Today a colleague of mine and I gave a talk to middle school parents at our school on ways to teach your child about appropriate boundaries and behaviors online. We shared a number of links and I thought my readers (if there are any!) might find them useful for use in your own schools and with your own families. There are a lot, but they are great!
We watched the video, “Do You Know 4.0″
The Pew Internet and American Life Project did a study called Generational differences in online activities which summarizes the different things that different age groups do online – from e-mail to social networking, and everything in between.
David Pogue has a well-written article in the New York Times titled, How Dangerous Is The Internet For Children where he breaks down the myths and truths regarding children online. In that article is a link to the PBS Frontline documentary Growing Up Online, which is well worth your time to watch. You can watch it online for free.
We discussed a New York Times article titled, Sorry, Boys, This Is Our Domain, which discusses how women and girls actually produce the majority of image/video driven content on the web, breaking some of the myths of boys/girls and technology.
We discussed how the biggest threat to our children is bullying and sexual harassment and looked at an article about students and parents resorting to “Facebook sabotage” and sending colleges “dirt” on prospective students.
If you and/or your daughter are using Facebook, do read the article 5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook.
We looked at a tremendous parent online safety guide created by Wes Fryer that includes resources/articles/lessons on: filtering, limits, social networking, instant messaging, parent resources and more.
From your questions
A number of you asked wonderful questions, and we told you that we’d include links to resources on regarding those questions. Here they are:
Creating family guidelines
We discussed creating guidelines for your family that are clear for your child and you. NetSmartz has a great age-based list of guidelines that you may want to consider.
Multitasking and brain development
The Dana Foundation has a good primer called Brain Development in a Hyper-Tech World which tells us that little is yet known about the effects of all the technology in our children’s lives. We do know however that “multitasking,” or fast attention switching makes learning much less productive than focused work. The article also discusses social development in the age of Facebook.
Questions about spelling
Research shows that text message speak does not harm spelling skills. Article from the Telegraph.
The Curriculum, Technology, and Education Reform master’s program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a good summary of some of the research regarding using computers for writing, including critiques of and benefits of using spell check software.
Filtering your home computer
We don’t recommend any particular brand of filters for home. That being said, many families find it helpful to block out objectionable content or block certain websites/applications at certain times. GetNetWise has a section that highlights popular filtering tools.
PC Magazine has an article on Child-Safe Browers.
Misinterpreting e-mail
50% of all e-mail is misinterpreted, even that written by the best writers. Know that when you are sending and reading e-mail, and discuss this with your children.
6 Responses
October 8th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
arvind, it’s great to see you back blogging. and this post was amazing, thanks for sharing all this vital info.
i’m doing a really really large experiment looking at the effects of social networking sites on learning this year. id be excited to fill you in once i get some data (next year most likely).
are you still at TC?!
October 8th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Thank you, Arvind! I was talking about the same topic to a parent meeting at my school last night – but it was very informal. I’m so glad to have this post. Facebook and junior high students will be taking up a lot of my time this year.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Nice work with the presentation, Arvind. Have you seen this site? I’ve been enjoying the blog: http://kiwicommons.com/
October 17th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Richard, thanks for the great link! I hadn’t seen it, but it’s definitely on my list, now.
October 17th, 2009 at 11:51 am
June, not at TC anymore, but speak to Howie often, and here from Ellen now and then. Sounds like you’re doing some cool research. When we get time we’ll have to catch up and make up our missed social networking for educational purposes discussion. Our 8th graders are doing some cool stuff on our in-house Elgg installation.
October 17th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Joyce, I’m glad you found the post helpful. I wanted to make sure to share the wealth. Keeping the conversations going with students and parents is so important. And it’s got to be from more than just you. Division heads/principals need to talk about it, school counselors, homeroom teachers, etc. I had a great meeting with our middle school counselor the other day as she prepared for 6th and 7th grade workshops on bullying. She wanted to make sure she was incorporating online with the offline, which is great.
Leave a Comment