Internet Safety

Phones, iPads, computers, they're all useful for communication, games, alarms and reminders. But when they are used for the wrong reasons, they can cause life and death matters.

It’s important to know how to use your electronics. Right and wrong, good and bad, safe and unsafe. No matter what type of electronic you have, it’s important.

For example, let’s say you had been secretly texting with a “so-called little girl” whose avatar is named Tricky Tiger. One day she says to meet her by the front entrance of your school. She knows where you go to school because you told her all your personal information.

When you show up this ‘Tricky Tiger’ also shows up, and she isn’t so girly! In fact, it could be a grown adult who may cause harm to you.

What we learned from this story is that people may say that they are friendly and aren’t scary, which can be true, but you should NEVER trust a “friend” unless you can see their face.

There's other ways in which the internet is unsafe. Some people will make up lies about something or someone to get people to click on it. The more people click, the more money the liars make. And the more money they get, the richer they become.

How is this dangerous you ask? Well, sometimes the liars will say their “information” is about one thing when really it is about another. Sometimes that other thing can be hurtful, inappropriate or just plain wrong! An example would be “Come see what Taylor Swift said about Beyonce at the Hilltop Bar last night!” If you click on this link, it won't take you to an article about Taylor Swift. Instead, it will redirect you to a shopping site or one that asks for your personal information. Even though it isn't true, bad people will do anything for lots and lots of money.

What are the restrictions on your internet access at home? Describe a situation where you have provided personal information on the internet. Why do children need to learn about internet safety?

~KittyKittyPineappleHat

BLOGGER OF THE WEEK

Coding

Do you remember the blog about video games?  Have you ever thought about how they are made? Or how you make animations like walking, shooting and very bizarre dances like the Floss? Well, there’s a simple answer, coding. 

Coding can be done in different forms. It can be what you might think it is, dragging and placing tiles to create a sequence of actions to do a simple task. It can also be software like Excel which looks like a grid with rows and columns. You can also use something like Python. Python is a computer language in which you type lines of code and then can be executed by using the Fn (function) key and the F5 key on your keyboard.

Computer languages that use dragging and placing blocks have limitations though.  There are some advanced movements that require writing out lines of code.

All of these examples are types of coding and all of them can be used to make games. But did you know that there are computer languages specifically for making games?  One of the most popular ones is called Unity and C#.

In the future I would like to learn Unity and C# but right now I’m still learning Python with my dad. Every Wednesday my dad and me do a coding lesson. When I finally learn Unity and C#, I’m going to make Age of War 3! 

Do you remember doing Hour of Code in December?  That program allowed to just drag and place tiles in certain, just like I said above.  Did you enjoy doing that?  Did it feel like playing a game?  This program is a lot simpler than what my Dad and I do.  It's just another way to program.   

If you have requests for games, please let me know your ideas. If you could design your very own game what would it be like? How long do you think it takes to create a good game? If I made a game would you play it?

~something3000

BLOGGER OF THE WEEK

Indoor Recesses

At our school we have indoor recesses when the temperature gets below -23 Celsius or when it's pouring rain.  This policy is to help make sure that children stay safe.

This week is going to be extremely cold and I think we will be staying inside for every recess. 

I think indoor recesses are awesome and cool.  Even though I like going outside, I enjoy staying inside also.  I play all sorts of games with my friends such as building gear trains, reading and watching movies.

At lunch time our class gets to watch a movie.  Today we are watching Incredibles 2 on Netflix. It looks we will be watching a movie for the rest of the week.

The bad thing about indoor recesses is that kids do not get enough fresh air and we won’t get our sixty minutes of physical activity.  

Tell me your opinion about indoor recesses.  If you had a choice to go outside when it’s super cold, would you go outside?  What are some alternatives that schools could do instead of indoor recess?

~thing1
BLOGGER OF THE WEEK