How to tune in to your wired teen (CNN) -- Meet the "digital natives." They are the teens and tweens who flock to MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites. Facebook attracted 30.6 million U.S. visitors during September. With ages barely into the double digits, these "digital natives" are growing up with the Internet. Actual public spaces -- the parks and playgrounds their parents enjoyed as children -- are being replaced by the virtual spaces of Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, social networking Web sites, instant messenger platforms and video-music swapping sites. Sure, the "digital native" is a stereotype, but it's one that might sound familiar to many parents and educators puzzled by the social habits of this young and wired generation. According to Anastasia Goodstein, author of "Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online" and blogger for Ypulse.com, theirs is a virtual space wherein they play games, experiment with self-expression, and socialize with friends. Don't Miss
Getting started – For families – Safety Center – Google As a parent or guardian, you know what feels right for your family and how your kids learn best. To help your family navigate through new technologies, gadgets, and services in an ever-changing online world, it helps to get practical advice. That’s why we continuously talk to safety experts, parents, educators and communities around the world – to keep a pulse on what works. {*style:<ul>*} {*style:<li>*} {*style:<h3>*} Family Link {*style:</h3>*} {*style:<br>*} With the Family Link app from Google, you can stay in the loop as your kid explores on their Android device.
ID protection at crisis point With her long chestnut hair, lawyer Katherine Lane mightn't look much like Luke Skywalker but that's the name she gives to nosy retailers who needlessly demand personal details. The principal solicitor with the Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW, Lane takes a hard line on requests that increasingly accompany purchases. Buy a toaster and you're asked for a postcode. Buy a television and you're asked for a home address - ostensibly to validate a warranty. The requests may seem harmless but Lane says they are insidious, exposing people to identity fraud and eroding a right to shop anonymously. ''They basically ask for as much personal information as possible now,'' she says. Advertisement More often than not it's just part of a fishing expedition by marketers, she says. According to the nation's privacy principles, personal details should be collected only when they are necessary for a company to conduct business but hard definitions for that are elusive. Risky business
BiblioNasium - Kids Share Book Recommendations. Use Online Reading Logs, Find Books At Their Reading Level BiblioNasium is a free, protected social network for children ages 6-13 designed to engage, encourage and excite children about reading. Kids read better when they do it consistently and as part of a peer community. The engaging and challenging environment of BiblioNasium provides the tools and support to make a real difference in building interest in reading for pleasure – and a life-long love of books. Unlike any other child’s online reading community, BiblioNasium links parents, educators and young readers through a unique collection of tools, games and community-building experiences. How can BiblioNasium help build stronger readers? Build bookshelves Young readers get their very own virtual bookshelves where they (and you) can catalogue and keep track of what they’re reading and what they’ve read, as well as favorites books and books you own. Make connections Create reading challenges Parents know best how to motivate their own children. Track success Help your child keep organized
15 Lesson Plans For Making Students Better Online Researchers Your students are probably Internet authorities. When it comes to Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, they might know far more than you. All of that time spent tweeting and chatting doesn’t necessarily translate to deep learning though. As students progress through school, online research skills become more important — for good reason. Both college professors and employers will expect young people to know their way around the academic side of the Internet; a skill that for many students, needs to be taught. Image via Flickr by Brad Flickinger For many students, doing research means typing a word or two into a Google search and using information from the first link that pops up. Common Sense Media You will find lesson plans to teach strategic searches to middle school and high school students. Google Of course Google will be a go-to source both for doing searches and for finding related lessons. Do you have a complicated relationship with Wikipedia? Teaching Channel Read Write Think Google Books
Facebook SafeKids.com | Digital citizenship, online safety & civility 33 Bits of Entropy Your Core Concerns Working Together to Teach the Core It’s virtually impossible for one teacher to independently—and effectively—implement the Common Core standards. It takes time to digest them, to find new materials, and to develop new lesson plans. With time at a premium, teachers are learning it’s best to work as a team. Plan As a Group “I rely on my professional learning community,” says Danielle Doelling, a third-grade teacher at Brandeis Elementary in Louisville, Kentucky. Use Digital Resources You can find a wealth of sample Core-aligned lesson plans online. Teach Vertically Connect with teachers above and below your grade level. A few months ago we asked our 110,000 Facebook fans, “What are your biggest concerns related to implementing the Common Core standards?” We asked education thought leaders like Carol Jago, past president of the National Council of Teachers of English and author of With Rigor for All, and Susan B. Concern Helping English language learners meet the standards. Solutions
Infographic: 5 Ways You Can Lose a Job on Facebook If you thought you could "be yourself" on Facebook, as opposed to the more free-for-all Twitter or LinkedIn, you may want to reconsider. If you thought you could "be yourself" on Facebook, as opposed to the public free-for-all of Twitter or the buttoned-down professional circles of LinkedIn, you may want to reconsider. This June, the Federal Trade Commission approved the creation of a "Social Intelligence Report" that lets private companies archive your social media activities for up to seven years, for "compliance" reasons. A human resources manager can hire consultants, like those at the Social Intelligence Corporation, to compile a report of what you've posted across all your social networks (kind of like how a landlord checks your credit score). All this is confirmed in the infographic below, created by MindFlash and based on a 2009 survey from CareerBuilder. Credit: MindFlash (click to enlarge)
A Bullying Quiz Printer-friendly version Objectives: Understand how evidence regarding behavioral patterns might challenge personal beliefs and assumptions about social behavior Use evidence about bullying behavior to inform daily decisions regarding social interactions and understand the necessity of making personal decisions in bullying situations Use factual information to consider consequences and alternatives of personal behavior choices IntroductionEven students who have experienced bullying might be surprised by the statistics and studies about bullying. It's important for adults, student leaders and other educators to raise awareness about the prevalence of bullying and its detrimental effects for all involved. The frequency with which students admit to bullying might surprise students who feel alone and isolated due to the wrath of a bully. It is important, likewise, for students who are victims and bystanders to seek help when this kind of behavior emerges. Activities