Web 2.0, Internet Safety/Child Protection

WEB 2.0

Readings: on Web 2.0

A.  Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/web-2-0#ixzz1dtUd4TDa

An umbrella term for the second wave of the World Wide Web, which was coined in a conference on the subject in 2004 by O'Reilly Media and CMP Media (later taking its parent name of United Business Media). Sometimes called the "New Internet" as well as "Internet 2.0," Web 2.0 is not a specific technology; rather, it refers to two major paradigm shifts. The one most often touted is "user-generated content," which relates more to individuals. The second, which is equally significant, but more related to business, is "cloud computing."

#1 - The User Rules!

User-generated content, comprising blogs, wikis and social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, lets everyone have their say on anything and publish it to the world at large. As Web applications become more sophisticated, people can easily develop elaborate personal Web pages, create a blog, and upload their own opinions, audio and video. Users are augmenting the news by reporting current events sometimes faster and with details often overlooked or ignored by the professional news media. 

Although millions of opinions and videos, often very amateurish, only add to our information overload, a significant advantage to user-generated content is that truly talented authors, artists, musicians and moviemakers can gain an audience much more easily than they could in the past. Word-of-mouth via the Internet is worth a fortune in promotion. Web 2.0 is leveling the playing field in all arenas just as the PC leveled the playing field in business. See Mobile 2.0, hot topics and trends, blog, wiki, social networking site, user reviews, YouTube and paradigm.

#2 - Cloud Computing

In cloud computing, data and applications are stored on Web servers, and a user has access from any computer via a Web browser. Cloud computing turns the Web into a gigantic application server that may eventually supplant a large number of locally installed office and other applications. Many believe this particular aspect of cloud computing is the ultimate manifestation of Web 2.0. Another aspect of cloud computing relates to developers and Web publishers (see cloud computing).

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/web-2-0#ixzz1dtUVFSfd

In time, this could have significant impact on the type of personal computers users choose. As more software is executed from scripts embedded in Web pages, the CPU chips and operating systems become less relevant. Browsers interpret scripts the same regardless of the hardware and software environment they reside in (most of the time, that is!). For example, in 2007, Google combined several of its office applications into Standard and Premium Editions, the latter a paid service with tech support. Because of Google's influence, this was a watershed event for cloud computing (see Google Apps). See ASP, Web application, thin client and Enterprise 2.0.

What Caused Web 2.0?

Bandwidth and power. Faster than the very costly T1 lines used in the enterprise, cable and DSL hookups have extended high-speed connections to individuals and small businesses. Browsing Web pages full of images and video as well as downloading multimedia files have become routine.

In addition, entry-level computers became powerful enough to execute scripts in an HTML page without noticeable delays. Combined with refinements in Web programming (see AJAX), the Web has become a transparent extension of an individual's PC just as local area networks (LANs) extended the user's computing resources inside the enterprise in the 1980s and 1990s.

Web Evolution

In the mid-1990s, the Web began (Web 1.0) as a repository of information and static content. Within a couple years, a huge amount of content was dynamic, returning custom results to users. By the turn of the century, the Web became much more interactive (call it Web 1.5), allowing users to play, stop, rewind and fast forward through audio and video content. Web 2.0 makes Web-based applications feel like and run as smoothly as local applications. See Web 3.0.

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II. Readings on Child Protection

      Internet Child Safety

As most people know the internet can be an amazing resource and provide hours of fun for kids, but there is a side to the internet that can be worrying for any parent.

Chat rooms have been a main cause of concern for years, with adults posing as young children and chatting to unsuspecting kids, and in extreme cases trying to organise secret meetings with the child. Things are changing slowly and a lot of chat rooms are starting to monitor their sites more closely, but unfortunately not everyone is following suit. Websites with explicit images are another problem that children may be exposed to, a few of these websites have a warning on their homepage alerting the user to the fact that the site contains this sort of material, but unfortunately not all of them. 

