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Cyber IQ: Train the Trainer!

April 5th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | Promote IT - (2 Comments)

cyberIQWe LOVE running programs across the state at all levels – K-12, higher ed and professional. These programs are built on the foundation of IT-oLogy and are used to meet our mission and vision of advancing IT talent. We need your help to make these programs happen! IT-oLogy isn’t about the small (note, I said small) staff, or a building in Columbia, South Carolina. IT-oLogy is about bringing together partners across business and academia to reach our goal. We NEED your help!

In the fall, we introduced CyberIQ

Later this month, we will be hosting two “Train the Trainer” CyberIQ sessions. Are you interested in delivering this program to students or parents in your area? Would you be willing to go out on behalf of IT-oLogy? If so, then this session is for you! So, you don’t live in Columbia? No big deal! We are working to set up teleconferencing in areas where volunteers are!

What will this session be like? It will be short, sweet and filled with all the tools you need to present CyberIQ. We will provide volunteers with a presentation, handouts and a DVD. So…are you in? If so, let Alicia Thibaudet know by emailing her at alicia.thibaudet@it-ology.org!

Scheduled Train the Trainer Sessions:

Monday, April 23rd from 12-12:45
Tuesday, April 24th from 5-5:45

Help us spread the word about online safety!

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Cyber Saturday

February 20th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | Promote IT - (0 Comments)

Hey Middle School Students!

Guess what? We have a program JUST FOR YOU! Join us this Saturday for our Cyber Saturday Kick-Off! We’ll be hosting Cyber Saturday EVERY month! Be on the look-out for more dates! Registration is available now!

Cyber Saturday

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CyberIQ Road Show

December 15th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Promote IT | World of IT - (0 Comments)

CyberIQSome of you may remember the launch of CyberIQ, an event for middle school girls and their parents devoted to cyber safety and awareness. Over the past few years, cyber safety has become a huge issue among children and teenagers. With the introduction of new forms of social communication, including Facebook and Twitter, and new ways to share information, children and teens are running into new dangers. From sexting to cyber bullying, the online world can be a scary place – unless children are given the power to be responsible.

Diedre Murphy, Venue Manager, and I had the unique opportunity to take CyberIQ on the road recently. Last month, we talked with 22 middle school girls from the STEM Girls Club at Chapin Middle. We covered everything from cyber bullying to texting to social netiquette. After that afternoon, we decided more students needed to know how to be in control online. Hence, the CyberIQ Road Show!

This morning, Diedre and I talked to the 5th graders at Satchel Ford Elementary. First, can I say what a COOL school Satchel Ford is?!? The vibe around the school is one of happy children who are excited and eager to learn. We walked in and were greeted by the 1st graders parading through the hall in their holiday-themed pajamas singing “Jingle Bells” on their way to their Polar Express Pajama Party. How much fun! (And I am still waiting for my invitation!) Diedre was thrilled to be back at Satchel Ford – for the first time in a number of years (my lips are sealed). Diedre informed the children there that Satchel Ford is her alma mater, but that she was “old as dirt” and that was forever and a day ago (again, her words, not mine).

We were taken to the library, which is filled with bright colors and sea creatures. There, we met over 100 bright and eager 5th graders. Cyber bullying is an issue that begins at an age that gets younger and younger, and does not stop, no matter how old you get. Cyber bullying is a real issue that affects not only the child being bullied, but can have an impact on his/her family, friends, school life and more. We were there to educate these young children on cyber bullying and give them the power to stop it. We spent an hour talking openly as a group about examples of cyber bullying, how to handle a cyber bully, what to do if you see someone else being cyber bullied and other topics related to social networking.

One video we watched (produced by Wired Safety – see link below) gave a very startling fact: 90% of the middle school students they polled say they have had their feelings hurt online, and only 15% of their parents knew about cyber bullying.

Cyber bullying is a real issue today. It’s not in a school in a different town or a different state. It happens here – in your hometown, in your child’s school. How do we stop it? We need to give children the power to stop it – and that power is knowledge. Parents and children need to know about cyber bullying, its dangers and how to stop it. Here’s a brief look at cyber bullying, and how you can learn more.

