Brief presentation regarding Internet Awareness for the Oakridge Elementary School PTA by Julie Esanu and Anne Terwilliger

1. Internet Awareness
June 4, 2013
Presentation to the Oakridge PTA by Julie
Esanu, Librarian, and Anne Terwilliger,
Counselor

2. Agenda
• What is Internet Awareness?
• Parental Awareness
• Developmental Stage of Children and the Internet
• Social Media
• Next Steps: Parents
• Resources

3. Internet Awareness
Internet Awareness = Being
informed and having the
knowledge to use information
resources and tools responsibly
and ethically in a variety of
digital settings.

4. Parental Awareness
• What is the minimum age to create a
Google email or Facebook account?
• Does your child have a cell phone or
smartphone?
• Has your child ever posted a picture of
themselves or friend online?

5. Brain Development
• Prefrontal Cortex – section of the brain
that weighs outcomes, forms judgments
and controls impulses and emotions
•Not completely developed until mid-20s
• Nucleus Accumbens – area of the brain
that seeks pleasure and reward
•Fairly well developed in teens

6. Social/Emotional
Development
•Relationship with peers increasingly
important
•Parents no longer complete
authority (handle social situations
without adult advice)
•Begin to “flex” their independence
Sources: Berk, L.E. (2009) Child development (8th ed). Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon; Santrock, J.W. (2008). A topical approach to life span development (4th ed). New
York: McGraw-Hill; Thompson, C.L., Rudolph, L.B., & Henderson, D. (2004). Counseling children (6th ed). California: Brooks/Cole
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/teenage-brain1.htm.

7. Use of Social Media
Source: Teens, Social Media and Privacy (Pew Internet & American Life Project, May 2013)

8. Social Media:
What’s Hot

9. Next Steps: Parents
• Realize that media plays a huge role in children’s
lives today
• Talk openly with your children about their use of
media, including the Internet
• Model positive online behaviors
• Help your children set their privacy settings and
remind them not to share their private information
• Remind your child that his or her digital footprint
lasts a long time
• Keep a list of your child’s user names and
passwords
• Supervise your child’s use of technology

10. Resources
• Common Sense Media Family Tip Sheets:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/educa
• Just for You Parents—What You Need to Know:
http://www.onguardonline.gov/features/feature-0002-fe
• Netsmartz Parent Resources:
http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents
• Parents’ Guide to Social Networking Sites:
http://www.ncpc.org/topics/internet-safety/social-netw