Mike The Tech Genius, Part 1: Monitoring Your Kids’ Internet Usage

Hi. I’m Mike, the IT guy for LCS. It’s no secret that the Internet is a scary place when it comes to your children. Responsible parents are always trying to stay one step ahead of their kids. It may seem impossible to do so, but there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Here are some great tools to keep tabs on your kids and their interaction with the Internet.

1. Circle with Disney: for $99 and 5 minutes setup time, you can keep track of all the devices in your home, and track usage, time, and monitor and filter content. Filters can be customized for each member of the family. Circle Go is a $10/month subscription for up to 10 devices at one time. This allows you to keep tabs on your child’s cellphone usage, wherever they go. Get more information here: https://www.disneystore.com/circle-with-disney/mn/1026902/
2. Norton Family Premier: This is a yearly subscription of $50 for up to 10 devices at one time. This monitors time, usage, filters content, and helps to teach kids about appropriate Internet sharing. They’ve won multiple awards for their parental control. One word of caution: this works best for Android. It works for iPhone, but not as well. Check it out here: https://us.norton.com/norton-family-premier
3. My Mobile Watchdog: Monitor and access your child’s apps, texts, websites, time usage, messages, and more. Block apps and set up time limits. It’s $100 a year, up to 5 devices at once. Get more information here: https://www.mymobilewatchdog.com/

There are a lot of options out there, but these are three good choices. More important than any app, however, is establishing open communication and a bond of trust with your children. They need to know you’re keeping tabs on them, rather than being sneaky.  They need to be able to come to you with questions and struggles, without fear of judgment and humiliation. Teaching your children wisdom and discretion in general but specifically regarding Internet usage, is invaluable. They must learn that their reputation can be ruined by one mistake, and that anything posted to the Internet, though deleted, could still exist. Teach your children to err on the side of caution, and to not hide behind the anonymity of the Internet in order to write or say things they wouldn’t say in person.

An additional practical tip is:

1. Have a charging station in a central location of the house, not in your child’s bedroom.

These recommendations are no replacement for a relationship with your child, as you must know. But hopefully, they’ll give you peace of mind and allow you to be one step ahead. Do you have any tips that have worked for your family? Share!

Lastly, if you have a child who is especially sneaky and seems to be able to circumvent all these precautions, contact us and I’ll see if I have any ideas for you!

Safe and Secure Learning Environment

The final focus in our list of things on which Lakeside Christian School focuses is a safe and secure learning environment. This is one of the most fundamental needs of any school. With excellent educators, cutting edge technology, and superior curriculum, a school has the makings for greatness. But without a safe and secure learning environment, it’s all meaningless.

For a learning environment to be safe and secure, it must be acknowledged that physical and emotional threats to students do not come from only the outside. Inside the walls of any school exist bullies and those who would try to harm their fellow students. Beyond that, every school has students with special needs- educational, physical, and spiritual. At Lakeside Christian School, it is our privilege to ensure the safety of every student from outside forces, inside threats, and to create an environment that can help each child succeed.

Lakeside Christian School’s facility is entirely fire-safe, and has procedures in place for internal and external threats. All staff are well-versed in these procedures, and the students are aware of them as well. Drills are practiced throughout the year to ensure the procedures run smoothly. Additionally, Lakeside Christian School does not tolerate bullying. The school-wide discipline system, trusted student-teacher relationships, and in-school suspension program (which instantly separates the instigator from the victim) work together to combat bullying in our midst.

We also have educators with experience in teaching students with specific classroom needs. We do not have special education classes, so all of our students learn in the same environment. Teachers work to meet each individual student at their level, without singling anyone out. Students can feel free to be themselves in an environment that will allow the to grow and thrive.

In addition to all these, Lakeside Christian School’s focus on the Word of God as our foundation means that our staff not only educate our students about the love of Christ; they also model it. Every student is loved, because we believe every student to be valuable and important. We expect students to treat each other in the same way.

Each of these elements work together to create a safe and secure learning environment that suits our students. Parents, at that morning drop-off, feel confident knowing your child is in a place that will keep them safe and give them space to learn and grow. For more information and to book a free tour, please call Lakeside Christian School today!

,