Another major worry for a parent is spam email containing explicit images, most of this type of spam gets sent from countries where any type of law is not easily enforced and therefore the culprits can go on sending, hopefully one day we will see the end of this type of marketing but unfortunately at the moment it is here to stay.  There are things that can be done to protect your children from this type of exposure on the internet, and below we will cover a few of these include Chat rooms Chat rooms have long been a favourite pastime on the internet for kids. They can be great fun and the children can make some great new friends online. The problem with chat rooms is that they are generally anonymous, so the person that they are chatting to may not be who they say they are.  Unless you supervise your children whenever they are in a chat room then controlling who they chat too can be a problem, although, there are some general guidelines that your children can follow to make their online chatting safer:

• Stay anonymous
they should use a nickname while online, and never reveal their real name.

• Never
tell anyone where they live, not even if they have been chatting to the person for years.

• Never
tell anyone what school they go to.

• Never
give out phone numbers.

• Never
agree to meet someone without a parent present, and ensure the person they are going to meet knows a parent will be accompanying them.

• Tell an adult
if anything strange happens or anything is said to them that makes them feel uncomfortable.

• Introduce yourself
in the chat room to their online friends, especially if your child wants to meet them.

Although these guidelines may seem fairly obvious, by ensuring that your children follow them they can help remove some of the dangers. This can be fairly simple to guard against, there is software available which can prevent your children from going to websites with this sort of content. Also when they are searching the internet another measure is for them to use the safe search facility available on most good search engine. 

Spam email is one of the most annoying problems on the internet and with no real solution in sight it will remain a problem for some time to come.  A lot of email providers offer spam protection, but unfortunately most are not 100% reliable, one of the best defences against this type of email is by using specialised software that restricts access to certain types of email, and by restricting any images that may be unsuitable for your child. There are a few programs out there that can help keep the internet a safe, usable resource for your children, as with most types of filters some work and some don't. 

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Sample Student Internet Usage Agreement 

Access to the Internet is a wonderful opportunity to interact with the world at large. The opportunity brings with it a number of responsibilities. In order to use the internet services available in the Hannibal School District, you must read the following information and sign the computer/internet agreement that follows.

• The use of any Hannibal School District computer which provides access to the Internet is a privilege which may be revoked by instructors, staff, or administrators at any time for abusive or inappropriate conduct. Such conduct would include, but is not limited to, the placing of unlawful information on or through the computer, system, accessing another person's files or e-mail, and the use of obscene, abusive, or otherwise objectionable language or images in either public or private files or messages. 
• Because of the potentially large number of individuals who might need to use the computers for Internet as well as personal productivity, student access may be limited to a specified time, as provided by the instructor(s) and/or administration.

• The district reserves the right to inspect any material stored in files to which users have access and will edit or remove any material which the district staff, in its sole discretion, believes may be objectionable. Users of the computers/Internet will not use their account to obtain, view, download, or otherwise gain access to potentially objectionable materials. This includes text materials, video images, or sound files that may be considered objectionable.   

• The district's Internet access is provided primarily for educational purposes under the direction of district staff. Non-educational use may be limited at any time by district staff.

• Information services and features contained on the Hannibal School District network are intended for the private use of its patrons. Any commercial or other unauthorized use of those materials, in any form, is expressly forbidden.  

• COMPUTER/INTERNET USAGE AGREEMENT 

• I have read the Hannibal School District Computer/Internet Usage Agreement, understand it, and agree to adhere to the principles and procedures listed within. I also understand that additional rules and regulations may be added from time to time and that they become a part of this agreement. Should I break this agreement, I understand that I may lose all computer/Internet privileges. I also understand that inappropriate or illegal use of computer facilities could result in civil or criminal lawsuits. Parents and/or guardians may be held accountable for inappropriate use by their child.

• The district does not warrant that the functions of the system will meet any specific requirements you may have, or that it will be error-free or interrupted; nor shall it be liable for any direct or indirect, incidental, or consequential damages (including lost data, information, or profits) sustained or incurred in connection with the use, operation, or inability to use the system.

• Rules and regulations of system usage will be added and posted from time to time by the faculty/administrators of the district and/or the network. Users of computers/Internet are subject to these rules and regulations.

