Digital Smarts Blog

Can’t get the family to put their gadgets down long enough to have a quiet meal together? Try DinnerTime (free on iOS and Android). The app is designed to be installed on both parents' and kids' smartphones. When Mom or Dad have the evening meal ready, all they have to do is activate the DinnerTime app and the youngsters' gadgets will not only tell them dinner is ready, but will activate a lockdown timer so smartphone distractions are eliminated during mealtime. As an added bonus, the app has bedtime and "take a break" features that keep phones quiet during sleep hours and whenever you feel like your kids are experiencing screen time overload.

Can’t get the family to put their gadgets down long enough to have a quiet meal together? Try DinnerTime (free on iOS and Android). The app is designed to be installed on both parents' and kids' smartphones. When Mom or Dad have the evening meal ready, all they have to do is activate the DinnerTime app and the youngsters' gadgets will not only tell them dinner is ready, but will activate a lockdown timer so smartphone distractions are eliminated during mealtime. As an added bonus, the app has bedtime and "take a break" features that keep phones quiet during sleep hours and whenever you feel like your kids are experiencing screen time overload.

If you are involved in any kind of legal action, it is not uncommon for lawyers and private investigators to look at your social media posts and social networking pages for insights on your behavior and your actions. Many people who become involved in a break up or divorce go online to rant about an ex-partner or spouse but don’t think about the consequences of those actions. The post never goes away and can be shared with anyone. With our digital lives so entwined these days, there are even more considerations to be concerned with when going through a breakup, including changing your passwords, getting rid of shared services like Amazon or iTunes accounts and thinking about what to do with shared online bank accounts (ask your lawyer on that one). You should also consider wiping shared tablets or computers of any kind of personal data including passwords, credit card info, tax returns, browsing history and other things you may want to keep private. On social media, you will need to decide whether to stay friends online with your ex, remembering if you stay friends they will be able to see everything you post. Also keep in mind that if your kids have access to your social networking postings, your ex could and check your account through their devices.

If you are involved in any kind of legal action, it is not uncommon for lawyers and private investigators to look at your social media posts and social networking pages for insights on your behavior and your actions. Many people who become involved in a break up or divorce go online to rant about an ex-partner or spouse but don’t think about the consequences of those actions. The post never goes away and can be shared with anyone. With our digital lives so entwined these days, there are even more considerations to be concerned with when going through a breakup, including changing your passwords, getting rid of shared services like Amazon or iTunes accounts and thinking about what to do with shared online bank accounts (ask your lawyer on that one). You should also consider wiping shared tablets or computers of any kind of personal data including passwords, credit card info, tax returns, browsing history and other things you may want to keep private. On social media, you will need to decide whether to stay friends online with your ex, remembering if you stay friends they will be able to see everything you post. Also keep in mind that if your kids have access to your social networking postings, your ex could and check your account through their devices.

Parenting in the era of the smartphone poses a wide spread series of debates. Arguing that having a smartphone can actually help you spend more time with your children, an article in The New York Times Bits blog entitled You Don’t Have to Feel Very Guilty About Using Your Smartphone While Parenting looks at a week in which a parent was able to balance working and being there for a preschooler off from a week of school. The comments on the blog post reflect a large range of opinions about smart phones and parenting – from those who feel devices should be completely turned off when kids are around, to those who feel they still have the ability to be there for their children while not focusing exclusively on them. What is clear is that every parent, child and individual situation is different. Like so much of parenting, making a conscious effort to model the right behavior is key, but especially so as we go deeper into the age of constant communication and connection. Bottom line: some kind of consistent restraint when it comes to technology in the part of all family members seems to be the best solution.

Parenting in the era of the smartphone poses a wide spread series of debates. Arguing that having a smartphone can actually help you spend more time with your children, an article in The New York Times Bits blog entitled You Don’t Have to Feel Very Guilty About Using Your Smartphone While Parenting looks at a week in which a parent was able to balance working and being there for a preschooler off from a week of school. The comments on the blog post reflect a large range of opinions about smart phones and parenting – from those who feel devices should be completely turned off when kids are around, to those who feel they still have the ability to be there for their children while not focusing exclusively on them. What is clear is that every parent, child and individual situation is different. Like so much of parenting, making a conscious effort to model the right behavior is key, but especially so as we go deeper into the age of constant communication and connection. Bottom line: some kind of consistent restraint when it comes to technology in the part of all family members seems to be the best solution.

Common Sense Media has compiled a list of digital tools for managing your kids’ tech use. Some of these ideas include taking advantage of the safety mode in YouTube, how to keep kids focused on one app at a time (and away from your email and private files), and fine-tuning what cookies get added to your browser. The list also reminds you that you can use the FindMyPhone App for iOS or Android to locate your child (as long as their phone is on and with them). The list provides a good mix of simple straightforward ideas along with some apps and services you may not have heard of.

Common Sense Media has compiled a list of digital tools for managing your kids’ tech use. Some of these ideas include taking advantage of the safety mode in YouTube, how to keep kids focused on one app at a time (and away from your email and private files), and fine-tuning what cookies get added to your browser. The list also reminds you that you can use the FindMyPhone App for iOS or Android to locate your child (as long as their phone is on and with them). The list provides a good mix of simple straightforward ideas along with some apps and services you may not have heard of.

