In today’s ever evolving, wired world it’s easy for parents to feel a step behind their children when it comes to technology.

Luckily, many companies, parental advocates and law enforcement officials offer practical resources and continue to look for new ways to help parents learn simple steps to make their child’s online experience a positive one.

This week leaders in those fields will gather in Washington, D.C. for the Family Online Safety Institute’s (FOSI) two-day conference entitled “Building a Culture of Responsibility from Online Safety to Digital Citizenship.”

I will moderate a panel at FOSI on law enforcement trends and prevention initiatives. Panelists include the attorneys general of Washington and Rhode Island, Robert McKenna and Patrick Lynch; Sgt. Jim Smith, of CT Internet Crimes Against Children; Ann Harkins, of the National Crime Prevention Council; and Parry Aftab, of WiredSafety.

My colleague, Jack McArtney, who oversees advertising and content standards for Verizon, will serve on a panel entitled “Kids on the Go – Challenges Confronting Mobility.” He’ll highlight some common-sense steps parents can take to manage their child’s online experience.

Need a few tips? A great place to start is the Verizon Parental Control Center. The center has a host of free materials and videos on topics ranging from social networking, to safe surfing for kids, to cyberbullying.

Finding parental peace of mind in the digital world can be easier than you think.

The Safe Internet Alliance held its annual conference on Capitol Hill (Oct. 20), where I spoke about what we’re learning from consumers when it comes to Internet safety.

The upshot: there’s plenty of good news about what people are doing with broadband and wireless technologies.

The good news is tempered, however, by gaps in digital literacy. Our research, in fact, shows some skittishness among consumers. They aren’t generally aware about the tools and resources that are available to help them navigate the oceans of digital media out there. Consequently, they don’t feel as much in control as they would like. And they’re very concerned about privacy and security. Data we’ve seen shows most have little confidence in any institution to keep their information adequately protected. The greatest fears: identity theft and hacking.

So, where are the areas in which we need to concentrate? We’re convinced that we need digital literacy programs to teach the rules of the road, and to empower parents and teachers to embrace our digital culture, as well as address the potential negatives.

That’s why one of the things we’re doing in this area is partnering with PBS to report out the findings of Frontline’s Digital Nation study on what all of this means to us.

In a very practical way, Frontline is exploring the impact of what’s going on in this virtual world. By February they will produce a full length film that takes what I believe will be a significant step toward providing us with the knowledge we need to take advantage of our connectivity in a very productive way.

To be honest, the 30,000 plus attendees are there to see speakers and events related to aging, stroll the massive exhibit hall and pick up whatever “freebies” are being given out. It is not normally a venue to discuss public policy.

However, aided by the large presence of Verizon Wireless in the Exhibit Hall we were able to weave a little bit of education into the fun and games. So while thousands of folks asked wireless questions, tested our products and listened to a “Wireless 101” tutorial, we were also able to discuss Internet Safety, an issue that affects anyone of any age that goes online.

With Verizon’s “Internet Safety Tips for Seniors for Dummies” as our guide we spent time talking candidly about the Internet and its wonderful benefits while counseling them on some things to keep in mind to remain safe in that space. Additionally, we were able to touch on the importance of broadband and how it can truly enhance their lives.

It was a fun and rewarding experience that gave us the opportunity to talk one-on-one with a very important part of our customer base. I know that our Verizon team learned much from that interaction and I hope the conference goers not only learned a few things, but had a good time too.

I’m looking forward to next year’s conference in Orlando. In the meantime, if you or someone you know is venturing onto the Internet, check out these sites that will help make it a positive and rewarding experience: LookBothWays and the Safe Internet Alliance.

Today we have more information to share that will help tell the story of this serious social issue. For too long, domestic violence has been considered solely a women’s issue.

The truth is:
1 out of 4 women are affected
1 out of 9 men are affected
3 million children are affected each year

More than 120 leaders stepped forward to be a part of the discussion. Now it’s your turn.

Take a few minutes and see what took place at this year’s summit and leave comments here if you have suggestions on how to effect even more positive change for victims of domestic violence.

In and of itself, sexting is eyebrow-raising. Add to the equation a sender or receiver who is under the age of eighteen and suddenly a problem of ever-growing proportions begins to appear. Getting the word out to kids about the possible ramifications of sexting is the key. Child pornography charges, a jail sentence and having to register as a sex offender should deter them from sending a racy photo of themselves or someone else. And, even if these legal repercussions were to disappear, the emotional fallout would remain as would the effects such a decision could have on their future.

