Digital Smarts Blog

Brian Pitts, the technology director at the Longview Independent School District in Texas, suggests that setting rules is not enough to ensure safety of our children online.  In the article, “Is your house safe from tigers?”, Pitts says that being vigilant in monitoring behavior is key to making sure our children are safe on the Internet. Though it is written for schools, his humor and message that cyberbullying is more of a danger to kids than phishing by hackers is right on target.

Brian Pitts, the technology director at the Longview Independent School District in Texas, suggests that setting rules is not enough to ensure safety of our children online.  In the article, “Is your house safe from tigers?”, Pitts says that being vigilant in monitoring behavior is key to making sure our children are safe on the Internet. Though it is written for schools, his humor and message that cyberbullying is more of a danger to kids than phishing by hackers is right on target.

A recent study published in the International Journal of Communication reveals that students who play video games may perform better in math than peers who opt for engaging with social media. The data comes from research on the test scores of 12,000 Australian teens, and has researchers suggesting that it is worth looking into how and what children learn from game-playing.

A recent study published in the International Journal of Communication reveals that students who play video games may perform better in math than peers who opt for engaging with social media. The data comes from research on the test scores of 12,000 Australian teens, and has researchers suggesting that it is worth looking into how and what children learn from game-playing.

Big-name technology companies such as Microsoft, Google and Facebook offer educational summer programs for high-school students, but there are more ways to learn about computer science and tech careers. Some great resources are provided in an article on the US News and Word Report site, including information on learning to code online, seeking internships closer to home and researching tech jobs.

Big-name technology companies such as Microsoft, Google and Facebook offer educational summer programs for high-school students, but there are more ways to learn about computer science and tech careers. Some great resources are provided in an article on the US News and Word Report site, including information on learning to code online, seeking internships closer to home and researching tech jobs.

Is your school talking about the importance of digital citizenship? Parents can help the discussion by bringing up the topic at PTO or parent council meetings. Parent Teacher Organizations can set up webinars, add resources and articles to email or paper newsletters, and make announcements at school events. Resources like the guide How to Take Digital Citizenship Schoolwide During the 2016-17 School Year from EdSurge can also help administrators, teachers, parents and students understand digital citizenship and the importance of adding the topic to schoolwide discussions.

Is your school talking about the importance of digital citizenship? Parents can help the discussion by bringing up the topic at PTO or parent council meetings. Parent Teacher Organizations can set up webinars, add resources and articles to email or paper newsletters, and make announcements at school events. Resources like the guide How to Take Digital Citizenship Schoolwide During the 2016-17 School Year from EdSurge can also help administrators, teachers, parents and students understand digital citizenship and the importance of adding the topic to schoolwide discussions.

While many teenagers are likely to scroll past advertisements on social media, video ads that feature "micro-influencers" (quasi-celebrities paid by brands to talk about products to their legions of adoring fans) are more likely to grab their attention. Most teens know these influencers are being paid, sometimes in the millions, to persuade their buying choices, but they also say they trust the authenticity of the reviews, especially since many of the spokespersons are forward about their financial arrangements. Marketers are looking more and more to enlist influencers to help capture a portion of teens' $44 billion in annual purchasing power.

While many teenagers are likely to scroll past advertisements on social media, video ads that feature "micro-influencers" (quasi-celebrities paid by brands to talk about products to their legions of adoring fans) are more likely to grab their attention. Most teens know these influencers are being paid, sometimes in the millions, to persuade their buying choices, but they also say they trust the authenticity of the reviews, especially since many of the spokespersons are forward about their financial arrangements. Marketers are looking more and more to enlist influencers to help capture a portion of teens' $44 billion in annual purchasing power.

Experts say smartphones have an addictive nature that compels our brains to respond to notifications and alerts with a sense of immediacy, even when behind the wheel. Despite knowing better (a 2013 survey found that 98% of people say texting and driving is wrong), people still do it. Do you want to make a conscious effort to stop texting and driving? Check out Groove, a new program that sends a signal to your mobile phone provider, alerting it to hold all texts and social media updates while you are driving. It also prevents you from texting or posting on social media until your car is no longer moving.

