Digital Smarts Blog

Jamie Shannon, a certified teen life coach from Washington State, contends that teens feel awkward when they have to communicate in the real world, not just with strangers but also friends and peers, because of anxiety brought on by social media. Shannon has found that teens are admitting that after spending hours on social networking sites they have trouble communicating both in person and over the phone with people they don’t know very well. To counteract this issue, Shannon advocates a "technology free time" daily. She also reminds parents “to be aware of what's going on online so when or if something major does happen teens can come to them."

Jamie Shannon, a certified teen life coach from Washington State, contends that teens feel awkward when they have to communicate in the real world, not just with strangers but also friends and peers, because of anxiety brought on by social media. Shannon has found that teens are admitting that after spending hours on social networking sites they have trouble communicating both in person and over the phone with people they don’t know very well. To counteract this issue, Shannon advocates a "technology free time" daily. She also reminds parents “to be aware of what's going on online so when or if something major does happen teens can come to them."

Children today are introduced to technology at a very early age, but most schools don’t tackle the concept of digital literacy until middle school or beyond. What can parents and teachers do to foster an understanding of what it means to be a good digital citizen in very young children? Carmela Knowles, author of the Piano and Laylee booklets on online safety, takes up this subject in a blog post on eSchool News, and while written primarily for teachers, her four suggestions are valuable for parents to understand and work with as well.

Children today are introduced to technology at a very early age, but most schools don’t tackle the concept of digital literacy until middle school or beyond. What can parents and teachers do to foster an understanding of what it means to be a good digital citizen in very young children? Carmela Knowles, author of the Piano and Laylee booklets on online safety, takes up this subject in a blog post on eSchool News, and while written primarily for teachers, her four suggestions are valuable for parents to understand and work with as well.

While most parents know it takes some effort to keep your kids safe online, it never hurts to read about how other parents are handling the situation. Experts agree that you know your children best, and that parents set the expectation for how much time students are allowed to spend in front of a screen, how they use technology and social media, and what they do online. Of course, the article reminds parents that it is always good to advise children that the use of technology, especially cell phones, is a responsibility and not a right.

While most parents know it takes some effort to keep your kids safe online, it never hurts to read about how other parents are handling the situation. Experts agree that you know your children best, and that parents set the expectation for how much time students are allowed to spend in front of a screen, how they use technology and social media, and what they do online. Of course, the article reminds parents that it is always good to advise children that the use of technology, especially cell phones, is a responsibility and not a right.

An interesting new book for teens and their parents is lol…OMG What Every Student Needs to Know About Online Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship, and Cyberbullying by Matt Ivester. Focused on digital etiquette and online reputation management, the paperback (or Kindle digital version) uses case studies to take a cautionary look at the many ways that today’s teens are experiencing the unanticipated negative consequences of their digital decisions – from lost job opportunities and denied college or graduate school admissions to full-blown national scandals. It also examines how technology is allowing students to bully one another in new and disturbing ways, and why students are often crueler online than in person. The author speaks from experience, having created JuicyCampus.com – one of the largest college gossip websites in the United States.  Since shutting down JuicyCampus, Ivester now spends time speaking on college campuses across the country.

An interesting new book for teens and their parents is lol…OMG What Every Student Needs to Know About Online Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship, and Cyberbullying by Matt Ivester. Focused on digital etiquette and online reputation management, the paperback (or Kindle digital version) uses case studies to take a cautionary look at the many ways that today’s teens are experiencing the unanticipated negative consequences of their digital decisions – from lost job opportunities and denied college or graduate school admissions to full-blown national scandals. It also examines how technology is allowing students to bully one another in new and disturbing ways, and why students are often crueler online than in person. The author speaks from experience, having created JuicyCampus.com – one of the largest college gossip websites in the United States.  Since shutting down JuicyCampus, Ivester now spends time speaking on college campuses across the country.

What happens when you or one of your children discovers you have been “unfriended” or “defriended” by someone on Facebook or another social networking site? How should you handle it? It is hard to know what to do. Columnist Steven Petrow offers his opinion in an article entitled Digital Life: How to handle a 'defriending'. He suggests that if you don’t know why this has occurred, the burden is on the other person to tell you. In the meantime, just say “hello” when you meet and avoid further chitchat. He admits, though, that it hurts. He also reminds those who are debating “defriending” someone to consider doing so for only serious violations (inappropriate photos, hateful politics) and that instead you could just “unfollow” him or her. “Unfollowing” someone simply means you won't see this person's posts in your newsfeed, and he or she won't be any the wiser. Otherwise, don't just “defriend,” but “defriend” and block -- that way, you'll never run across each other in Facebook again. As for real life, that may be another matter.

What happens when you or one of your children discovers you have been “unfriended” or “defriended” by someone on Facebook or another social networking site? How should you handle it? It is hard to know what to do. Columnist Steven Petrow offers his opinion in an article entitled Digital Life: How to handle a 'defriending'. He suggests that if you don’t know why this has occurred, the burden is on the other person to tell you. In the meantime, just say “hello” when you meet and avoid further chitchat. He admits, though, that it hurts. He also reminds those who are debating “defriending” someone to consider doing so for only serious violations (inappropriate photos, hateful politics) and that instead you could just “unfollow” him or her. “Unfollowing” someone simply means you won't see this person's posts in your newsfeed, and he or she won't be any the wiser. Otherwise, don't just “defriend,” but “defriend” and block -- that way, you'll never run across each other in Facebook again. As for real life, that may be another matter.

