1. What is Pebble Park and a 'Pebble'?

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Pebble Park is a delightful assortment of digital literature snippets, carefully crafted to captivate young minds with charming designs. Each "pebble" not only entertains but also educates, as the collection seamlessly incorporates eye-catching, poster-style displays that encourage responsible online behaviour and promote cyber safety. Through this innovative approach, Pebble Park aims to nurture a love for reading while empowering children to navigate the digital world safely.

2. What are the main applications of Pebbles? 

 

Pebbles can be used in various ways. Two primary uses include:
 

1. Custom default homepage: Pebbles can be set as the default homepage on a child's web browser, providing a welcoming and educational starting point for their internet exploration.

2. Blocked site redirection: When a child attempts to access a blocked website, a Pebble can be displayed instead, offering a gentle reminder about internet safety while redirecting their attention to more appropriate content.

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In addition to these main applications, Pebbles can be adapted to suit your specific needs and preferences, ensuring a tailored experience that prioritizes your child's online well-being.

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3. What is the target age range for Pebbles?

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Pebbles are carefully crafted to cater to the needs and interests of children aged 10 and younger. The content, design, and overall user experience are tailored to attract and educate young minds within this age group, ensuring that their curiosity remains safe, age-appropriate and conducive to their developmental stages.
 

4. What are the intended use cases for Pebbles?

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Pebbles are designed to be versatile and adaptable, with primary use cases including:

    1. Schools: Pebbles serve as a valuable resource for teachers to promote digital literacy and cyber safety among students.

    2. Home and family: While not yet ready, this will be the focus of our next development phase. We encourage interested parents to reach out as "beta users" to contribute to shaping Pebbles for families. Please contact us to get involved.

    3. Other settings: We recognise the potential for Pebbles in libraries, community centres, after-school programs, and more. As we work towards expanding Pebbles' reach, we value input and collaboration from professionals and organisations sharing our vision. If you have a personal interest or represent an organisation interested in partnering with us, please reach out to discuss working together.

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5. Why are they called Pebble?
 

Pebbles are called "Pebbles" because they represent special memories, spark imagination, teach life lessons, symbolise friendship and care, and fascinate children. Pebbles can be:
 

    1. Physical symbols of precious memories from important moments in life.
    2. Prompts for creative storytelling when used as "story stones."
    3. Metaphors for life's priorities and meaningful things, as in the philosophy professor's lesson.
    4. Tokens of affection and connection between family and friends.
    5. Unique and fascinating natural treasures that inspire wonder in children.
 

Though seemingly ordinary, pebbles hold extraordinary meaning as symbols of cherished experiences, loving relationships, and the marvels of nature, especially to children and their imaginative minds.

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6. What types of digital literature excerpts are featured in Pebble Park? Are they from classic works, contemporary children's literature, others, or a mix of many?      

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Pebble Park features a unique collection of digital literature excerpts sourced from the children we engage with and curated pieces aligned with the goals of our cyber safety domain experts, such as Robyn Treyvaud, an internationally recognised expert in online safety and digital citizenship.

By combining authentic voices of young people with insights from industry leaders, we create a balanced and relatable content library that addresses real-world challenges faced by children. This fusion of "words from the trenches" and expert viewpoints caters to the diverse needs of our young audience while empowering them with the knowledge and skills to navigate the digital landscape safely.

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7. How often are new Pebbles added to the collection, and what is the process for selecting and curating the content?
 

Our content curation team of parents and teachers collaborates with children to gather insights for the Pebble collection. We encourage children to share their thoughts on digital literacy and online safety, carefully curating their contributions with their comfort in mind. Our selection process evaluates each piece for educational value, theme alignment, and appeal to children under 10. By involving the community in content creation, we ensure Pebble Park reflects the needs and aspirations of our young users.
 

8. Are the cyber safety poster-like displays in Pebble Park (Pebbles) interactive or static? Do they include any gamification elements to engage children further?
 

Pebble Park's core design provides a gentle reminder for children to return to their primary studying focus when they start browsing the web or encounter blocked content. Our base approach presents Pebbles as static, non-interactive elements that effectively communicate our message without causing distraction. However, recognising the growing interest in interactive features, we are actively collecting suggestions to create a more engaging learning experience. This alternative set of Pebbles would use gamification elements like quizzes and rewards to encourage active participation in learning about online safety. As we gather feedback and assess the feasibility of implementing interactive Pebbles, we remain committed to promoting a focused and safe online learning environment.

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9. Can Pebbles be customised or personalized based on a child's age, reading level, or interests?

To protect user privacy, Pebble Park currently does not support age-based customisation. However, we recognise that tailoring content to match the age and reading level of our audience would enhance the effectiveness of our Pebbles. We are exploring options to allow for age-appropriate configuration while maintaining data protection, such as enabling teachers to input age range and reading ability information during profile setup. This would allow the platform to recommend suitable content without requiring specific individual data, ensuring an engaging and challenging learning experience that adapts to children's progress while respecting their confidentiality.

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10. Will there be any school controls or settings available within Pebble Park to allow parents to monitor and manage their child's usage?
 

Our current focus is on creating a simple, effective platform that promotes digital literacy and online safety, prioritising essential features over complex control settings. However, as we evolve, we recognise the importance of providing educators with tools to monitor and manage student activity. We will consider implementing control settings that allow teachers to set limits, review history, and receive progress notifications. We will work with our community to effectively integrate these settings while maintaining simplicity and accessibility, fostering a collaborative learning environment.
 

11. Are there any plans to integrate Pebble Park with existing educational platforms or learning management systems used in schools? 
 

We are actively exploring partnerships with educational institutions and learning management system providers to integrate Pebble Park into existing platforms. Our goal is to make Pebble Park easily accessible and seamlessly integrated into the digital learning ecosystem, enhancing its reach and impact in schools and other educational settings.
 

12. Will Pebble Park offer any features to encourage reading, such as rewards, badges, or progress tracking?

Pebble Park will feature a system of badges and rewards to motivate young readers as they progress through excerpts, complete activities, and demonstrate their understanding of cyber safety concepts. These achievements will be displayed on both the student's and teacher's dashboards, fostering a sense of accomplishment and encouraging continued engagement. This feature not only celebrates student progress but also provides teachers with valuable insights to guide discussions and support their students' development.

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13. What measures will be in place to protect children's privacy and data when using Pebble Park? 

Protecting children's privacy and data is our top priority. We strictly adhere to data protection regulations and industry best practices, collecting only the essential information required for account setup while avoiding personalisation. This data is securely stored and never shared with third parties without explicit consent from teachers, parents, or guardians. Our platform features robust privacy settings, allowing teachers to control the information they provide. We are transparent about our data requirements and their usage, only requesting information that is absolutely necessary and providing clear explanations for each piece of data we collect.
 

14. How can interested parties, such as educators, parents, or organisations, stay informed about the development and launch of Pebble Park for home and other settings?
 

We will provide regular updates through our official website, social media channels, and newsletter. We encourage interested parties to sign up for our mailing list to receive the latest news, announcements, and exclusive beta testing invitations. We also welcome parents, educators, and organisations to reach out to us directly with inquiries or suggestions, as we value the input of our community and are committed to creating a platform that meets the needs and expectations of our users.

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