Experts say smartphones have an addictive nature that compels our brains to respond to notifications and alerts with a sense of immediacy, even when behind the wheel. Despite knowing better (a 2013 survey found that 98% of people say texting and driving is wrong), people still do it. Do you want to make a conscious effort to stop texting and driving? Check out Groove, a new program that sends a signal to your mobile phone provider, alerting it to hold all texts and social media updates while you are driving. It also prevents you from texting or posting on social media until your car is no longer moving.

Are social media apps all just becoming look alikes? Darrell Etherington’s recent article, The Social App Redudancy Engine, proposes so. Etherington points out that when one social media app boasts a unique feature, the rest soon follow suit. This may be good news for parents struggling to keep with what’s new. The question is, though, which app will come out on top when they all become essentially the same?

Are social media apps all just becoming look alikes? Darrell Etherington’s recent article, The Social App Redudancy Engine, proposes so. Etherington points out that when one social media app boasts a unique feature, the rest soon follow suit. This may be good news for parents struggling to keep with what’s new. The question is, though, which app will come out on top when they all become essentially the same?

How do you raise a technology savvy kid who isn’t staring at a screen all the time? That’s the subject of a very straightforward article on the PopSugar site filled with real world suggestions from Devorah Heitner, author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in their Digital World and the blog RaisingDigitalNatives.com.

Her suggestions include being a technology role model, establishing screen –free zones and, uniquely, teaching kids to apologize in person to reinforce that what happens anonymously online translates to the offline world as well.

How do you raise a technology savvy kid who isn’t staring at a screen all the time? That’s the subject of a very straightforward article on the PopSugar site filled with real world suggestions from Devorah Heitner, author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in their Digital World and the blog RaisingDigitalNatives.com.

Her suggestions include being a technology role model, establishing screen –free zones and, uniquely, teaching kids to apologize in person to reinforce that what happens anonymously online translates to the offline world as well.

Google had added controls to help you choose the types of advertisements you see around the web. If you choose to activate these features, you allow Google to use all of the information gathered about you (from computers and devices you use with your Google Account) to tailor the ads you see on Google and around the web. If you do not mind having your information collected for targeted ads, opting into the new features gives you more control over what you do see.

The types of ads that will appear for you can be controlled by going to your account’s ad preferences page, which you can get to by clicking your account profile photo on the Google page, clicking My Account, signing in and then clicking Ads Settings. If none of these “new features” appeal to you, it is not mandatory to opt into them.

Google had added controls to help you choose the types of advertisements you see around the web. If you choose to activate these features, you allow Google to use all of the information gathered about you (from computers and devices you use with your Google Account) to tailor the ads you see on Google and around the web. If you do not mind having your information collected for targeted ads, opting into the new features gives you more control over what you do see.

The types of ads that will appear for you can be controlled by going to your account’s ad preferences page, which you can get to by clicking your account profile photo on the Google page, clicking My Account, signing in and then clicking Ads Settings. If none of these “new features” appeal to you, it is not mandatory to opt into them.

The average age kids get their first smartphone today is approximately 10 years old. In 2012, the average age was 12, leading some people to believe that age will continue to get younger. Although many parents feel their young children are ready for the responsibility of a smartphone, experts say to keep in mind a smartphone gives them access to everything, often outside of parental supervision. For a broader discussion of the issue, see What’s the Right Age for a Child to Get a Smartphone? on The New York Times site.

The average age kids get their first smartphone today is approximately 10 years old. In 2012, the average age was 12, leading some people to believe that age will continue to get younger. Although many parents feel their young children are ready for the responsibility of a smartphone, experts say to keep in mind a smartphone gives them access to everything, often outside of parental supervision. For a broader discussion of the issue, see What’s the Right Age for a Child to Get a Smartphone? on The New York Times site.