Sunday, March 24, 2013

80% of College Admissions Officers Check Out FACEBOOK Pages of Applicants for Admission





Mary Setliff, Principal


Facebook is a 21st Century phenomenon.  It can be the penultimate preserver of connections.  This is the wondrous part about being a Facebook user; it  keeps one in touch with people who would otherwise be a fading memory.  Facebook can expand the world of its users if navigated skillfully and appropriately, with safety being first and foremost.  But using Facebook is also about discretion in anticipating who might be reading one's Facebook page.

Many students have Facebook pages with and without parental permission and/or knowledge.  This is not an endorsement of allowing kids access to Facebook or not.  Students cannot access Facebook here at Esperero.  However, it is important to know how your child's online image can affect his/her future.  I am not going to address the huge concern about cyber-predation in this entry, although the suggestions on how to make a Facebook profile private will help with safety, too.   What I want to focus on is how your child's Facebook page may portray an unintended image to certain audiences that he or she has not anticipated.

A Kaplan Survey of College admissions officers, cited in the Huffington Post,  found "80% of college admissions officers use Facebook to check out students who have applied to their schools."  One Harvard admissions officer posted a response to the question:  Do high school students' Facebook profiles affect their college applications?  She responded that "a student's online presence absolutely prejudices me." Here's the link for the article (double click on the title):  Facebook and College Admissions

I have a colleague in Phoenix who consults students applying to highly selective colleges and universities.  She was a counselor for years at an Eastern prep school and knows all of the ins and outs of the college application process.  One of the first things she does is look at the student's Facebook page.  She then coaches the student on how to adjust the privacy settings on the account. This is essential.   She also suggests deleting any images and postings that might cause a student to be inaccurately portrayed.

 Employers and HR directors look at Facebook all of the time.  Young people sometimes forget what is posted on their pages.  They also may lack the filter that tells them if something is appropriate or not.   It's important, as parents,  to guide students in making good decisions early on in their career as  Facebook users.

If you have additional questions, please give us a call at ECMS.  Clicking on the link will take you to the Facebook help center and explain the privacy control options:
FACEBOOK PRIVACY CONTROLS

HOW TO CONTACT ME:
Mary Setliff, Principal 209-8100

HOW TO CONTACT OUR CTI:
Rachel Maleski, Curriculum Technology Integrator 209-8117


21st Century Mamas and Papas: Management Hints


Okay, you 21st Century mamas and papas, are you completely intimidated by your child's proficiency at social networking?  Are you feeling under-educated about what you know about Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, etc., vs. what your child knows.  Rachel Maleski, ECMS CTI,  and I thought that we might invent a little list of Rights and Responsibilities for Parents.  This is our unabashed reflection in response to the Arizona Attorney General's Office presentation and some of the comments that parents have made to us privately vis a vis their frustrations with child internet usage.

Rachel Maleski is amazing! I am so grateful that she is on our staff as Curriculum Technology Integrator!  Rachel used to teach English and Journalism at Catalina Foothills High School but
made the move to Esperero in 2011.


21st Century Rights and Responsibilities for Parents (Unofficial, of course)
by Rachel and Mary (#10 is a suggestion from Nick Debus, from the Office of the Attorney General)

1.  My child's IPHONE, IPAD, computer, digital camera belong/s to me, his/her parent.
2.  I allow my child to use these devices but I can reclaim them at any time.
3.  I have the right to monitor and supervise my child's online and social media life.
4.  It is my right to know all of my child's passwords.
5.  I have a right to set limits and boundaries in regard to my child's online and social media usage.
6.  I have the right to give my child increased freedom and independence when he/she has demonstrated a deep understanding of how to use technology responsibly, respectfully, and lawfully.
7.  I can and will be an active participant in my child's online and social media life.
8.  I have open lines of communication with my child regarding his/her online activity and social media life. We have frequent conversations about his/her communications on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, InstaGram, etc.
9.  I have a right to know who my child has "friended" or is interacting with online.
10.  I understand that if my child receives inappropriate pictures or other material that he/she needs to inform me so that the inappropriate material can be deleted. My child and I will then sign a document that reads:  On September 14, 2013, I watched my child delete inappropriate material from his/her account.  This material was sent by ___________(if you know).  

A parent at Thursday's AZ Attorney General's Office presentation stated something that I thought was particularly powerful  in ensuring open communications with kids.  Confirming the unconditional love you have as a parent might sound like (paraphrasing):  "Nothing that you do can ever take away my love for you.  If you make a mistake, if you do something wrong, I will still love you.  You can tell me anything . . . bring it on.  I will help you.  We will walk through this together."

Thanks to the 30 parents who attended (on a U of A basketball night, no less).  In my next entry, I will talk about how your child's activity on Facebook can follow him/her to even through the college admissions process and into the work world.



Thursday, March 14, 2013

AZ Attorney General's Office Cyberbullying Workshop


HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!


10 Reasons Why Parents Should Attend the Presentation on Bullying by the Arizona Attorney General's Office



1.  Learn about the law and cyber-bullying.  
2.  Discover ways you can keep your child safe when using Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
3.  Hear about how privacy settings can protect your child.
4.  Learn about how text messages and emails can be traced back to the original sender.
5.  Do you know to whom your child is talking on the internet?
6.  Do you know how cyber-predators can get to your front door in minutes?
7.  Do you know how to report abuse on the internet?
8.  Someone sends your child an inappropriate picture or text on the internet  . . . do you know what to do?
9. What is the one thing that kids should never give to strangers on the internet?
10.  Do you know if your child has ever been asked for personal information on the internet by someone he/she does not know?  


Arizona Attorney General's  Office CYBERBULLYING WORKSHOP

Where:  ECMS, in the library
When:  Thursday. March 21
Time:  6-7pm