How Fiction Becomes Fact on Social Media – The New York Times

Posted on October 22, 2017 by jdioguardi

Platforms like Facebook and Twitter offer up memes designed to feel real, if only for an instant — long enough for our minds to make a false connection.

The political rumors sprouted soon after, like digital weeds. The killer was anti-Trump, an “antifa” activist, said some; others made the opposite claim, that he was an alt-right terrorist. The two unsupported narratives ran into the usual stream of chatter, news and selfies.

“This stuff was coming in from all over my network of 300 to 400” friends and followers, said Mr. McKinney, 52, of Suffolk, Va., and some posts were from his inner circle.

Hours after the Las Vegas massacre, Travis McKinney’s Facebook feed was hit with a scattershot of conspiracy theories. The police were lying. There were multiple shooters in the hotel, not just one. The sheriff was covering for casino owners to preserve their business.

Continue Reading: How Fiction Becomes Fact on Social Media – The New York Times

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NPR’s Tech Team Podcast Ep.1: Raising Digital Natives

Posted on March 31, 2014 by jdioguardi

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6 Messaging Apps That Let Teens Share (Iffy) Secrets

Posted on March 28, 2014 by jdioguardi

Capturing and posting casual moments seems consequence-free. But, of course, it’s not.  Common Sense Media takes a look at some new social media tools that may give teens a false sense of security and anonymity.  Read the full article =>

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Life Beyond a Screen: Striking a Tech-Life Balance

Posted on February 21, 2014 by jdioguardi

The text below is a reproduction of an article taken from “Getting Smart” and written by Dave Guymon.  Dave Guymon is an online public middle school teacher, author, and host of the daily 5-minute professional development podcast, Take 5. He resides in Idaho Falls, Idaho and Tweets at @DaveGuymon.

I’d like to know what Apple did to make it so difficult for me to put my iPhone down. You might feel the same way about your smartphone, tablet or laptop as well. Whether it’s you, your spouse, or your children that seem constantly connected to a device, it’s essential to strike a tech-life balance for not only our own personal wellness but the relationships that matter to us most. Though it sounds nice, finding a balance is easier said than done. Trust me! However, there are specific ways to get our lives back without getting rid of our devices. The following four habits will show you how.

1. Set a Personal/Family Use Policy – Just as in the classroom, expectations are a must for each of us to cooperate and succeed together. Discussing such expectations and rules doesn’t have to be a one person job either. In fact, including our spouse and children in on the process of setting a family use policy will not only result in a more sensible and practical agreement, it will also give every family member a sense of ownership which strengthens accountability to the policy. Ideas to consider for your family’s use policy might include powering off all devices at meal times; ignoring cell-phone alerts in the car; or creating a secure file with all passwords for each family members’ devices and online accounts so that mom and dad can ensure their children’s’ safety.

Continue reading the article here…

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11 Sites and Apps Kids Are Heading to After Facebook | Common Sense Media

Posted on November 18, 2013 by jdioguardi

Next-generation apps that let users text, video chat, shop, and share their pics and videos are attracting teens like catnip.

Kelly Schryver •September 20, 20

Remember MySpace? Not so long ago, practically every teen in the world was on it –- and then many left for Facebook. Now, as Facebooks popularity among teens is starting to wane, you might be wondering what the new “it” social network is. But the days of a one-stop shop for all social networking needs are over. Instead, teens are dividing their attention between an array of apps and tools that let them write, share, video chat, and even shop for the latest trends.

You don’t need to know the ins and outs of every app and site that’s “hot” right now (and frankly, if you did, they wouldn’t be trendy anymore). But knowing the basics — what they are, why they’re popular, and the problems that can crop up when they’re not used responsibly — can make the difference between a positive and negative experience for your kid.

11 Social Media Tools Parents Need to Know About Now

Twitter
Instagram
Snapchat
Tumblr
Google+
Vine
Wanelo
Kik Messenger
Ooovoo
Pheed
Ask.fm

continure reading: 11 Sites and Apps Kids Are Heading to After Facebook | Common Sense Media.

