Take action for your family by introducing a family media plan. Here is a Family Media Plan designed by beinglds.blogspot.com:
Saturday, December 6, 2014
From a Religious Perspective
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shares Things as They Really Are in regards to technology and media use:
"I have raised a voice of warning about only a few of the spiritual hazards in our technologically oriented and rapidly changing world. Let me say again: neither technology nor rapid change in or of itself is good or evil; the real challenge is to understand both within the context of the eternal plan of happiness. Lucifer will encourage you to misuse and to minimize the importance of your physical body. He will attempt to substitute the monotony of virtual repetition for the infinite variety of God’s creations and convince us we are merely mortal things to be acted upon instead of eternal souls blessed with moral agency to act for ourselves. Deviously, he entices embodied spirits to forfeit the blessings and learning experiences “according to the flesh” (1 Nephi 19:6; Alma 7:12–13) that are made possible through the Father’s plan of happiness and the Atonement of His Only Begotten Son.
For your happiness and protection, I invite you to study more diligently the doctrine of the plan of salvation—and to prayerfully ponder the truths we have reviewed. I offer two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying:
1. Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?
2. Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?
You will receive answers, inspiration, and instruction from the Holy Ghost suited to your individual circumstances and needs. I repeat and affirm the teaching of the Prophet Joseph: “All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him.”
These eternal truths about the importance of our physical bodies will fortify you against the deception and the attacks of the adversary. One of my deepest desires for you is an ever-increasing testimony of and appreciation for the Resurrection—even your own resurrection with a celestial, exalted body “because of your faith in [the Lord Jesus Christ] according to the promise” (Moroni 7:41)."
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Video & Article: The upside of selfies: Social media isn't all bad for kids
The upside of selfies: Social media isn't all bad for kids
- Report: One in five teens says social media makes them feel more confident
- 52% of teens also say social media helps their relationships with friends
- Media outlets tend to focus on the negatives of social media, such as cyberbullying
- Teens are also using social media for social good, experts say
Internet & Child Development
Positive Effects of Internet Usage on Child Development
Childhood is all about exploration. Through the interactive world of technology, our children are being shaped by their exploration of computers and the Internet. The modern computer and the Internet offer today’s children a powerful device that, if used appropriately, can enhance the development of the child’s physical, cognitive, and social skills. Children get interested because they can make things happen with the Internet. The Internet is a powerful tool that is revolutionizing our children’s learning, communication and play.
Impact on Physical Development
It may not seem to the naked eye that exposure to the Internet would have a positive effect on the physical development of children. However, knowledge of muscular development and motor control skills leads us to deduce that regular Internet usage would naturally enhance a child’s eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills due to keyboard and mouse usage. There is no known existing research on the topic of the relationship between the physical development of children and the Internet.
Impact on Cognitive Development
Children who use the Internet show gains in cognitive abilities such as memory, spatial and logical problem solving, critical thinking, concentration, abstraction and comprehension. The Internet exposes children to information to improve the quality of learning that they can transform into knowledge. Through the use of the Internet, children’s language and literacy development is often promoted, allowing for greater gains in verbal and nonverbal skills.
Impact on Social Development
The Internet cannot and should not replace human interaction or relationships, nor take the place of activities such as sharing verbal conversations with our children or reading together. However, if properly used, the Internet can serve as a medium for acceptable social interaction (Scoter & Railsback, 2001). The Internet allows children to socialize with other children through the use of email, chat rooms, and instant messaging, increasing the development of communication and social skills. As children use the Internet to connect with places around the world and exchange mail with electronic pen pals, they are able to share different cultures and traditions.
Often the use of Internet in classrooms allows the children to work together, encouraging the sharing of ideas and cooperative learning. Students that find conventional methods of learning difficult will frequently find learning via the Internet to be fun. From this positive experience these children improve their attitudes about learning while enhancing their curiosity and self-concept. Many parents whose children use the Internet in school believe that the Internet has improved their child’s overall attitude toward school. “Education is also the single most common motivation parents cite for their children to use the Internet from home” (National School Board Foundation, n.d., para 6). The Internet allows children to actively participate in an independent learning environment.
