The 3rd Annual New York State
Cyber Security Awareness Conference
Kids Safe Online
Another Great Success!
October 17, 2007
Empire State Plaza - Albany, NY
The Third Annual Cyber Security Awareness Conference: Kids Safe Online, which took place on October 17, 2007, was a tremendous success, with nearly 1,000 students, teachers, parents, law enforcement and other adults in attendance for the day-long event. The Conference, held each October in recognition of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, featured a variety of sessions focused on how to keep children safe while using the Internet. The goal is to raise awareness and provide solutions to meet these important challenges we face online.
The Kids Safe Online Conference is hosted by the New York State Office
of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination (CSCIC),
in collaboration with a number of public and private sector
organizations. "By working together to raise the education and awareness
levels among all of us, we can protect our children," said William
Pelgrin, CSCIC Director. "This event was such a success because of
the hard work and dedication of so many talented individuals."
The Conference was launched with a VIP Reception held at the New York State Museum on the evening of October 16. Remarks were provided by Michael Balboni, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety for the Governor, with a keynote presentation by Maria Sansone, Host of Yahoo's "The9." As host of an Internet show, Ms. Sansone spoke about what a great resource the Internet can be for children, but also cautioned that they must be taught how to use the tool safely and responsibly.
At the Reception, Deputy Secretary Balboni announced the winners of the New York State Cyber Security Poster Art Contest. The contest was open to all New York State students in the fourth and fifth grades and provided a great opportunity for students to be creative in expressing their understanding of good cyber security practices.
Entries were judged based on creativity, originality and concept. Entries were received from students across New York State and all deserved to be commended! Every child who submitted an entry receives a certificate of completion and all entries may be used in future cyber security education and awareness materials to be distributed nationally.
The 1st place winner was a 5th grader from W.S. Mount Elementary School in Stony Brook. The winner received an iPod Nano, donated courtesy of Class Link, Incorporated.
Each of the three runner ups received an iPod Shuffle, also donated courtesy of Class Link.
- 2nd Place Winner: a 5th grader from Notre Dame Elementary School, New Hyde Park;
- 3rd Place Winner: a 5th grader from Woodland Elementary School, in Hicksville;
- 4th Place Winner: a 4th grader, also from Woodland Elementary School.
The Conference began on the morning of October 17 with tracks of
workshops for adults, tackling issues ranging from on-line gaming and
its potential dangers, identity theft, what parents need to know about
the Internet, and much more.
In addition to the sessions for adults, the Conference also featured a special session for children. Krysten Moore, Miss Teen New Jersey International 2007, and a Bullying and Cyber-bullying Prevention spokesperson for Love Our Children USA, spoke with the 4th and 5th grade students who attended the special session. Miss Moore spoke with the children about cyber bullying…what it is, how it works, how to prevent it, and how to take action against it.
In addition to Miss Moore, the children's session also featured an interactive play geared toward the 4th and 5th grade levels, entitled, Cyber Citizens: Defenders of Cyberspace. The play used content from i-SAFE America, an organization dedicated to teaching secure, responsible and effective Internet and computer use, and acted out with members of Plays for Living, a nonprofit organization that utilizes live theatre drama to depict real-life challenges.
For those not able to attend the play in Albany,
it was also filmed and broadcast live over the Internet, and rebroadcast
that day throughout several time zones. Approximately 10,000 students,
parents and teachers from 38 states participated in the broadcasts.
For more information on the Kids Safe Online Webcast, visit the event
page
.
The afternoon began with opening remarks from CSCIC
Director Pelgrin. He stressed the need for continued focus and attention
to the growing volume and complexity of cyber security issues, especially
the importance of online safety for children. Denise O'Donnell, NYS
Assistant Secretary for Criminal Justice, and Mindy Bockstein, Chairwoman
and Executive Director of the New York State Consumer Protection Board
also addressed the audience, providing additional information about
what steps New York State is taking to protect kids online.
Katie Canton, Teen Ambassador, Web Wise Kids delivered a powerful and poignant presentation, recounting to the audience her personal experience of being lured into a potentially dangerous situation with a man whom she met online.
Robin Raskin, an author, nationally recognized technology expert
and advocate for online safety provided a compelling keynote, with
a hands-on demonstration of how children use the Internet, what the
potential dangers are with social networking sites, and what parents
must do immediately to minimize risk.
To round out the afternoon, a live chat-room demonstration from the FBI provided an eye-opening real-time display illustrating how prevalent online predators are and what parents can do to protect their children.
As a special note, CSCIC Director Pelgrin presented Janice Grieshaber, Executive Director of the Jenna Foundation for Non-Violence with the 2007 Kids Safe Online Leadership Award. This award was presented to Ms. Grieshaber in recognition of her outstanding efforts and commitment to protecting children on the Internet.
Cyber Security Awareness Conference: Kids Safe Online
Planning Committee Members
New York State Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure
Coordination
Jenna Foundation for Non-Violence
New York State Office of Children and Family Services
New York State Consumer Protection Board
New York State Council of School Superintendents
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
New York State Division of State Police
New York State Education Department
New York State Empire State Development Corporation (L&P Media)
New York State Forum (D&D Consulting, Ltd)
Hudson Falls School District
InfraGard Albany
i-Safe America
Love Our Children USA
New York State Lottery
New York State Parent Teacher Association
Plays for Living
South Colonie School District
State University of New York at Albany/College of Computing and Information
State Sponsors
New York State Consumer Protection Board
New York State Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure
Coordination
New York State Office of General Services
New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation
New York State Office of Mental Health
Additional Support Provided by the Following:
Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center
ClassLink
iKeepSafe
CyberSmart!
State Employees Federal Credit Union (SEFCU)
Corporate Sponsors
Microsoft
The NYS Forum IT Corporate Roundtable
How Can I Learn More About Keeping Our Children Safe Online?
There are many resources available and we've compiled
links to some online resources for your reference.