In an effort to bring back creative thinking and problem solving into the lives of young students, makerspaces are cropping up all over the United States. A blend of old shop classes and new technology, the maker movement hopes to bring hands-on exploration back into schools and simultaneously inspire kids to tinker on their own by luring them away from more passive technology. Interested in finding a makerspace near you where your kids can explore their world in a hands-on fashion, or starting your own space? Visit makerspace.com.

In an effort to bring back creative thinking and problem solving into the lives of young students, makerspaces are cropping up all over the United States. A blend of old shop classes and new technology, the maker movement hopes to bring hands-on exploration back into schools and simultaneously inspire kids to tinker on their own by luring them away from more passive technology. Interested in finding a makerspace near you where your kids can explore their world in a hands-on fashion, or starting your own space? Visit makerspace.com.

Two new free eBooks for kids - Animishmash and the Cyber Bullfrog (for ages 7 and up) and The Pirate's Donut (for ages 3 and up) – deal with the subjects of cyberbullying and safe online searching, respectively. Both books pose situations for kids to ponder, and offer choices about what they should do. You will need to read the books out loud to non-readers, but both books can be used as discussion starters on issues of digital safety.

Two new free eBooks for kids - Animishmash and the Cyber Bullfrog (for ages 7 and up) and The Pirate's Donut (for ages 3 and up) – deal with the subjects of cyberbullying and safe online searching, respectively. Both books pose situations for kids to ponder, and offer choices about what they should do. You will need to read the books out loud to non-readers, but both books can be used as discussion starters on issues of digital safety.

Whose job is it to instruct kids on how to safe online? In a worldwide survey of 1800 teachers done by AVG, a security company, four out of five teachers think parents are relying too much on schools to teach internet safety. The survey also found that 38 percent of teachers said they believe parents don't know enough about online safety to be able to teach their own kids. Nearly three-quarters of teachers in the United States reported that they have never had formal Internet safety training themselves, even though 86 percent use Web content in the classroom and 40 percent assign online homework assignments. Who do you think should be teaching kids about digital safety?

Whose job is it to instruct kids on how to safe online? In a worldwide survey of 1800 teachers done by AVG, a security company, four out of five teachers think parents are relying too much on schools to teach internet safety. The survey also found that 38 percent of teachers said they believe parents don't know enough about online safety to be able to teach their own kids. Nearly three-quarters of teachers in the United States reported that they have never had formal Internet safety training themselves, even though 86 percent use Web content in the classroom and 40 percent assign online homework assignments. Who do you think should be teaching kids about digital safety?

This spring, European courts upheld a law forcing Google Spain to remove links to personal information from its site that compromised the privacy of an individual. The search company responded with a digital request form, giving web users an opportunity to erase links to web pages that they feel invade their privacy, but the process has sparked some opposition. Opponents of the new law -predominantly journalists and media outlets — argue that allowing individuals and companies to take down unflattering articles is akin to censorship, and that removing informative articles from web searches is an infringement on free speech. While so far this only applies to Europe, the definition of the “right to be forgotten” bears watching as it is sure to spill over into the privacy debates here in the states as well.

This spring, European courts upheld a law forcing Google Spain to remove links to personal information from its site that compromised the privacy of an individual. The search company responded with a digital request form, giving web users an opportunity to erase links to web pages that they feel invade their privacy, but the process has sparked some opposition. Opponents of the new law -predominantly journalists and media outlets — argue that allowing individuals and companies to take down unflattering articles is akin to censorship, and that removing informative articles from web searches is an infringement on free speech. While so far this only applies to Europe, the definition of the “right to be forgotten” bears watching as it is sure to spill over into the privacy debates here in the states as well.

Experts are predicting that newsletters are making a comeback in email form.  With an endless stream of information available on the internet, newsletters offered on a subscription basis can offer some kind of order amid the chaos of wrong or outdated articles. Many see newsletters as a “vetted” source that can keep you up to date on specific information.  Interested in seeing a list of newsletters that fits this description? Take a look at Newsletters You Might Actually Be Happy to Find in Your Inbox.

Experts are predicting that newsletters are making a comeback in email form.  With an endless stream of information available on the internet, newsletters offered on a subscription basis can offer some kind of order amid the chaos of wrong or outdated articles. Many see newsletters as a “vetted” source that can keep you up to date on specific information.  Interested in seeing a list of newsletters that fits this description? Take a look at Newsletters You Might Actually Be Happy to Find in Your Inbox.

Microsoft has shared a list of 100 mobile applications that make the grade for students and teachers including CK12, which uses various interactive tools to improve math and science instruction, and Didlr, an art and design application that allows kids to create their own artwork. This is great for summer learning, as well.

Microsoft has shared a list of 100 mobile applications that make the grade for students and teachers including CK12, which uses various interactive tools to improve math and science instruction, and Didlr, an art and design application that allows kids to create their own artwork. This is great for summer learning, as well.