Almost two-thirds of parents report monitoring Web sites their teenagers visit, according to a survey released by the

Pew Internet & American Life Project (2005).

More than one in five (22%) 13-17 year olds said their parents or guardians have never discussed Internet

safety with them.

B. Occasional side-by-side use nd learning, EX: http://www.timeforkids.com/

Promote broad range of entertainment and relaxation choices

Be aware of moral problems and dangers online: drugs, pornography, cell phones, IMing

VI. Resources:

http://www.cyberfaith.com/ Sadlier – good resources, lesson plans, tutorials and links

www.catechist.com article archive, discussions, catechist formation

http://www.myfriendmagazine.com/ magazine for children, saint spotlights

www.realfaithtv.com teen talk shows offering insights on a wide variety of topics

www.osv.com/teachingcatholicyouth/ resources, PDF files from OSV

www.zenit.org/english current news items and interviews from Rome

www.udayton.edu/~vlc/ Virtual Learning Community for Faith Development

www.homefaith.com/ spiritual help for families sponsored by the Claretians

www.pewinternet.org profiles ways the internet is used in the search for faith

http://www.bibleplaces.com/index.htm 6,000 photos

www.sacredspace.ie/ website for daily prayer

http://bible.crosswalk.com/ Bible study website

www.americancatholic.org/ For your own enrichment

http://www.theantidrug.com/E-monitoring/overview.asp Crash Course for Parents on Teens & Technology

http://www.cybersavvy.org/cybersavvy/index.html Get Cyber Savvy! family guide by Direct Marketing Association

http://www.ebizwebpages.com/guide-evaluating-website-info.html -Excellent tool for evaluating website information