Beyond Integration

  The Influential Parent - Episode 9, Summer Care Tips   With devices going home for the summer in our district, we wanted to take some time to share some tips for parents that will help them set some guidelines for technology use over the summer. We also encourage you to go to your school's website to locate the summer resource page, allowing your child to continue their learning over the summer. Here is another resource to locate camps for your child(ren) to participate in throughout the summer. Online Camps for a Summer of Learning Adventures , Common Sense Media

  The Influential Parent - Episode 8, My Child Wants to Create a TikTok - Now What? Your child has come to you and said, I want to create a TikTok video. Or, maybe they have already started creating TikTok videos but you haven't had the conversation around TikTok. It's not too late. Join us in this episode to learn about the pros and cons of our children creating TikToks, or maybe even you creating videos. Hear how you can support your child on the journey to create a successful experience and a positive digital footprint.

  The Influential Parent - Episode 7, So Your Kid(s) Want TikTok? TikTok is gaining momentum with a variety of age groups, especially our kids. It is a fun and creative way for anyone to watch, create and share videos. Whether you are new to TikTok, your child wants a TikTok account, or have been using it for a while, we share some fun facts and tips to help parents navigate the consumer side of this popular social media platform.  

  The Influential Parent - Episode 6, Learning with Technology Remember when we were growing up, we had to pile into the car, drive to the library, and check out books to learn this stuff. Now our kids have it all at their fingertips. Our kids are wired to look for information this way. There is no longer the barrier of waiting for parents to take us to the library and hoping the book is not checked out. If you -like us- are also monitoring your digital habits or your children’s digital habits, remember not all usage is “bad”. Our children have interests that they want to explore more, and they will continue to develop new interests because of something they’ve heard or seen. Listen to this episode and find out what a few people use technology to learn. 

  The Influential Parent - Episode 5, The Digital Habits That Impacts Ourselves Picking up where we left off last week, we talk more about notifications and the phenomenon of DOOMSCROLLING (du-duh-duhhhh!!) How does scrolling and scrolling through social media affect our children (and ourselves) physically, mentally, and emotionally? How does endless time in front of a screen affect young brains? Amanda also challenges Nikki with the question: How much time do you think your kids spend on a device each day?  We dig into these interesting topics this week! 

  The Influential Parent - Episode 4, The Digital Habits that Impact Ourselves How much time do you spend on your device? It may be more than you think. In this episode, we spend some time talking about how you can become more aware of your digital habits by using an app. And what about those notifications? Do you have them turned off or on? Listen in to hear our perspectives on what these phone notifications can lead to. 

  The Influential Parent - Episode 3 Our Digital Habits that Impact Others What digital habits do you have that you hope your children will not learn from you? Tune in to find out a few habits from the parents we interviewed. We also discuss how those habits can impact others around them. 

  The Influential Parent - Episode 2 Setting Guidelines Around Media Family Media Plans are a great way for families to develop some rules or guidelines for using devices and have everyone on the same page about the healthy and powerful ways to use technology. We cannot assume that everyone knows what is appropriate and what is not. So it is important to have expectations even for families so there is a common understanding for all family members. Listen in to find out where you can start and a few topics to consider as you build your family plan. Click here to see Common Sense Media's example of a Family Media Plan.  https://www.commonsense.org/education/toolkit/family-engagement-resources

The Influential Parent - Episode 1 Digital At Home Talking Points for Parents Our first episode starts with ideas of what to talk about with your children and how to talk to your children about technology. Listen in so you can start your journey toward healthy digital behaviors with a few tips. Click the image for a printable version.