Besides being used as an educational tool, the Internet also provides entertainment. According to Tapscott (n.d.), “Children can use it to find inspiration, stimulate the imagination, explore the world, meet others and gain new experiences. The process is known as play. Play has its own pursuit of amusement, competition, and companionship - all which can be fulfilled on the Internet” (para. 1). Though it is no true replacement for physical social play, the Internet offers uniques alternatives, which are especially important for those that are physically disabled and unable to engage in physical play.
The Internet today is part of our children’s natural environment. According to Tapscott (1999, as cited in Affanso, 1999), “…when kids are online, they’re reading, thinking, analyzing, criticizing and authenticating - composing their thoughts. Kids use computers for activities that go hand-in-hand with our understanding of what constitutes a traditional childhood. They use the technology to play, learn, communicate and form relationships as children always have. Development is enhanced in an interactive world” (Conclusion section, para. 1). Truly, the Internet has become a daily part of many children’s lives. It is little wonder that it has such a pervasive effect on their social development.
This article is from: http://verdick.org/child-development-and-the-internet/child-dev-pos
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Article: Teen Internet use. Is it all negative? The benefits of teen online socializing
Are there positive benefits of Internet usage?
A study “Living and Learning With New Media” pointed out the benefits that include:
*provides technological skills and literacy to succeed in the contemporary world.
* increases their ability to get along with others
* learns how to manage a public identity.
Read the full article here:
Report: Internet Can Be 'Healthy' for Teens - Features - News - Arutz Sheva
Can the Internet be "healthy" for teens? Find out:
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Statistics
Positive Stats:
- 96% of students with internet access report using social networking technologies
- 59% use these tools to talk about educational topics online
- Social media has revolutionized the classroom
- 59% of schools say their students use social networking for educational purposes
- Studies show engagement in class discussions more than doubled when students were asked to participate using Twitter.
- Communication between teachers and parents is increased through the use of social media http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/schools-social-media-stats_b46620
- Social Media Pilot Program - Portland Oregon showed:
- 50% increase in grades
- 1/3 reduction in chronic absenteeism. The school met it's adequate yearly progress goal for the first time in history
- 20% of students were completing extra assignments for no credit
- http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/schools-social-media-stats_b46620
General Stats:
- 35 global heads of state, every US Cabinet agency, 84% of US state governors, every major candidate for US President, and more than 40% of top global religious leaders are on Twitter.
- In July 2012 Americans spent 74.0 billion minutes on social media via a home computer, 40.8 billion minutes via apps, and 5.7 billion minutes via mobile web browsers, a total of 121.1 billion minutes on social networking sites
- Social networking sites are a top news source for 27.8% of Americans, ranking below newspapers (28.8%) and above radio (18.8%) and print publications (6%). http://socialnetworking.procon.org/
- The average age when a child begins regularly consuming online media is 8
- There are about 5 million Facebook users under the age of 10
- 25% of teens log into to social media 10+ times per day
- Only 50% of parents have installed parental controls for their children online interactions
- 72% worry that their children will reveal inappropriate information online http://www.gcsu.edu/adp/docs/social_media_issue_guide_1_.pdf
- Of the active adult users of Facebook, 66% reported they did not know privacy controls existed on Facebook and/or they did not know how to use the privacy controls. (Consumer Reports, June 2011)
- Here's an interesting group of stats:
Teens often include the following information on their social networking profiles:
o Real age (50%)
o Photos of themselves (62%)
o City they live in (41%)
o School name/location (45%)
o Videos of friends (16%)
o Videos of themselves (14%)
o Their cell phone number (14%)
o Places where they typically go (9%)
- 72% of teens have a social networking profile and nearly half (47%) have a public profile viewable by anyone. http://www.internetsafety101.org/Socialmediastats.htm
Negative Stats
- 51% of children say they’ve been bullied online, and 49% say they have been the online bully http://www.gcsu.edu/adp/docs/social_media_issue_guide_1_.pdf
- Students who used social networking sites while studying scored 20% lower on tests and students who used social media had an average GPA of 3.06 versus non-users who had an average GPA of 3.82. http://socialnetworking.procon.org/
- 29% of Internet sex crime relationships were initiated on a social networking site. (Journal of Adolescent Health 27, 2010)
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