Page 217 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

Chapter 8 • Tools for Parents

test out this feature. Her son was reading his ebook as usual, and as usual, he
would switch to Facebook after about 2 minutes of reading.

When he stepped away, she took his iPad and enabled guided access mode.
When her son returned to finish his work, she left his room and headed down-
stairs. Before her foot hit the first step she heard a loud “Mom!” and knew she
had succeeded (as he had tried and failed to exit the app).

Internet Filtering

As was mentioned earlier, filtering the internet is only successful when devices
are connected to it. With smartphones, internet access is only a mildly strong
cell signal away. That said, it’s advisable to have some level of filtering on your
home devices as well as any school-issued ones. Enter my disclaimer here once
again: A strong internet filter is no substitute for strong parenting.

OpenDNS

OpenDNS (opendns.com) is a free online filter with some upgrades available
for a price. While it’s geared mainly to protect against virus and phishing
attacks, there are now ways you can set up parental controls. One of the great
things about OpenDNS is that you can set up web filtering at the router level
and differentiate based on devices. So that means that your kids’ devices can
have different filter settings than your own devices.

Circle Home and Go

This is Disney’s entry into the fray of internet filtering. It provides a plug ’n’
play device for $99 that connects to your home network. Then using an accom-
panying Circle Home app, you can set limits on internet connectivity and
screen time for all Wi-Fi–enabled devices. Using the Circle Go app extends
that filtering and oversight to mobile devices not at the home (for a cost of
$9.99/month). Learn more at meetcircle.com.

98 Mobile Learning Mindset: The Parent’s Guide to Supporting Digital Age Learners

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