Parental Controls
"I do think our parental controls were very important, particularly the one whereby we insisted on random viewings of content.  I recall a few times we were dismayed by what we found and had big talks.  A lot of that was about her innocence and ignorance of the world's greater threats."

"You can view your child's browser history by going to the web browser and type in an "a" to look at the web page history of pages that start with an "a", then "b" and look at the "b" pages, etc. in order to ensure that there's no inappropriate sites -- though I'd imagine Nueva has blocked those sites.
I tell my children to assume that anything they write on the computer will be viewed by an adult over the shoulder of his or her child."

"There definitely was a time when our children were really into instant messenger, Face Book, Internet surfing, and gaming, and there still are times when they dive into them, but they largely grew out of their need for these outlets as they developed their own inner strengths, and found other, more meaningful ways to connect with their friends or spend their time.  I see their use of this technology back then as their first baby steps toward independence, privacy, differentiation from their parents, and a way to cope with their rigorous academic lives and their understandable fear of entering teenhood. They were spreading their budding wings by exerting, for the first time, control over who they communicated with, what it was they were communicating, and for how long.  While we did find the need at the time to impose some broad parameters around their computer use (one-two hours per day, must be off after a certain hour, parental right to periodically check the tenor and content of messages or sites visited, etc.), we strived to let them have some privacy, as we knew they'd need to learn how to navigate their worlds independently soon enough.  After an initial flurry of activity lasting maybe a year, both kids grew more ho-hum about the medium and now use it more like adults do -- to communicate specific messages and to get specific information. They actually use it very little in comparison to the amount of time we spend interacting physically with others. Ironically, our son attributes his playing of nation-building strategy games with sparking his passion for history and world affairs, which will no doubt be his life-long academic interest." (parent of a high school student also)

The Conversation
"If I had to do it over again, I would sit my child down at home the first day he brings home the computer and say 'This does not belong to you. This belongs to the school and you are to use it for school-related projects. To the extent that you use it for other purposes, we must have an agreement about how you are using it.  Let's talk right now about instant messaging, games, iTunes ...'
Don't forget to talk to your child about how he/she will use the computer at school.  Is it Ok if he is on it during recess? On the bus? While you will not be able to enforce these guidelines, you can get him to think about the way he uses it at school."

"Nueva does a great job educating our children about appropriate language to use in these forms of communication just as they train our children to interact in positive ways, but this is a duty that we owe to our children just as if we heard them speak inappropriately on the telephone and corrected them. A simple principle, remind them frequently that they should ONLY say things in virtual messages that they would say to someone directly."

"Frequent instruction not to give any personal information to anyone on the Internet is an understatement!"

"We believe in trust, responsibility, and constant open discussion. In a way we forced our kids to be responsible from an early age and to see the consequences of their actions; so far we were not disappointed. The limits that they put for themselves are usually stronger and hold longer than what we would have chosen."

"It is my opinion that your attitude about [the laptop program] will directly affect your relationship with your child.  You can join with them and ensure they understand your desire to keep them a safe, well-rounded, healthy student, or you can build emotional walls between you on the other extreme.  This is one of those things that we don't think about until it has gone sour."

"The tools and functions that the students will have at their disposal are amazing. Work through your issues with them so that you can embrace their creativity.  It will pay dividends."

Agreements
"The Common Sense Media Family Agreement is excellent.  We had a great family discussion about computer use, using the agreement as a starting point.
I reached an agreement with my daughter's friends' parents about computer curfews.  All of the parents agreed to turn the computer off at a certain time."

"Determine up front, and explicitly with your child, what privileges of privacy you are giving. You may believe their messages to be solely theirs, like U.S. Mail, or you may feel that they are completely public as they are once they are sent in cyberspace. There is no right or wrong answer, but where you are on this continuum is important to think about and communicate to your child. Will you require they give you access and then use it to review their messages? Are their messages private until you have a reason to believe that they are getting into trouble? ..hurting someone's feelings? Will you view their messages regularly? Then, whatever you decide, be consistent unless you feel that it is not working, and then be explicit with your child about changing. I've seen hurt feelings as parents vacillate on this privacy issue and children feel personally invaded. Repairing this is hard.
Had I known what I know now, I would have set up much different guidelines at home right away. Half way through the year I called 5-6 parents of my son's friends who he was socially engaged with and put a curfew on their communication. We insist that no gaming and entertainment can be conducted on a school night with Thursday as an exception. On weekends there is a time limit.
A sizeable amount of their homework will now be completed on their laptop. Consider if you will monitor their homework, and to what extent and by what process you will use the homework blog to do so. Come up with something that works for you and your child(ren) and do your best to stick to it.
I cannot agree more that laptops don't belong in bedrooms. If kids are allowed to bring them there in the early days, reversing this is very painful to all parties. If they are in public spaces, so many avenues remain open to you as parent / guardian. If you have established a mutual desire to keep them safe, centrally located laptops help keep it clear to all members of your family what behaviors are acceptable to you. Here are some examples:
Homework time? What are your feelings about emailing or friend communication while doing homework?
Can they be on their laptops during mealtimes? When your family is participating in a family activity? While you are watching a family movie?
What are your boundaries about playdates? It will surprise you how quickly they will pull the laptops out of their bags the minute their friends arrive! They often play fun, interactive games, all linked, but how much screen time do you want them to have, and how does this fit into their other time or limitations? If they are in a public place, communication comes much easier."

Location
"We have our kids use their computers in the kitchen, so I can help anyone who needs it. It helps me keep an eye on the content of the sites they are visiting ("That site doesn't look very appropriate, let's see where else we can find information on that subject.") and also on whether they are staying focused. I have one who is very distracted by the games on computers, and needs more supervision. After homework is done, they can play games or whatever on the computer for 1/2 hour if there is time before bed. We restrict computer time like we restrict TV time, to insure they have time to play outside, interact with the family, and help out around the house. They have time for email and IM'ing, but not in excessive amounts.
I have been frustrated by son's use of the computer in common space. When he used it in the family room, he would be with the family but not interacting with us. He said he was doing his homework. He likes to be around other people, so I thought he would limit his use if he was separated from us. So, I told him to take it into another room.  He left the family room and I didn't see him. I realized that I was trying to manipulate him by choosing where he used his computer. This realization forced me to have an honest conversation about my need to be with him and the family and his attachment to the computer. He's still on it too much sometimes, but he limits himself more than he would like and we can discuss it honestly."

Music
"Where we often give privileges is to allow [our children] to purchase music. If you haven't already established previewing and / or purchasing guidelines with your child, consider doing so.  Remember, Nueva will not backup purchased music libraries so set up a system for doing that."

Engagement and Modeling
"Consider engaging with them. Email them and ask them things which require a reply to you. If they are IM'ing, consider having an account and being one of their friends. Consider sending them text msgs if they are messaging with others. You will see how they engage. You are showing them by example, and they're probably going to respond to you as they do to others."

Ergonomics
"Ergonomics: This is an important issue for long-term health. You have to read the guidelines and consider your child's home environment."