Posted by Marti Weston on May 1, 2012
In his 2008 TED talk, law professor Lawrence Lessig describes the history of copyright policy, illustrating the reasons why our laws in general and copyright laws in particular should evolve to reflect contemporary culture and information.
Thoughtful and thought-provoking, this lecture contains information that can be used as conversation starters for parents and teachers of digital kids.
Posted in 21st Century Learning, copyright, digital parenting, Great TED Talks, parent child conversations, parents and technology, teaching digital kids | Tagged: copyright, digital kids, digital life, digital literacy, history, information, intellectual property, Lawrence Lessig, multimedia, TED | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Marti Weston on April 26, 2012
With more than 30 years as a teacher including over 20 in the educational technology field, I’ve heard many kids reflect thoughtfully, and not so thoughtfully, on their parents’ digital skills.
Here are the seven most common “I Wish” statements that I’ve heard expressed by children over the last 16 or 17 years. Two of them, I can report, my daughter also mentioned to me ages ago.
Kids wish their parents and other adult would: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in digital parenting, digital world conversations, parent child conversations, parent education, parents and technology | Tagged: digital kids, digital parenting, education, I wish my parents would, kids, parents, technology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Marti Weston on April 9, 2012
Visit Teaching Tolerance!
It’s a privilege for me to write occasional posts for the Teaching Tolerance blog. However, years before I ever wrote a word for the Tolerance website, I used it as a reference and information source to develop my teaching skills and expand my understanding of the world.
You should too.
If you don’t know about Teaching Tolerance, an arm of the Southern Poverty Law Center, or if you don’t visit the website on a regular basis, you are missing an ever-expanding information universe focused on human rights, diversity, anti-racism, community-building, acceptance, tolerance, inclusion, and much more. In the digital age, with information and misinformation moving at lightning speed, we cannot learn too much about these topics.
Posted in 21st Century Learning, Bookmark It!, cyber-bullying, digital citizenship, digital learning, hate groups on the web, information freedom, parent child conversations, parents and technology | Tagged: acceptance, Bookmark It, digital kids, diversity, education, Mix-it-Up Day, Southern Poverty Law Center, teacher resources, Teaching Tolerance | 1 Comment »
Posted by Marti Weston on April 4, 2012
My First Palm (PDA)
I’ve been thinking a lot about staying power and about the importance of understanding just how fast things can change in the digital world. Both are great topics for family conversations about 21st Century life.
My Current iPhone 4S
In Bye Bye BlackBerry. How Long Will Apple Last? Forbes writer Adam Thierer describes a historical pattern — digital information giants rising and eventually declining when something better, more interesting, and useful comes along.
Using Blackberry as the current example, with occasional references to Palm devices, Thierer points out that these companies are classic examples of companies, “… with a static snapshot mentality disregarding the potential for new entry and technological disruption.”
I’ve never owned a personal computer other than a Mac, so I understand a lot about rising and falling fortunes and how Apple is currently riding high. I also, fondly remember my first Palm device and how revolutionary it seemed.
Still it’s interesting to think about what new and exiting gizmos may be residing in someone’s garage, basement, hard drive — or imagination — and how revolutionary they may seem compared to the products we love right now.
Posted in cultural changes, digital parenting, parent child conversations, parents and technology | Tagged: digital devices, digital world parenting, family conversations, Forbes, gadgets | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Marti Weston on April 3, 2012
The TED Talk site just posted the most recent lecture by MIT professor and psychologist Sherry Turkle. It’s embedded below.
In her presentation Professor Turkle illustrates several of the most compelling issues from her recent book, Alone Together. She points out that technology may give us an illusion of togetherness with others, but she challenges us to understand that digital connectedness is not a substitute for person-to-person interaction.
Posted in cell phones, digital learning, digital parenting, electronic communication, online communication, parent child conversations, parents and technology | Tagged: Alone Together, communication, connected world, devices, digital kids, digital parenting, gadgets, MIT, Sherry Turkle, TED Talks | 2 Comments »
Posted by Marti Weston on March 26, 2012
My design with images from the Apple website.
