Northern Grid in its new partnership with BT is pleased to promote:

FREE 'LIVING WITH TECHNOLOGY SESSIONS' FOR PARENTS

eSafety with a difference!

As part of the Living with Technology pilot programme, BT have worked with The Parent Zone to develop a free, hour long workshop for parents, giving practical advice and information to help them feel confident in understanding and enjoying technology with their family.

The Parent Zone have trained BT workers, most of them parents themselves, to deliver the workshop, and are also responsible for matching volunteers to schools.

BT has developed a series of 'how to' hand outs that parents will receive, and The Parent Zone offers follow up email support to parents and schools after the workshop. The workshop can be delivered to parents with children of any age, but is probably most useful for parents of 8-14 year olds.

We have volunteers trained and ready to deliver in Newcastle, Gateshead, Blyth, Alnwick, Cramlington and Tynemouth – to register for a workshop in your school go to www.btlivingwithtechnology.com and fill out the online form.

Alternatively, you can ring Sophie, the Project Coordinator on 07939 569617.

Deadline for booking a workshop: 4th May

Please note: as this is a pilot, the number of workshops is limited, so sign up now to avoid disappointment! Once you have registered, Sophie will be in touch to find a suitable date and time; she'll also send you materials to help you promote the workshop to parents.

www.theparentzone.co.uk

www.northerngrid.org/index.php/esafety-and-security

The Early Surfers' Zone is now live within the "I work with Kids" section of Childnet International's Kidsmart website.

Internet safety presentations for Nursery, Reception and KS1 aged children

The Early Surfers’ Zone is designed for the parents and carers and educators of 3-7 year olds, to help introduce young children to the idea of internet safety, in an age-appropriate, fun and engaging way. The site introduces the character of Smartie the Penguin, who learns to be safe online, by asking his family for help whenever anything happens to make him feel upset, confused or worried.

The resources include a new printable E-book, accompanying questions for discussion (for parents / carers / school staff who are reading the story), a lesson plan with relevant curriculum links, and subsequent follow-up activity ideas for children to complete at home. There is also an art gallery for children to submit their posters and creative work.

The new resources can be found at Kidsmart website, where you now have the chance to select resources for Foundation Stage KS1 and KS2 children.

Other important eSafety News

eResponsibility Forum NE event Wednesday January 18th, Newcastle University

Northern Grid eSafety and eSecurity Services

Mick - mick.young@northerngrid.org

A guide for ICT Team Leaders

Cloud Storage - is it safe to use?

Cloud based storage and online synchronisation offers individuals many benefits, one of which is removing the need to carry flash pens and portable disks around. The question that needs to be asked is what issues are raised by this increasingly popular and free service.

Google Apps and Live@Edu have storage space available as part of their email offering. An increasingly popular trend is synchronising online storage. Dropbox and SugarSync are currently two of the more popular. The services mentioned are all available at no charge but with limits be it limited storage, non-existent Service level agreements or limited control over the functionality or how it changes.

The main concern with Dropbox is the significant risk of breaching the Data Protection Act. Staff wishing to store personal information should not use a service that does not comply with the EU Safe Harbor agreement. The EU Safe Harbor agreement requires that personal data is stored in the EU or in other countries where we have set agreements. Dropbox is hosted in the US is non-compliant!

There are also security issues with free services, in June 2011 Dropbox confirmed that a programmer’s error caused a temporary security breach that allowed any password to be used to access any user account. If you decide to use this service it’s highly recommended you encrypt your files prior to synchronisation.

Web Browsers – Upgrade to Internet Explorer 9

IE9 is the most secure and best performing Microsoft browser it therefore is recommended that schools upgrade. Websites designed for earlier versions may not display correctly to resolve use a feature called Compatibility View.

To ensure IE9 can view all webpages correctly an icon titled compatibility view has been added. The icon normally looks like  and can be found to the right of the URL address bar. When selected, the icon changes to a solid colour , and from now on this website will be displayed in compatibility mode.

IE9 has simplified its design, most command bar functions, like print and zoom can be found by selecting the Tools button . Favourites and feeds appear in the Favourite Centre by selecting Favourites button . IE9 has added improved security and privacy options these include; ActiveX Filtering, Smartscreen Filtering, 128 bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Tracking Protection and Private Browsing.

Use ICT to improve efficiently and save money

ICT can be the catalyst for change, developing new working practices, automating existing procedures and facilitating innovation and creativity. Used correctly it can also save your school money. How can ICT reduce costs for the school?

