"Are Facebook, MySpace, Twitter Good or Bad for Kids' Brains?"
"Is Google Making Us Dumb?"
Probably. But they're here, so visit these sites to find interactive pages to help kids cope with the new world that, like it or no, they are part of.
Common Sense Media/"Common Sense Media - Offers family friendly ratings and reviews on movies, TV, games, music, websites, and books. Includes ratings of potentially offensive content by category ..." New to this site is their developing curriculum for Digital Literacy!
InternetSmarts "Power to Learn's signature initiative, encourages parents and teachers to work with children to examine issues arising from the use of digital media"
Digital Permanence
Social Networking
Keeping Personal Information Private
Music Downloading
Fair Use and Copyright
Misinformation
Cyberbullying
Social Networking
Cell & Smart Phones
Filtering, Monitoring & Blocking
E-mail, IMing, Chat & More
Gaming
The Wireless World
Online Resources
Internet Guide (downloadable PDF version)
"Is Google Making Us Dumb?"
Probably. But they're here, so visit these sites to find interactive pages to help kids cope with the new world that, like it or no, they are part of.
Common Sense Media/"Common Sense Media - Offers family friendly ratings and reviews on movies, TV, games, music, websites, and books. Includes ratings of potentially offensive content by category ..." New to this site is their developing curriculum for Digital Literacy!
InternetSmarts "Power to Learn's signature initiative, encourages parents and teachers to work with children to examine issues arising from the use of digital media"
Digital Permanence
Social Networking
Keeping Personal Information Private
Music Downloading
Fair Use and Copyright
Misinformation
Cyberbullying
Social Networking
Cell & Smart Phones
Filtering, Monitoring & Blocking
E-mail, IMing, Chat & More
Gaming
The Wireless World
Online Resources
Internet Guide (downloadable PDF version)
Common Sense Media Family Find It Tool
Did You Know 3.0
Alan November - 3 Skills Students Need to Succeed
TV Shows - Reviews
Television Reviews from Common Sense Media
Parent's Television Council Reviews Carefully evaluated reviews for parents on current films, DVDs and television shows
Reviews of Children's Television Shows About.com links to the reviews of the most popular shows by title.
Parent's Television Council Reviews Carefully evaluated reviews for parents on current films, DVDs and television shows
Reviews of Children's Television Shows About.com links to the reviews of the most popular shows by title.
Articles
Ten Ways to Help Kids Develop Healthy TV Viewing Habits
From About.com the "3 strikes" idea seemed like a winner.
Suggestions for Effective Co-Viewing
From About.com the "3 strikes" idea seemed like a winner.
Suggestions for Effective Co-Viewing
Thoughts from Saint Mark's Faculty
In this section, Saith Mark's teachers are invited to send in thoughts they want to share with parents on the impact of media on kids.
Harry Potter in the School Library
The Harry Potter series is a mixed bag - great for some things, questionable for others- depending upon a child's readiness to read and comprehend the books; the film adaptations amplify the impact of the books, especially their impact on younger children.
As school librarian, I located the first two Harry Potter books on the shelves for younger readers. Volumes three through seven are located in the section of fiction for older readers. As Harry grows up, the books and the films get darker and more full of violence, and teenage angst slips in. I tell the younger kids that that they can check out the later volumes if their parents say okay.
With Harry Potter or any other edgy book, what I try to tell parents is that it's important to have a clear idea of what to expect, and then make your own decision based on what you know about your own child. I really feel that is the parent's responsibility to be part of the decision-making process when it comes to providing younger children with media that contains high-impact imagery or content.
I never feel it's a mistake when parents make decisions that are different than mine provided those decisions are based on some familiarity with the media in question and on their knowledge of their child.
For ratings and reviews of Harry Potter books and other literature for kids, check out the book section of CommonSense.
For ratings and reviews of the film adaptations of these books, check out the film section of CommonSense.
As school librarian, I located the first two Harry Potter books on the shelves for younger readers. Volumes three through seven are located in the section of fiction for older readers. As Harry grows up, the books and the films get darker and more full of violence, and teenage angst slips in. I tell the younger kids that that they can check out the later volumes if their parents say okay.
With Harry Potter or any other edgy book, what I try to tell parents is that it's important to have a clear idea of what to expect, and then make your own decision based on what you know about your own child. I really feel that is the parent's responsibility to be part of the decision-making process when it comes to providing younger children with media that contains high-impact imagery or content.
I never feel it's a mistake when parents make decisions that are different than mine provided those decisions are based on some familiarity with the media in question and on their knowledge of their child.
For ratings and reviews of Harry Potter books and other literature for kids, check out the book section of CommonSense.
For ratings and reviews of the film adaptations of these books, check out the film section of CommonSense.