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Technology, Social Media, and Our Kids

Technology, Social Media, and Our Kids. The good, the bad, and the ugly! March 15, 2013 University of Mary Washington EdTech Conference 2013. Need more information?. My website: www.tracy-lewis.com Email me: tracy@tracy-lewis.com. Positive Aspects of Kids and Technology.

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Technology, Social Media, and Our Kids

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  1. Technology, Social Media, and Our Kids The good, the bad, and the ugly! March 15, 2013 University of Mary Washington EdTech Conference 2013

  2. Need more information? My website: www.tracy-lewis.com Email me: tracy@tracy-lewis.com

  3. Positive Aspects of Kids and Technology (and, yes, there are SEVERAL!)

  4. 1. Enhances creativity • Blogs • Videos Meet Annie: The Girl Who Could Fly http://youtu.be/LjJ-F8SoGQo • Animations

  5. 2. Helps kids develop their views on politics, social issues, religion, etc. • Formal news sources • Friends • Family • Bloggers

  6. 3. Provides a sense of community/connectedness

  7. 4. Gives painfully shy people a safe place to “practice” socializing • Big Bang Theory: Raj goes on a date! http://youtu.be/_eTkptr6QXQ

  8. 5. And best of all, LEARNING TOOLS!!! • Tablets and textbooks • Smartphones: calculators, camera, reminders, voice memos, notes • Websites and learning apps for computers, tablets, and smartphones

  9. Great apps for elementary kids • Dr. Suess’s ABC’s – literacy • Amazing Alex – spatial thinking, physics, geometry • Kids’ Timer – breaks down tasks into manageable intervals • Toca Store – consumer skills, money management

  10. More great apps for elementary kids • Motion Math: Wings – pre-multiplication, spatial skills • Awesome Upstander! – bullying prevention • Bobo Explores Light – science, light, solar system • Planets – astronomy • Rainbow Sentences – sentence structure

  11. Great apps for middle/high kids • Presidents vs. Aliens – civics, presidents • MyHomework – assists with organization • Quizlet – creates flashcards, practice quizzes to help with studying • 30/30 – Timer for multiple uses • Comixer – create comic strips for fun or educational purposes • Governomics – make decisions as governor, government

  12. More great apps for middle/high kids • DoReMi123 – music, cause and effect • Sentence Builder Teen – for teens still developing basic language skills • Lists for Writers – brainstorming, writing • BrainPOP – short movies, comprehension • Social Skill Sampler HD – social skills practice • Math Bracket HD - equations

  13. They’re ALL Connected So, where are they hanging out?

  14. Facebook

  15. Facebook • Must be at least 13 to join • Provides a place to connect, share content, pictures, etc. • Is it becoming uncool?? http://business.time.com/2013/03/08/is-facebook-losing-its-cool-some-teens-think-so/?hpt=hp_t3

  16. Twitter

  17. Twitter Twitter’s definition of Twitter “At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called Tweets. Each Tweet is 140 characters long.”

  18. Twitter • You follow people, other people follow you. The people who follow you are your “followers”. • Tweets are one form of microblogging. • No minimum age to join • Twilerts (twilert.com) allow you to receive updates anytime your child (or brand) is mentioned in a tweet.

  19. Twitter What the heck is a hashtag (#)? Hashtagsallow tweets to be categorized. Example: This Monday is particularly horrid! #daylightsavingstime #springforward

  20. Instagram

  21. Instagram • Photo sharing mobile app • You can use it to either take pictures or edit existing pictures • Must be 13 to join • Anyone can see your pictures unless you make them private • Users and their content can be reported and blocked • Kik is Instagram’s instant messaging component

  22. Tumblr • Another blogging/microblogging site, similar to the others we’ve discussed. • Slightly newer than FB/Twitter • It allows you to post content, pictures, etc. Users have followers and follow others. • Minimum age 13

  23. SnapChat • Similar to Instagram, in that it allows instant messaging and photo sharing • Most popular feature—allows the user to snap a pic and then require it to self destruct within a few seconds • Obvious danger—a screen shot can be taken prior to the destruction of the image

  24. SnapChat So what GOOD reasons are there to use SnapChat? • You want to sing happy birthday to a friend, but don’t want your awful performance forever available! • You want to send a party invite via phone, but won’t be inviting all your friends. Avoids hurt feelings. • You want to send a funny picture of yourself, but don’t want it going viral.

