Anne Collier and Larry Magid released two new Parents’ Guides yesterday — one to Instagram and one to Snapchat. Kids have started using these social photo apps to communicate with one another. If you don’t think your child is using his/her smartphone to share via Instragram and/or Snapchat you’re probably wrong. But it doesn’t mean you need to freak out. ConnectSafely’s guides to these new tools will help you get a better handle on your kids’ social photo sharing.

The “guides demystify popular photo-sharing apps and walk kids and parents through safety and privacy features.” The guides also answer “the top five questions parents have about these photo-sharing apps so popular with kids including:

* Why kids love these apps
* What the risks of each app are
* How to help kids stay safe using the apps
* How to report abuse and block problem users
* How to use privacy settings

ConnectSafely also has guides to using Facebook and Google+.

If you don’t already know Instagram is used but a lot of kids and teens to communicate with one another. The picture sharing app was bought recently by Facebook. Instagram has added a new feature that allows users to “add” the names of people in their photos to their posts. There are both public and private settings and parents and teens alike should know the difference. Larry Magid breaks it down in this post.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) revised it’s online kids privacy rule recently. The new rules go into effect this summer. Parents of children under 13 years old probably won’t notice many changes to how their kids interact with their web sites. But our friend Larry Magid explains the changes in this Forbes post.

Our friend Anne Collier at NetFamilyNews wrote a great piece about the fun app SnapChat, but also warns about a false sense of security. See post at Snapchat: Privacy as perishable as the photos.

It’s not too late to create a submission for the Safer Online Teen Challenge. Our friends at Microsoft are encouraging teens to unleash their creativity and help educate folks to Stay Safer Online. The contest is open to teens 13 to 18 and runs until April 12, 2013. Winners can win prizes like a tablet or Xbox. Learn more here.

GetNetWise founding contributor, Larry Magid, just announced a competition called “What’s Your Story” that asks kids to create videos about what the “Good side of the Internet looks like.” There are actually cash prizes for young filmmakers sponsored by Trend Micro. If you have an aspiring filmmaker in your house click here for more information.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Internet Education Foundation commends the House for passing the “Academic Competition Resolution of 2013.” The Resolution creates an annual academic competition in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and paves the way for the first-ever “app” competition fostered by Congress. IEF applauds Rep. Candice Miller and Rep. Robert Brady for sponsoring this important resolution and Rep. Cantor and Rep. Pelosi for their leadership and support.

Over the past year IEF staff have worked tirelessly with the co-chairs of the Congressional Internet Caucus, Rep. Bob Goodlatte and Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, to urge the creation of a Congressional App Challenge. Both co-chairs rose in support of the Congressional App Challenge as a step in the right direction to the future of jobs in America and its competitiveness globally. Our efforts were aided by a steering committee of app competition experts representing Google, Blackberry, AT&T, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Motorola Mobility.

“One after another Members from both sides of the aisle rose in support of the STEM education Resolution during a break in the sequester debate,” said IEF president Jerry Berman. He added, “I was heartened to see a group of technology leaders in Congress act to invest in the future of American jobs and of the economy: young STEM-educated constituents.”

IEF coordinates the work of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, which supports the goals of the Congressional Internet Caucus. The ICAC does not support or oppose any policy agenda; however, it shares the concern of most Americans that our students are falling behind in many areas of STEM education. We look forward to working with Congress and the Committee on House Administration to support this competition going forward. During his floor statements, Internet Caucus co-chair Goodlatte said, “This competition will motivate our young people to further pursue programming and other technology related educational opportunities. It will also enable them to showcase their programming skills on a national stage while at the same time promoting the value of STEM education and careers.”

Co-chair Eshoo said, “Building on the success of the Congressional Arts Competition, which for more than 30 years has recognized and encouraged artistic talent among our nation’s youth, an apps competition will foster interest in STEM education, which is just what our country needs to prepare for the future.”

The Internet Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and policymakers about the potential of a decentralized global Internet to promote communications, commerce and democracy. Its board members ensure the balanced of the organization’s efforts and consist of public interest groups, corporations, and associations representative of the diversity of the Internet community.

Contact:
Leonard Hyman
lhyman@netcaucus.org
(202) 638-4370 x129

More and more technology is the go to gift from parents and from Santa around the holidays. Once the boxes are unboxed make sure to take a few moments setting up parental controls on those game consoles, iPads, and phones this year. The USA Today’s blog has some great advice for parents in a blog post titled “Setting up your child’s new tech gifts“. Check it out.

Collier, Lordan, Sheburne, and Kent to Co-host “How Today’s Digital Natives Can Enhance their Online Reputations” on December 8th

Google Hangout information
Saturday, December 8, 6pm Eastern
Live on the Google+ page of Dan Kent
Hashtag #netlit

Session description

This Google Education On Air provides practical and actionable strategies to students enhance their online reputation as they seek scholarships, employment, and admission to competitive colleges. We’ll also discuss today’s online reputation landscape and what’s in store for the future. What are best practice examples of engaging students when talking about online reputation and where are the most useful resources? Tune in, join the discussion, and ask your students’ toughest online reputation questions.

More and more we’re living our lives and expressing ourselves through email. Every aspect of our lives are communicated through email — work, personal, and intimate details are shared. The recent scandal involving CIA Director Patraeus has reminded us all that those email communications are as secure as we would like them to be. Of course, Director Patraeus’ emails were unearthed by the F.B.I. using the governments vast powers of investigation and surveillance. Regardless, we all need to recognize that our work emails, our family emails, and our intimate emails can be unearthed in myriad ways. Please be careful when committing your most intimate thoughts to email. Here are some thoughts from the Online Mom about email privacy.