New Indie Horror Game on Steam

11th January 2023A Hayward

Choo-Choo Charles is a 2022 indie horror video game. The player controls a monster-hunting character with the goal of upgrading their train’s defenses in order to fight and defeat  Charles, an evil spider-train hybrid monster that wanders the landscape looking for people to eat.

‘Choo choo Charles 2’ was released on steam early in December. This is a survival horror game and has a PEGI 16 rating so is not suitable for children. If children mention that they are playing on this game, or watching you tube videos, we would discourage this as it’s not appropriate.

The developers describe the content like this:

Blood, gore, and people being eaten alive by a spider train.

Here is a review and brief clip of the game for more information:

 

5 minutes on Friday

18th November 2022A Hayward
The Red Cross have produced a lovely calendar aimed at developing friendships and valuing connections.  There are two versions of the full calendar available to download, one for 5-7 year olds and one for 7-11 year olds. Both are packed with lots of fun activities.
Download from here https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/teaching-resources/the-snowman-and-snowdog-kindness-calendar

Cyber security

For girls in Y8 or Y9 interested in a career in cyber-security, there is still time to register and take part in the CyberFirst Girls competition.  Registration is still open.
 
THey are also looking for schools to apply to be CyberFirst Schools too if anyone is interested

 

Bett 

Bett have announced one of their keynote speakers to be Steven Bartlett.  He’s the founder of Social Chain, Diary of a CEO host and the youngest ever dragon.  Here is the link to register for Bett 2023 

Digital parenting

Leonie Smith has written a useful, down to earth article explaining that this needs to start early in the child’s life and it isn’t about trying to stay one step ahead or trying to outsmart children. Take a look for yourself HERE, it might be worth sharing with your parents.

Resources for Parents

Webwise Ireland have got some fabulous, free resources that you can send out to parents including talking points, tips and more, all of which can be downloaded from HERE.

Foster Carers – Enable

Some children are more vulnerable than others online, and that includes foster children. Yet the online world means so much to them, such as a refuge from their everyday difficulties, support and connection.  Enable is a free, incredibly useful training resource for foster carers written in consultation with foster carers, young people, online safety specialists and psychologists. You can find more information HERE.

PicLits

And finally, something beautiful.  piclits.com is a creative writing site that matches beautiful images with carefully selected keywords in order to inspire you. The object is to put the right words in the right place and the right order to capture the essence, story, and meaning of the picture.

Snapchat Meet Up Feature Warning!

22nd July 2022A Hayward

Snapchat’s newest feature “Meet up” adds an extra layer to their existing Snap Map feature by allowing users to get directions to their friend’s exact location. It pairs with Apple Maps and Google Maps, and shows how long it would take someone to walk, drive, or use public transport to reach the address. Anyone can then find the location of your workplace, school, or home address and the fastest route to get there.

Whilst this feature can be very useful for family and friends, it does add a significant risk factor.  We would recommend that Snapchat Maps are disabled on the app, they are on by default.  This is known as ghosting.

There is some excellent advice about Snapchat maps and the dangers of “Meet up” here

SAFEGUARDING ALERT – Snapchat Meet Up

 

 

Here’s how to change settings in Snapchat

Snapchat guide

FREE ‘Understanding Digital Wellbeing’ event on Wednesday 13th July 2022

30th June 2022P Chippendale

Last year SWGFL  joined forces with TikTok for their ‘Exploring Media Literacy’ event which brought together an array of expert speakers who explored the latest information, guidance and resources around the event.

They are once again partnering with TikTok to host a free ‘Understanding Digital Wellbeing’ event on Wednesday 13th July, which will explore how professionals, teachers, parents and carers can support younger age groups to develop positive digital wellbeing. They will guide you through the latest supportive resources and guidance that will increase your knowledge around the subject.

Alongside this, TikTok will be providing information about their new global digital wellbeing research project.

There will also be exclusive insights from ProjectEVOLVE to help you to further understand its impact.

Book your free space here

In the run up to the event you can also visit their new Digital Wellbeing hub to access exclusive resources and guidance which explore a range of factors that impact many younger age groups.

Parentzone – On Teaching Online Media Literacy

6th June 2022A Hayward

We live so much of our lives online that interpreting what we see – online media literacy – has become a vital life skill.

The government published its Media Literacy Strategy last year, recognising that children and young people need media literacy education.

Media literacy is something parents, teachers and professionals can all teach, both in everyday interactions and in a more structured way.

So what exactly do you need to know to teach media literacy? What elements of the online world should you cover? Find answers, and lots of free resources, here: Online Media Literacy: what is it – and why should we teach it?

Teaching online media literacy to children with SEND often calls for a range of different approaches.

The government has funded Parent Zone to develop specific media literacy resources for this group.

We’ve worked with teachers, drawing on their expertise to create a free, specialist online resource library.

The PZ SEND site includes specially adapted lessons, activities, worksheets, videos, and guidance on how to adapt them – along with feedback, ideas and best practice from other SEND teachers.

Update

4th May 2022A Hayward
CPD
We still have places on Teach Computing in Y5 course on Thursday, let me know if you have anyone you wish to come to it.  The other course still to start is the Teach Computing in Y6 – which is on May 12th.  Again, let me know if anyone wants to attend.
Piracy Advice
If children and young people want content that is unavailable to them, they may take to search engines at home or at school that some filters may not pick up. Streaming or downloading from illegal sites can expose them to viruses, age-inappropriate content and disturbing pop-ups.  Learn more about the issue from Internet Matters by clicking here.
Munchausen by Internet
VoiceBox (a youth-lead organisation) investigated a new digital phenomenon, faking certain health disorders on social media.  They uncovered a complex and troubling issue.  Read their report here.
Vampire Devices
With the hike in energy costs now could be the time to think about what devices we leave plugged in or on standby that are slowly using power and adding to costs.  British Gas say games consoles left on standby work out at an average of £12.17, while computers could cost about £11.22 per year.  Read the BBC report here.  It might be time to rethink the way we use our devices at home and school, and unplug instead of putting on standby.