Digital Smarts Blog

According to a study that was recently published in the journal PLOS One, men who were worse players at online games than their peers tended to hurl more nastiness at female gamers. On the other hand, men who consistently perform well were nicer overall to both male and female players. This was found by a pair of researchers from the United States and Australia who examined interactions between players during 163 games of Halo 3 to determine when men were most likely to exhibit sexist, anti-social behavior toward their female peers. Takeaway for parents? Remind the gamer girls at your house that they still should let you know when comments go too far but to keep in mind that a lot of the vitriol they face online may just be raw jealousy.

According to a study that was recently published in the journal PLOS One, men who were worse players at online games than their peers tended to hurl more nastiness at female gamers. On the other hand, men who consistently perform well were nicer overall to both male and female players. This was found by a pair of researchers from the United States and Australia who examined interactions between players during 163 games of Halo 3 to determine when men were most likely to exhibit sexist, anti-social behavior toward their female peers. Takeaway for parents? Remind the gamer girls at your house that they still should let you know when comments go too far but to keep in mind that a lot of the vitriol they face online may just be raw jealousy.

As the school year starts, are you looking for advice on issues revolving around managing the media use of your family? One place to look for tips is the Child Mind Institute web site section on Media and Tech. Articles on everything from why you should watch television with your teens and tweens to when you should come between a teenager and her phone are covered. Issues that concern parents of younger children are also examined, including screen time limits for toddlers.

As the school year starts, are you looking for advice on issues revolving around managing the media use of your family? One place to look for tips is the Child Mind Institute web site section on Media and Tech. Articles on everything from why you should watch television with your teens and tweens to when you should come between a teenager and her phone are covered. Issues that concern parents of younger children are also examined, including screen time limits for toddlers.

According to a study of college students, chemicals in the brain associated with anxiety may be contributing to the increasing amount of time individuals spend on social media. Researchers looked at how often college students check their smartphones, and found that feelings of anxiety emerge from chemicals that are released the longer they go without checking in on social media. Notifications popping up on the screen when messages arrive, and even the small numbers next to an app on the screen, also drive anxiety.

According to a study of college students, chemicals in the brain associated with anxiety may be contributing to the increasing amount of time individuals spend on social media. Researchers looked at how often college students check their smartphones, and found that feelings of anxiety emerge from chemicals that are released the longer they go without checking in on social media. Notifications popping up on the screen when messages arrive, and even the small numbers next to an app on the screen, also drive anxiety.

We are living in a time when adults spend an average of three hours a day on their phones, the average work email gets read in six seconds, and forty-six percent of people would prefer to have a broken bone than a broken phone. We are living in a world with technology addiction. A new book by Adam Alter entitled Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked shares ways to survive in the age of behavioral addiction.

One of the things Atler suggests is to think about proximity. If you don’t need your phone by your side, put it somewhere you cannot easily reach it. He also advises to turn off some non-essential notifications. Another tip is to bury those apps that are the most addictive for you to the last screen page. All of these actions can help you control your phone, not the other way around. Interested in more? Take a look at this article on the Time web site.

We are living in a time when adults spend an average of three hours a day on their phones, the average work email gets read in six seconds, and forty-six percent of people would prefer to have a broken bone than a broken phone. We are living in a world with technology addiction. A new book by Adam Alter entitled Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked shares ways to survive in the age of behavioral addiction.

One of the things Atler suggests is to think about proximity. If you don’t need your phone by your side, put it somewhere you cannot easily reach it. He also advises to turn off some non-essential notifications. Another tip is to bury those apps that are the most addictive for you to the last screen page. All of these actions can help you control your phone, not the other way around. Interested in more? Take a look at this article on the Time web site.

Looking for apps that can help you and children get ready for the new school year? The AppAdvice site has a list with different categories of apps including those useful for keeping track of homework, projects and tests, as well as shopping for school supplies and lunches. There are even location sharing apps for making sure everyone got home safe at the end of the school day.

