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.

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.

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. 

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

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.

For example:

• Who is the source of the information? (The most important step is to understand who put the information online.)
• What are you getting? (Does the information seem biased in any way?)
• Where are you? (Deconstructing the Web address, or URL, will tell you a lot.)
• When was the site created? (You want the most current information.)
• Why are you there? (There may be better places to find the information; books for example.)
• How can you tell what’s what? (Double check the information with other sources.)

Intellectual Property: Key Concepts from MediaSmarts

Finding Trustworthy Websites from Common Sense Media

Evaluating Web Sites - This is a college-level tutorial from the libraries at The Ohio State University but it looks worthwhile if you have some time to put in.