ePals Support

Consejos De Seguridad En Internet

smiller — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:32:01 GMT

Desde 1996, ePals se enfocó en crear un ambiente confiable y seguro para que los estudiantes aprendan y exploren. Estudiantes y docentes han podido disfrutar miles de intercambios de aprendizaje enriquecedores y educativos, todos ellos cobijados por el enfoque multi-protector de ePals que tiene por objeto mantener un ambiente seguro en la red.

Queremos que su experiencia con ePals sea divertida, amigable y segura. Esperamos que las siguientes anotaciones generales de seguridad le ayuden a sacar el máximo provecho de ePals.

Qué hacemos nosotros:

ePals atiende la seguridad en Internet desde varios ángulos.

El CorreoEscolar de ePals (ePals SchoolMail) está diseñado para cumplir con las normas COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), (Children's Internet Protection Act) y FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).
Hemos agregado funciones de seguridad al CorreoEscolar, incluyendo contenido integrado al correo electrónico y filtros de lenguaje, para ayudar a que los correos electrónicos sean apropiados.
Nuestros controles de correos no solicitados (spam) y de virus, ayudan a prevenir mensajes indeseados e inapropiados además de escanear archivos adjuntos para prevenir virus.
Los foros de ePals se someten a chequeo para asegurar un contenido apropiado.
Los usuarios adultos están en capacidad de definir los niveles de acceso, y establecer límites sobre quién puede recibir y enviar correos a estudiantes ePals.

ePals Modera y Restringe los Perfiles de los Miembros

El personal de ePals modera y aprueba todos los nuevos perfiles antes de que cualquier miembro potencial de ePals pueda agregarse a nuestra base de datos en línea. Únicamente aceptamos que nos presenten perfiles docentes, padres de familia, estudiantes de educación superior, funcionarios de la escuela y adultos supervisores. De esta manera restringimos los perfiles para que todo estudiante miembro de ePals, con acceso al correo electrónico, tenga un adulto asociado con él o ella, asegurando así que un adulto pueda chequear toda la correspondencia recibida por el estudiante a través del correo electrónico antes de que llegue a sus manos. Si es evidente que los nuevos perfiles no fueron presentados por un docente, padre de familia o adulto supervisor, estos se rechazan.

ePals Restringe el Contacto de nuestros Miembros

A los miembros de ePals pueden contactarlos únicamente adultos que tengan aprobado un perfil ePals. Usted siempre podrá encontrar información básica sobre todos los miembros que lo contacten a través de ePals. El personal de ePals tendrá información adicional sobre todas las personas que se conecten con usted.

ePals Modera todos los Foros

ePals modera todos los Foros que maneja para asegurar que los mensajes tengan el contenido apropiado y que no contengan información de permita identificar a la persona. En este enlace puede leer más sobre las reglas de nuestro comité de discusiones. También lo invitamos a ponerse en contacto con nosotros si le preocupa el comportamiento de alguno de los participantes en nuestros Foros.

Consejos adicionales para los miembros de ePals:

Escoja un adulto responsable como contacto para su perfil de ePals. Esta persona debe revisar todos los correos electrónicos iniciales.
Nunca responda mensajes que sean sugestivos, obscenos, amenazantes o que lo hagan sentir incómodo. Vea más adelante la sección “Qué hacer si recibe un correo electrónico sospechoso”.
No dé nunca información de tipo personal (como direcciones o teléfonos personales) a personas que no haya verificado.
4. Si encuentra en nuestra base de datos un perfil que usted sabe que es falso o engañoso, por favor infórmenos inmediatamente.
5. Asegúrese que sus niños y estudiantes entiendan que los consejos de seguridad general también aplican para situaciones en la red. Estos consejos incluyen:
- Nunca acuerde con alguien una reunión cara a cara sin la presencia de un padre de familia, un docente o un tutor.
- Nunca dé información personal sin la aprobación de un docente, padre de familia o acudiente.
- Nunca responda mensajes sugestivos, obscenos, amenazantes o que lo hagan sentir incómodo.
- Informe siempre a un docente, padre o adulto de su confianza si recibe un mensaje que lo perturbe.
- Si tiene sospechas sobre alguien que conoció en la red, informe siempre a un adulto responsable, como un docente o un padre de familia.

Qué hacer si recibe un correo electrónico sospechoso:

Si recibe un correo electrónico sospechoso, amenazante o inapropiado, por favor informe a ePals.

Suspenda inmediatamente la correspondencia con esa persona – no responda sus mensajes.
Grabe e imprima el/los mensaje(s).
No investigue por su cuenta el/los mensaje(s) sospechoso(s).
Si la persona es un miembro ePals, por favor infórmenos inmediatamente, dándonos toda la información que pueda.
Si el mensaje contiene amenazas de daños personales u otras de contenido criminal, informe inmediatamente a su departamento de policía local.