Virtualisation

The concept of running multiple operating systems off the same hardware platform is not new but it is now mature and low cost. The virtualisation software allows the operating system and installed applications to share physical resources. On average one virtualised server can do the work of four conventional servers. Substantial savings can be accrued in reducing energy costs, hardware maintenance and software licensing. It is estimated a secondary school can save £10,000 - £20,000 a year.

Print Management

Schools are generally poor at managing print services. Vanilla Microsoft Server 2003 and 2008 deployments have limited print management capabilities, additional services are often required. Schools may not be aware of how many sheets of paper they use annually but it may well be over a million. Paper costs are only a small proportion of the actual cost, you need to consider energy charges, hardware purchase and toner replacement. Most large secondary schools can save £50K per year if they deploy effective print management. The Learning Platform is an ideal vehicle to reduce paper, improve communications, store documents and resources and has the additional benefit that document review can be audited.

Desktop Computers

Older desktop PC’s are very inefficient, replacing hardware can actually save the school money as well as improve user experience and system reliability. Whether you use old or new hardware configuration of the power settings makes a considerable difference to daily running costs. Windows 7 and OSX Lion have improved power saving features that allow you to switch off the display after period of inactivity or switch the desktop into sleep or hibernation mode after a set time has elapsed. All of the power configurations can be centrally managed from the domain controller using Group Policies.

Remote Access to School Network

Staff should not have copies of sensitive data on their own laptop on or off-site. Secure remote access provides on demand access to centrally managed services. The most suitable type of remote access solution is a SSL-VPN with two factor authentication. An alternative solution is Direct Access using Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2. A word of caution, many portal gateways deployed by schools have limited security and should not be used to allow staff access to the MIS system or any confidential data.

Securing Wireless – distinguishing myth from fact

A lot of expert advice on wireless security provides limited practical improvements in security and some cases the advice is simply dumb. Some prime examples of where general advice and good practice diverge are shown below.

Hiding the SSID

The SSID beacon is only one of five broadcasts sent by the wireless access point so disabling one of five makes the solution less user friendly and has no significant impact on security. Rather than hide the SSID make sure you change the default name as default SSID otherwise you are broadcasting to the world with a poorly configured device which makes it an easy target.

Disable DHCP

An attacker can find the IP range of a wireless access point in 10-15 seconds if DHCP is disabled. Using static IP addresses has negligible security impact and complicates wireless use. Leave DHCP switched on and use the security mechanisms that are available.

Antenna Placement & Signal Strength

It is often suggested that the wireless access point should be positioned to improve security and that signal strength should be lowered to ensure the signal is weakened and cannot be detected externally. This technique is the road to ruin for wireless solutions, antenna placement and signal strength adjustment changes need to be set for maximum coverage and minimum interference, never for improving security.

Use 802.11a instead of 802.11bg

The 802.11a protocol is not any more secure than 802.11bg; the protocol is simply a transport mechanism for wireless that works in the 5GHz band. Changing the frequency and transport protocol is equivalent to changing the colour of your front door to improve security

Enable MAC Filtering on the Wireless Access Point

MAC addresses are 12 digit HEX numbers which can be viewed by others in clear text with a sniffer application. An attacker simply reads the MAC address of connected device and replicates the MAC on their wireless card. Restricting access based on MAC addresses is management intensive and has limited ROI in terms of security gain.

Allow staff and students to bring their own ICT devices into school

The problem is that non domain devices cannot be checked to ensure they are virus free, have adequate security patches installed and have suitable software. The use of Network Access Protection and/or Network Access Control solutions can resolve this issue. Some schools deploy a thin client architecture which allows guest devices to securely connect but with limited functionality.

On 1st March 2011 Microsoft introduced a new licensing scheme for schools called Enrolment for Education or EES for short. This agreement is a low cost alternative to School Agreement Subscription service and ideal for a school that are looking at a technology refresh i.e. upgrading their workstation and server operating systems and Microsoft applications.

• EES single annual payment based on FTE staff count and the products you select.
• Choice of software include MS Office, Windows Upgrade and Client Access License (CAL) suites
• License additional software on all or selected computers e.g. MS Visio

A school that is not planning to upgrade their software in the next two years is better off retaining the Schools Agreement Subscription Service. The MS Select Agreement is a perpetual license that offers schools low cost prices for Microsoft software. The EES annual subscription model allows decisions on upgrading the operating system and applications to be made on the basis of Teaching and Learning need rather than on cost grounds.

