A Look Inside the Digital Lives of Tweens Big Ideas Culture Getty The following are excerpts from from “Kids Closer Up: Playing, Learning, and Growing with Digital Media” by Lori Takeuchi, International Journal of Learning and Media, Spring 2011, Vol. 3, No. 2, Pages 37-59. To protect the children’s identities, all names are pseudonyms, and location details have been altered. While large-scale surveys have documented the types of media to which 5–9-year-olds are devoting increasing amounts of time, we know less about how and why they are using these media and what they might be learning as a result. This research provides rich details on the processes, relationships, and contexts that larger scale studies on children’s media use cannot by examining two 8-year-old girls’ engagement with video games, the Web, mobile devices, and other emerging technologies against the backdrop of family life. What roles are parents and others playing in their digital media experiences? Katie Yamato is also eight and an only child. GirlsGoGame.com
Bloom’s Taxonomy – A Parent’s Guide “Bloom’s Taxonomy” is one of those terms that a parent may not necessarily be familiar with, however, it is very important. It is a central concept to know how to use it at home in conjunction with learning activities to help your child expand their critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills allow a child to thinking independently, find and fix mistakes, solve problems, evaluate alternatives, and reflect on their own beliefs. It’s not something that can be learned from reading a book or completing a worksheet, however the skills are built through hands-on lessons that build beyond basic rote memorization of facts. Bloom’s Taxonomy provides learning levels to increase higher order thinking skills for children of all ages. Remember & Understand The Remember and Understand levels are where most teachers and parents typically ask questions of their children. Apply & Analyze Evaluate & Create Articles to Learn More about Using Bloom’s Taxonomy at Home Picture By 4nitsirk
100+ Google Tricks for Teachers It's Google's world, we're just teaching in it. Now, we can use it a little more easily. With classes, homework, and projects–not to mention your social life–time is truly at a premium for all teachers, so why not take advantage of the wide world that Google has to offer? From super-effective search tricks to Google tools specifically for education to tricks and tips for using Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Calendar, these tricks will surely save you some precious time. Search Tricks These search tricks can save you time when researching online for your next project or just to find out what time it is across the world, so start using these right away. Convert units. Google Specifically for Education From Google Scholar that returns only results from scholarly literature to learning more about computer science, these Google items will help you at school. Google Scholar. Google Docs 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. Gmail 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. Google Calendar 44.
Cybersafety Information for parents Each of the sites below is organised for various users, and parents will find information of use under sections for young people and for teachers. Cybersafety & Cyberbullying - A guide for parents and caregivers 1.2M: This guide published by the department provides important information for parents about cybersafety and cyberbullying. It suggests what parents and caregivers could do if their child is the target of, or is responsible for, inappropriate online behaviour. How Cybersmart are you? video is designed to help parents navigate through the online world of their teenagers and provides strategies on how to protect their children from potential online risks. ABC Technology Explained website - provides extensive information about all types of communication technology. Australian Mobile Telecommunications Authority Tips for parents: Bullying with Mobile Phones - is your child a victim? ThinkUKnow Who's chatting to your kids? Surf Safely online safety tips. Stay Smart Online Cybersafety brochure
Parenting Tips for the Digital Age Parents had enough to worry about before their children could bully each other online, meet dangerous strangers without leaving the house, and switch between tasks at a rapid-fire pace. Some parents have even questioned whether their children will ever be able to concentrate. In a world where, according to one survey, 81% of toddlers have an online presence by the time they are two, most parents are still confused about how to best manage their children's relationship with technology. Author Scott Steinberg attempts to answer their questions in a new series of high-tech parenting books called The Modern Parent's Guide. The first volume, Kids and Video Games, went online as a free download this week. Internet, Web and Online Safety; Facebook and Social Networks; Smartphones and Apps; and Digital Music, Movies and Entertainment will follow within the next year. How has technology changed parenting? A wide range of products monitor children on their mobile phones and the Internet.