As we all become more and more dependent on our cellphones, it is important to know how to protect your phone number from strangers and spammers who might have come across your number and use it for telemarketing purposes. You can always use the settings on your phone to block calls  but better yet, take a look at these suggestions from Kim Komando in her post on USA Today to keep your phone number under wraps. For example, there are apps that will provide you with a disposable number to keep your privacy when selling something online, or to avoid giving your number to someone whose background or credibility you want to check out first. You can do the same thing to keep your privacy while texting using a free-texting app like TextFree or TextPlus.

As we all become more and more dependent on our cellphones, it is important to know how to protect your phone number from strangers and spammers who might have come across your number and use it for telemarketing purposes. You can always use the settings on your phone to block calls  but better yet, take a look at these suggestions from Kim Komando in her post on USA Today to keep your phone number under wraps. For example, there are apps that will provide you with a disposable number to keep your privacy when selling something online, or to avoid giving your number to someone whose background or credibility you want to check out first. You can do the same thing to keep your privacy while texting using a free-texting app like TextFree or TextPlus.

How many times have you attempted to use your smartphone to take a group shot but could not quite reach the button to snap the photo? Now you can just tell your phone to snap away. For Android, an app like Camera ZOOM FX ($3) has voice-activation. VoiceSnap for iOS ($1) does the same thing for iPhones and iPads. These apps are perfect for taking photos from a distance when there is no one around to take the picture for you.

How many times have you attempted to use your smartphone to take a group shot but could not quite reach the button to snap the photo? Now you can just tell your phone to snap away. For Android, an app like Camera ZOOM FX ($3) has voice-activation. VoiceSnap for iOS ($1) does the same thing for iPhones and iPads. These apps are perfect for taking photos from a distance when there is no one around to take the picture for you.

Common Sense Media posted a blog focusing on the five most popular myths about internet safety, reminding parents that the best way to keep kids safe is to stay informed. Addressing topics such as thinking parental controls are the best way to monitor kids’ online activities (it is actually best not to rely on only one method), and the idea that kids act worse online (most kids say the opposite is true), the post dishes out very sensible advice on how to avoid having an overly alarmist mindset when it comes to kids’ lives online.

Common Sense Media posted a blog focusing on the five most popular myths about internet safety, reminding parents that the best way to keep kids safe is to stay informed. Addressing topics such as thinking parental controls are the best way to monitor kids’ online activities (it is actually best not to rely on only one method), and the idea that kids act worse online (most kids say the opposite is true), the post dishes out very sensible advice on how to avoid having an overly alarmist mindset when it comes to kids’ lives online.

Being able to text, tweet, post and even take video are digital literacy skills most kids have these days, but there is one skill that seems to be lacking.  According to a new study conducted by UConn researchers, analyzing and interpreting information found on the Internet is a skill that is deficient in many students. The study, entitled “The New Literacies of Online Research and Comprehension: Rethinking the Reading Achievement Gap,” was published in January’s Reading Research Quarterly, a publication of the University of Connecticut (UConn), and examined seventh graders in two Connecticut districts. Students completed online reading tasks in science and wrote short reports of their findings in an email message and on a classroom wiki. After analyzing these reports, researchers concluded students need more help in analyzing search engine results and using the information they find to draw conclusions and point out evidence to support their answers.

Being able to text, tweet, post and even take video are digital literacy skills most kids have these days, but there is one skill that seems to be lacking.  According to a new study conducted by UConn researchers, analyzing and interpreting information found on the Internet is a skill that is deficient in many students. The study, entitled “The New Literacies of Online Research and Comprehension: Rethinking the Reading Achievement Gap,” was published in January’s Reading Research Quarterly, a publication of the University of Connecticut (UConn), and examined seventh graders in two Connecticut districts. Students completed online reading tasks in science and wrote short reports of their findings in an email message and on a classroom wiki. After analyzing these reports, researchers concluded students need more help in analyzing search engine results and using the information they find to draw conclusions and point out evidence to support their answers.

Facebook recently announced that it would grant users control over what happens to their Facebook pages after they die. Starting immediately, users should see a new option pop up in their security settings that will let them choose whether they want to pass their information and account management over to someone else when the time comes. While this is not something that people like to talk about, the truth is it has become a growing issue. Questions about how to handle situations like this are popping up all the time in technology help columns and blog posts. Google offers a similar tool to let you decide what to do with the trove of e-mail and other data you might have stored should your account become inactive for a certain amount of time.

Facebook recently announced that it would grant users control over what happens to their Facebook pages after they die. Starting immediately, users should see a new option pop up in their security settings that will let them choose whether they want to pass their information and account management over to someone else when the time comes. While this is not something that people like to talk about, the truth is it has become a growing issue. Questions about how to handle situations like this are popping up all the time in technology help columns and blog posts. Google offers a similar tool to let you decide what to do with the trove of e-mail and other data you might have stored should your account become inactive for a certain amount of time.