By: Tonya Mead, CFE, PI, MBA, MA Educational Psychology
On this site, we have discussed the perils of internet use by children. As their internet use is unlikely to decrease, there steps parents can take to participate in their children’s entertainment and learning activities.
(1) Active Engagement. Stay abreast of the latest educational technology tools, academic and professional engines for searches (Lexis/Nexis), and the many open access journals found on Wikipedia.
(2) Participation in Groups. Engage your kids before and after web surfing. Routinely discuss internet search topics. Comment, ‘Is that so? Oh, I didn’t know that little detail about Eminen, Bon Jovi, Yolanda Adams, or Ludicrist.’
(3) Frequent Interaction and Connections to the Real World. Use computer time as a chance to get to know your child and to model appropriate internet communication, research and exchange. Use your child’s interest in the internet as a way to explore the world together, try new facts and try new things.
(4) Set limits. Too much of a good thing is addictive. So, establish household rules regarding internet and computer usage in general. By the way, kids learn by imitating the behaviors we model. Parents (myself) included use the internet from time-to-time to disengage family members while engaging strangers anonymously. Don’t let this happen to you, as you may be inadvertently undermining your message of restraint and reason.
Source
Roschelle, J.M, Pea, R.D. Hoadley, C.M.., Gordon, D.N., & Means, B.M. (2000). Changing how and what children learn in school with computer-based technologies. Children and Computer Technology. 10(2), Fall/Winter, 76-101. Retrieved September 3, 2001, from www.futureofchildren.org
Tonya J. Mead, CFE, PI, MBA, MA, Certified K-12 Administrator and School Psychologist is author of Fraud in Education: Beyond the Wrong Answer and president of Shared Knowledge, LLC http://ishareknowledge.com