CRÉDITO:

Documento elaborado por ePals y traducido al español por Eduteka.

Publicación de este documento en EDUTEKA: Octubre 01 de 2009.
Última modificación de este documento: Octubre 01 de 2009.

Problems logging in?

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:29:19 GMT

If you are having difficulties logging in, check the top of the login page for any error messages, which might help you find out what the trouble is.

Some common problems include:

Username Problems

Your username is the part of your ePals email address before the @. For example, if your email address were support@epals.com, you'd enter "support" (without quotes) in the username field.

If you've forgotten your username, you can get help here.

(Click here if you have monitored accounts and want to check a child's username.)

Password Problems

When you joined ePals, you chose a password for your account. If you've forgotten your password, you can get help here.

If you are monitoring email accounts and the user of one of these accounts has forgotten their password, you can check monitored account passwords here.

Account Problems

If your account has been deactivated and you have questions or concerns, please contact us.

Settings Problems

To be able to use ePals, your browser must be set up to accept cookies. More information on cookie settings is available here.

If you are still having difficulties logging in after checking these common problems, please contact us for further assistance.

Back to ePals' home page

Tips for Successful Collaboration

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:56:45 GMT

You've decided to take the plunge and embark on an ePals adventure. The project ideas and lesson plans that are available to use are designed with international collaboration in mind. They are also designed to be used as a springboard; that is, teachers are encouraged to use these ideas as a beginning, a way of enriching the ePals experience. Ultimately, there are as many ways to learn with ePals as there are ePals members!

Some general suggestions to help you along your way:

It is recommended that you print out the information, and any worksheets or charts that are provided from the Project Plan in advance so that you can organize yourself accordingly. Mark your calendar with a timeline for the start and completion of these activities.

Set aside a special area of the classroom to display information about your partner class, and the theme that you are dealing with. Make a clear title for the project: i.e. "ePals Money Exchange", and include all of the work that can be displayed in that area.

Get to know your partner class before you begin. Brainstorm with your own students about the information they consider to be of importance and to be included in an introductory group email. Print this email and future correspondence and include it in your project display.

Have fun and enjoy introducing your students to the global community!

Internet Safety Tips

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:07:39 GMT

Since 1996, ePals has focused on creating a safe and secure environment for students to learn and explore. Students and teachers have enjoyed thousands of rewarding and educational learning exchanges, all the while protected by ePals multi-pronged approach to maintaining a secure environment.

We want your ePals experience to be fun, friendly and safe. We hope these general safety guidelines will help you make the most of ePals.

What we do:

ePals Addresses Internet Safety From Many Angles.

ePals SchoolMail is designed to comply with COPPA, and FERPA.
We have added safety features to SchoolMail, including built-in email content and language filters, to help ensure appropriateness of email messages.
Our spam and virus controls help prevent unwanted, inappropriate messages and scan attachments for viruses.
ePals forums are screened to ensure appropriate content.
Adult users have the ability to set access levels, thereby limiting who can receive and send emails to student ePals users.

ePals Moderates and Restricts Member Profiles

ePals staff moderates and approves all new profiles before any potential ePals' member can be added to our online database.We accept profile submissions from teachers, parents, higher education students, )school officials and other supervisory adults only. We restrict profiles in this manner so that every student ePals member who has access to email has an adult affiliated with him or her, and therefore all email correspondence can be screened by an adult prior to receipt by a child. New profiles that have clearly not been submitted by a teacher, parent or other supervisory adult are rejected.

ePals Restricts Contact of our Members

ePals members can only be contacted by an adult who has an approved ePals profile. You will always be able to find basic information about every member who contacts you through ePals. ePals staff will have additional information on every person who connects with you.

ePals Moderates all Forums

ePals moderates all of our Forums to ensure that the messages contain appropriate content, and do not contain personally identifying information. You can read more about our discussion board guidelines here. We also encourage you to contact us if you have concerns about the behavior of a poster on our Forums.

Additional tips for ePals members:

Choose a responsible adult as the contact for your ePals profile. This contact person should screen all initial email correspondence.
Never respond to messages that are suggestive, obscene, threatening or that make you feel uncomfortable. See What to Do below.
Never give out any personally identifying information (such as addresses or phone numbers) to anyone you have not verified.
If you find a profile in our database that you know is intentionally erroneous or misleading, please let us know immediately.
Make sure your students and children know general safety tips apply to online situations too. These safety tips include:
- Never arrange a face to face meeting without a parent, teacher or guardian present.
- Never give out personally identifying information without approval of an adult teacher, parent of guardian.
- Never respond to messages that are suggestive, obscene, threatening or that make you feel uncomfortable.
- Always let a teacher, parent or other trusted adult know if you receive an upsetting message.
- If you are suspicious of someone you've met online, always tell a responsible adult, like a teacher or parent.