So, what is cyber bullying?
“Cyber bullying is bullying that happens online. It can happen in an email, a text message, an online game or on a social networking site. It might involve rumors or images posted on someone’s profile or passed around for other people to see.” (Source: OnGuard Online)

What are some examples of cyber bullying?

  • posting pictures/videos that are mean or make funny of someone
  • writing mean or hurtful things
  • spreading rumors
  • sending or forwarding mean text messages
  • posting pictures/videos WITHOUT someone’s permission

What makes cyber bullying different from regular bullying?
In a way, cyber bullying can be worse than regular bullying. A bully can be escaped when leaving school (or wherever the incident is taking place). A cyber bully is always there – on social networking sites, through text messages or emails, on YouTube. Cyber bullies are not left behind when the bell rings at the end of the school day. They follow you.

Cyber bullying also spreads quicker than regular bullying. A picture or video is posted that hurts someone’s feelings, and within minutes an entire community is reached through social networking sites. The incident no longer involves just a bully and a victim, but involves the entire community.

What should you/your child do if someone is cyber bullying?

  • Don’t respond or react – bullies are looking for a reaction from their victim.
  • Block or delete the bully.
  • Report abuse to the website where it is taking place.
  • Contact a parent, trusted adult, school official or law enforcement.
  • Be sure to save the evidence!

Often, children are not the cyber bullies themselves, but they witness the bullying taking place. What should a child do in this case? Or a parent? Please, please, please encourage children to tell the bully to stop. If that does not work, tell an adult!

Where are the places most of the cyber bullying is taking place?

  • Social Networking Sites – Sites like Facebook are the most common place for cyber bullies to take control.
  • Video Game Chat Capabilities
  • YouTube – YouTube, a video posting channel, has become a cruel outlet for cyber bullies. Videos are made and posted often making fun of someone or spreading false rumors about the victim.
  • Texting
  • Emails

How can you help? Spread the word about the CyberIQ Road Show! We are here to talk to children and teenagers, as well as parents. We want to take the power away from the bullies. We also emphasize that the child is responsible for their actions – they know there are consequences to what they post online, and they are responsible for those. For more information on the CyberIQ Road Show, contact me at powers.strickland@it-ology.org.

Here are some great resources that you can share with your child, your child’s teacher and other parents on cyber bullying:

  • OnGuard Online: OnGuard Online is a government website providing information on cybersafety. They have a great section dedicated to protecting kids online. You can also order free materials for classes and workshops.
  • stopcyberbullying.org
  • Wired Safety Video: This is a great video with real interviews with real teenagers who have been cyber bullied.

Join us in the mission to promote cyber safety!

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cyberIQ – What an event!

September 12th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined | Promote IT | World of IT - (0 Comments)

 cyberIQWow! I cannot say enough about how amazing the cyberIQ workshop that took place at IT-oLogy this past Saturday was. IT-oLogy teamed up with the Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands, as well as volunteers from SCANA, Sandhills School, AAC/Department of Education and BlueCross BlueShield of SC, to bring a workshop on cyber safety and awareness to middle school girls and their parents. Over 60 middle school girls and their parents spent their Saturday morning learning about social networking, cyber bullying, mobile devices and the dangers that are out there.

A huge thank you goes out to Deputy Tapler with the Richland County Sherriff’s Department, Rick and Cammi Stilwell, Dr. Joe Holt, Tran Nuyen with Verizon, Investigator Narewski with the City of Columbia Police Department, MariClare Martin and Grace Hunter. We are especially grateful for Representative Laurie Funderburk taking time out of her schedule present the keynote on cyber safety and what she is doing to help protect our girls.

I also would like to recognize the hardworking, dedicated group of volunteers who made this event happen. Without them, cyberIQ would not have been possible. Thank you to Martha Bode and Nicole Talton, SCANA; Christy Hall and Earnestine Beatty, Girl Scouts volunteers; Anne Vickers, Sandhills School; Deb Huggins, AAC/Department of Education; Lowndes MacDonald, DP Professionals; and Carol Wallace, BlueCross BlueShield of SC. I would also like to recognize the time, talent and resources dedicated to cyberIQ by Lee Morriss and Susan Schneider, Girl Scouts SC – MM, and Diedre Murphy, IT-oLogy.

