WebWiseKids Blog : internet safety app

BeSeen App: Training Wheels for Social Networks

Judi Westberg-Warren, President — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 23:09:00 GMT

Have your children played our BeSeen app yet?

BeSeen is our free mobile app designed to simulate an online social network for kids. By playing BeSeen, youth can subliminally learn how to be responsible on social networks through navigating fictional situations that test their judgment on private and personal information, protecting their online reputation and defending their peers. The situations reflect real-life situations, making BeSeen a great way to introduce kids to social networks.

Watch and learn more about how our BeSeen app is a great "training wheels" program for your kids!

Web Wise Kids and BeSeen: An Award Finalist!

Judi Westberg-Warren, President — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:00:00 GMT

We are proud to announce that our BeSeen game has been selected as an award finalist by the Pittsburgh Technology Council!

This yearвЂ™s fourth annual DATA Awards Event is part of the Creative Technology Network, developed with the generous support of the Benedum Foundation. Called PittsburghвЂ™s biggest creative tech party of the year, the event is a streaming mash-up of networking, interactivity and inspiration.

The 2012 Design, Art and Technology Award will be handed out at the DATA awards ceremony on June 7, 2012

BeSeenwas selected as a finalist in the вЂњNext Generation: Kids & Creative Technology CategoryвЂќ recognizing the hard work and innovation of Web Wise Kids and Carnegie Mellon University.

Cross your fingers for us!

If you are new to Web Wise Kids or BeSeen, hereвЂ™s more about the game:

BeSeen was created by Carnegie Mellon University and Web Wise Kids to teach youth how to be responsible in social networks by securing their private and personal information, protecting their online reputation and defending their peers.

This online safety mobile application is a single-player game that simulates a social networking website. The player creates a profile and starts earning вЂњfriendвЂќ characters and interacting with them. They learn about others through their posts and help them through challenges in order to win awards and make new friends.

In BeSeen, the ultimate quest is to make friends. At first, that is a matter of getting involved in school activities, but as more friends join a social circle, they bring their problems with them. To keep friends and make more, itвЂ™s important not only to be involved but also to be a good friend.

You can learn more about BeSeen or download the free lesson materials on the Web Wise Kids website.

What Can BeSeen Teach Your Kids?

Judi Westberg-Warren, President — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:07:00 GMT

Our BeSeen App is an online safety mobile application that simulates a social networking website. The player creates a profile and starts earning вЂњfriendвЂќ characters and interacting with them. They learn about others through their posts and help them through challenges in order to win awards and make new friends.

To get a full understanding of what our BeSeen app can teach your children, watch our official training video here.

Our BeSeen app is available to download for free on both Apple and Android platforms. To download the app and supplemental classroom materials (for free!), please click here.

BeSeen Has Global Appeal!

Judi Westberg-Warren, President — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:52:00 GMT

You Said It. BeSeen Has Global Appeal!

Word Is Spreading About The New BeSeen Lesson Materials!
It's only been a few weeks since we created a download page for the new BeSeen lesson materials on the Web Wise Kids website. But in that short time, here's what we've seen:

* We had 110 downloads of the complete lesson materials which will now start filtering through families, teachers and youth directors around the world - over 11,000 impressions!

* In the U.S., the materials were downloaded in 30 states!

* Overall, we had recent downloads in 8 different countries including South Africa,Peru, Canada, Nigeria, Columbia, United Kingdom and New Zealand! If you are among this group, thank you for being one of the first to begin formally teaching online safety via the BeSeen game. And be sure to share your feedback with us at [email protected].

Here's What You Are Saying About BeSeen!
"I work for law enforcement and go to all schools in the county and most of the city to discuss various topics, including on-line safety. I plan on using your information to update my presentations and to continue makng education fun." --- El Paso,TX
"Can't wait to see this one - we use Missing and love it need it for newer computers or iPads. --- Ft. Clahoun, NE
"Loved using the Missing Game and thrilled you came out with something new :)" ---Tolland, CT
"I appreciate these resources made available to teachers...." --- Berkeley, CA
"Anxious to try this app and offer it to students. Thank you!" --- Tustin, CA
"Hey, I didn't know about this app!!!!" --- Penn Laird, VA
"I want teach my students how to be safe on social media. I don't speak English, but I'm working with the teachers on ESL." --- Santiago, Chile
"We would like to build in a link to these materials from our site. This and BeSeen would fit into our Digital Citizenship section really well" --- Clinton Twp, MI

Thank you for all this feedback and positive encouragement! We are so excited to see where you take BeSeen over the coming weeks. Who can you share BeSeen with today?

