Digital Smarts Blog

Parents and teachers watch young people consume thousands of words on their digital devices each day and may wonder if there is a difference between reading on a device or on traditional print formats such as a newspaper or book. According to an analysis recently published in the Review of Educational Research, the benefits of digital versus print reading formats are unclear. Researchers found format has little effect when reading to get the "gist," of a text, but format can have an effect when reading for detail or comprehension

Parents and teachers watch young people consume thousands of words on their digital devices each day and may wonder if there is a difference between reading on a device or on traditional print formats such as a newspaper or book. According to an analysis recently published in the Review of Educational Research, the benefits of digital versus print reading formats are unclear. Researchers found format has little effect when reading to get the "gist," of a text, but format can have an effect when reading for detail or comprehension

Instagram reports that users younger than 25 spend more than 32 minutes daily on the platform, and those 25 and older are active for more than 24 minutes daily. Both totals outpace figures from Snapchat, which stated in February that users under 25 spend more than 30 minutes daily on the platform, while users 25 and older spend about 20 minutes daily. If your children use both, they could be spending an hour a day on these apps.

Instagram reports that users younger than 25 spend more than 32 minutes daily on the platform, and those 25 and older are active for more than 24 minutes daily. Both totals outpace figures from Snapchat, which stated in February that users under 25 spend more than 30 minutes daily on the platform, while users 25 and older spend about 20 minutes daily. If your children use both, they could be spending an hour a day on these apps.

An article in The New York Times about programs that teach coding and programming to children as young as 2 years old also teaches a variety of other invaluable life skills. When children are given the freedom to use their curiosity to explore and make things, they learn how to solve problems through making mistakes. These skills help children in coping with frustration and empathizing and collaborating with others, something that has proven to be important for success in adulthood. “If you raise and educate kids to be flexible, problem solvers and good communicators, they can adapt to a world that is new,” says Harvard Professor Stephanie M. Jones.

An article in The New York Times about programs that teach coding and programming to children as young as 2 years old also teaches a variety of other invaluable life skills. When children are given the freedom to use their curiosity to explore and make things, they learn how to solve problems through making mistakes. These skills help children in coping with frustration and empathizing and collaborating with others, something that has proven to be important for success in adulthood. “If you raise and educate kids to be flexible, problem solvers and good communicators, they can adapt to a world that is new,” says Harvard Professor Stephanie M. Jones.

Parents and teachers often lament the proclivity of students to text rather than email or call, even attributing it as the downfall of writing, but according to new research from Missy Watson and Madhuri Karak of the City College of New York, texting offers intellectual value and actually helps students improve their communication skills. In a recent commentary that outlines their study, they discuss findings that students tend to think more deeply about how they communicate while texting. This includes using texting as a form of journaling, negotiating via text, and receiving the benefit of slower communication to actually think about what they want to say and how they want to say it versus the back and forth conversation of a phone call.

Parents and teachers often lament the proclivity of students to text rather than email or call, even attributing it as the downfall of writing, but according to new research from Missy Watson and Madhuri Karak of the City College of New York, texting offers intellectual value and actually helps students improve their communication skills. In a recent commentary that outlines their study, they discuss findings that students tend to think more deeply about how they communicate while texting. This includes using texting as a form of journaling, negotiating via text, and receiving the benefit of slower communication to actually think about what they want to say and how they want to say it versus the back and forth conversation of a phone call.

There’s a new anonymous app in town, and teens are making it the most popular free download in Apple’s App Store. Sarahah—roughly translated as “honestly” in Arabic—has had viral growth, especially this summer after the debut of its English app on June 13th. Since then, teens have embraced the anonymous platform, which one teen describes as “a way for teens to continue the drama and say things about people without revealing their identity.” Clearly, as with anonymous apps Yik Yak, Ask.fm, and Whisper before it, Sarahah is plagued with negativity and trolls—prompting some to wonder how long it will be before it gets shut down.