What to do if you receive a suspicious email message:

If you receive an email that is suspicious, threatening, or inappropriate, please alert ePals.

Immediately cease all correspondence with the individual - do not reply.
Save and print the message(s).
Do not investigate the suspicious message(s) yourself.
If the individual is an ePals member, inform us immediately, providing as much information as possible.
If the message contains threats of harm or other criminal content, immediately report it to your local police department.

Problems With Cookies

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:03:04 GMT

Either your browser does not support cookies or you need to activate cookies in your browser in order to use the selected feature.

Cookies are pieces of information that a Website transfers to your computer to keep track of your information. A browser that supports cookies is required before a user can login to the site. We use cookies to personalize maintain user preferences (such as chosen language) throughout your visit, as well as to maintain your login status. We do not use cookies for any other purpose. Please see the ePals privacy policy for further information.

To activate cookies follow the following procedure (Note that this process will vary in some browser versions):

Internet Explorer Users

For Internet Explorer version 6:

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 uses a series of default security levels. Changing to a higher security level may disable cookie acceptance without your being informed of this change. Fortunately, it's possible to enter the addresses of sites that you wish to receive cookies from regardless of the current security level.

While IE 6 is loaded, click on the "Tools" menu and select "Internet Options".
Click on the "Privacy" tab in the window that appears. You should see something resembling the screenshot above.
Notice in the section under "Web sites," where the text reads, "To override cookie handling for individual Web sites, click the Edit button." Click the "Edit" button there.
In the window that appears (see screenshot above), enter "epals.com" in the "Address of Web site" field and click the "Allow" button.
Click "OK"

For Internet Explorer version 5:

Go to the "Tools" Menu
Select Internet Options
Click on the Security Tab
Double Click on the icon labeled "Internet"
Click on the button labeled "Default Level"
Use the slider on the left to select "Medium Security"
Click OK.

For Internet Explorer 4:

Under the option
In the new window, choose the tab
Press the button

For previous versions of Internet Explorer:

Users of versions 3 and below of Internet Explorer may have problems accessing the site even if cookies are activated in your browser preferences. We recommend that these users download an updated browser from Microsoft or Netscape.

Netscape Users

Go to Options or Preferences.
In the new window that appears, click the "Advanced" item.
Select either "Accept all cookies" or "Accept only cookies that get sent back to the originating server".
Click "OK"

Other Browsers

Virtually all modern browsers will support cookies. If your chosen browser isn't mentioned above, try viewing the "Preferences" or "Options" for your browser and looking for the security or privacy settings. There are often several choices for cookie acceptance:

Accept all cookies - accepts cookies automatically
Ask before accepting - the browser will prompt you to ask whether you wish to accept a cookie or not
Accept only from originating site - the browser will not accept cookies from sites other than one you are visiting
Do not accept cookies - no cookies will be accepted.

Generally, any setting other than "Do not accept" will allow you to navigate the site without restriction.

ePals Site Map

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:57:22 GMT

ePals Global Community

Home Page
Visit the ePals Global Community home page for all the latest news, activities and more.

ePals Tour
Take a look at ePals.

Join ePals
Be a part of the world's largest online classroom community.

My Account
Manage your classroom profile and account settings.

Collaborative Activities

ePals Email
Connect and collaborate with other ePals members worldwide.

Projects
These project ideas make great ways to collaborate with other ePals members.

Forums
Talk with other ePals members about issues of interest to you.

ePals SchoolMail™
ePals SchoolMail is the leading solution in school-safe email™.

ePals SchoolBlog™
A simple-to-use and robust educational tool for creating unified Web-based platforms that administrators, teachers, parents, and students use to achieve academic goals.

Ask An ePals Teacher
Share expertise. Ask questions. Get and give answers.

In2Books
A curriculum-based online mentoring program.

ePals Help

Support
Get help using ePals.

How To
How-To Guides and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Asian Characters Help
Information and help on viewing ePals in other languages.

Bess Proxy Server
Important troubleshooting information for Bess proxy server users.

Contact ePals
Send us your comments and feedback.

Finding Partners

Your Classroom Profile
Manage your classroom or group profiles.

Search Member Profiles
Use the ePals Classroom Match search engine.

Map Search
Find partners by clicking a world map.

ePals Languages List
Search a clickable list of languages spoken by registered members.

ePals List of US States and Canadian Provinces
Search a clickable list of US states and Canadian provinces.

ePals Resources

Instant Language Translation
Translate the basic meaning of your messages to and from 6 languages.

Telecollaboration Tips
Tips that will help you get comfortable using ePals for projects and email exchanges.

Internet Safety Tips
Some common sense suggestions for members participating in email exchanges.

Parental Consent Forms
Download parental consent forms and privacy information.

About ePals

ePals Tour
Take a look at ePals.

Testimonials
Browse feedback we've received from teachers.

ePals Corporate Website
Learn all about ePals, our products and services, and more.