Digital Citizenship

A survey of 1,200 children examines how upper elementary students use digital spaces for communicating, reading and writing. The study, published in the International Literacy Association’s “Reading Research Quarterly”, reveals that tweens have more difficulty using the internet for research than for reading books.  Data also shows that students are online more at school than at home, and use the internet for different tasks at home than in the classroom. The research also suggests that there is a big difference in knowing how to use a digital device and using it to locate, understand, and effectively communicate information to others.

The study advises parents that even though they may not consider themselves tech savvy, they are still likely more skilled than their tweens at reading, problem-solving, and making sense of information online, so their support is still very valuable. “With print-based reading we provide children with plenty of opportunities to read appropriate texts independently, but we also help them read increasingly difficult books so that they can continue to develop their skills,” one of the researchers wrote. The process is the same for online reading and writing, and parents should help kids learn to use all the multiple modes of information (such as color, image, video, hyperlinks, and text) that are encountered in digital spaces.

According to recent research about a third of Americans, ages 16 to 34 (about 25.5 million people), can be classified as social media “influencers,” who can be categorized into three tiers - 18% in the top category of "socialite," 61% as "rising stars," and 17% as "newbies". These categories are determined by the number of followers they have and whether they are tied into a brand online – something all the “socialites” have done. Yahoo noted that influencer marketing – where the brands let their biggest fans speak for them – is about to explode. This topic is a good reminder to talk to your kids about how there are many people online – possibly even their peers – who are being paid to say a product is good.

Do your kids have great ideas for projects but have trouble translating their ideas onto paper? It might be fun for them to try speech to text dictation on the computer for free with Google Docs. The summer is a great time to try this out before the pressure of schoolwork makes it hard to try something new. All you need is an inexpensive microphone, a computer with the Chrome browser installed, and Google Docs (free). Here is a step-by-step set of instructions on how to get started.

Although it was written for teachers, Frank Buck’s article on using email more efficiently rings true for parents as well. Ever thought of composing your email ‘backwards”? Buck suggests adding attachments first (because they are so easy to forget), “front loading” your email with the most important information, and composing a subject line that summarizes the email’s content. Other common sense suggestions in the article can help you tame email blunders and communicate more succinctly.

Facebook is now tracking which stores you visit so the giant social network can show marketers that its online ads result in offline purchases. With data tracking ads, businesses that advertise on Facebook can include an interactive map detailing the locations of their stores. The Facebook users' phones are then used to track (by GPS, beacons, WiFi, radio signals, and cell towers) how many of those who saw the ad wound up visiting the store. Facebook is also working on tying in-store purchases to their ads through tracking.

How can you protect your privacy? While Facebook will not report specific information such as the ad you saw on your friend’s Facebook page was the thing that brought you into the store where you purchased a yellow polka dot bikini, there is no way to opt out. Facebook does not identify individual information, and the information they collect is all anonymous and aggregated – or so they say officially. All you can do is hide particular ads you see in your feed, or turn off location services for Facebook entirely, though doing so may degrade other Facebook functions.

Has an unfamiliar handheld gadget shown up at your house? Are there odd batteries being charged or a pen like object hooked up to a USB cable? These may be warning signs that your child is secretly vaping – using electronic cigarettes. Unlike tobacco cigarettes, e-cigs or vaporizers don’t have all the smells and telltale ashes and butts lying around, but habit-forming nicotine is still involved and a new study indicates that teens in the United States who use electronic cigarettes are six times more likely to move on to traditional cigarettes. In addition, there are no long term studies about the impact e-cigarettes have on adults, much less teens, or the impact on younger family members who inhale secondary exhaled vapors. Want to know more vaping and the signs your children might be doing it? Take a look at the Vaping and Parenting Guide – Does Your Kid Use E-Cigs?

Several literary classics, including Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, are being retold through a new art form that involves using video games. The EK Theater Company , based out of Connecticut and made up of students, uses video games to convey timeless tales through performances to live audiences. Students narrate dialogue from classic works to scenes of video games as avatars move through the action. The director decides which game scene will be projected while students (the digital puppeteers, voice actors and technicians) speak lines, move characters and manage the sounds and transitions. This new source of storytelling helps students study literature through a medium that is engaging and fun.