There’s a new anonymous app in town, and teens are making it the most popular free download in Apple’s App Store. Sarahah—roughly translated as “honestly” in Arabic—has had viral growth, especially this summer after the debut of its English app on June 13th. Since then, teens have embraced the anonymous platform, which one teen describes as “a way for teens to continue the drama and say things about people without revealing their identity.” Clearly, as with anonymous apps Yik Yak, Ask.fm, and Whisper before it, Sarahah is plagued with negativity and trolls—prompting some to wonder how long it will be before it gets shut down.

Did you know the volume button on your phone can be used to take pictures? How about using the “Guest Mode” feature on your Android phone so that when someone asks to borrow they cannot access the personal information stored on your phone? Did you know that you could do a reverse image search to help yourself when using an online dating service to find out if you are being scammed by someone using a fake picture? All these tricks and more are contained in an article by Kim Komodo on the USA Today site entitled “How did I not know this?”

Did you know the volume button on your phone can be used to take pictures? How about using the “Guest Mode” feature on your Android phone so that when someone asks to borrow they cannot access the personal information stored on your phone? Did you know that you could do a reverse image search to help yourself when using an online dating service to find out if you are being scammed by someone using a fake picture? All these tricks and more are contained in an article by Kim Komodo on the USA Today site entitled “How did I not know this?”

If your kids love online gaming, it is important to keep up with the latest tips on how to keep them playing safely and smartly. Got just a minute to do that? Check out this video entitled 7 Easy Hacks for Parents of Young Gamers.

If your kids love online gaming, it is important to keep up with the latest tips on how to keep them playing safely and smartly. Got just a minute to do that? Check out this video entitled 7 Easy Hacks for Parents of Young Gamers.

Media stories about online predators make for sensationalized press, playing on parental fears, but how worried should you be? Overall statistics show that unwanted sexual solicitation is down but the most important thing is to arm yourself with facts about the issue and solutions if you suspect your child is, or could become, a victim. Common Sense Media recently took up the topic in an article entitled The Facts about Online Predators Every Parent Should Know. The article outlines the facts and strategies for handling your concerns about online predators.

Media stories about online predators make for sensationalized press, playing on parental fears, but how worried should you be? Overall statistics show that unwanted sexual solicitation is down but the most important thing is to arm yourself with facts about the issue and solutions if you suspect your child is, or could become, a victim. Common Sense Media recently took up the topic in an article entitled The Facts about Online Predators Every Parent Should Know. The article outlines the facts and strategies for handling your concerns about online predators.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 5 girls are cyberbullied in the US, compared with 1 in 10 boys. In a commentary on this topic, Carmen Caldwell of the Citizens' Crime Watch of Miami-Dade discusses about the dangers of cyberbullying and why it more often affects girls. She also cites another survey that shows only 33 percent of teens report when they are being harassed online. One of the biggest takeaways for parents is the importance of daily communication, so that if something does happen, the child will be more likely to approach parent about the issue.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 5 girls are cyberbullied in the US, compared with 1 in 10 boys. In a commentary on this topic, Carmen Caldwell of the Citizens' Crime Watch of Miami-Dade discusses about the dangers of cyberbullying and why it more often affects girls. She also cites another survey that shows only 33 percent of teens report when they are being harassed online. One of the biggest takeaways for parents is the importance of daily communication, so that if something does happen, the child will be more likely to approach parent about the issue.

Two of the biggest champions of educational technology — Google and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) — have teamed up to create a new way to teach digital citizenship. Be Internet Awesome, a program developed in concert with the Family Online Safety Institute, the Internet Keep Safe the Coalition and ConnectSafely, educates kids about digital citizenship in interactive ways, including an online game. Designed for schools, many of the materials on the site are also helpful to kids and their parents.

Two of the biggest champions of educational technology — Google and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) — have teamed up to create a new way to teach digital citizenship. Be Internet Awesome, a program developed in concert with the Family Online Safety Institute, the Internet Keep Safe the Coalition and ConnectSafely, educates kids about digital citizenship in interactive ways, including an online game. Designed for schools, many of the materials on the site are also helpful to kids and their parents.