Welcome to Royal Oak Intermediate
USEFUL SITES
(Note the following material has been copied from: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4628394a28.html)
Netsmartz
www.netsmartz.org
An educational resource on Internet safety and issues
Chatdanger
www.chatdanger.com
For how to keep safe in chat rooms
SafeKids.com
www.safekids.com
Rules, advice and tips for keeping kids safe on the Web
NetSafe
www.netsafe.org.nz
Cybersafety education for New Zealanders
Hector's World
www.hectorsworld.com
Hector's World Education is a free online resource. Children learn how to stay safe online through watching the adventures of a group of animated underwater characters.
Hector's World Safety Button is a free downloadable file that installs a Hector's World character in the upper right hand corner of your computer screen. Children can click on the character if they see something that upsets them or is unsuitable and the screen is covered by an underwater scene and a message encouraging them to get adult help.
SEARCH ENGINES
The following are search engines that filter results to ensure they are appropriate for children
Yahoo Kids - www.kids.yahoo.com
Ask for Kids - www.askkids.com
Safe Search - www.safesearch.co.nz
SOFTWARE
IMSafer
www.imsafer.com
A downloadable service that scans instant messenger conversations in real time and notifies parents when their child's messaging includes suspicious terms. Parents can communicate with each other through the service and identify possible predators. The basic service is free, but you'll need to pay if you want to monitor multiple instant messenger accounts.
Windows Vista
The parental controls in Microsoft's latest operating system allow you to block or approve specific programs, games and websites, and activity reports reveal how your children have been spending their time online. The controls include a time limit feature that lets you set the time and duration of their computer use.
Spector Pro ($132)
www.spectorsoft.com
Records e-mails, chats, searches, and websites visited, as well as every keystroke typed. Spector Pro also saves snapshots of your screen so you can see what your children are looking at.
eBlaster ($132)
www.spectorsoft.com
eBlaster captures and forwards incoming and outgoing e-mail as well as recording both sides of chats and instant messages, keystrokes, files uploaded and downloaded as well as searches and websites visited.
Net Nanny ($53)
www.netnanny.com
Net Nanny blocks pornography, hate sites and questionable chat rooms, and will only allow games with approved parental ratings to be installed on the PC. It also integrates with safe search options in Google, Yahoo and MSN, and can report which sites your child has visited or tried to visit.
Some security packages with anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall protection also offer extra security options for parents, such as:
McAfee Internet Security Suite with SiteAdvisor 2008 ($93)
Advises parents of unsafe websites and blocks offensive content.
Norton Internet Security 2008 ($79)
Anti-spam and parental controls are available in a free add-on pack. The parental controls block unsuitable websites and information identified as confidential from being transmitted from your computer.
