Teens & Video

I have a budding videographer in my family.  She has tripods, cameras, sets, lighting, and props.  She has her own YouTube channel.  She is a middle schooler.  So I was very interested in this article about Instagram and Vine from Common Sense Media.  Instagram is a photo and video sharing app.  Vine is a video only app.  In keeping with the techno trend for ever more compact content, Instagram videos are up to15 seconds long and Vine videos are up to 6 seconds.

Some of us over 30 don't quite understand all the issues with many of these new social networking sites.I didn't realize you could share video with Instagram.  Nor did I know that Vine is owned by Twitter - makes sense - 6 seconds is so Twitterish.  I hear the middle schoolers around me talking a lot about Instagram.  I know one twelve year old who has an Instagram account, but her mom won't let her have a Facebook account yet. 

That brings up the issue of appropriateness.  Technically, twelve year olds aren't allowed to have Instagram or Vine accounts according to their user agreements.  However, we all know that doesn't stop tweens and younger kids from joining. 

Just like YouTube, there are videos on Instagram and Vine that will make you blush. There is content you wouldn't really want your young teen watching.  I recommend having an open conversation with your child.  If they are under 13, consider telling them 'no' for now.  Take it from a middle school teacher, there is a difference between 12 year olds and 13 year olds. Regardless of your decision, talk to them about privacy.  You wouldn't invite the world into your home, so don't invite them to see your personal footage. Talk to them about cyberbullying. They should tell an adult if it happens and block the offending 'friend'.  Stay involved and ask to see what they are sending and watching.

Today's teens relate to each other largely through electronic media so as today's parents we have to actively participate and guide them.

Today I am a Hokie

I am in shock over the tragedy that struck Virginia Tech yesterday. I have an extended family member there. I was frantic to know how she was yesterday. I got a call at about 12:30 letting me know she was okay, but it wasn't until I saw her update her Facebook page that I felt reassured. It was like reaching out and hugging her virtually. For the rest of the afternoon I couldn't close that browser window. Seeing her profile pic and her comment "thankful to be alive" was reassuring amidst all the horrific news I was hearing.

In the past 36 hours online groups commemorating the victims, sharing condolences and expressing support for the Va Tech community have formed. This is how the generation of digital natives connect to one another and comfort one another. It is moving to see how they have used social networking tools to respond positively to senseless violence.

Join others in supporting the Va Tech community in their time of shock and grief. If you have a Facebook account, join VT Unite Global. Or visit VT Incident, a Web site created by Va Tech students to collect information, share feelings and offer condolences.

I shared the news with my children when they got home from school yesterday. My five year old wanted to see it on the news. I think it was her way to make it real. My eight year old wondered aloud why my husband and I were still talking about when we knew that our family member was not hurt. We tried to explain to her that many people were hurt and even killed without terrifying her. It is so difficult to talk with children about horrific events like this. However, I believe that it is better to talk with them in the open instead of letting them overhear bits of conversation and wonder about it on their own.

Here are a couple links with suggestions on how to talk with children about tragedies.

Talking to Children about Terrorism and War - American Academy of Pediatrics
A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope - National Association of School Psychologists

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the shootings of April 16.

Technorati Tags: VirginiaTechmassacre FaceBook social networking

Disney 2.0 Not Ready for Primetime

I am back home, fresh from our family’s first trip to Disney World. I had been before, but not with my own children. It was a truly magical experience. We had talked about the trip and saved money in our Minnie bank for two and a half years. I got chills when we drove through the big gates onto Disney property for the first time. And taking my daughter on Space Mountain was a real thrill.

So when I arrived home to read Wil Richardson’s post about Disney entering the social networking scene, I was delighted. Disney magic comes to Web 2.0!

But what I found was more marketing than magic. Even with DSL, my connection was maxed out with all the video clips it was cramming into my browser. I tried out a few games and found them difficult to understand and clunky. Maybe its because I am a digital immigrant. While I agre with Wil that its exciting to have such a big player in the social networking business, I think Disney has a long way to go before Disney XD is ready for primetime.

