published on or around the 15th of the month

from the author of www.brightkidsathome.com
January, 2007 volume 1- Issue 5
Homeschooling Teens

  What's up With YouTube?
by Amy Cortez, Editor - The Eclectic Telegraph
Feeling "out of it?" The world of technology is mind boggling and there are so many more places for our kids to find the "boogey-man" these days than when we were kids.

What's YouTube? Founded in February 2005, YouTube.com is a consumer media company for people to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube originally started as a personal video sharing service, and has grown into an entertainment destination with people watching more than 70 million videos on the site daily.

YouTube, however does have restrictions , as does MySpace Video, that have spawned other sites hoping to be as popular and generate the advertising revenues. Some it seems only care about the bottem line:

* Stickam - attracts young people comfortable with the idea of a continuous self-produced reality TV show starring themselves. Unfiltered live broadcasts from Web cameras. 260,000 registered users — 50,000 of them say their age is 14 to 17 — and is adding 2,000 to 3,000 each day.
* Dailymotion - French based site that it is more accessible for posting pirated material.
* LiveLeak. - gruesome war videos and other political fare that has been banned from sites like YouTube. Footage from the Iraq war in particular. Sexually explicit material and footage of "grisly accidents" are also popular on the site.
* Abbreviated Descriptions taken from New York Times article referenced below

As a parent, the obvious concern is predators. A concern, but your knowkledge of what's really out there can help spark conversations that mettter with your teen. (And if I catch mine at any of the sites I am writing about here, I'll break his little keyboarding fingers...kidding.) Not a parenting expert mind you, here are some ideas I'll throw out that may work at your house.

  1. Know what's out there. The resources included here outline some of the video sharing sites that are popular these days. Even if you think your teen is not tuned in, I'd bet the farm, they know what these sites are. I'd bet they even know people using these sites and maybe have even seen what goes on, if they don't already have an account.
  2. Don't be afraid to discuss ANY topic with your teen. In my opinion, I'd rather they hear it from me than from some 16 year old "expert".
  3. If they are downloading videos from one of these sites, be aware of what they are downloading. Look at the videos and discuss if they seem "on the fringe" of appropriateness for your family. If your teen doesn't want to show you what they are downloading, there's a reason for that sentiment. It is possible to review "downloaded" information on a Mac or a PC. Let them know you know that. It's also possible to install parental control programs that can block access to some of these sites. But just remember, the best filter is the one between your teen’s ears.
  4. A Word on Safety: From YouTube
    The first thing everyone needs to know is that YouTube is NOT for people under the age of 13.
    Some Things Are Better Left Private...
    Protect Your Secret Identity!
    Keep Your Cool, Keep YouTube Safe
  5. Know about other resources you have access to and pay attention to them.
From www.wiredsafety.org - the world's largest online safety and help group
We at WiredSafety.org are developing a special program just for parents concerned about their kids using social-networking and online dating sites. It will teach you what you need to know about finding out if your child has a profile on one of these sites, how to review them and remove them, if you want to. It will also help you if your child is being cyberbullied using one of these sites or members from these sites, or is cyberbullying others.

So what do you, as a parent, do? First you need to find out if your child has a page on one of these sites. The best way to find out if your child has a profile on this or another similar site is to ask them. If you’re not sure that your child is being honest with you, you can search MySpace.com (or the other sites) using their e-mail address, or by searching for their school. (You click on “search” and enter their email address or full name in the appropriate search box.)

If you find that your child has a profile on the Web site, you should review it. It’s amazing how much you can learn about your child by reading their profiles. Does it contain personal information, such as their full name, address or phone numbers? Has your child posted photos? Are they photos of themselves or someone else? Are they sharing poems they write or provocative comments about themselves or others?

If you want the profile removed (you must remove your child’s profile if they are under age), first ask your child to remove it themselves. If that doesn’t work, MySpace.com has a section explaining how to remove a page. If you find someone who is underage, you can report it there as well. It’s not as easy a procedure as the other Web sites.
Young Turn to Web Sites Without Rules
By BRAD STONE, New York Times, January 2, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 1 — Popular Web sites like YouTube and MySpace have hired the equivalent of school hallway monitors to police what visitors to their sites can see and do by cracking down on piracy and depictions of nudity and violence.