Green Technology & Cutting ICT Spend

Saving energy, conserving resources and looking after the environment are everyone’s responsibility. Schools can contribute by considering many of the measures previously discussed; saving money and going green are usually one and the same. Some schools address many of the green issues by using technology efficiently and effectively some of the ways they delivered include:

• Replacing desktop computers with thin client PC’s and/or laptops
• Reducing the use of data projectors and high power equipment
• Liaising with the Network Manager as they have operational responsibility for ICT
• Increasing staff and pupil awareness using practical example of energy use and power consumption
• Moving selected ICT services, when appropriate, to the cloud
• Maintaining server room temperature at a steady 20°c

If schools require further technical advice or assistance with ICT contact Mark Vinnicombe on 01914611844 or email mark.vinnicombe@northerngrid.org

Esafety Ideas For Teaching Esafety to Primary School Learners

A local primary school contacted Northern Grid and asked for a session on resources for teaching esafety to their pupils, and it was agreed that I would deliver a session during their weekly staff meeting.

This is an interesting area for staff development and on one level is a fairly basic task in identifying (often online) activities for children to try. There are many useful and accessible online activities available on websites across the world and for local examples we need look no further than and www.childnet.com and CEOP's www.thinkuknow.co.uk. 

Whilst these activities and associated resources will provide some support for the young people in our care I feel that esafety and safeguarding support needs to move beyond specific focused and sometimes isolated activities at the computer in the ICT suite. Our challenge is to ensure that we help our youngsters become confident, safe and considerate digital citizens, unlike many of the adults online across the world, who currently model inappropriate and irresponsible behaviour for our youngsters to emulate.

We can see the most inappropriate and unsafe online behaviour by adults of all ages on forums, newspaper and media websites and across social media including Twitter and Facebook. If the children in our primary schools are to mature to become responsible, thoughtful and valued digital citizens then our esafety support must extend through all our teaching and not be seen as something that is only addressed in the ICT lesson.

We need teachers to:

• Model
• Engage
• Embed

in the same way that the dedicated professional teacher has always modelled appropriate language and behaviour in school and beyond the school gates. It is only by making online behaviour the same as, and as normal as, traditional life skills that we can hope to nurture a new generation of responsible and supportive digital citizens.

If you would like to benefit from Northern Grid support, email support@northerngrid.org

Simon 

How do you measure up on eSafety?

Are you more 'savvy' than your friends?

Do you know as much as your students?

Find out now by playing Grapple

Northern Grid has been providing eSafety support to schools for many years. As well as our own services and guidance materials we are always interested in finding out about resources from other companies. We have been talking to Roar Educate to find out about the resources they offer and how schools can access a free 30 days trials as well as special prices.

Northern Grid has negotiated a special price for all Northern Grid schools. Northern Grid has been receiving some great feedback about Grapple whilst out and about leading eSafety events in schools so we thought it would be a good idea to negotiate an extended offer.

For just £75 you can put Grapple onto your school's website. It's a fun and interactive way for schools to engage with parents about the critically important e-Safety issues facing their children

Did you know once you have purchased the Grapple licence for your school you can distribute copies to parents free of charge so they can engage in the interactive activities with their children?

For more information or to place an order simply fill out the order form, or alternatively please provide your contact details by sending an email to raz@roareducate.co.uk

Roar educate is a leading provider of interactive eSafety and eSecurity modules for schools, to see more please visit www.roareducate.co.uk

Click image for higher resolution or download PDF below.

Download this poster as a PDF

International Collaboration on Esafety

On Friday 21 October 2011 at 15.45 I Skyped with TeachMeet Kentucky at the National Corvette Museum where around 300 delegates had assembled to share and learn from each other.

Although my Friday was drawing to a close, simultaneously in Kentucky teachers were settling down at 9.45am to hear me speak about the challenges of communication technologies for adults who works with young people.  The feedback from the session was positive and I enjoyed the experience although presenting via Skype is more challenging than face to face. I can't see or hear my audience and I realise that it is the visual feedback as I'm speaking, that helps define the session and how to select themes to emphasise and expand. I think in future I may try to lose the slides and speak directly to web camera and see if that is a way to engage more fully with my audience.

Thanks very much to all who helped make Teachmeet Kentucky happen and for inviting Northern grid to particpate in an outstanding day of learning and fun.

 If you would like Northern Grid to support you then email support@northerngrid.org

Simon

Facebook Sessions for Year 7 Learners

“We were all very happy with the session.  We loved the booklets and will be using them in other lessons / sessions.  We thought that the students were engaged  ..I have also seen some of the booklets this morning and I have heard 2/3 students already today talking about what was said and having a go at students for messing about on their phones and explaining that if they do not use them sensibly then they will never be able to use them in school."