Technorati Tags: Wil_Richardson Disney Web 2.0 social_networking

I Believe I can Fly - with the help of Google Earth

Google has given us another awesome, free tool, Google Earth. If you have ever wanted to fly, you will have fun with this!

There are several Google Earth meme projects being created where people connect virtually and share an experience or a picture. You pin a note on the Google globe and people all over the world can read your note. It is a different kind of social networking.

This meme project was created by Lucy Gray. People share their experience about remarkable teachers and learning experiences. Check it out.

Here is my post about my most memorable teacher.

The teacher who had the greatest impact on me was Anne Simpson, my high school Language Arts teacher. She challenged me to give more of myself by assigning open-ended projects and maintaining high academic standards. She was passionate about teaching and transforming the lives of adolescents. She told me I should be a teacher and I did become one, thanks to her example. Today I work with teachers to help them enhance their teaching with technology. Through demonstrating her passion, Ms. Simpson helped me find my passion.

Thanks Lucy for giving me a reason to learn to fly with Google Earth!

Technorati Tags: Google Earth, Lucy Gray, meme, social networking, teacher

Is Social Networking Really THAT Scary?

I watched over my niece's shoulder while she was looking at her Facebook page at grandma's house. It really didn't look so scary. As I said in my Christmas day post, she has protections in place to keep her information relatively private.

Social networking has become a victim of our fear-focused society. Opponents, like Chuck Favata in a recent Learning & Leading with Technology column, cite the danger of pedophiles. In reality, the number of children being solicited on-line is dropping while the number of kids using social networking sites is skyrocketing. According to a report recent published by the Pew Internet research project, 55% of online teens are using social networking sites. Isn’t a bit like sticking our heads in the sand to say that we don’t want to address them in schools?! To read more about the safety concerns, check out this blog by Scott McCleod.

We need to talk more to students about the specific dangers of posting personal information on the Internet. According to a report from Missing Kids, about half of parents are talking to their kids about this issue, but only about one-third of kids report hearing about it at school.

We are in a race to reinvent our schools and make them more relevant to today’s kids. Shouldn’t we be looking for creative, responsible ways to harness the power and excitement of social networks instead of putting them on the shelf because we are too scared to figure out how to do it safely?

Technorati Tags: McCleod, parents, social networking

'Tis the Season to be Clicking

Merry Christmas!

I am enjoying Christmas with my family and learning about gadgets. Everyone from my 3 year old nephew to my mom has new gadgets to play with. My eighteen year old niece, Allison, gave me a tutorial on MySpace and FaceBook. She pointed out the differences and what she likes about each.

MySpace allows you to make your profile accessible only to your "friends." She said there were creepy people asking her to become their friends and join their group, so she protected her profile. After you protect your profile only your profile name and picture are visible to people you have not approved. However if someone doesn't choose a profile name that is a derivative of their real name and posts a picture of their pet lizard, it may be hard to figure out it "soccerdude" is your friend from school or not.

FaceBook allows you to adjust the privacy more precisely. You can block individual pieces of your profile instead of all of it, like MySpace. For example if you don't want your friends to see the geeky picture of you in your new Christmas sweater. You can block that photo album from your friends and let your Aunt Paula see it. You can also block a specific individual from your account if they start annoying you. FaceBook has a cool feature in its picture album application that allows you to tag portions of pictures with the names of "friends" in your FaceBook profile. Say you get a great group shot at a football game. You upload it and then highlight one friend in the picture and tag it with their name. Highlight another and tag again. Then when the picture appears in your album, all the tags are hotlinks to your friends' profiles.

Gotta make a Facebook page for the new year.

My fourteen year old niece let me borrow her iPod. I felt a little all thumbs at first controlling the playlist, but with a few pointers I got it. My daughters soon took control of the iPod sharing the ear buds between them.

Here is our family electronics portrait! Aren't we a good-clicking crowd?


Technorati Tags: Christmas, FaceBook, MySpace, social networking, Web 2.0