So where do the young thrill-seekers go?

Video Sharing Sites Filling In Niches Around YouTube Censorship
Posted by: Sam Ford, MIT Convergence Culture Consortium Blogs, January 3, 2007
Yesterday's New York Times featured an interesting piece about the video sharing and streaming sites that are making a name for themselves by lowering the safeguards that YouTube has put up in various ways.

The piece, by Brad Stone, looks at sites like Stickam, LiveLeak, and Dailymotion and explains both the niche that these sites intend to fill as well as the industry and parental concerns about the services these sites provide. Each provide an interesting method of looking at both the legitimate problems of video sharing online but also the way that child safety discussions often obscure some of the valuable aspects of these sites as well.

Summer Opportunities for Teens

February-March is the time when a lot of summer programs begin to advertise and look for campers -- and employees. So if you are a camper, or looking for a fun way to spend the summer here are some opportunities:

Baylor University High School Summer Science Research Program
The purpose of the High School Summer Science Research Program (HSSSRP), an annual program established in 1991, is to give superior high school students hands-on research experience by working on research projects with Baylor University science professors in many disciplines.

The Clark Scholar Program is an intensive seven week summer research program for highly qualified high school juniors and seniors. The Clark Scholars Program is designed to attract gifted students from around the nation. The program allows students the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with outstanding faculty in a research intensive setting. The seven-week program also includes weekly seminars, discussions, and field trips. The students are afforded an atmosphere designed to develop their critical thinking abilities and career interests with faculty and other students like themselves.

Michigan State University High School Honors Science/Mathematics/Engineering Program

Research Internship Program in Science and Engineering at Boston University. (A High School Honors Program)

AwesomeMath Summer Program A three-week intensive summer camp for mathematically gifted students from around the globe.

Canada/USA Mathcamp is an intensive 5-week-long summer program for mathematically talented high school students.

The Ross Program at the Ohio State University is an intensive summer experience designed to encourage motivated pre-college students to explore mathematics. During those eight weeks, students are immersed in a world of mathematical discovery.

The Gifted Education Resource Institute (GERI) at Purdue University.

Stanford University Summer Institutes
The EPGY Summer Institutes at Stanford University are residential summer programs for students ages 13 through 17.

The Making of an Engineer - An Engineering Experience Course For High School Students
The Making of an Engineer Program is a special college level engineering course, designed especially for high school students with a strong interest in science and technology. Offered in June, this course is for undergraduate college credit and is restricted to high school students. The course emphasizes the art and science of engineering, including engineering measurements, use of engineering tools and lab equipment, Boolean algebra, the use of logic gates, combinational logic analysis & design, and mechanical dissection and instrumentation. (University of Denver)


Early Experience Program
The Early Experience Program is designed for high school students with exceptional academic ability who wish to enrich or accelerate their education with university-level courses. The program is offered during the traditional school year and in the summer. Eligible students take regular University of Denver courses for college credit while still in high school. Participating students have taken courses in computer science, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, statistics, physics, accounting, engineering, art, foreign languages, history, psychology, music, sociology, literature, business, and political science. The program provides course selection advising and follow-up counseling. This is a commuter only program.

The Making of a Scientist
A college credit course for high school students interested in exploring the relationship between mathematics and computer science, and their applications to chemistry. (University of Denver)

Study Abroad
Study Abroad in Spain, France, Italy, England, Australia and Argentina with Global Student Experience.


Summer, Specifically for Girls

The SEARCH program at Mount Holyoke College is designed for high school girls who have done well in mathematics and who would like to see a different aspect of the mathematical world.

Smith College Summer Science & Engineering Program

Women's Technology Program in EECS At Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The WTP-EECS is a residential summer program in the MIT Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to introduce high school girls to EECS in the summer after 11th grade.



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Updated: January 17, 2007