As the news stories about teens' mainly mobile (digital) socializing multiply, parents seem to be turning a corner too. Monitoring kids on Facebook is "so 2009," Yahoo! News reports. Even the very tech-savvy "Online Mom" blogger Monica Vila wrote recently that "everything went mobile and I lost control" – though calmly (and I think wisely) adding that this taught her "to focus more on being a … [Read more...] about The meta-trend behind the teen (& everybody) mobile trend
Parenting
Teens’ tech getting very mobile: New study
Ninety-five percent of US 12-to-17-year-olds use the Internet, 93% have access to a computer at home and 71% of teens with that computer at home share it with other family members, according to a study released today – the biggest explanation, most probably, for why teens' Net use has gotten so mobile. It allows them to keep their connectivity personal. "The nature of teens' Internet use has … [Read more...] about Teens’ tech getting very mobile: New study
Apple’s settlement with parents
Interesting: On the one hand, I hear a Nickelodeon executive saying kids are hard-pressed to spend $10 in the Apple App Store, and on the other I read that Apple reached a settlement with an untold number of "parents who sued the company for making it too easy for kids to rack up charges by buying add-ons to games and other apps." That's according to the Washington Post. Parents won't be able to … [Read more...] about Apple’s settlement with parents
From ‘flipped classrooms’ to flipped households
Sounds like a great idea to me. You've probably heard the term "flipped classroom," where the "lecture" or teaching happens at home, usually in video format and at the student's own pace, and the "homework" – the opportunity to practice what's been taught – happens in the classroom. In this set-up, all kinds of interesting things happen: the class becomes much more interactive, with teacher … [Read more...] about From ‘flipped classrooms’ to flipped households
Thoughts on social media time-outs (for all ages)
I can see why Pew Internet looked only at Facebook for its just-released study, since it's the 600-pound gorilla of online socializing in the US and now used by 67% of US adults. Pew found that 61% of those Facebook users say that at some point they've "voluntarily taken a break" from using the site for several weeks or more, and 20% of the online adults who don't use Facebook "say they once used … [Read more...] about Thoughts on social media time-outs (for all ages)