Blog entry May 2010

Suren Ramasubbu, mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leader in Internet filtering and parental controls for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad shared the following about protecting your children's privacy online:

“While Apple and Google provide some of the most innovative tools for improving education and communication, they recently declined to participate in the Congressional hearing on children’s web privacy. With these 2 major players showing a lack of interest in protecting children's privacy online, it's more important than ever for parents and educators to be proactive and have the tools necessary to enable children to surf the web safely. As the web quickly becomes more mobile and accessible with the iPhone and iPod Touch, and now the iPad, parents will surely need help protecting their children from the new wave of Internet hazards stemming from mobility. Both parents and educators must take advantage of mobile Internet safety solutions that allow them to track usage, filter content, and ensure kids and teens can use the Internet safely and securely while on the go.”

Comal Independent School District in New Braunfels, Texas had identified a subset of the student population as English Language Learners (ELL). The district launched an ELL program for these students, as part of which each student was provided an iPod Touch. Given that the iPod Touch is an internet-enabled powerful computing device, the school had to overcome several challenges before they could deploy the solution.

Comal ISD decided to deploy Mobicip’s Safe Browser app as the window to the Internet on the iPod Touch. The Safe Browser app offers a safe, secure and educational Internet environment for school-age children.

“Mobicip fills a critical need for us. Students still have access to the Internet on any WiFi network and teachers and parents can feel confident that they are not accessing inappropriate sites.”, says Jennifer Wivagg, technology coordinator at Comal ISD.

Comal ISD has found Mobicipʼs solution to be effective, affordable and instrumental in enforcing CIPA compliance and implementing a managed one to one learning program using the iPod Touch, while allowing teachers to find innovative educational uses for safe and secure Internet access.

Click here to download the full case study.

Suren Ramasubbu, mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leader in Internet filtering and parental controls for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad shared the following about iPad's popularity:

“Apple’s iPad is selling faster than the iPhone and industry experts project that it will have sold 1.5 million units by June. While the iPad is a revolutionary device that will surely transform how kids and teens interact with the Internet and enhance the social and educational benefits of the Web, parents and educators need to be aware of the hazards that young people can encounter online. The potential perils especially affect young children and teens, who start using mobile devices much earlier than their parents, who need to know how to ensure that their kids learn safe and responsible use of all mobile devices.  With Apple’s iPad quickly becoming the fastest selling consumer product, parents of today’s mobile kids need to encourage positive dialogue about Internet safety. This includes taking advantage of mobile Internet safety solutions designed to ensure kids and teens are securely and responsibly using their iPhones – and now iPads -  wherever they go.”

In an Huffington Post article, Suren Ramasubbu, CEO of Mobicip.com interviews an high school student Travis Allen. Here is an excerpt: 

 At Mobicip.com, we work with schools deploying iPod Touch-based 1:1 learning programs for their students. That is how I heard about a high-school student campaigning for the use of technology in education. I believe his voice should be heard, and this interview is my contribution towards that end.

For the benefit of people who are not aware, what is iSchool Initiative?

iSchool Initiative is a student-led non-profit organization dedicated to bringing technology to the classroom. We have three objectives - raising awareness for the technological needs of the classroom, providing collaborative research on the use of technology in the classroom, and guiding schools in the implementation of this technology.

Can you describe that "aha" moment when you came up with this concept?

After receiving an iPhone for Christmas in 2008 I began exploring the use of applications, and particularly how I could use them to help with my school work. I was amazed at all the many wonderful things I was discovering. One day, I was using my iPhone in class when something hit me. What if everyone in my class had one of these? What possibilities would there be then? In my excitement and desire to share my discovery with everyone, I made a YouTube video to share what I had found. I called it the iSchool Initiative. From that point on, I expanded the concept, did my research, and found out that this idea was catching on. Thus the iSchool Initiative was formed.

You can read the full article at  http://huff.to/ao4OTa

Our May newsletter (copied below) was sent over the weekend, generating an overwhelming response in referrals, phone calls and emails. Thank you parents for your wonderful feedback!

Schools Choose Mobicip for Safe iPod Touch Use.  Mobicip is most popular among parents as an Internet filtering and parental control service for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. However, the original intent behind Mobicip was to create a safe Internet for K-12 schools for mobile learning. This vision has been borne out by the increasing adoption of the iPod Touch as a mobile learning device by hundreds of schools across the US. In the last few months, we had the unique opportunity to work with pioneering schools, administrators and teachers who are implementing 1:1 learning programs based on the iPod Touch. A 1:1 learning program is where the school provides a learning device with instructional activities and curriculum-aligned content to each student for use in the classroom and at home. That Mobicip has been adopted by these pioneering schools is a testament to how critical filtering is for schools, and to the effectiveness of Mobicip's dynamic filtering engine and Internet activity monitoring. Does your child's school use mobile devices for education?  Let us know so Mobicip can make sure your kids have access to a safe, secure and educational Internet. Email Reports Now Available For Premium Users Premium Mobicip.com subscribers can now opt to receive reports of Internet activity via email. Simply login at www.mobicip.com and navigate to Settings > Email Reports to enable the option. To upgrade to Premium, login at Mobicip.com and click Upgrade Now. Safe Browser Update 2.5.1 - iPad Support! The latest update of Mobicip's Safe Browser is now available for download from the iPhone App Store. The update features Support for the iPad Blazing performance next only to Safari Reorderable bookmarks Bug fixes making the Safe Browser one of the most reliable and fully functional Safari Mobile-alternatives available on the App Store. Yes, the update is absolutely FREE! We have listened to your requests and the next update we are working on includes full-screen browsing, bookmarks syncing, visual bookmarks or weblinks, and the ability to exclude local IP Addresses. If there are other features you want to highlight to us, please send a quick note to support@mobicip.com. Sincerely Mobicip.com Crew become a fan on Facebook follow us on Twitter

Hear'em Say It "Even with the free account, Mobicip offers more than enough protection that parents can rest easy. For a mere $5, you can keep your kids from accidentally (or intentionally) wandering into the Web's red-light districts. I'm sold." Rick Broida - CNET "Mobicip allows us to unleash the web on these (iPod Touch) devices, address parental control wishes and let our students learn in and out of school, both on their terms and parent/educator’s terms." Dr. Brant Myers, Superintendent, Jim Ned Indep. School District "I haven’t the faintest idea how all the technical voodoo works to block/allow websites so I’m grateful they’ve kept the parental account features simple. A fabulous product." The iPhone Mom.com   Mobicip Protects iPods at Comal ISD Mobicip for iPad Useful Links Watch Demo Frequently Asked Questions Need Help / Report Problem User Community Forum   Top Blog Posts How To Setup Parental Controls on iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad Five Must-Have iPhone Apps Mobicip Ensures Safe Student iPod Use in Schools