• The Hannibal School District's computers/network is intended for the exclusive use of its registered users. As a user, you are responsible for the use of your password and account. Any problems which arise from the use of a user's account are the responsibility of the account holder. Any misuse will result in suspension of the account privileges.

• Deletion, examination, copying, or modification of files and/or data belonging to other users without their prior consent is prohibited.

• Commercial software is placed on the computer for the use and convenience of students and staff. Any unlawful use such as the copying of copyrighted material without the express written permission of the owner or the proper license is prohibited.

• Any unauthorized, deliberate action which damages or disrupts a computing system (including the willful introduction of computer "viruses" or other disruptive/destructive programs), alters its normal performance, or causes it to malfunction is prohibited. Intentional attempts to "crash" network systems or programs are punishable disciplinary offenses.

_______________________________	______________________________
Student Signature	Parent Signature
________________________________   ____ Sponsoring Teacher                                   Date	_____________________________

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Readings on Copyright

Copyright Infringement -                                  The Dark Side of Web 2.0

Dealing With Web 2.0 Copyright Issues

From Daniel Nations, former About.com Guide

See More About:

The emergence of web 2.0 has brought with it collaboration on a global scale, which has been a really great thing that has led to sites like Wikipedia, but it also has a dark side: copyright infringement.
One issue with web 2.0 copyright infringement is that most of the offenders do not even realize what they are doing or that it is wrong. The popularity of blogging and the ease at which articles and images can be passed around have made it very simple to inadvertently commit copyright infringement.
Many new bloggers do not even realize that articles and pictures found on the Internet are often protected by copyright. And they often struggle with the proper etiquette for using an article or picture.Web 2.0 CopyrightThe question is: How do we deal with Web 2.0 copyright? Luckily, the social web has an answer for us. Creative Commons is a popular alternative to the "all rights reserved" copyright license that we are all familiar with.
Creative Commons allows the copyright holder to choose from multiple licenses that describe what rights are being offered in very simple language that is easy to understand. The copyright holder can choose to offer rights for any use, or just non-commercial uses, and they can even offer the right to modify the work to suit the needs of those using it.It's important to note that Creative Commons is not an alternative to copyright. Those who have chosen to use Creative Commons still own the copyright to their work, they are simply licensing its use through the Creative Commons.Web 2.0 Etiquette for Using an Article or PictureWhile Creative Commons is a great solution, it doesn't quite solve all of the Web 2.0 copyright issues. Many people still do not understand or use Creative Commons, so finding an article or blog entry licensed under Creative Commons is still not exactly common.
Web 2.0 is all about sharing information, so how do we share information if not everyone is using the Creative Commons? Luckily, there is some basic etiquette guidelines that can be followed.For articles, only use a small part of the text and then link to the rest of the article. In this way, it falls under "fair use", and most writers are happy to have the linkback. Using a tool like Clipmarks is also usually okay since it provides a link back to the original article, though some feel that Clipmarks allows too much of the original article to be 'clipped'.
Also, when possible, use a trackback. Not only does this notify them that you are using something from their entry, but it is also good for your blog because it may drive a little traffic your way.For images, always check to see what sort of copyright restrictions or Creative Commons license is being used for the image. When in doubt, attribute the image with a link back to the original and let the copyright owner know that you have linked the work so that they can speak up if they have any objections.
Most important of all, if you are contacted by the copyright owner of an article quote or image and they ask for it to be taken down, then by all means, take it down.How To Find Images For Your BlogIt can sometimes be tough to balance between respecting copyright and making sure that your blog is visually appealing. Many times, just asking for permission to use an image will do the trick. But, there are alternatives to using copyrighted images. You can search for images that are free to use or images that the owner simply wants a link back with proper attribution.Here are a few places to look for images:

• Creative Commons Search
. In addition to providing an easy way license work, they also have a handy search utility.

• Wikimedia Commons
. Wikimedia has a broad range of images that you can use.

• Flickr
. The search form allows you to search for images licensed through Creative Commons.