The following was written by our previous webmaster, Jim Kennedy. Only some slight modifications have been made, and contact information has changed.

 

The worldwide web is a rapidly developing phenomenon which is entirely unprecedented. That means nobody can predict how it's going to change, especially since nobody's "in control." Basically the web is just individuals and organizations that put up sites, on their own, for others to look at and interact with, usually with links to other sites. It's best to think of it as a giant experiment in cooperation.

With all this free information and communication there are some risks. As far as our kids go, the main risks are that they will receive bad information, and that they will receive inappropriate information. (There is nothing here that links them directly to "chat rooms" or other places where they might interact with unsavory characters.) By "bad" I mean mainly incorrect or biased information. Sometimes the information is distorted to sell a product, or because the site's creator is ignorant, and sometimes people put bad information on the web because they're bigots or have strong opinions that they want to promote. This really doesn't happen very often, especially if you use "official" sites such as government agencies, universities and museums, etc., but it can happen.

Inappropriate information is what you as a parent would not choose to expose your child to. In particular, the web is somewhat notorious for its adult-oriented content. Adult sites are actually rare and relatively hard to find, but they're out there, and you don't want your kids to stumble across them.

The St. Jude Students page and links are intended to be educational and fun, while minimizing exposure to bad and inappropriate information. Your child can work on reports and homework using the incredible resources of the web, and you should not have to worry about what he or she is going to get into. If your child finds links from any of the Kids' Web sites to anything you feel is inappropriate, please contact the school immediately and the link will be removed. Also contact the school if you find something you think would be a good addition to the list, or have any comments.

Here's a good web page that deals with issues of being a parent, including but not limited to Internet issues... National Parent Information Network.

You should know that there are several products available to help you block inappropriate material from your computer. Below are some links to products that can screen incoming information and links to protect you and your child from offensive material. I am including their own descriptions of the products, with no intention of endorsing any particular one -- you might want to look them over, if you're concerned about site content:

SurfWatch ~ SurfWatch blocks tens of thousands of explicit sites locally at the user's machine, without restricting the access rights of other Internet users.

Cyber Patrol ~ Cyber Patrol is used to manage Internet access, limit the total time spent online and block access to Internet sites that you deem inappropriate.

Net Nanny ~ Net Nanny is the only software program that allows YOU to monitor, screen and block access to anything residing on, or running in, out or through your PC, online or off.

Enjoy the web!

Update, 7 February 2002: WebSmartKids is a site for parents to help build their children's media literacy skills. This is an excellent resource for teachers as well.