Looking for apps that can help you and children get ready for the new school year? The AppAdvice site has a list with different categories of apps including those useful for keeping track of homework, projects and tests, as well as shopping for school supplies and lunches. There are even location sharing apps for making sure everyone got home safe at the end of the school day.

No one is more concerned about the security of student data than parents. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy had this in mind when they created its Parent Toolkit for Student Privacy, a set of guidelines that parents and school administrators can reference. An article summarizing what is in that very complete kit appears on the EdTech Magazine site entitled “ 3 Tips to Keep Parents Assured that Student Data is Protected.” The article reminds both parents and schools that the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives parents discretion over the types of data about their children that can be used. The writers also remind parents that while teachers can help students recognize that there are consequences to the actions they take online, parents modeling good digital citizenship is by far the most important influencer.

No one is more concerned about the security of student data than parents. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy had this in mind when they created its Parent Toolkit for Student Privacy, a set of guidelines that parents and school administrators can reference. An article summarizing what is in that very complete kit appears on the EdTech Magazine site entitled “ 3 Tips to Keep Parents Assured that Student Data is Protected.” The article reminds both parents and schools that the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives parents discretion over the types of data about their children that can be used. The writers also remind parents that while teachers can help students recognize that there are consequences to the actions they take online, parents modeling good digital citizenship is by far the most important influencer.

With school starting you may want to check out a new article on the Common Media Site titled 17 Apps and Websites Kids Are Heading to After Facebook . The article is divided up into sections that cover topics including secret apps and microblogging, and covers some of the most popular sites and apps for teens, looking at their positive and negative attributes.

With school starting you may want to check out a new article on the Common Media Site titled 17 Apps and Websites Kids Are Heading to After Facebook . The article is divided up into sections that cover topics including secret apps and microblogging, and covers some of the most popular sites and apps for teens, looking at their positive and negative attributes.

Just by having your smartphone next to you without even using it could slow down your brain, a recent study suggests. Researchers at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin conducted a study on nearly 800 people, looking at how they performed tasks when their devices were within hands reach. The scientists found that the mere presence of your smartphone, even if it is off, can reduce brainpower. The study could give some insight on why we cannot concentrate at work or school while our smartphones are laying in front of us at our desks, and may urge parents to make sure their children and teens put their phones out of sight when they are working on homework or other projects.

Just by having your smartphone next to you without even using it could slow down your brain, a recent study suggests. Researchers at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin conducted a study on nearly 800 people, looking at how they performed tasks when their devices were within hands reach. The scientists found that the mere presence of your smartphone, even if it is off, can reduce brainpower. The study could give some insight on why we cannot concentrate at work or school while our smartphones are laying in front of us at our desks, and may urge parents to make sure their children and teens put their phones out of sight when they are working on homework or other projects.

An eight-week study in the United Kingdom found that teens who wore a Fitbit Charge wristband became bored with it after about four weeks, and overall said they felt less confident about exercising and were discouraged from doing it, researchers reported in the American Journal of Health Education. Researchers also said that interacting and making progress comparisons with peers, rather than just working on their own with the technology, were better motivators for most of the teens in the study.

An eight-week study in the United Kingdom found that teens who wore a Fitbit Charge wristband became bored with it after about four weeks, and overall said they felt less confident about exercising and were discouraged from doing it, researchers reported in the American Journal of Health Education. Researchers also said that interacting and making progress comparisons with peers, rather than just working on their own with the technology, were better motivators for most of the teens in the study.

Is your child thinking about virtual schooling on the high school or college level? Flexibility, personal attention from teachers, and developing time-management skills are among the benefits of virtual schooling, assert two graduates of virtual high schools and colleges. In a Q&A on the EdSurge site, the graduates address common questions around distance learning, including socialization, but also acknowledge that while they were successful, virtual schools might not suit all learners.

Is your child thinking about virtual schooling on the high school or college level? Flexibility, personal attention from teachers, and developing time-management skills are among the benefits of virtual schooling, assert two graduates of virtual high schools and colleges. In a Q&A on the EdSurge site, the graduates address common questions around distance learning, including socialization, but also acknowledge that while they were successful, virtual schools might not suit all learners.