This is a topic that should be discussed at home about why cheating is harmful to the person who gives and receives the answers and what the long term effects could be. 

Fight High-Tech Cheating (Before It Starts)

 

A friend of mine was helping her daughter with her homework when they got to some challenging word problems that neither of them could solve. My friend's Facebook page was open, so she posted the questions to her friends — and immediately received the answers. Problem solved? Hardly. When the results came through, it occurred to my friend: Am I cheating?

The ease and immediacy of digital devices — cell phones, smart phones, Internet access, and social networks — allow us to get answers quickly and efficiently without having to do a lot of work. And if it's a gray area for parents, it's really shady for kids.

A 2009 Common Sense Media poll revealed that lots of kids are doing exactly what my friend did. Plus, they're texting each other answers during tests, using notes and information stored on their cell phones during tests, and downloading papers from the Internet to turn in as their own work. And, while my friend felt conflicted, many students don't consider their actions to be cheating at all.

How do you make the shades of gray more black and white?

How to Talk to Kids About Cheating

 

1. Is it a shortcut or a cheat? A kid who knowingly tries to pass off someone else's work as his own is cheating. If he takes a shortcut — say, doing research on Wikipedia rather than at the library — that's an error in judgment about the trustworthiness of Wikipedia's material. In this case, kids should understand that Wikipedia isn't the same as an original source.

2. Is it a "cheat" or a gimme? The term "cheat" has become a part of the culture. Game developers plant "cheats" in their games to reward kids who are savvy enough to find out the cheat codes. But "cheat" in this case isn't really accurate. Games are intentionally designed with these built-in rewards to add an extra challenge. Kids should understand the distinction — game cheats are a ploy, but there's no secret code that unlocks your homework.

3. Is it collaborating or cheating? Texting the answers to someone taking a test is cheating, and your child's school surely has a policy against it. But other forms of communication — like collaborating via IM on Facebook with friends – might actually be OK because they help kids work out problems together. As long as the teacher approves and your kids understand the ground rules around not stealing others' answers or giving away their own, a little IMing during homework time — for help, not full-scale answer delivery — is probably OK.

4. What technology is OK to use for school? Don't let the technology — or the anonymity — of some of these methods get in the way of talking about cheating. Cheating means taking credit for something you didn't do or giving your own answers away. Where and how it's done doesn't matter. Follow your school's policy on the use of digital devices.

5. How did you feel when you did it? That sinking feeling my friend had when her Facebook friends solved the word problems? That was her conscience. Kids have a sense of right and wrong, but they need a lot of reminders to do the right thing. One ally you have is kids' desire to make their own choices. In this case, the choice is literally in their hands. They can create an honest, open Internet and mobile world, or they can create one in which they'll always have to be suspicious of what they find and who they know.

How do you feel about kids looking to Facebook and other friends to find the answers to a problem, is that cheating or is it using technology to their benefit.  As computers become more and more of our life, is it proper to allow kids to learn how to research a difficult problem on the internet and seek advice from their peers?  An in person study group shares answers and ideas and concepts, is Facebook any different than that?  

How Do I Teach My Child About Personal Safety?
By Nancy McBride, National Safety Director

Many parents and guardians feel challenged to keep their children safer in our fast-paced and global society. They may wonder at what age they can begin teaching their children about personal safety.

Unfortunately, “one size” doesn’t fit all. A child’s ability to understand safety skills and put them into practice is determined not just by age, but also by the child’s educational and developmental levels.To truly learn new safety skills, children need to model, rehearse and practice the skills to incorporate them into their daily lives.

• Speak to your child in a calm and reassuring way. Fear is not an effective teaching tool; confidence is.

   

• Speak openly about safety issues. If you approach child safety openly, your children will be more likely to come to you with problems or concerns. 

   

• Don’t confuse children by warning against “strangers.” Danger to children is much greater from someone you or they know than from a “stranger.”

   

• Teach children that no one has the right to force, trick, or pressure them into doing things they don’t want to do.

   

• Practice safety skills by creating “what if” scenarios. An outing to a mall or the park can serve as a chance for children to practice safety skills, such as checking with you before they go anywhere or do anything, and locating adults who can help if they need assistance.

   

• Supervise your children. It is vital to their protection and safety. Children should not be put in the position of making safety choices if they are not old enough or skilled enough to make those choices.

   

• Check out adults who have access to your children. The more involved you are in your child’s life, the less likely it is that your child will seek attention from other, potentially dangerous adults. 