12 October 2011

Northern Grid provides a range of CPD and in-school support for all schools, and one area where there is a significant demand is; managing online and digital identities.

I delivered a session for all the staff at Nunthorpe School earlier in the term and I've been asked to work with all the students in Year 7 with specific reference to Facebook and cyberbullying. The first of these sessions took place on  12 October 2011, and a further five are scheduled throughout the remainder of the school year.

Each session lasts a little over an hour and with over 50 students the impact of the sessions will inevitably be limited. It is important that the teachers are present during the session so they can continue to develop the students' understanding beyond the session.

I introduce the session by making it clear to the youngsters that this is not a 'lesson'. It is an opportunity for them to listen, engage and reflect on their understanding of social media and how, what we see as, normal behaviour may not be acceptable to any of us.

I show the students how to create a minibook, there's a video here if you would like to make one yourself, and explain that it is their book. It won't be collected or marked by teachers or myself. They can choose to write, draw, doodle or leave it blank. If they'd like to show me their book at the end of the session, I'd be interested to see what they had done. I think it's important that the learners have an opportunity to make their own decisions about how they would like to record the session and I was surprised to learn that almost all of the students had filled their books with key messages and reflections of the session.

The intended key messages of the session are:

• We will be judged by our online behaviour
• How we are perceived online may impact on whether we are successful in applying for work or college
• It is only by speaking out about bullying and antisocial behaviour that we can make online environments places where we feel safe and valued.

If you would like to know more about Northern Grid's support for schools please email support@northerngrid.org

Simon

Northern Grid has been working with Northumbria Police to develop teacher resources within a web resource that contains a wealth of crime prevention information and personal safety advice aimed at youngsters. Issues such as alcohol, awareness, drug misuse and bullying are all featured on the site, with information on where to get help and what is and isn't legal.

More about ebeat

Young people, parents and teachers can now get information about Northumbria Police at the touch of a button after the launch of a new youth website.

Called ebeat, it's been designed with help from school pupils and teachers and features interactive sections, advice and information and a range of educational resources.

Resources available include specially developed lesson plans which teachers can use in school. The first lesson plan, covering alcohol awareness was launched earlier this year, with an interactive tie-in game also available on the site.

The second set of lesson plans have just been added and cover anti-social behaviour.

The new site also contains a wealth of crime prevention information and personal safety advice aimed at youngsters. Issues such as alcohol, awareness, drug misuse and bullying are all featured on the site, with information on where to get help and what is and isn't legal.

There is also advice on a career with the force, including how to go about becoming a Northumbria Police officer.

Web Services Team Leader Ian Sparham, said: "We're always looking at ways of making our information as accessible to as many as possible but before now we've had no dedicated site for young people.

"Teenagers can be a challenging audience to reach and that's why young people have been closely involved with the content."

"Our aim with the new website is to make it as interactive and informative as we could and we hope young people will go online, have a look around and let us know what they think of it."

The new website can be found at www.ebeat.org.uk

ebeat latest from the News Guardian

Youngsters go online with police

http://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/local/youngsters_go_online_with_police_1_3838615?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=allschoolsnortheast&utm_content=SCHOOLS+NorthEast+Weekly+Update+-+Week+6

3 October 2011

Yesterday I delivered an after school esafety session for the staff at Southridge First School in North Tyneside. Their thoughtful and perceptive contributions showed that they understand the importance of this area of safeguarding and are ready to work together to develop policies to support all elements of teaching and learning in a safe and supportive environment.

Much of what I talk about during these sessions centres on how sharing of personal information and opinions is ‘normal’, and we shouldn’t be surprised if our learners and colleagues, on occasions, behave in ways that we would consider inappropriate. I have long maintained that the only way we will see a decline in inappropriate and bullying behaviour in the (social) media is by modelling positive behaviour for our very young children to learn and adopt.

If we can instil in our young children an understanding and ownership of privacy, personal information and appropriate communication of opinions, then we stand a much better chance of them growing up to be more responsible and empathetic participants in online (and offline) interactions. It is perhaps only then that we will see some secondary schools demonstrate the confidence to adopt more open polices relating to filtering and the use of personal and handheld devices for learning and recreation during the school day.

There is much work still to be done, and we need patience and commitment if we are to help our young people become responsible and considerate members of our increasingly sophisticated social networking opportunities.

Simon 

If you would like further information about Northern Grid's support for schools email support@northerngrid.org