Why was this workshop important? Here are a few facts from www.commonsensemedia.org:

  • Facebook has more than 500 million registered users (Facebook, 2010). If it were a country, it would have the third largest population in the world.
  • 73% of 12- to 17-year-olds have at least one social networking profile(Pew, 2010).
  • 22% of teens check social networks 10 or more times per day (Common Sense Media, 2009).
  • 54% of teens have joined an online community or social network group in support of a cause they care about (Common Sense Media, 2009).
  • 48% of Facebook-using parents with kids under 18 are “friends” with their teens on Facebook (Retrevo, 2010).
  • More than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) are shared on Facebook each month (Facebook, 2010).

 What did the girls and parents get out of cyberIQ? A LOT! Teens today live digital lives. Relationships are cultivated and managed via social networking, the internet and cell phones. Learning is done by interacting and connecting online. Cell phones are an everyday part of life for many teenagers. Living digitally is not a bad thing or a scary thing. We just want teens to know there can be dangers, they need to stay safe and they need to know what consequences are out there. Parents: the digital world is not a scary place! It holds great opportunity for children to learn, connect and interact. We want you to know what’s out there so you can have a real conversation with your child on how to play safe in the cyber world.

What do we want to see as the outcome of cyberIQ? We hope we started real conversations about staying safe online! Teens, talk to your peers and your parents. Parents, talk to your teens. Establish guidelines and rules that you both will follow. Respect each other, but understand the need for safety. An online pledge is a GREAT way to get started!   We also got a lot of great feedback on how to make the sessions more interactive next time!

 In the meantime, be sure to check out the following resources for great information:

 Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org)

Great resources for parents, teens and educators on all things digital! Parents – do you need Facebook 101? Check it out here: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/facebook-parents.

Pew Internet (http://pewinternet.org)

 Cybersmart (www.cybersmart.gov.au)

The FTC has a number of resources available for both teens and parents! Check out their list of recommended websites, as well as order their free materials: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm.

Some cyber bullying resources:

http://abcfamily.go.com/movies/cyberbully

http://a.media.abcfamily.go.com/a/media/pdf/ABCF_Cyberbully_ConvGuide_plot%20specific_fnl.pdf

http://www.stompoutbullying.org/aboutbullying.php

Information on Geotagging:

http://icanstalku.com/why.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotagging

Stay tuned for more information in the near future regarding a resource page on the IT-oLogy website that will include presentations, links and more on cyber safety!

Want cyberIQ to come to your part of South Carolina? Let us know! We are currently working to scale this workshop across the state, and are in need of volunteers and sponsors to make it happen! Contact Powers Strickland, Communications Manager @ IT-oLogy, at powers.strickland@it-ology.org today!

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cyberIQ: Promoting Safe Online Surfing

September 1st, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in IT-oLogy Defined | Promote IT - (0 Comments)

cyberIQIT-oLogy and Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands have teamed up to bring cyberIQ to Columbia on Saturday, September 10th. cyberIQ is a grassroots campaign founded by IT-oLogy and GSSC-MM to encourage middle school girls to surf the cyber world safely and to educate parents on the importance of cyber safety.

Today’s technologies offer many opportunities for girls to connect, interact and learn. The cyberIQ workshop will be geared towards middle school girls and a parent or guardian. The keynote will be given by Representative Laurie Slade Funderburk, District 52 – Kershaw County. Topics will include social networking, cyber bullying, mobile devices and online dangers and how to report it. Cyber industry experts will be on hand to speak to both girls and parents, as well as to present tips and how-tos.

“Promoting online safety to students and adults is critically important because anyone can fall victim to cyber abuse,” says Representative Laurie Funderburk. “In particular, online bullying is a serious and growing problem. Effective prevention is the key to protecting yourself and will be the focus of the cyberIQ workshop.”

