Start the Conversation: Back to School Social Media Tips for Parents

“Back to School” time can be a crazy and chaotic experience for parents and kids. We spend the better part of two weeks with lists in hand, getting prepared for the Big Day. From shopping for school clothes and making sure skirts and shorts are “finger-tip” length, to trekking to several stores to find the mysterious yellow binder that’s needed for History class, there is no better way to spend the last glorious days of summer than getting ready to go back to school.

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Reflecting on the experience and what it means for families, the first word that comes to mind is NEW. With new clothes, new supplies, new teachers and new school year come new friends, new connections -- and exposure to new mobile apps, new websites and new situations.

Now that the mountains of back to school paperwork are filled out, morning routines are established, and last-minute trips for supplies are complete, take time to start the conversation with your child about digital responsibility. Establish your family rules and develop your game plan. Use these tips as a guideline:

1. Check privacy settings on apps and websites they use. Do it together! As parents, we are always learning, too!

2. Chat about connections. Life is not a popularity contest. Encourage your kids to keep connections to people they know IRL (in real life) and discuss new contacts you see on their “friends” lists you haven't met yet.

3. Discuss being careful about what you share and when you share it. Aside from never sharing personal information like phone number, address or password, cover why it's important they don't don’t share their location. A good rule of thumb is posting “after the fact” - after the party, or as you are leaving a location rather than while you are there.

4. Have a two-way conversation about cyberbullying. These are conversations, not lectures, and we can empower our teens and pre-teens by finding out what they have to say. Ask them what they think about cyberbullying, and discuss how to recognize it, handle it, and not contribute to it. This will let them know it's okay to talk about it at home, and feel more comfortable speaking up to you or a trusted adult or teacher if the see someone harassing another person.

5. Avoid digital drama. Not to be confused with cyberbullying, digital drama is like a tiff or dispute that could happen in real life, that occurs online on often spirals out control in comments, with shares, etc. Common Sense Media has some great tips on how to avoid the drama online. 

6. Remember the Golden Rule. Help them understand digital responsibility applies to all of us - kids and adults. Remind them of the importance and benefit of treating others as they expect to be treated. Be kind online!

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Transitioning into the School Year: Less stress, more fun!

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With autumn gearing up, we’re getting back into the groove of school year routines. The excitement of back to school comes with adjustments to our days from the lax summer months. These tips on Transitioning Your Family From Summer to School provided by PBS helps us manage the flurry that comes with the new school year. But the fun doesn’t end with summer! The classroom brings together old friends and introduces new ones, and new subjects at school will spark imagination. It’s an exciting time as we watch our little ones become “big kids.”

However, while new school year schedules can be exciting, they can also cause anxiety and stress. Getting accustom to the early morning rush of running out the door, homework time in the evenings, and after school activities can feel like a whirl. On some days, there doesn’t seem to be enough time to get everything done, but it’s important to set aside downtime. The New York Times’ article Helping Children Balance School and Fun highlights a great perspective on setting aside valuable time for our kids and ourselves. It can be easy to let responsibilities and errands run our days, but it is essential to take time to rejuvenate so that we can be our best and do our best.

We found some great suggestions for fun activities to start off the school year. With the autumn months rolling in, we love this Fun Fall Activities Checklist from Real Simple for awesome ideas to fill the evenings and weekends with family fun. If your kids are looking for their next adventure in a great big book, Common Sense Media’s What to Read Next: Great Reads for September 2015 provides titles for kids of all ages. Or if they want to make a rocket ship or a diet coke geyser, these 10 Easy Science Fair Projects for Kids will provide hours of entertainment right at home!

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Best Back to School Apps For Your Middle School to College Students

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Help your high school or college student stay organized and work smarter, not harder, this school year with this list of awesome apps, compiled by a student in the DijiWise family who discovered the value some of these brought to her schedule! From study tools to organizational planners, these apps will help your child conquer this school year with success.

Quizlet - FREE

Quizlet is a free study tool which can save your child a lot of time and hassle. Students can make their own set of flashcards and study anywhere! Create a Quizlet account, and students can make their own set of study materials -- and even send them to their friends. Users can also search millions of study sets that other Quizlet users have already created! If your child’s lucky, his or her teacher already has a teacher’s Quizlet account to help their class study.