1. Save Facebook, Google+, and other big time social networking experiences for high school.
2. Know your child’s passwords.
3. Keep online computer activities out of the bedroom. Also, plan on no-screen wind-down time during the last half hour before bed. (Yes, even those bedtime friendly Kindles – why not use bedtime-friendly books?)
4. Set up an overnight charging area for cell phones and other gadgets outside of the bedroom, preferably on another floor or part of your home.
5. Consider writing up digital device contracts and using these agreements with your child. Feel free to take away privileges, or even the device, if your expectations are not met.
Posted in digital parenting, online databases, parent child conversations, parents and technology, social media, supervising kids | Tagged: digital devices, digital kids, digital parenting, online behavior, online databases, parental expectations, supervision | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Marti Weston on February 26, 2012
The tenor of the political advertising in this election season is appalling, and it will get worse. Because no code of best practices exists when it comes to campaign advertising, the current presidential election cycle media will feature unending ads that stretch the truth or make up the facts outright and deliver them straight into the lives of kids. While it’s a fine opportunity to help citizens, young and old, strengthen their media literacy skills, television is over-exposing all of us to some unfortunate and distressing content.
Click to visit.
To Learn a lot more listen to recently broadcast Diane Rehm Show about the non-candidate SuperPACs that are spending enormous sums on political advertisements. Jane Mayer’s recent New Yorker article, Attack Dog, is another comprehensive article. Talking to children about what they are seeing on television is critical, especially during an election cycle.
In a February 26, 2012 piece published at the USA Today Teachers’ Lounge, media lit guru, Frank Baker pithily describes the situation. He writes:
Posted in answers to media questions, digital citizenship, digital parenting, family conversations, media literacy, parent child conversations, parents and technology, teaching digital kids | Tagged: 2012, advertising, campaign advertising, digital kids, digital media, digital parenting, election, Frank Baker, media literacy, medialit, political advertisements | 1 Comment »
Posted by Marti Weston on January 30, 2012
The Seattle Times recently published Ways for Parents to Ease the Tussle With Teens over Tech Use. The January 27, 2011 article, by Julie Weed, reviews the challenges of digital parenting and suggests five digital life ground rules, including setting up a technology/gadget evening curfew.
Posted in acceptable use, digital citizenship, digital parenting, family conversations, parent child conversations | Tagged: children, devices, digital kids, digital parenting, gadgets, technology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Marti Weston on October 16, 2011
A look at the browsing history in Safari
Recently I read Tracy Grant’s article, The Case for Spying on Your Kids, in the October 5, 2011 Washington Post, and it’s well worth reading. Grant believes that it’s OK for parents to keep track of their children’s online activities. After I finished the article I decided it’s unfortunate that so many people equate keeping an eye on a child’s digital activities with spying. It’s not.
From my perspective, it’s just fine for parents to closely supervise the digital activities of kids, just like parents supervise non-digital endeavors. Understanding what’s going on, setting limits, and defining expectations — while children encounter more and more personal computers and digital gadgets — are important responsibilities. Yet learning about what is going on takes time, a scarce resource for many adults. Most importantly, kids need to know what we are doing, so we should tell them that we are serving as advocates and guardians, not spies.
Grant describes her conversation with Steven Balkam of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) (this organization has a website that parents may want to explore), and she also mentions a new monitoring service, SafetyWeb.
In the article Balkam points out, “The history button on a computer is a very important tool for parents.”
In the digital world we have so many things that help children learn, collaborate, and grow as digital citizens. Strong digital parenting is one of the ways to support them as they grow into confident as well as competent learners.
Posted in digital devices and gadgets, digital parenting, family conversations, parent child conversations, parents and technology | Tagged: children, digital devices, Family Online Safety Institute, online activities, parents and technology | Leave a Comment »
