Friday, December 13, 2013

Still looking for that perfect Christmas gift?

You might want to check out Common Sense Media's Holiday Gift Guide.

In their words, the guide includes "100+ holiday gift ideas hand-selected to inspire, educate, and entertain kids of all ages and stages. Whether your list includes young children, tweens, or teens, now it's easy to find presents that kids and parents will feel good about. All our picks are arranged by age and media type, and they include movies, video games, books, music, TV shows on DVD, apps, and websites."

Happy shopping!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

How Much Do You Know About Gaming Consoles?

I am guessing that games or a new gaming console may be on a Christmas list you have been given. I admit knowing next to nothing about these things except for what I hear in the chatter in the IT room here at MHS and what I read in the blogs I regularly check. I am learning a great deal in a post titled "Your living room's new "black box"" in today's blog from MediaSmarts.

There is valuable information on such things as the features of gaming consoles (internet connection, built-in cameras, account requirements that allow players to participate in social networks as part of the gaming experience). They also stress the importance of working with the rating system. There is a link to Understanding the Video Game Rating System in the article (it is a pdf document that may download or your computer or open in a new browser tab).

No matter the age of your gamers, it sounds like it is very important to work with them in setting up the game system and learning about and evaluating the features available. It appears that there is a lot of room for customization of the system for your family's needs. As I indicated in an early post to this blog, making this a family activity can be both fun and educational for all involved.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Family Game Night Reinvented

Do you ever lament the fact that families, perhaps even yours, don't play games as a group any more? Of course I realize that some families still have fun playing board and card games together but, even if that is not your family, you still have options for family fun in keeping with ever-advancing technology. According to author Jordan Shapiro, who contributed this article to Forbes Magazine, there are many "benefits of intergenerational video game play," including "a positive impact on adolescent development and long-term family outcomes."

No better way to become familiar with what your kids are playing than to play right along with them.

Tracking Santa - Updated for the Times

If you are among those who like to track Santa's progress across the globe with your little ones on Christmas Eve you will want to check out the technological updates to the process. Microsoft has helped NORAD make some changes to enhance the experience. Check it out at NORAD Tracks Santa.

Whether you go high-tech or low-tech, or a little of both, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Coding for Kids (of All Ages)

Everyone should learn to code!

You don't have to take my word for it. Take a look at what these "leaders and trendsetters" have to say about coding (aka computer programming). The site also has information on the Hour of Code which is scheduled to take place during Computer Science Education Week (December 9 - 15, 2013).

Something for Everyone

If you go to code.org and click on "Learn" you will be taken to a page with apps to get started in computer programming. There are four recommended apps for students, from lower elementary grades through high school, but they are useful for all ages. Below that are lists of other suggested apps, online tutorials and college-level courses. Click on the "Stats" link to get an idea of the potential economic impact of learning to code.

If you have an iPad Common Sense Media recommends Kodable Pro for kids as young as 6 to start to learn programming. "Kodable introduces kids to the kind of logic and the concepts needed in computer programming."

Remember, you don't need to know anything to get started.

Make it a parent-child activity. Learn together.

Movies and Books and Apps, Oh My!

Common Sense Media is not just for digital citizenship. Their Weekly Parent Edition contains suggestions for family activities, book and movie recommendations, tips on great apps for learning and just having fun. If you like what you see you can sign up to receive their newsletters via email. That's how I find out about all the interesting and helpful media they are evaluating for us.

Featured in the latest edition: "5 Easy Ways to Make Family Movie Night a Success," "What to Read Next: Our Favorite New Kids' Books," "9 Photography Apps We Love for Shutterbugs."

Check it out.

Friday, October 25, 2013

A Reminder: Online Activity Has Real Consequences

"Assistant Nassau County District Attorney Jeremy Glicksman said Tuesday that the best way to prevent online bullying is for parents to teach their children that activity on social networks have real-world ramifications."

This article, which appeared recently in The Island Now (Long Island, NY), summarized Glicksman's remarks in his presentation titled "STOP Then Send." It is worth reading as a reminder of how we should behave online and the consequences of not being a good digital citizen when using the internet. 

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Touch Screens and the Little Ones: Pros and Cons

Are you worried that your young child, aka "toddler," will either be harmed by too much screen time or that your child will fall behind his or her peers by not learning how to use these new devices? Not to worry! I have run across several sources of wisdom on the subject that should calm your fears.

Stephanie Hanes, writing for The Christian Science Monitor, has put together three articles that point to reasons for concern as well as reasons for encouragement when it comes to deciding whether or not to let our young children spend time on touch screen devices. "After all," as she put it, "Steve Jobs didn't grow up with an iPad."

For help with making your screen time decisions check out these articles.

Toddlers on touch screens: parenting the 'app generation'

Digital Literacy: How soon should kids learn to use touch screens?

The case for boredom: When a crayon is better than an iPad

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Fact or Opinion? - How authentic is your search result information?

The Internet is obviously wonderful for gathering megatons of information on almost any topic imaginable. Do you know, however, if that information is truthful and unbiased? Evaluating websites and the information on them is something students, and many of us, don't think about enough. We also tend to ignore giving credit to authors of the information when using it for our own purposes. Below are a few links to sites which can guide you and your children through the process of doing research on the Web and how to process that information, whether for your own enrichment or for a school assignment.

Authenticating Information from MediaSmarts - Here is a snippet from the "Authenticating" section.

The first rule of thumb to teach kids when looking at all online information is to be skeptical – when in doubt, doubt! Then apply a Who, What, Where, When, Why and How formula to the information.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Wondering about email for young children?

One of my recent messages from Common Sense Media addresses the question of which programs are best for introducing your children to the world of email. Click on Common Sense Media in the first sentence to check out their recommendations as well as comments from parents.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Parenting the Digital Natives

Recently ran across an interesting article on the Mobiledia web site with the title Beyond Technology: Parents Take Charge of Gadgets. They share tips on limiting screen time, managing costs of both devices and services, and keeping the conversation going with the digital natives in your care. Click on the blue text to check it out.