Media%20savvy%20how%20to%20nurture%20digital%20literacy%20And%20navigate%20the%20world%20(or%20at%20least,%20the%20world%20wide%20web)

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Media savvyhow to nurture digital literacyAnd
navigate the world (or at least, the world wide
web)

• Michelle Albright, PhD
• Director, Weston Youth Services
• malbright_at_westonct.gov

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(No Transcript)
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Its a brave and busy new world!

• Our language and lives have been transformed by
  technology
• Digital media corresponding tools have changed
  the form and frequency of how we learn, play,
  work, communicate, and interact
• We have more exposure, access, and choices than
  ever before
• Our (and our childrens) media use also has more
  consequences than ever before

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Whats out there?

• White/smartboards
• Television
• DVDs DVRs
• Internet access
• Video games (handheld or console)
• Cell phones
• Tablets

• i-everythings
• Multi-touch screens
• Movie theaters
• Radio
• Portable music players
• Computers
• Electronic toys
• E-book readers

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• Whats the longest youve gone without Google?

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How are kids today using media?

• Children age 8 and under spend an average of 3
  hours a day with media
• 1.5 hours are spent watching TV/DVDs
• 30 minutes are spent playing video, computer or
  handheld games
• 30 minutes are spent listening to music
• Children between the ages of 8 and 18 are exposed
  to media for 10 hours and 45 minutes per day
• (Common Sense Media, 2011 Kaiser Family
  Foundation, 2006)

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A typical day of TV viewing

• 37 of children under the age of 1 watch TV for
  an average of 53 minutes
• 73 of children between the ages of 2 and 4 watch
  TV for an average of 1 hour and 53 minutes
• 72 of children between the ages of 5 and age
  watch TV for an average of 2 hours and 2 minutes
• Children between the ages of 8 and 10 watch 2.5
  hours of television and .5 hours of videos
• Children between the ages of 5 and 9 spend about
  1 hour per day reading

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Daily use of other media

• Between ages 4 and 5, about 20 of children use
  handheld video games
• By age 7, about 46 of children use handheld
  video games
• By age 9, more than 50 of children use handheld
  video games

• At age 3, about 25 of children use the internet
  daily
• By age 5, about 50 of children use the internet
  daily
• By age 8, more than 66 of children use the
  internet daily

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• Why dont you just ask Siri?

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• Media Multi-tasking
• Using more than one type media simultaneously
• or
• Using one type of media for multiple tasks
• or
• Using media while engaging in real-life
  interaction

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Quality and quantity matter

• Interactive vs. Passive

• Child-directed vs. Adult-directed

• Designed to facilitate active and create use and
  encourage social engagement
• vs.
• Background media that leads to passive viewing

• Designed to complement and promote childrens
  social and cognitive development
• vs.
• Not designed to be followed by preschoolers and
  toddlers

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But its educational......

• Did you get your Baby Einstein refund?
• Showing doesnt always equal learning
• Media is a teaching tool, not a teacher
• Media can reinforce but should never reduce or
  replace communication, play, interactions, or
  other developmentally appropriate interactions
  with peers, family members, and teachers
• What should we expect children to learn from
  media?

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Potential benefits

• High quality educational programs have shown
  benefits for children
• Co-viewing promotes social interaction and
  learning
• Digital tools can excite and engage children
• Technology can optimize learning for children
  with special needs
• Technology-handling skills and
  digital/media-literacy are critical for
  educational and occupational success

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Potential negative effects

• Less time spent engaged in creative play
• Less frequent and less meaningful interactions
  with peers and parents
• Less likely to learn and recall information from
  a video compared to a live person or presentation
  
• Potential for sleep difficulties, attention
  problems, aggressive behaviors, and higher rates
  of obesity

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• Angry birds (alone!) wont ruin your child

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How can you enhance the benefits of media?

• Albrights 6 Cs
• (expanded from Guernseys 3 Cs)
• Content
• Context
• Child
• Communication
• Connection
• Control

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Try this at home.....

• Limit media use by children younger than 2
• Make sure the content of media is cognitively,
  socially, and developmentally appropriate for
  your child
• Review and preview
• Consider quantity and quality
• Use media with your child and talk about what
  you see and hear
• Use media to extend and expand learning
• Monitor your childs and your own media use

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Be savvy about cyberspace

• Model how to manage media
• Protect your privacy and plan for your potential
• A stranger is a stranger, even in cyberspace.
• Use your manners when using media
• A diamond is forever, and so is a digital image
  or link
• Big brother is watching (and so is big sister,
  and little sister, and your cousins, best
  friends, neighbors, father-in-law)
• Flag anything funky.

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Internet Safety 101

• Keep computers in the center
• Dont let kids search alone.
• Set content filters on your browser
• Set content filters on your search engine
• Use internet filters filtering and blocking
  programs that prevent access to sites based on
  words/names
• NetNanny, CYBERsitter, CyberPatrol, SafeEyes
• Use kid-safe search engines, browsers, and sites
  like http//www.kidzui.com/ http//www.pebblego.
  com/
• Use time limiting tools
• Check in and check up on browser histories, FB
  pages, email accounts, and IM/texts

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Resources Media guides

• Common Sense Media
• Reviews movies, TV shows, apps, videogames,
  websites and books to help parents make informed
  decisions about childrens media exposure and
  entertainment.
• http//www.commonsensemedia.org/
• Childrens Technology Review
• A monthly PDF newsletter modeled in the spirit
  of Consumer Reports that includes reviews of
  apps, software, games, and toys. (Does require a
  subscription fee)
• http//childrenstech.com/
• Parents Choice
• Professional and family reviews of books, toys,
  videogames and software.
• http//www.parentschoice.org

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A few of my (and my kids) favorites

• Apps

• Shows Movies

• Dont let the pigeon run this app!
• Ocarina
• World Atlas
• Weird But True (Nat Geo)
• Science 360
• Bookworm

• The Cosby Show
• Dirty Jobs
• How Its Made
• Mythbusters
• Nims Island
• Believe in Me
• Night at the Museum

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Resources Media guidelines

• Lisa Guernsey
• Director of the Early Education Initiative at the
  New America Foundation, a non-partisan think tank
  in Washington, D.C., where she focuses on how to
  scale up high-quality learning environments for
  young children, birth through age 8
• http//www.lisaguernsey.com/articlesvolume1issu
  eassumptions-about-screentime
• National Association for the Education of Young
  Children
• Position statement on technology and young
  children
• http//www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-
  children
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• AAP has published several policy statements on
  media usage by children and media education
• http//pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/earl
  y/2011/10/12/peds.2011-1753

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Resources Media Use and Safety

• Common Sense Media Guide to Internet Safety
• http//www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents
  /10-simple-steps-internet-safety
• Get Net Wise
• http//kids.getnetwise.org/