4 HIDALGO COUNTY HERALD FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2011 LMS hosts Summer Technology Camp This summer over 110 students grades K-5 registered for Lordsburg Municipal Schools' 2011 Tech- nology Camp. Students learned how to Use and care for mini laptops, created graphic art designs on their name tags and tee-shirts, geocached for treasures, built and launched TOCkets, visited the Huston Space Center via video conference, and created digital stories. These stories can be viewed at http:// techsummercamp 2011. pbworks.com. The Tech Camp also provided a total of ten teachers with in-depth training on technology integration into their curriculum areas. A,T, DISPOSAL, INC, For your Residential & Commercial needs PO Box 2222 Deming NM 88031 Phone: 575-542-8708 Submitted by BRENDA RICHARDSONILMS Teaching kids online security basics Information courtesy WI-POWER HIGH-SPEED INTERNET If you're a parent, you can help your kids use the Internet safely by teaching some basic rules. Here are some basic lessons that parents can help their kids learn. 1. Encourage kids to keep passwords secret Kids create online user names and passwords for school, game websites, social network- ing, posting photos, shopping, and more. According to a study by Teen Angels of Wired Safety.org, 75-percent of 8- to 9-year aids shared passwords with someone else, and 66 per- cent of girls, grades 7-12, said they shared their password with someone else. The first rule of Internet safety is: keep passwords secret. Encourage kids to treat their pass- words with as much care as the information that they protect. Here are some rules that kids should know and follow. o Don't reveal passwords to others. Keep your passwords hidden, even from friends. o Protect recorded pass- words. Be careful where you store passwords that you record or write down. Don't store pass- words in your backpack or wal- let. Don't leave records of your passwords anywhere that you would not leave the information that the passwords protect. Don't store your passwords on a file in your computer. Criminals look there first. o Never provide your password over email or in re- sponse to an email request. This includes requests from trusted sites that you might visit all the time. Fraudsters often create fake email messages with loges and language from real sites. o Do not type passwords on computers that yQu,do. ,not control.:, Don't ,use thdse-orhiant- e_rs for any, acc0unt that requires a user name and password. Crimi- nals can purchase keystroke log- ging devices for very little money and they take only a few moments to install. With these devices ma- licious users can gather informa- tion typed on a computer from across the Internet. 2. Help your kids use social networking safely Your kids may use social net- working sites designed for chil- dren such as Webkinz or Club Penguin, or sites designed for adults such as Windows Live Spaces, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, and others. Kids should understand that many of these social networking sites can be viewed by anyone with access to the Internet. As a result, some of the information they post can make them vulner- able to phishing scumS, cyberbullying, and Internet predators.. a. Communicate with kids about their experiences. Encour- age your children to tell you if something they encounter on the Internet makes them feel anxious, uncomfortable, or threatened. b. Establish Internet rules. As soon as your children use the Internet on their own, establish rules for Internet use. These rules should define whether your chil- dren can use social networking sites and how they can use them. c. Ensure your kids follow age limits. The recommended age € Carpet  Commercial € Stucco € Tile  Residential € Cement Work € Roofing € Block Work  Fences ICo.sttnttion 00nil00ets at 00metita I " "Let us build your home., [Jose Retana Office 575-542-3529 1320 W Railway Ave Cell 575-574-2257 I Lordsburg, NM 88045 License #93832 to sign up for social websites is usually 13 and over. If your chil- dren are under the recommended age, do not let them use the sites. d. Educate yourself. Evalu- ate the sites that you r child plans to use and make sure both you and your child understand the privacy policy and the code of conduct. e. Teach your children to never meet anyone in person that they've communicated with online only. Kids are in real dan- ger when they meet strangers in person whom they've communi- cated with online only. It might not be enough to simply tell your child not to talk to strangers, be- cause your child might not con- sider someone they've "met" online to be a stranger. f. Encourage your chil- dren to communicate with people they already know. g. Ensure your kids don't use full names. Teach your child to use only a first name or nick- name, but not a nickname that would attract inappropriite atten- tion. h. Be wary of identifiable information in your child's pro- file. Be careful when your chil- dren reveal information that can identify them, such as a school mascot, .a workp!ace, or the name of the town they live in. i. Consider usinga site that is not very public. Some