Parenting By iPad: What Are The Rules Time was when there were different rules for the many different bits of equipment that might educate or distract a child. Way back then, the telephone was kept in a central location, so Mom and Dad could know how much time you spent gabbing with your friends. If you were lucky, it had a really long cord so you could pull it around a corner or behind a closed door. The television was also a communal thing. A typewriter, though, was allowed anytime. Today, a single seductive machine serves all these purposes. If you haven't needed to answer that question already, you will any minute now. And what are these not-yet-12-year-olds using their tablets for? So in the not-quite-two-years since the iPad was introduced, then, we have gone from zero (percentage of parents I'd bet let their preteens play with the gadgets at first) to 70 (percentage that do now).
Kid Safe Browsers for iPad and iPhone by Natalie Parents know that it’s not safe to allow children unrestricted access to the internet. You wouldn’t let little Jimmy run around all willy-nilly in a strange city and you surely wouldn’t allow anything of the sort in cyberspace, right? The issues with internet access and children come in many forms. With the growing popularity of internet access to mobile devices like the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, monitoring internet activity isn’t so easy as plopping the computer in the living room and keeping a watchful constant eye over young shoulders. Fortunately, the tech world has heard the rally cries of concerned parents and a number of kid-safe browsers are available to allow your child internet access in a safe manner. Quintura KidsPrice: $1.99 Available for a very affordable $1.99, Quintura Kids aims to make searching the web an educational process for children. Websites available through the browser are determined through a number of factors.
What Every Parent Should Know About Computers and the Internet How do parents protect kids from the internet Technology, the internet, computers, are words that confuse–even frighten–many parents. In my blog, Ask a Tech Teacher, I post lots of tips, tricks,, a list of hundreds of kid-friendly websites, self-help articles on how to address this in your homeschooled child’s education. Every week, I get lots of questions from parents about the right way to address access to technology. Most want suggestions on how to make computer use a positive experience for their little ones. After fifteen years of teaching technology in a classroom and online, I can tell you without a doubt that educating your child can be done more efficiently and with better results in the world of computers. Research–whether your child’s in second grade or seventh– from a computer is more productive. So how do you make sure your child‘s internet experience is positive? When they‘re young (say, kindergarten through second grade), have them go on the internet only around you.
Top 50 Text Words Parents Must Know - Netscape What's New Parents, here's a pop quiz. When your 16-year-old daughter texts her boyfriend the number 8, do you know what it means? How about KPC or IWSN? Sit down for this. The number 8 means oral sex. While about 20 percent of teenagers admit to "sexting"--sending nude or partially nude photos via a cell phone text message--many more than that use what can appear to be a secret code to communicate a laundry list of sexual desires and plans. Netlingo.com has helpfully decoded 50 popular chat words--words that every parent should know: 1. 8 - Oral sex 2. 1337 - Elite -or- leet -or- L337 3. 143 - I love you 4. 182 - I hate you 5. 1174 - Nude club 6. 420 - Marijuana 7. 459 - I love you 8. What can parents do if they suspect their children are sexting? If your child has already sent a nude photo, ConnectSafely.org advises parents to do the following: Tell your child to stop immediately. --From the Editors at Netscape
A Parents’ Guide to Twitter and Education As an educator, there are tons of great hashtags available to find the resources I'm looking for. Hashtags are usually found at the end of a 140 character tweet. I think of them like television channels, only there are many more to choose from and you can even create your own for your organization or team. Today, the most widely used educational hashtag on Twitter is called #edchat. On Tuesdays at 12pm (Eastern) and 7pm (Eastern), you can join hundreds of educators around the world discussing a topic chosen by a public poll during the days leading up to the chat. For more information on #edchat check out a recent piece by educational technology guru Steven Anderson (@web20classroom). For parents on Twitter, there are hashtags that offer support in raising children and supporting the work of schools. Like other educational chats, #PTchat has a weekly time where educators come together to discuss a certain topic - Wednesday nights at 9pm (Eastern). Last 5 #PTchats Archived