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PBS: Kids & Media

Think about the world in which you grew up. What was it like? What did you do in your spare time? What was school like for you back then? How did you communicate with your friends? Your parents?

It's no secret that times are dramatically different for your children-- the currrent generation of students in school. As a teacher and as a parent myself, I sometimes have to stop and think "What the heck is going on? When did everything become so different?" Maybe you've felt the same way.

The truth is that while some of the basic principles of life and learning--be respectful, try hard, keep studying, brush your teeth, eat your vegetables, etc. --still hold fast and true today, there are many, many changes that we, as parents and as educators, have to understand and accept.

The advent of technology has a lot to do with the way in which our children's world has evolved. The Internet, video games and cell phones (just to name a few) have revolutionized the way this generation expresses itself, spends its free time and communicates with one another. In fact, technology has changed the way this generation learns. The days of the teacher standing in front of a blackboard lecturing while students scramble down notes on paper are fading away. Educational institutions are having to re-think the concept of teaching and learning as it applies to today's students.

Now, we have a choice. We can fight this change. We can deny the fact that technology is going to play a crucial role in all aspects of life in the future. We can choose to ignore the importance of understanding how our children already use technology. We can close our eyes and simply choose to believe that the world is not changing.

Or we can accept this change and empower ourselves with the knowledge of how to access, analyze and manipulate technology to our advantage--and to our children's advantage. We can help our children make smart decisions concerning technology and become active in issues of safety, learning and communication. Instead of watching them walk away from us through the door of change, we can choose to step into the world with them.

In light of this choice, I hope you will utilize this site as a resource whether you want to learn more about media and technology or just simply want to find out what that strange word is that your child uses all the time!

And just like the changing times, we'll work to keep this site updated with the latest information to help you stay aware and media literate!

Laura S. Gulledge, M.Ed.

Click here to e-mail Mrs. Gulledge!