The free workshop will take place on Saturday, September 10th from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at IT-oLogy, located at 1301 Gervais Street, Suite 200. For more information or to register, please visit www.it-ology.org. Follow cyberIQ on Twitter and find cyberIQ on Facebook. at For sponsorship or workshop information, please contact Powers Strickland at powers.strickland@it-ology.org.

For 99 years, Girl Scouting has helped girls develop positive values and become active, responsible leaders in their communities. With emphasis on personal growth and leadership development through service to others, Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands serves approximately 12,500 girls, grades K5-12, and 5,000 adults in 22 counties of central and western South Carolina, including Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurents, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter and Union.

IT-oLogy is a non-profit collaboration of businesses, academic institutions and other organizations dedicated to growing the IT talent pipeline, fostering economic development and advancing the IT profession. IT-oLogy is doing this through three major initiatives: Promote IT (K-12 schools), Teach IT (Higher Education) and Grow IT (Professionals and Businesses).

For more information about IT-oLogy, visit www.it-ology.org or contact Powers Strickland at 803.354.5735 or powers.strickland@it-ology.org.

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A Generation Leading Digital Lives

August 23rd, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined | World of IT - (0 Comments)

cyberIQSocial media has taken over our lives. Whether we are tweeting about something funny that happened, or we are posting a work-related video on YouTube, we are constantly leading digital lives. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn have begun to be a part of our work and social worlds. I believe it is with my generation that the birth of the social media world has taken off. My parents and grandparents did not grow up living in a digital world. They grew up in a world of snail mail and expensive long distance calls. I grew up in a world where today’s technology was finding its ground – bulky cell phones, flat screen TV’s and laptop computers.

It’s the generation after me that is now leading a digital life. Cell phones are part of a child’s world at a young age; toddlers know how to work a cable box better than I do. Video games, cell phone apps and iPads are a normal part of life for an elementary school child. Wow! It amazes me how far we’ve come over such a short period. I have to ask myself, “How does leading a digital life change the way generations learn, connect and interact?”

Students no longer turn to encyclopedias and books for their information – those are out of date by the time they are printed. Instead, they turn to Google and Yahoo, looking for the newest, most up-to-date answer with the stroke of a few keys. Communication between friends and family is no longer through snail mail and phone calls. Instead, text messages are sent quickly, and Twitter and Facebook are means of communication. Students learn and communicate much differently than I did, or my parents did. Because they are born into a digital world, they learn through the technology that surrounds them daily.

Did you know that:

“77% of 8- to 15-year-olds said they’d rather give up TV than give up the Internet?” (Pangea Media and YPulse, 2009)

“1 in 5 kids 8 to 17 say they do things online that their parents would not approve of.” (Norton Online Living Report, 2007)

“75% of 12 to 17 year olds own cell phones and 88% of them use text messaging.” (Pew, 2010)

“93% of teenagers surf the web.” (Common Sense Media)

Today’s technology offers so many opportunities for teens to learn, interact and connect. It is important to have a conversation with children about staying safe while learning and communicating. IT-oLogy has joined forces with Girl Scouts – Mountains to Midlands to provide a half-day, hands-on workshop for middle school girls and their parents on cyber safety and awareness.

Topics include social networking, cyber bullying, mobile devices and online dangers and how to report it. We will have experts from the cyber industry on hand with information, tips and how-to’s. Representative Laurie Funderburk will also be presenting the keynote.

cyberIQ Blast

cyberIQ is a grassroots campaign to encourage middle school girls to surf the cyber world safely, and to educate parents on the importance of cyber safety. The cyberIQ campaign is powered by the Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands and IT-oLogy.

Visit www.it-ology.org for more information or to register. Questions? Email us at info@it-ology.org or call us at 803.354.5730.

A few good resources out there for you and your child to use to learn more about cyber safety:

  • The Federal Trade Commission has great resources you can order for yourself and your teen, as well as community guides.
  • Common Sense Media is a fantastic website filled with cyber safety, texting and other information for parents and educators.
  • cyberIQ Facebook and Twitter pages will have more information coming over the next few weeks and months!

See you on September 10th!

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