What’s New? – Page 7 – Siouxland Modern Media Committee

06Jul 2020 by nrcmmc

Online Education & Learning Resources

Resources

One of the goals of our Modern Media Committee is to promote the positive aspects of the internet. We often focus, and rightly so, on the dangers of the world wide web and social media, but there are also many benefits to being connected to the world through the internet. One of these benefits, as many of us experienced when schools were shut down, is the plethora of online learning and educational sites that are available for all ages. Whether you want to top up your knowledge on a subject or learn a completely new skill, there is no shortage of online courses to help you on your way. In fact, there are so many choices, it can be difficult to figure out which platform suits you best! The webpage…

06Jul 2020 by nrcmmc

7 Tactics of Online Predators

Hazards

With an increased amount of time being spent on the internet during the time of quarantine - whether for homeschool or homework, increased opportunities for online predators to trap our children arise. We may believe that we are there monitoring our children and seeing what they are doing every moment, but we must be honest with ourselves. Our children have access to computers and media, even when we are not watching. They become more comfortable using the devices because of the necessity it became during homeschooling. As a result, we may see their curiosity rise and their interaction with the internet increase also. Our resources of online learning sky-rocketed during ‘stay home’ orders, and we are thankful for the resource that the internet became in helping our children to continue…

08Jun 2020 by nrcmmc

The Other Pandemic has Exploded

Hazards

The Modern Media Committee of Lethbridge recently posted a disturbing article about the increase use of pornography in relation to the COVID-19 epidemic. On March 13, a popular porn site announced they were giving users in Italy free access with subscriber privileges to their content. Then they did the same with France and Spain. Italy’s porn downloads shot up 57%, France’s 38%, and Spain’s 61%. Their traffic from Europe, Canada, and the US have steadily climbed this month.On March 17 this same site announced that worldwide porn downloads were up 26.4%. In just one month. To put this in perspective, their 2019 Year in Review revealed that the site was visited 42 billion times in 2019—that’s 115 million searches a day. Remember, this is from just one site; there are thousands…

08Jun 2020 by nrcmmc

Google Safe Search

Tutorials

GOOGLE SAFE SEARCH Google offers a feature that may help deter explicit material that can come up on your screen when your child is doing a simple Google search for homework. To make sure Google Safe Search is enabled, open your Google search screen. You must be signed into your Google account for this to work effectively. Looking at the screenshot below, on the bottom right, is the settings tab, click that to open, click on Search Settings. It opens the following screen. Be sure the “Turn On SafeSearch” is checkmarked. Scroll down and hit SAVE!! Another feature of safe search, it will decrease the amount of inappropriate images. Do a google search, click the IMAGES tab, right beside the All. On the RIGHT of the screen you should…

06May 2020 by nrcmmc

How Much is TOO MUCH Sharing?

Apps, Guidelines, Hazards

OVERSHARING?Anna updated her status:“Looking for ideas on what to do this weekend while my parents are out of town, input?”Sam shared a picture:“Her curls bounce all over as she’s walking! She is just so cute taking her first steps, we’re so proud!”Anita checked in at ‘Trampoline Park Craze’“This is one 7 year old birthday party my daughter and I will never forget! Let’s JUMP!”Sharing our activities, families, and looking for advice are just a few things that we naturally do as a society these days. It’s our way of connecting with the world and being social with each other. Physically being with our family members and friends isn’t always possible, so it is nice to have the resource of technology to share these updates and receive quick feedback.Until the sharing…

06May 2020 by nrcmmc

Vault Apps – Are They Hiding Something?

Apps, Reviews

VAULT APPS - Are They Hiding Something? At first glance one sees a calculator and music app--normal apps found on a cell phone, right? However, this is an easy way to hide pictures and videos from your typical photo gallery. They are also used to hide chats, searches,downloads within various apps. With a quick Google search, there are You-Tube videos and articles suggesting the best apps available to conceal photos or other information on your cell phone. While some articles boast of the importance of hiding your personal information, credit card information, media files under these vault apps (also called ghost or disguised apps), simple safety settings on your cell phone can do the same. The most common use for these is to hide inappropriate cell phone pictures/videos or shared…

06May 2020 by nrcmmc

Phishing – Don’t take the Bait!

Guidelines, Hazards, Tutorials

What is phishing? Phishing is a cyber attack that uses disguised email as a weapon. The goal is to trick the email recipient into believing that the message is something they want or need — a request from their bank, for instance, or a note from someone in their company — and to click a link or download an attachment. Learn about the purpose behind phishing attempts and how to identify them to avoid getting scammed. Purpose of phishing If there's a common denominator among phishing attacks, it's the disguise. The attackers spoof their email address so it looks like it's coming from someone else, set up fake websites that look like ones the victim trusts, and use foreign character sets to disguise URLs. Phishing attempts may be aimed at…

07Apr 2020 by nrcmmc

What is Zoom?

Apps, Reviews, Tutorials

What is Zoom? Zoom is a platform that offers remote conferencing by combining video conferencing, online meetings, chat, mobile collaboration. It can be utilized by anyone and is free for meetings that have less than 100 participants and have duration of 40 minutes or less. You will have to set up an account. A guide for doing this is located here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360034967471-Quick-start-guide-for-new-users#h_b0c98dfa-d90f-486d-9617-71ab7b41a273 A guide for hosting a meeting for family and friends is located here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362613-How-Do-I-Host-A-Video-Meeting- If you have been sent a meeting invite, a guide for joining the meeting can be located here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting As always there are some safety tips to keep in mind when utilizing Zoom. USA Today did an excellent job of summarizing some safety tips. Here is the link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/04/02/how-to-keep-zoombombing-hackers-away-zoom-safety-tips/5113080002/. Please review it before using zoom.Additionally, always remember to be…

06Apr 2020 by nrcmmc

Social Media Time Limits

Apps, Hazards, Tutorials

"I can't believe how much time I waste on Facebook," a friend told me. "I really should just get rid of it." My friend isn't alone. Plenty of people feel they get little value out of social media, and yet they continue to use it more than they would like, often to the detriment of their productivity and their mental and spiritual well-being. Facebook isn't the only offender. People throw their hands up at Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and other apps and websites all the time. Still, not everyone wants to quit social media for good. If you're not willing to quit cold turkey, you can limit the amount of time you spend on social media per day. For example: "I'll spend no more than 10 minutes per day on Facebook," or…

06Apr 2020 by nrcmmc

Socializing Online

Apps, Hazards

Chatting with a few friends on Messenger or What’s App isn’t a harmless way to pass the time. Right? Look at that question from another perspective: Meeting with other friends at one of their homes for a few hours to talk isn’t a harmless way to pass the time. Right? Does one of those questions strike a chord with you more than the other? That could depend on your age. It could depend on what generation you were born in. It could also depend on how you were raised and what you learned as you grew up. As the generation of adults who grew up without the internet ages, the generation of children who grow up knowing nothing but a screen in the face ages as well. We see it…