MCPS chromebook, help with parental controls
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Anonymous
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The MCPS chromebooks appear to be not locked down at all, or monitored by MCPS (despite the presence of the monitoring software). My tween is accessing many pages that are both distracting and inappropriate. Obviously, I'm trying to monitor in person but I have a job so can't watch him constantly. I've tried using the parental controls feature on my router to lock out inappropriate sites, but it seems to be causing glitching in the chromebook, and it's not a great solution because he can just use the wifi from the business down the street that is not password protected. Does anyone have any suggestions about ways to lock down the actual chromebook to avoid this stuff?
Thank you! |
Anonymous
| You either do it through your router or get your own computer. |
Anonymous
Sure, but if you buy them their own computer, it can't be a chromebook. The problem with a personal chromebook for kids is that you can't apply any parental controls / Family Link settings to their school account (and they have to set up a separate school account to access Zoom/coursework). So once their time runs out or they run into a blocked site on their personal account, they switch to the school account and -- tada! -- unlimited screentime and only some blocking of inappropriate content. I'm telling my 6th grader that the school can see everything he does on his school account, since that used to be the case. He's not caught on yet but it's only a matter of time. Also watch for shared Google Slides where kids share messages, memes, videos, etc. |
Anonymous
No chrome books, agree. We have parental controls on all the computers kids use. Its nice as they have to ask for time every time. |
Anonymous
| It all depends on the technical knowledge of your child and the amount of money and effort you are willing to put in. Most of what you have resources to install can be overcome |
Anonymous
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Watch your kid????
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Anonymous
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Thank you to those that responded. I do generally watch him, but can't watch him 24/7, as I have a job and other children and occasionally need to take a shower or make dinner.
Does anyone have a type of parental control software that they would recommend? We used to use the microsoft parental control on the old windows and it worked really, really well -- I had to put in a code to let them access anything other than predesignated sites. When microsoft went to Windows 10, it got rid of that feature, and now you have to set up microsoft accounts and login that way, and it just doesn't seem to work as well. He's fairly sophisticated with computers, so I don't think something as simple as the disney thing would work -- I've heard that's pretty easy for a tween or teen to get around. |
Anonymous
| Having the same problem. It’s just unrealistic to imagine parents can sit with their children throughout the school day. Would love to hear any updates if you’ve found a workaround. |
Anonymous
Kid shares an office with a parent. Imagine that. Buy your own computer and set the controls. |
Anonymous
| The main issue here is that many kids, mine included, will open new browser tabs and surf in the middle of class. Classes can be accessed on different systems (not just Chromebooks) but REQUIRE an MCPS-managed google account. MCPS is ok at blocking really bad sites, but mykids head over to prodigy/search for minecraft/lego/etc, or play online web-based games. Not bad, per se, but they need to be paying attention to the teacher. Don't feel bad if this is happening; MANY parents are in the same boat because of juggling work, other kids, etc. "Watch your kids" is not always an option, and we need tools to help. After some research, I found that OpenDNS is a good option for round-the-clock blocking of websites on a network or specific computer, but requires some IT knowledge. I have a FIOS Quantum Gateway router, but found it's parental controls useless, as they do not block secured sites (https) or redirected sites, which almost all of the ones I want blocked are. Unfortunately, if I want timed windows for blocking, I will need to rely on a Chrome extension, but cannot add one to my kids' accounts as they are managed by MCPS. I would love to be able to block specific sites on my kids' MCPS account during school hours. If anyone has a recommendation for this I'm all ears. Also, has anyone contacted MCPS? |
Anonymous
My child is 13 and won't be caught dead sharing an office with a parent. Imagine that. |
Anonymous
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You could try using something like VNC to remote into a kid's chromebook to see what they're doing realtime. If they're not willing to let you share their space, share their screen!
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vnc%C2%AE-viewer-for-google-ch/iabmpiboiopbgfabjmgeedhcmjenhbla?hl=en |
Anonymous
This. We got laptops. Set parental controls through Verizon Fios. Password needed to turn them on and off. Laptops are in the dining room. Not foolproof, but it’s a start. |
Anonymous
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Are you all guys on this thread in the VA?
Or are you also concerned about what the students do with their chromebooks during free time at school? |
Anonymous
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If the sites are really inappropriate, you must lodge a formal complaint with MCPS. They are responsible for blocking porn and similar.
If the things they access are technically allowed by MCPS, just not during instructional time, then you're on your own, OP. I have a 16 and 11 year old who do nothing but surf the web on their school Chromebooks, and all I told them was that I would wreak vengeance on them if they had any grade below an A. If they can get straight As and multitask, they'll have learned an important lesson in life 
They have straight As. |