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Internet Safety for Families

For parents: passwords, scams, screen time and what your child is actually using.

A short evening course written for parents, and taught in plain language with interpreting available.

We go through the apps children in this city actually use, what the real risks are as opposed to the ones in the news, how to set up a device sensibly, and how to have a conversation about it that does not end in a slammed door.

We also cover the scams that specifically target immigrant and refugee families — fake immigration fees, fake utility calls, fake job offers.

Jobs this leads towards

Real roles people do after this course and the ones that follow it.

  • A safer household

    This one is for parents and guardians — the job is keeping the family's accounts and children safe.

Is this for me?

Ninety seconds, no wrong answers, nothing recorded. It tells you how closely this course matches what you enjoy — and where to look if it does not.

Try it — two minutes

The kind of thing you would actually do in this course. Nothing is saved; it is just to see if you enjoy it.

What a week looks like

Day to day, so nobody is surprised.

  1. One evening a week, two hours, in the lab with an instructor beside you.
  2. Every session starts with ten minutes of typing and ends with something you made.
  3. A short practice task to try at home on any device, never graded.
  4. The last session of the course is a show-and-tell for families.

Three questions from week one

Get them wrong and you belong here. Get them right and you belong here too. Nothing is recorded.

Books worth having

None of these is required — the course lends what it needs. These are the ones worth owning.

  • Computers for Seniors For Dummies

    Nancy Muir

    Ignore the title: it is the clearest zero-assumptions book in print.

    Find it ↗
  • Typing.com (free website)

    Ten minutes a day is worth more than any book.

What to bring

Usually nothing. Where something small helps, it is here.

  • Nothing to buy. Laptops are lent for the course.
  • A notebook for passwords and new words.
  • Headphones if you have them.

Do this at home

Between sessions. Ten to twenty minutes; the people who do this are the ones who finish.

  • Habit 1Type for ten minutes a day at typing.com.
  • Habit 2Send one email to a family member each week.
  • Habit 3Find one thing on the internet you did not know, and write down how you found it.

What you will be able to do

  • Set up a password manager and turn on two-factor authentication
  • Configure parental controls on a phone, tablet and console
  • Recognise the common scams aimed at families in Louisville
  • Know what to do if an account is compromised

What you will use

  • Bitwarden
  • Microsoft Family Safety
  • Apple Screen Time

What the course covers

The lesson plan for this course is being written. Register and we will tell you the moment it opens.