BeSeen Classroom Materials a Hit!

Judi Westberg-Warren, President — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:44:00 GMT

Our new BeSeen program that provides downloadable lesson plans вЂ“ complete with handouts, worksheets, instructional videos, and 12 lesson plans-- allows educators, youth directors and parents to instantly begin sharing the benefits of BeSeen with their kids.

So far, the materials have been downloaded 65 times in 20 states and five countries (hello to our friends across the US and in South Africa, the UK, Peru and Canada)!

These classroom materials give teachers a step-by-step guide for leading students through the materials. We designed them to help facilitate discussions and dialogue with your students as they are playing the game. BeSeen is a valuable learning tool вЂ“ but it is also fun for kids!

We hope that those who have downloaded our materials have found them useful so far, and that other parents and educators will continue to download and use our BeSeen materials.

You can download our BeSeen Classroom Materials for FREE here!

BeSeen to Launch in USA Today

Judi Westberg-Warren, President — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:16:00 GMT

Watch our president, Judi Westberg Warren, talk about our upcoming BeSeen app launch in USA Today.

Click here to watch

Keynote Presentations on Internet Safety

Judi Westberg-Warren, President — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:43:00 GMT

Among our many initiatives to help educate youth about Internet safety, Web Wise Kids also offers keynote presentations for organizations, parents and educators. For one to two hours, our speakers will come to your next meeting or event and share our knowledge about how to teach our children to be safe in our technologically evolving world.

We have been working for years to help educate parents about what it means to be safe online. Our speakers deliver a powerful message on Internet safety, specifically for parents. We discuss key steps to keeping your kids safe online, and also share powerful statistics on how kids are using the Internet through a wide variety of devices including mobile phones, iPads and iPods. We also have fun, informative and interactive presentations specifically for kids. The presentations challenge kids to think differently, and leave them knowing how to make better choices online.

We are proud to welcome our newest speaker, Rommel Anacan. Anacan is a trainer for Web Wise Kids and represents the organization through speaking and presenting at community and educational events. You can watch Anacan speak about his new position at Web Wise Kids by watching the following video.

Anacan will also be emphasizing on teaching the new BeSeen curriculum materials for teachers and parents.

To learn more about our speaking services or to book a Web Wise Kids speaker for your next meeting or event contact please email us at [email protected]

Web Wise Kids Speaks on the Criminalization of School Bullies

Judi Westberg-Warren, President — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:17:00 GMT

вЂњWe need to treat children as children,вЂќ says Web Wise Kids' President, Judi Westberg Warren. Warren believes that bullying should not be a criminal offense, and shared her stance at the Northeastern University School of Law symposium on March 30 titled: вЂњShould School Bullies Face Criminal Punishment?вЂќ The symposium featured a full-day schedule of panels discussing the legal implications of school bullying.

Warren says that although it is understandable why the public seeks to exact harsh punishments on bullies who have caused psychological damage, harm and even death to others, school bullies are still children and have a limited capacity of understanding the repercussions of their actions. Instead, Warren believes that these children need to be rehabilitated. To watch Judi further discuss this topic, please click here

Web Wise Kids works to educate kids, parents, teachers, educators and the community on the values of making safe and wise choices in a technologically evolving world. We create specialized games that help youth actively learn about the dangers and consequences that can result from the misuse of technology and the Internet. Additionally, Web Wise Kids provides training and extra support material to help parents, teachers and educators successfully facilitate the games for their children and students.

Have you seen our latest game? BeSeen is a phone app game that simulates a social networking site for a high school where players create profiles and travel through a condensed school year, navigating through challenging social situations and puzzles along the way. The game is designed to help kids understand responsible online behavior such as securing their personal information, protecting their privacy and defending their peers against bullying. The BeSeen app is available on both iPhone and Android platforms.

Check out our program for parents and teachers to use BeSeen with their kids.