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Finding A Student’s Academic Report on HOL

Posted on November 18, 2013 by jdioguardi

This year we are experimenting with making student academic reports available to parents on Hackley Online in PDF format. When student reports are published, parents may find them on their child’s HOL profile. Navigating to the report via the student profile is a three step process. First, parents must click on their own “My Profile” link:

 myprofile

The next step is to find the “Relationships” section in the bottom right of the parent profile and click on the name of the student with the academic report:

child

Finally, this brings up the student’s profile and in the bottom right is the the link to the academic report:

myfiles

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New Study Uncovers The Powerful New Role Of Media In Children’s Lives – Edudemic – Edudemic

Posted on November 8, 2013 by jdioguardi

By Katie Lepi on November 7, 2013

A couple of weeks ago, Common Sense Media released their findings from a study they conducted on children’s media use in America. This was their second survey designed to document the media environments and behaviors of kids ages 8 and under, the first of which was conducted two years ago. While this information would clearly be interesting on its own, we find it to be even more interesting to have the comparison with the data from two years ago.

How have our young children and their media usage changed over the past two years? The handy infographic below takes a look at the data from this year’s study and comparisons with the study from two years ago. Keep reading to learn more.

continue reading: New Study Uncovers The Powerful New Role Of Media In Children’s Lives – Edudemic – Edudemic.

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Empowering Kids Online: An Important Strategy to Keep Them Safe | MindShift

Posted on November 3, 2013 by jdioguardi

By Laura Sydell, NPR

The social media site Ask.fm has made headlines in connection with the suicide of a 12-year-old Florida girl who was the target of intense bullying on the site. Some law enforcement officials are warning parents about Ask.fm. But for parents, keeping track of the latest social network can be a game of Whac-a-Mole.

On Sept. 9, Rebecca Sedwick climbed a tower at an abandoned concrete plant near her Central Florida home and jumped. Shortly after her death, Sedwick’s mother, Patricia Norman, told the local Fox news affiliate her daughter had been bullied on social media.

“People were sending her messages telling her that she should just go kill herself and everybody hated her and nobody liked her,” Norman said.

Norman told the station that she moved her daughter to a new school and thought she’d gotten her off social media sites. But, without Norman’s knowledge, her daughter found new sites — among them Ask.fm

The European-based company lets teens post questions and answers anonymously. Mike Harris, who talks to kids in schools as part of his work with the district attorney’s office in Jefferson County, Colo., says he’s hearing complaints about Ask.fm, and not just from parents.

continue reading at:  Empowering Kids Online: An Important Strategy to Keep Them Safe | MindShift.

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Teaching and Modeling Good Digital Citizenship | MindShift

Posted on November 3, 2013 by jdioguardi

By Jennifer Roland

Teens are savvier than we might give them credit for when it comes to knowing their privacy boundaries on social networking sites. According to a recent Pew Internet study, 62% of teens surveyed said their posts can only be seen by friends, and 19% said that their profile is “partially private so that friends of friends or their networks can see some version of their profile.”

continue reading at: Teaching and Modeling Good Digital Citizenship | MindShift.

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Facebook Eases Privacy Rules for Teenagers – NYTimes.com

Posted on October 21, 2013 by jdioguardi

By VINDU GOEL Published: October 16, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook has loosened its privacy rules for teenagers as a debate swirls over online threats to children from bullies and sexual predators.

The move, announced on Wednesday, allows teenagers to post status updates, videos and images that can be seen by anyone, not just their friends or people who know their friends.

While Facebook described the change as giving teenagers, ages 13 to 17, more choice, big money is at stake for the company and its advertisers. Marketers are keen to reach impressionable young consumers, and the more public information they have about those users, the better they are able to target their pitches.

“It’s all about monetization and being where the public dialogue is,” said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a group that lobbies against marketing to children. “To the extent that Facebook encourages people to put everything out there, it’s incredibly attractive to Facebook’s advertisers.”

But that public dialogue now includes youths who are growing up in a world of social media and, often, learning the hard way that it can be full of risks. Parents, too, are trying to help their children navigate the raucous online world that holds both promise and peril.

“They’re hitting kids from a neurological weak spot. Kids don’t have the same kind of impulse control that adults do,” said Emily Bazelon, a journalist and author of the book “Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy.”

via Facebook Eases Privacy Rules for Teenagers – NYTimes.com.

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