Evernote – FREE (paid upgrades available)

Evernote is a great organizational tool that can help with anything your child has on his or her “To Do” list. From grocery lists, to class notes, to chores, to collaborating with others, Evernote is the perfect way to get things done. The app has a great sharing features, so users can create and send their lists, notes or work to other users. Evernote keeps subjects organized by using tags to help the user search the notes easier. Give this app a try this school year, you won’t be sorry!

Study Cal - $1.99

Study Cal is an awesome way for your child to keep track of high school or college classes for the semester. First, the user enters class details such as the teacher’s name, class times and location, followed by the ability to input assignments and due dates, and keep track of grades in the classes. Your student can even send classes and assignments to friends who have Study Cal! The app costs $1.99, but the value far surpasses the cost. This app will help your child keep track of assignments and due dates, as well as provide him or her with regular grade updates.

EasyBib - FREE

EasyBib is a great tool for those who are looking to save time writing those pesky research papers. First, the user chooses their style of citation (MLA, APA, etc.), then selects the media (book, website, article etc.). Let’s say they need to cite a book. Your child can scan the book barcode or enter the title and the app automatically cites the resource. The citation can be saved in the app and exported to a Word document. This app is a time saver for sure!

iScanner – FREE

iScanner is a scanner for your phone, and it can be extremely useful for school work. The app recognizes the edges of the sheet of paper, takes a picture of it, provides layout and color options, and then turns it into a PDF format for the user to share or save. Sharing notes with classmates is now a whole lot easier for your high schooler or college kid with iScanner.

Graphing Calculator – FREE

Did your child forget to bring their graphing calculator? No problem, there’s an app for that! The app functions very similar to the graphing calculator, and has a useful and easy to use Reference page when they need help. Download this app and they’ll never have to carry around that bulky TI-89 again. (Unless, of course, their teacher requires it!)

Google Drive - FREE

The Google Drive app is a great tool for all the group projects your child will work on this year. Using a gmail account to log into the Google Drive app, students can can contribute to team projects on the go. This app is perfect for uploading a quick picture or graphic, reading other contributor’s work, or looking up saved information when they don’t have their computer with them! This app is an A+ in our book.

DijiWise wishes you and your children a happy and successful school year!

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Back to School with DijiWise

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Our back-to-school essentials include sharpened pencils, spiral notebooks and cyber smarts. From digital safety to social media etiquette, positive online behavior applies during the school year just as it does during the summer.

With kids carrying cell phones in their pockets and bringing laptops into the classroom, keeping devices safe at school is crucial. We found PC Magazine's article Protect Yourself From Cyber-Snoops, Stalkers, and Thieves at School applicable to both college students and grade schoolers. Losing a pencil and losing a cell phone at school are very different scenarios. Protecting digital devices is part of protecting your own identity. 

These great tips from the Family Online Safety Institute on how to Fill Your Child's Digital Backpack prepare your kids for a safe and positive school year experience. We love this resource for its age specific content, from pre-school to college. So while you're buying school supplies, consider incorporating some lessons on cyber smarts into the school year preparation. 

The grade school years

Power of Words 
by Common Sense Media
This animated video teaches kids the importance of being kind and how to handle mean words online. A great watch for those just onboarding to social media.

The Best Educational Apps for Kids
by Parents
Encourage your kids to use some of their screen time to learn new things. From read-along Disney books to ocean exploration with the Magic School Bus, these apps are fun and educational.

The teenage years

A Teenager's View on Social Media 
by Medium
This 19-year old's perspective on multiple social media apps from Facebook to Tumblr to Yik Yak offers an eye-opening view. Using this article as a starting point, chat with your high schooler about how they view social media.

 A 13-Year-Old's View on Social Media 
by Medium
In response to the 19-year old's article, a 13 year-old provides a different perspective on social media apps through the eyes of a middle schooler.

How High School Students Use Social Media in Their College Search
by Uversity
With the digital world, looking at colleges doesn't just stop at campus visits anymore. Understand how your kids are using social media to figure out if a school will be a good fit. 

The college years

LinkedIn Profile Checklist
In college, your kid's social media networks begin to include professional online communities as well, and LinkedIn is a primary one. This guide helps them understand the basics of what goes into creating a LinkedIn profile.

A College Student's Perspective on Tinder
by Family Online Safety Institute
Dating apps are becoming more popular, and Tinder is a hot one among college students. Read this article to understand the app and how to talk to your kids about online safety.

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