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Survey: Parents, share your concerns about kids and technology

Posted on April 27, 2012 by | Comments Off on Survey: Parents, share your concerns about kids and technology

Power ButtonThe very best part of the work I do at Risk Within Reason is the direct contact with parents, teachers, students and readers. I learn something new every time I do a presentation , and the questions I get from audiences and my blog readers help keep me focused on the current issues for schools and families. Which I then pass on to my readers and workshop participants.

Like the explosive growth of Twitter use among teens, partly (they say) because their parents are watching them too closely on Facebook. Or the ways they use video chat to communicate things with friends without leaving a trail. Or the truly creative use  of blogging, animation and gaming sites to produce things (from  photos to animation to game design and coding) that teens couldn’t have imagined doing even 10 years ago.

It isn’t all bad stuff. It isn’t all scary. Our teens are bright and earnest and curious. But we do need to watch them very carefully. And I like to think that by helping keep my readers informed about these complex and ever-changing issues, I make it easier for them to know what to watch.

When I do workshops on digital safety in schools, I always send out quick surveys beforehand — one for the students and one for the parents. That way I can integrate data from that school into my talk; they like to know what their students and parents believe.

The results are fascinating. They’ve shown me an interesting disconnect between the fears and concerns of both groups, as well as not too surprising differences between the household Internet and cellphone rules as understood by the kids and their parents. It’s a topic I plan to write about soon.

But before I do, I need your help. I’m trying to collect more information about parents’ concerns. What are you worried about when it comes to your kids and technology? How do you deal with those worries? What do you wish your kids knew?

If you have children under the age of 18, please take  5 minutes from your busy schedule to complete this simple 10-question survey. If you have more than one child, pick one between 10 and 16 when you consider your responses. It’s anonymous and confidential. And I promise to write all about it here on Rise Within Reason.

Click here to take survey and then share it with your friends by forwarding the link to this post: http://wp.me/p1S4ya-fX.

Thank you!

Alissa

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Proud to be the meanest mom in the whole world

Posted on March 29, 2012 by | 1 comment

That’s me.

At least according to every one of my daughters at off moments in our relationships. Like when I take away their iPads while they are supposed to be doing homework or walking the dog. When I find them Skyping at 11 p.m. when they were supposed to be asleep. When I react angrily to disrespect. Or when I forbid clothing I deem inappropriate for a 12-year-old.

It’s funny because sometimes I’m also the best mom in the world. Like when we’re cuddling together during family movie night, or I serve their favourite dishes for dinner. When I allow their three best friends to sleep over on a Saturday night and make chocolate chip cookies. Or surprise them with a trip to see Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in Florida (hoping to get mileage out of that one for years!).

Most of the time though, I’m the mom in between. The practical one who expects them do their homework on a Sunday morning so we can all have fun later in the afternoon without it weighing us down. The one who keeps the fridge stocked and picks them up from gymnastics, badminton practice and debating tournaments. The boring stuff that keeps our family on an even keel.

Oddly enough, I take secret pride in the times when I’m the meanest mom in the world. I guess because it doesn’t happen all that often, but recurs just often enough, with a kind of reassuring familiarity. It’s like an invisible badge of honour. It means I’m doing my job properly, setting reasonable limits (to my parental mind, if not to theirs).

It means I’m their parent, not their friend. (Tweet this)

Sure I want them to confide in me, enjoy spending time with me, let me into their teenage minds. And they do. At least so far. But I also want them to respect me and their father. To know we’ve set limits and imposed consequences for going beyond them. That we have expectations of acceptable behaviour, defined by our family’s values and beliefs.

That the seemingly silly courtesies we expect (say, for example, waiting until everyone is seated at the table before we begin eating, preparing your sister’s toast when you are making your own or asking if anyone wants the last potato knish instead of grabbing it for yourself) are part of loving each other.

That there is more to living life that what can be experienced through a computer screen.

That they may need some help controlling impulses. Setting limits. Developing and exercising good judgement.

That a 12-year-old girl who wears THAT when she leaves the house is sending certain messages to others, the possible responses to which she is not yet emotionally equipped to handle.