Our solution: education.

Recently, we partnered with the Ad Council to create a PSA called “Textual Harassment.” The campaign focuses on the subject of “digital dating abuse,” and has been running on mobile, TV and web platforms.

Another recent launch of ours is the Verizon Parental Controls Center; which houses up-to-date digital safety information, tools and resources. Our hope is that everyone who visits will learn, participate and generally get involved in the ongoing conversation about relevant topics such as sexting, cyberbullying and digital citizenship.

Let us know what you think.

All three physicists are being recognized for the work they performed in labs forty or more years ago. And the outcomes of their efforts touch every one of our lives in some way.

The results of Dr. Kao’s work were in the field of fiber optics. His ideas and research lead the way to making very pure glass into fiber optic strands that could stretch more than half a mile, leading the way to the ultra fast communications networks we use today. In fact, if you’re reading this blog over a high-speed connection, say “Thank you” to Dr. Kao.

Drs. Boyle and Smith invented the tiny semiconductor sensors that make displaying digital photography possible. They get a special shout-out. They did their groundbreaking work at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, which means we share a common heritage. In fact, if you have a 10 mega-pixel camera, you hold 10 million of their semiconductor sensors in your hand every time you snap a photo.

So, thanks again Drs. Kao, Smith and Boyle. If it weren’t for great minds like yours we might not have the advanced networks we have today. And that would be unfortunate because we are just now beginning to see how these networks and digital media can transform education and empower those with disabilities. We are seeing how the power of broadband can be a powerful engine of growth and innovation for our industry and for the economy as a whole.

Every day, broadband becomes embedded more deeply in our lives, to the point where sometimes we don’t even think about it. Let’s take a moment now to think about some of the people who made it possible.

The panels, particularly the one focused on men taking a more active role in breaking the cycle of violence, generated a thought-provoking discussion among panel members and the audience. According to one participant, this may have been the first time that male victims of domestic violence were included in such a dialogue at the national level.

Another attendee, Dr. Hind Jarrah of the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation, spoke movingly of the challenges in the religious community where misconceptions regarding domestic violence leave women vulnerable and misunderstood. She found the summit “enlightening, uplifting and a source of hope to all who attended.”

If we are to continue to make any progress on domestic violence prevention then we have to be able to address these difficult and at times uncomfortable topics head-on. Last week’s conference was a good step in that direction. We will help to keep the conversation going in the hope that we can help in some meaningful way.

If you or someone you know is grappling with these issues, there are many helpful resources for victims and their loved ones. To reach the national hotline for help, dial 800-799-SAFE or if you are a Verizon Wireless customer, dial #HOPE from your cell phone and you will be connected to the hotline. You also can visit the National Network to End Domestic Violence to get information about the safe uses of technology.

He makes a great point and asks a compelling question: Kids use their phones constantly, and the phones these days are powerful computing devices. Why not use them to deliver educational content?

In my job overseeing the Verizon Thinkfinity Professional Development Program, I track broad educational trends such as this one. I can say that yes, there is much debate in the educational community about use of cell phones in the classroom, as outlined in these stories from Science Daily, the New York Times, and KXnet.com. [Update, Oct. 2: I’ve updated these links.]

Although the opinion still varies as to the appropriateness of mobile phones in the classroom, I’ve seen a shift moving from “to be or not to be” in the classroom to a discussion on the myriad of ways cell phone can help support 21st Century teaching and learning. The education vendors are certainly stepping up to the plate and beginning to diversify their content delivery to include mobile devices. And yes, we’re working to improve our offerings in this area as well.

• In August, the Swiss research firm Covalence placed Verizon as the highest-ranked U.S.-based telecommunications company in its annual ethical-ranking study.

• Earlier this month Verizon was added for the first time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index—one of the family of Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes that identifies top performers in environmental, social and governance activities.

• This week the Ponemon Institute and TRUSTe named Verizon as the first-ever telecommunications company to rank in the top three of its Most Trusted Companies in Privacy list. Verizon came in second in the overall listing—between eBay (No. 1) and the U.S. Postal Service (No. 3).

We’ve learned a lot from these rankings and will use the insights to continually improve. The recognition is meaningful to us because it acknowledges that Verizon is managing economic, environmental and social issues to create long-term shareholder and stakeholder value.

And it’s evidence of the consistency of our commitment to be a positive force in society, which goes to the heart of our identity. Not only does this strengthen our communities, it builds new markets and positions Verizon for growth as the economy recovers.