Hector’s World has launched new animated website tours!

The 10 minute guided tours give children a fun overview of website activities, with special versions for parents and educators to help them promote digital citizenship and safe online behavior.

Click here to take a look at our new website tours…

With a project promoting responsible use of cyberspace, six 12-13 year old students may be winging their way to the USA to compete in an international Problem Solving Competition after winning the NZ Community Problem Solving (CmPS) Competition recently.

The team, who call their project ‘Creative Cyber Citizens’ (CCC), entered the prestigious competition with their project designed to teach younger students to be safe and responsible Digital Citizens.

The ‘CCC’ team identified the extensive use of technology in their school and wanted to promote responsible behavior in cyberspace to all students at the school. 

The CCC team also held an evening community event for parents and caregivers to encourage the same responsible behaviors at home.

The team used the Hector’s World^® resources (www.hectorsworld.com), which are available free to New Zealand schools, to implement their project. They chose the Hector’s World resources because they encourage young people to be good digital citizens in their use of all technologies, including the internet and mobile phones.

Judges evaluated the group’s concept, follow-through and future plans and awarded the CCC Team first place in the Junior Division of CmPS.

The CCC team will now work alongside another winning team from the Mission Heights Junior College to fundraise the $75,000 required to get the students and their coaches to the International Future Problem Solving finals in the USA in May 2010.

“The CCC Team is inspiring in their passion for mentoring younger children,” says Managing Director of Hector’s World, Liz Butterfield. “Their enthusiasm and creativity can’t help but engage the younger students and we hope this idea catches on in other schools. The mentoring is itself a superb example of digital citizenship - sharing valuable online skills and knowledge with other members of the school community.”
ENDS
For more information contact: Principal Veena Vohra, Missions Heights Primary School
09 277 7881 or Liz Butterfield, who is overseas, by sending a text with your number to +64 21 72 5864  or an email to  LizB@hectorsworld.co.nz
Higher resolution images are available on request.

 Click here for a full version of the media release

Today Hector’s World Limited (‘HWL’) launches its new brand channel on YouTube, the world’s leading resource for video sharing and watching. 
http://www.youtube.com/user/HectorsWorldNZ

Hector’s World^® is an internationally recognised education initiative which helps children 2-9 years old stay safe online and learn about digital citizenship.  HWL is one of the first charities in New Zealand and Australia to have such an ad-free channel.

One of HWL’s key resources is the virtual world of Silicon Deep, which is located at www.hectorsworld.com.  The new Hector’s World^® YouTube channel will showcase some of the exciting multi-media content which is available in Silicon Deep, including animated clips, songs, music videos and interviews.  Also included will be the newly launched cyberbullying music video with New Zealand’s hot new animated band Antipodes!  All of this engaging content helps children build the skills they need for life online. 

Liz Butterfield, Managing Director of Hector’s World Limited, says “This brand channel is a great ‘home’ for Hector Protector and his friends on YouTube. It gives us an important, ad-free platform with which to reach the parents, teachers and older siblings of young children.  It also offers a great international profile for New Zealand digital content and these important child safety messages.”

“Children in our target age group are too young for unsupervised use of YouTube, but this brand channel is an ideal way to catch the attention of those looking after young children and help them start the digital citizenship conversation.”

Annie Baxter, spokesperson for Google New Zealand says, “Google and Hector’s World share a belief in educating young people to help them mature into good digital citizens with the ability to manage their experience online.  We hope that, through the YouTube channel, more people will become aware of the great work that Hector’s World is doing towards empowering children to be caring, capable and responsible members of the online community.”
Ends

Contact: Liz Butterfield 021 72 5864 or LizB@hectorsworld.co.nz 

High resolution images are available on request.

Click here to download a PDF of the full media release…

New cyberbullying resources are being launched today for children, teachers and parents, and are free online at Kiwi website www.hectorsworld.com.  These are the latest animated resources with Hector and his friends from New Zealand’s Hector’s World^®, which helps children 2-9 years old stay safe online and learn about digital citizenship.

The new resources are designed for primary school aged children and include:
• an interactive animated episode
• a music video
• a song
• colourful song sheets
• teacher lesson plans for three different age groups.

Liz Butterfield, Managing Director of Hector’s World Limited, says…

Click here to read more…

With millions of children hooked into virtual worlds on the internet, how do you assess the suitability of what your child is being exposed to?

Radio New Zealand’s Kathryn Ryan interviews Liz Butterfield of Hector’s World Limited, Dr Ilene Berson of the University of South Florida, and Dr Michael Rich of The Centre on Media and Child Health at Harvard Medical School about the latest ’virtual playgrounds’ for younger children.

Click here (and select ‘Virtual Worlds for Children and Advertising’) to to listen to the Radio New Zealand interview.

The May issue of Internet NZ’s The Browser features an article about the upcoming launch of Hector’s World in Australia.

“Hector Protector and his friends are now widely used in UK schools as the key Government-endorsed online safety resource for 5 - 7 year olds, and will soon have equal prominence in Australia.   Hector’s World (HW) is being launched by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for use in all Australian schools.”

Click here to read more…