That the banal chores of daily life (homework, dog-walking, showering, emptying the dishwasher, folding laundry, clearing the dinner dishes) are actually a big part of the stuff of life. And the discipline we develop from doing them properly help us succeed at other things.

That the developmentally appropriate narcissism of childhood and adolescence is nevertheless not the way they will be expected to live the rest of their lives.

That sometimes we appreciate things more if we want them for a while before we get them. Or save up our own money over time.

That sometimes we don’t always get what we want.

Other moms sometimes commiserate with me. They say they are sometimes told they are the meanest moms in the whole world too. This may seem like a contradiction. But I’m thinking it’s entirely possible we can all occasionally be the meanest moms in the whole world, passing the title from one to another like we’re already doing with used baby clothes and kids’ sporting equipment.

As long as there’s some balance with being the best moms in the world, and the regular everyday moms in between, I’d say it’s just one more odd reason to be proud of what we do.

 

 

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Check it out: Webinar on how schools should teach kids about Internet safety

Posted on March 28, 2012 by | 1 comment

Educators and concerned parents should check out this upcoming webinar from the wonderful folks at Embracing Digital Youth. Their credentials, grounded approach and passion for teaching creative, respectful use of digital technologies are beyond reproach. Although the content is primarily aimed at U.S. schools dealing with new legislation, the underlying issues and recommendations are certain to be relevant for educators everywhere. This will be worth watching!

Embracing Digital Youth is proud to announce its first webinar. Through these webinars, Embracing Digital Youth will seek to help educators, mental health professionals, law enforcement, and  policy-makers engage in prevention and intervention activities that  are grounded in research insight, focus on influencing positive  behavior and implementing restorative practices, and encourage effective evaluation.

Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act: What Schools Must and Should Do

The webinar will be available for viewing in an archive shortly  after the live presentation. A companion 2-page Issue Brief will provide insight into    implementing the recommendations provided in the webinar.  Materials will be provided to support attendance at this webinar to  obtain Continuing Education Units.

  • What steps must a district take to be in full compliance with the new requirement to receive E-rate funding?
  • How should schools organize their efforts to respond to this new   instructional requirement?
  • What Internet safety issues must be addressed and what other issues should be addressed?
  • How can these issues be addressed in a manner that is effective  —      and does not raise fears that could undermine a district’s transition to a 21st Century learning environment?
  • What important role will school librarians play in the delivery of    professional development and instruction?
  • How should this instruction be incorporated into the school’s    safe school planning with respect to critical issues such as cyberbullying, cyber threats, and digital dating abuse?

The U.S. Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act added a provision to the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requiring that schools receiving E-Rate funding provide students with instruction in  Internet safety, including cyberbullying and social networking safety. School agencies receiving E-rate funding must update their policy so they can certify they are providing Internet safety instruction, beginning with funding year 2012 (July).

This Webinar will provide recommendations on how districts can engage in effective multidisciplinary planning to ensure that the manner in which they will provide Internet safety instruction is grounded in accurate research insight, uses effective approaches to promote positive norms and transmit effective skills, and incorporates evaluation to ensure effectiveness.

Moderator: Nancy Willard, Director of Embracing Digital Youth, a program of  Center for Safe and Responsible Internet use, and author of Cyber Savvy: Embracing Digital Safety and Civility (2011, Corwin Press).

Presenters:

  • Mike Donlin, Program Supervisor in The School Safety Center of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for  Washington State.
  • Lisa Jones, Research Associate Professor of Psychology at the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.
  • Connie Williams, NBCT, Teacher Librarian, National Board Certified. Petaluma High School, California. Past President of the California School Library Association,
  • Eric Willard, Chief Technology Officer – Community Unit School District 300, Illinois.

Don’t miss out on this highly interactive webinar that will provide high quality, multidisciplinary insight for educators!

Our next webinar will be:

Positive Peer-based Approaches to Address Cyberbullying      

This webinar will take place on April 26th at 7:00 P.M. Eastern Time.

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