Cyberspace Research Unit local campaign
Here in the Cyberspace Research Unit at UCLAN we have a team of researchers with a range of expertise in teaching (children) and training (providers) in Internet safety. Indeed we are at present the UK node for the Home office/EU portal for Internet safety.
We host this UK website at
http://www.InternetSafetyZone.co.uk During the summer months we are planning a locally-based campaign in the Lancashire area about social networking technologies, aimed at both children and any interested groups that would have two strands. The first as a valuable educational tool; and the second, in publicising the information available on our site.
All of our presenters are fully CRB approved, and we would welcome the opportunity to visit and talk to anyone who wants to hear from us. So, f you (or any group or organisationat you know of) would be interested in a visit from the team here at CRU please let me know.
With kindest regards,
Denise
'You know you're lost in cyberspace'
I felt I identified with this post from superspace24:-
You know you're lost in cyberspace when...
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 4.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You go home after a long day at work you still answer the phone in a business manner.
7. You make phone calls from home, you accidentally dial "9" to get an outside line.
8. You've sat at the same desk for four years and worked for three different companies.
10. You learn about your redundancy on the 11 o'clock news.
11. Your boss doesn't have the ability to do your job.
12. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.
13. Every commercial on television has a website at the bottom of the screen.
14. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
15. You get up in the morning and go online before getting your coffee.
16. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)
17. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
18. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
19. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
20. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list AND NOW U R LOL at yourself.
I have to add one more...and this is true...
21. You are walking in the park with someone you met on the Internet and they call you 'dutypigeon'
Cyberspace Research
Apologies for the delay since my last post but I have started a new job at the
Cyberspace Research Unit at UCLAN and life has been a bit hectic – CRU are in the final stages of developing a site at
InternetSafetyZone in their capacity as the UK node of the 'Safer Internet Plan', (developed in partnership with the European Commission and the Public Awareness sub group of the Home Secretary's Internet Task Force on Child Protection).
"One of the main messages of this site is the importance of communication and cooperation between parents and children in ensuring and enhancing a family's cyber wellness. It is possible to create open lines of communication with children and young people and to discuss a variety of seemingly challenging Internet related topics, whilst maintaining mutual respect for one another's perspectives.
The issue of Cyber wellness is an interesting one:
"Cyberwellness is a holistic term which encompasses not only concerns around safety and security online, but also considers people's psychological and emotional well being, along with stage of development with specific regard to the range of issues that may affect children and young people in their use of new mobile and internet technologies.For children and young people this helping them to realise that when they use the internet and mobile technologies, they are sending, receiving and communicating in a public space. Cyberwellness is about learning the skills to use and communicate with these technologies properly, keeping safe and secure, learning how to publish, disclose and interpret sources of information online and how to respect other users.
My task, as an anthropologist, is to develop a qualitative strategy for evaluating the usability of the project’s website in addition to a more quantitative evaluation. So far I am catching up by reading all the project documentation – a happy task!!
First Days in My New Job
Well I have arrived at the University of central Lancashire in Preston - I had really forgotten the hassle it can be when you start a new job - not with the people - but with travelling, parking, eating, internet access etc. I am driving everyday from Liverpool to Preston (I know...I know...) and I am managing to get lost less often.
More on the job soon when I have found my feet.