websites allow you to password- protect your site or use other meth- 9ds to help limit viewers to only people your child knows. j. Be smart about details in photographs. Explain to your children that photographs can reveal a lot of personal informa- tion. k. Warn your child about expressing emotions to strangers. Explain to your children that any- one with access to the Internet can read their words and preda- tors often search out emotionally vulnerable kids. 1. Teach your children about cyberbullying. As soon as your children are old enough to use social websites, talk to them about cyberbullying. Ask kids to treat other people the way they would prefer to be treated. m. Remoel your child's page if he/she refuses to follow the rules you've set to help pro- tect their safety and you've at- tempted to help them change their behavior, you can contact the so- cial website your child uses and ask them to remove the page. 3. If your kids blog, make sure they don't reveal too much The practice of blogging, short for keeping a "web log" or 'online personal journal, has spread like wildfire-especially among teenagers, who sometimes maintain blogs without the knowledge of their parents or guardians. Social networking has now surpassed blogging as the online pastime of choice for most teen- agers, however many kids still blog on their social networking website. Recent studies show that teenagers write roughly half of all blogs today, with two out of three providing their age, three out of five revealing their location and contact information, and one in five revealing their full name. There are risks in sharing detailed personal information. Although keeping a blog of- fers potential benefits including improved writing skills and com- munication, it's important to edu- cate your kids about the Internet and blogging before they begin- much like completing driving school before driving a car. Here are a few suggestions to get started: a. Establish rules for online use with your kids and be dili- gent. b. Screen what your kids plan to post before they post it. c. Ask yourself (and instruct your kids to do the same) if you are you comfortable showing any of the content to a stranger. If in doubt, have them take it out. d. Evaluate the blogging service and find out if it offers pri- vate, password-pro- tected blogs. e. Save the web address of your child's blog and review it on a regu!ar basis. f. Check out other blogs to find positive examples for your kids to emulate. 4. Beware of online fraud According to the Federal Trade Commission, 31 percent of reported victims of identity theft are young people. Teenagers make attractive targets because they have good credit ratings and little debt, and they tend to be less savvy than adults about how to keep personal information se- cure. Some things that your chil- dren should know in order to be smart consumers and avoid online fraud a. Never share personal in- formation. Don't give out per- sonal information, such as your . full,name or hometown, in an in- stant message (IM) or a chat room unless you are certain of the iden- tity of the person with whom you are chatting. b. Log off in public. If you use computers in a library or Internet cafe, log off completely before you leave. You don't know what software is installed on these computers or what it does and it might have keystroke tracking software installed. c. Create secure passwords and keep them secret. For more information see item 1 above. d. Use only secure sites. If your kids shop on the web, they should be sure the URL of any site where they enter financial information begins with https:// and features a yellow lock icon in the bottom right corner or a green address bar. They can click the icon or address bar to check thesecurity certificate for the site. e. Recognize and report fraud. Teach your kids about the warning signs of identity fraud: preapproved credit card offers, calls from collection agencies, or unfamiliar financial statements. If your child suspects identity fraud, take action immediately to limit the damage. Contact their credit card company, banks, all three credit reporting agencies, and the police. Close any fraudulent ac- counts, and tell them to change their passwords for all online ac- counts. Keep records of all actions that you've taken. \\; Call u s today // .0.  ....4J- . for a free estimate /1 /  l If l I I \\;on r'epl&ement. / • - lit Ill • -_ I Im • • 00000000PYI00AMm_ AUTO CLASS // / 1" \\; ",For all your auto glass needs! ELBROCK WATER SYSTEMS, LLC General Contractors *Pump & Windmill repair & installation *Septic Systems serviced & installed *Metal Building construction *Roofing & Concrete work West Highway 9 Edward Elbrock PO Box 50 575-548-2429 Animus, NM 88020 Cell 575-538-1812 We now accept Mastercard & Visa SEPTIC TANK SERVICES Septic Tank Installation [] Septic Tank Pumping & Inspections [] Portable Toilet Rentals & Service [] Septic Tank Treatment Products Elbrock Water Systems, LLC BONDED & INSURED 575-548-2429 su LIC. #810070-MS03 575.557-2291 AZ LIC. #194466-K-80 ELBROCK DRILLING, LLC [1 . EO. 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