Florida News
GUEST COLUMN
What Can You Do To Minimize The Chances Of An Online Exploiter Victimizing Your Child?
Parents, communicate with your children. Have age-appropriate discussions with your child about the dangers associated with communicating with unknown people online, sending photos, or engaging in other risky behavior online. Here are some recommendations to follow:
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Spend time with your children online. Have them teach you about their favorite online destinations.
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Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child’s bedroom. It is much more difficult for a computer-sex offender to communicate with a child when the computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household.
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Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking software. While electronic chat can be a great place for children to make new friends and discuss various topics of interest, it is also prowled by computer-sex offenders. Use of chat rooms, in particular, should be heavily monitored. While parents should utilize these mechanisms, they should not totally rely on them.
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Always maintain access to your child’s online account(s) and randomly check his/her e-mail. Be aware that your child could be contacted through the U.S. Mail. Be up front with your child about your access and reasons why.
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Teach your child the responsible use of the resources online. There is much more to the online experience than chat rooms.
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Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child’s school, the public library, and at the homes of your child’s friends. These are all places, outside your normal supervision, where your child could encounter an online predator.
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Instruct your children:
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to never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met online;
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to never upload (post) pictures of themselves onto the Internet or online service to people they do not personally know;
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to never give out identifying information such as their name, home address, school name, or telephone number;
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to never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance there could be sexually explicit images;
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to never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing;
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that whatever they are told online may or may not be true.
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In an effort to protect children from online predators, it’s important to educate them about sextortion, which is a serious crime that occurs when someone threatens to distribute your private and sensitive material if you don’t provide them images of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or money. Let your children know they can come to you without fear of reprisal, and that you have a genuine interest in their safety and online activities. Those exploited through these crimes are victims, no matter what they did or how they responded to the threat. The FBI currently has open sextortion investigations across the country, including Florida, involving both subjects and victims from around the world.
Also, supervise children’s mobile device usage. Devices like smartphones are more difficult to manage due to their mobility and technical capabilities. As teenagers’ brains are not yet fully developed, they often struggle with anticipating consequences or impulse control.
TWO TAMPA TABLA STUDENTS RECOGNIZED
Ishan Rele and Shankhachur Lahiri
Kevin Sahadeo
Two young Tampa Bay area tabla students were recognized for their dedication and achievement in the art of tabla studies by Shruti Foundation. Ishan Rele and Kevin Sahadeo, both students of Shankhachur Lahiri, were selected to perform at Swar Ganga Foundation’s music competition, Crescendo Classical mega finale 2015 in Atlanta in September. They advanced through three rounds of online competition by submitting original performance videos, which were judged by professional musicians from around the world. The contest was open to music students of all ages across North America for vocal, instrumental and classical dance. Teacher Lahiri was very proud of their efforts and accomplishment.
For more information on Shruti A.I.M. Music School, visit www.shrutiaim.com or email [email protected]
INDIAN LINGUIST TO TEACH AT SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY THIS FALL
The School of Arts and Sciences at Saint Leo University in St. Leo is offering students and campus visitors new opportunities to explore multiple languages and cultural arts this fall through classes and forums with visiting scholar and musician Dr. Vasumathi Badrinathan.
Dr. Badrinathan, a university teacher from India, is a recognized expert on teaching foreign languages and the first Fulbright Scholar in Residence to teach at Saint Leo University. The Fulbright Scholar Program underwrites international travel and teaching opportunities through exchange programs intended to deepen cross-cultural understanding.
Dr. Vasumathi Badrinathan
During the Fall 2015 Semester, Dr. Badrinathan will teach a special course on language, culture, and communications that will be open to all undergraduates with sophomore standing or higher. She will also be working with other university faculty and sharing her knowledge of teaching foreign language skills to students who may one day be working in globalized settings.
“I look forward to this unique and wonderful opportunity,” Dr. Badrinathan said. “Being at Saint Leo, sharing and learning from this experience is going to be fascinating journey like none other. I have so many varied projects lined up, from teaching to collaborating on research to a special concert with the music department — I am very excited and privileged to have this experience.”
She comes to Saint Leo with a resume that already includes significant accomplishments in teaching and publishing. At home, Dr. Badrinathan teaches French in Mumbai at one of her country’s most well-regarded institutions, Ramnarain Ruia College, University of Mumbai. She earned her doctorate in French and applied linguistics at Charles de Gaulle University-Lille III in France.
Dr. Badrinathan is also a vocalist of Carnatic music and performs in national and international world music festivals. She writes about music, culture, and dance, as well, and has been a part of many broadcast media arts programs and recordings.
While at Saint Leo, she will perform at appearances that will be open to students and the public. Cultural events are regularly posted in advance at www.saintleo.edu The University Campus is at 33701 State Road 52, four miles east of Interstate 75 (Exit 285).