Simple Rules for Children When They Need Help

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has a signature safety publication, Knowing My Rules for Safety, to help parents and guardians teach personal safety skills to children. The rules are simple and concise and provide encouragement and options for children who need an adult’s help.
 

Copyright © 2006 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). All rights reserved.

The Cyberbullying Research Center is dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents.  Cyberbullying can be defined as "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices."

"Well i always get bullied and i hate it i feel like killing myself sometimes." (13 year-old girl from Victoria, Australia)

We have included some new reports on Electronic Dating Violence: A Guide for Educators and Parents and Cyberbullying Fact Sheet: Cyberbullying and Sexual Orientation.

Summary Fact Sheet - Cyberbullying: Identification, Prevention, and Response. If you only have time to read one of our pages on Cyberbullying to get up-to-speed about the problem and what you can do, read this one!

COHOES – Everyone at Cohoes High School heard about the Facebook page, but no one knew who created it. It was called 'Cohoes Flame'.

The anonymous creator cut and pasted pictures of Cohoes High Students, and wrote nasty things underneath each picture. "They were just degrading everybody on there, it was ridiculous," said Cohoes High School student Ryan Goergen.

Goergen's name ended up on that page, he never knew who put it there until NewsChannel 13 told him who police arrested, 16-year-old Marquan Mackay-Meggs. "Are you serious? He's my friend. Wow. That's crazy, that's crazy."

Another student held her hand over her mouth in disbelief. "Oh my god, wow. I thought it was someone else," she said.

Cohoes Police spend more than six months investigating this case. Detective Jason Johnston even created a Facebook account to send a message to the then anonymous page creator. "He replied by telling me that if I could prove to him who I was, then he would take the page down,' said Johnston. Detective Johnston then took a different route, contacting Facebook directly.

Eventually the page came down. And, through tracking IP addresses, police found Mackey-Meggs. "He thought he was being funny." . . A neighbor came out, completely shocked to learn why NewsChannel 13 was there. "It's crazy to hear about it, I don't know why he would do that to hurt somebody," said Christina Beliven. "Even my friend was on it and it said how she was nasty and all these hurtful things."

Albany County law makers recently passed a cyber bullying law. This is the first arrest. Cohoes Police Chief William Heslin says he's pleased the case is resolved, but it was extremely draining for a small department to tackle a cyber bullying case. He says cases like this need help from the federal level. "They can pass all the county laws they want, you're still dealing with out of state companies that you need the information from."

May I suggest that you contact your local Congressman and push for a federal level bill against cyber-bullying?

“I blame the parents” is a statement that is often banded about. In a way I can understand the statement as I am often amazed at the amount of teenagers, well those aged between thirteen and fifteen, who are still hanging around when I take my dog for one final walk at around midnight. I would most certainly not allow my kids to be out so late. So why are the parents of these children allowing them to stay out so late?

I certainly do not claim to know all of the answers to this subject. I am purely a web marketer who spends his day promoting a number of websites with regards to subjects such as cost reduction, DVD authoring and stuttering treaments. I therefore am not some kind of expert when it comes to all aspects of bringing up a teenager. I do however have a teenage daughter myself and am trying my best to ensure that she has a happy and as stress free as possible teenage experience.

I try to achieve this by setting certain boundaries. She has certain house choirs including ensuring that her room is kept tidy and she needs to complete all of her homework plus she needs to be back home by 10pm.

She is richly rewarded if she manages to stick to these rules.

There are the old hormones and mood swings to contend with. I try and keep calm when this happens by taking my lovely dog Cassie for a long walk!

“I blame the kids parents” is a famous saying. At times I agree with the statement as I sometimes can not understand the amount of young teenagers who are still out and about late at night. Now there is absolutely no way that I would allow my children to be out that late; I want to make sure that they are tucked safely in bed well before this time. So how come the parents of these teenagers are happy for them to still be out?

I certainly do not claim to have all of the answers. I am purely a web marketer who spends his day promoting a number of websites with regards to subjects such as cost reduction, DVD authoring and stuttering treaments. I therefore am not some kind of expert when it comes to all aspects of bringing up a teenager. I do however have a teenage daughter myself and am trying my best to ensure that she has a happy and as stress free as possible teenage experience.

I attempt to achieve a certain level of harmony by setting a number of house rules. She has to be in by a certain time at night; she needs to ensure that all of her homework is completed before she does venture out; she is asked to keep her room tidy and she is also required to help around the house.

She is richly rewarded if she manages to stick to these rules.

There are the old hormones and mood swings to contend with. I try and keep calm when this happens by taking my lovely dog Cassie for a long walk!