  25. Pinterest

  26. What is Pinterest? My defintion: The biggest time suck for middle aged women on the entire internet. Pinterest’s definition: Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing the things you love. It’s an online pinboard.

  27. What are kids doing on Pinterest? • Planning their weddings (I kid you not). • Pinning craft ideas • Pinning recipes • Organizing fashion ideas

  28. Pinterest • Five times as many females are on the site at any given time. • Remind kids that when they pin something, others see it as an endorsement by them.

  29. Gaming

  30. Gaming • Online gaming can be done on a computer, tablet phone, or through a gaming console, such as an Xbox. • Many of these games are interactive. Be aware of who is speaking with your kids. • More popular with boys • Take note of ratings

  31. Popular Games • Words with Friends – similar to scrabble • Ruzzle – word game, similar to boggle • Candy Crush – mix and match candy for cool effects • 4 Pics 1 Word – see four pictures and solve the word puzzle • Zombies vs. Plants – protect your home from zombies using plant based weaponry • Minecraft – place blocks to build things

  32. Gaming, good and bad Good • Online games can help kids build real skills, both physical and mental. • Gaming can help kids connect with friends. Bad • Many games are excessively violent and gory. • Vast amounts of time can be wasted, if kids aren’t monitored.

  33. Texting

  34. Great things about texting • Allows us to spread necessary, useful information quickly and efficiently to one person or to many people • Allows us to stay connected like never before • Helps keep us safe

  35. Not so great things about texting • Sexting • Allows us to stay connected like never before (Have you seen that one somewhere before??) • Bullying • Texting and driving • Texting accidents (and I don’t mean driving!)

  36. Negative Aspects of Kids and Technology (and how to minimize them)

  37. Inability to utilize downtime • Wasted time • Lack of exercise • Lack of “face time” • Inability to do nothing

  38. Inability to utilize downtime What can we do? • Set FIRM rules regarding time spent utilizing technology. • Be a good example! Power down for certain periods of every day. Model this behavior.

  39. Violating rules of etiquette

  40. Violating rules of etiquette What can we do? • Explain your rules for what is polite and what is not and set firm consequences for their violation. • Let kids no that leaving one bad impression with someone is difficult to overcome. • Again, model good behavior.

  41. Lack of sleep! • Falling asleep at school • Falling asleep BEHIND THE WHEEL! • Inability to concentrate • Link between lack of sleep and obesity

  42. Lack of sleep! 2011 National Sleep Foundation poll found that: • Generation Z (13-18) is the most sleep deprived generation • 1 in 10 kids reports being awakened by text messages while sleeping • More than 1/3 of Generation Z’ers report using technology right up until they fall asleep

  43. Lack of sleep! What can we do? • Set an ending time for tech use. • Get technology OUT of your kids’ bedrooms. • And, once again, model good behavior!

  44. Exposure to inappropriate content Statistics from 1-2-3 Magic • By 8th grade, kids will have seen more than 8000 murder on tv, etc. and many of them will have “committed murder”, through gaming. • Average first exposure to porn: age 11 • Biggest demographic for porn viewing online: 12-17 year olds

  45. Exposure to inappropriate content What can we do? • Talk to kids about our expectations/rules • Check video game, tv, and movie ratings and utilize them • Set parental controls on tv’s, computers, gadgets

  46. Sexting, sending inappropriate pictures, and creepers • Sexting is the sending or receiving of sexually explicit images or messages. • Teens do it with each other. • They also sometimes do it with people they meet online.

  47. Sexting, sending inappropriate pictures, and creepers What can we do? • Educate kids about people online not being who they say they are (catfishingand Manti Te’o!). • Once it’s online, it lives forever and ever and ever. • Educate kids on not giving out passwords, personal info. • Have your kids’ passwords

  48. Cyberbullying What can we do? • Set a zero tolerance policy • Discuss the ramifications of cyberbullying (legal and emotional) • Let kids know what to do if they become victims

  49. What doesn’t work • Not allowing the use of any social media • Keeping a computer in a public room of the house (let me explain….) • Blatant spying without any reason

  50. Samples of parent/child contracts • http://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/fma-high.pdf • http://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/fma-middle.pdf • http://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/fma-elementary.pdf

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