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11/5/02 – The National School Boards Foundation and America Online have joined in a partnership to protect children's safety online. The project, called Safety Clicks!, involves an instant messaging robot that will chat with and answer questions from young Internet users.
Children and their parents can place the robot, the AOLSafetyBot, on their AOL buddy lists and chat with it via instant messages (IMs) about online safety.
The use of IMs means they can get real-time responses to their questions about online safety 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"If you want to reach kids, you have to speak in their language, and kids today chat through the cadence of clicking keyboards," says AOL chair and CEO Jon Miller. "We believe that the AOLSafetyBot will serve as a virtual crossing guard to help children learn how to stay safe online."
Among the safety tips for children: Never give your name, phone number, password, or other personal information on the Internet; never accept downloads from people you meet online; and tell an adult if someone says something online that makes you feel uncomfortable.
The Safety Clicks! programs also includes these components:
• A seven-minute video with guidelines for online safety will be distributed to the school board chair and superintendent of all National Affiliate school districts. The video, produced in cooperation with the Cartoon Network, features boy genius Dexter and his sister Dee Dee from the TV series "Dexter's Laboratory."
• National Affiliates will receive a brochure, which can also be downloaded from the Web, with six important tips about online safety for parents and children, as well as additional resources for families and educators.
• A Web site features information and games for children, an animated version of the AOL SafetyBot, and resources for parents and educators.
• A series of online public service announcements across the AOL service will reinforce the key safety messages communicated through the AOLSafetyBot, video, and brochure.
• A 4-foot-tall AOLSafetyBot will tour the country this fall to teach children about online safety. The tour is sponsored by the AOL Broadband service with Time Warner Cable.
"When it comes to keeping children safe online, there is no substitute for parental involvement and guidance," says Robin Thurman, director of the National School Boards Foundation. "Integrating technology into school board leadership and community involvement is an important goal of the National School Boards Foundation, and our Safety Clicks! campaign is a key means to ensure that it is integrated safely."
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| Reproduced with permission from the Nov. 5, 2002, issue of School Board News. Copyright © 2002, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. | |