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Lower School Hosts Social Media and Technology Breakfast

On May 28, Lower School parents were invited to a Technology and Social Media Parent Education Breakfast to discuss safe student use of social media platforms and smart-enabled devices. Led by Associate Head for Academic Administration and Head of Lower School Patricia Marshall, Lower School technology teacher Maureen Wood and Ranney School Director of Technology, Ed Curtin, the session introduced parents to the various types of social media most used by young children and revealed statistics from a survey of students in the Lower School that revealed popular social media trends and access to smart devices among Lower School students.

“It is important we stay educated about student usage and that we encourage you to be aware and support your child early, to prepare children to make better choices online as they get older,” explained Mrs. Marshall. “We want to relate technology use to the Lower School Community Standards, which are introduced to students in the Lower School.” Mrs. Marshall also encouraged parents to take advantage of “teachable moments” to ensure their children are using safe practices.

Mrs. Wood went into detail about different social media platforms, including Instagram, SnapChat and ooVoo and gave details about what students learn about Internet safety in the Lower School. While age-appropriate Internet safety is discussed with students in all grades throughout the year, there are a few weeks in which extra emphasis is placed on Internet Safety and Cyber Bullying workshops in the Lower School. Students in third, fourth and fifth grade are shown videos on these topics followed by class discussions. In fifth-grade, students also read and discuss a booklet titled “Heads Up, Stop, Think, Click.”

“We discuss ways to be safe when using the Internet and social media, the importance of keeping passwords private, proper etiquette, stranger danger online and what to do about cyber bullying if you witness it,” said Mrs. Wood. “I encourage parents to have the same accounts as children and at this age—also be sure to have their passwords. This practice will help parents learn how to work social media and choose the best way to protect their child’s privacy.”

Director of Technology, Ed Curtin, introduced parents to the upcoming technology blog, which will discuss controversial topics, provide parents with resources and guidelines and introduce different technologies. “These are great tools, but only if they are used properly,” assured Mr. Curtin. While they agreed that setting rules and following through with set boundaries is important, Mrs. Marshall, Mrs. Wood and Mr. Curtin also stressed the significance of communication.

Following the presentation, parents were able to openly ask questions and discuss their concerns amongst each other. Stay tuned for the launch of the Technology in Education Ranney School blog.

Recommended Resources for Parents and Educators:

 - www.commonsense. org

 - www.cyberbullying.us

 - Net Cetera; Chatting with Kids about Being Online (Free copies available in the Lower school Office)

 - Heads Up; Stop, Think, Click (Free copies available in the Lower School Office)
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society. 

We envision Ranney School as a nurturing learning community, in which families, faculty, alumni, and all of Ranney’s constituents collaborate to know and value every child, foster individual talents, sustain powerful connections between children and adults, and graduate resilient, globally-minded citizens.