Technology at Home

At Edina Public Schools, we understand no two children are the same: parenting strategies that work for one family may not work for another. These resources are meant to be used as a toolkit that can assist with navigating commonly requested parenting strategies and information.

Remember: you are the parent. You have the right to limit device usage in your home at your discretion.

Digital Footprint:

• Archive.org: an internet resource that includes the “Wayback Machine.” What gets posted to the internet is public and permanent.
• NYTimes: They Loved Your GPA Then They Saw Your Tweets: an article that discusses the importance of your internet presence. What does an internet search say about you?

Planning:

• Family Media Plan: proactively plan to bring a device home successfully.
• Ground Rules for Technology: consider these ground rules as a recommended starting point. NOTE: locked screens can increase security for you and your family’s digital assets.

Filtering/Parental Controls:

• Tour/watch screens when you can, set expectations when you can’t.
• Regularly ask your child to teach you how it works, show you around, set up a recurring appointment.
• Amazon Kindle Parental Controls
• Curbi: available for Android and iOS. Remotely turn off internet to an individual device, get weekly reports, set recurring scheduling, block adult content.
• Google Family Link: Google Family Link lets you set digital ground rules to help guide them as they learn, play, and explore online.
• Google Safe Search
• iOS Guided Access: Guided Access limits your iOS device to a single app and lets you control which features are available.
• iOS/Mac Parental Controls
• iOS Mobile Filtering
• Microsoft Family: manage family screen time, schedules, and more.
• Netflix Parental Controls
• OpenDNS, two minute instructional video: OpenDNS is free, router-based filter.
• Basic introduction to OpenDNS
• How to filter using OpenDNS
• Verizon Smart Family: set limits for your family’s Verizon devices.
• YouTube: enable or disable restricted mode

Modeling:

• 12 Ways to Ensure Your Kid is More Important Than Your Phone: are you modeling positive behavior around screen time and phone usage?
• Devices in the bedroom: should they be banned?: discusses the impact of screen time in the bedroom. Do you allow screens in the bedroom?

Moderation:

• Beta: Google’s Digital Wellbeing: tools and features that help people better understand their Android device usage.
• How to Find Out Which Apps and Websites You're Most Addicted To: these apps help you monitor your own usage and behavior
• How to Set Screen Rules That Stick
• iOS: Screen Time on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: access real-time reports about how much time you spend on your iOS device and set limits for what you want to manage.
• The Difference Between Educational & Entertainment Screen Time (American Academy of Pediatricians): The AAP recommends two hours of entertainment-based screen time for your student, how much time are they spending online?
• Young Children and Screens: 10 Guidelines

Other Resources:

• Common Sense Media: large repository of parenting resources that provides age ratings and reviews, links to research, and more. A great starting place for parents looking for digital-age resources.
• Edina Digital Age Learning: Michael Walker’s blog; Edina Public School’s Secondary Digital Learning Specialist
• Family Online Safety Institute: international, non-profit organization that works to make the online world safer for kids and their families.
• The Next Tech Thing: Dave Eisenmann’s blog; Minnetonka Public School’s Director of Instructional Technology and Media Services. Many resources listed here are mentioned in Dave’s Top 10 Tips for Tech Healthy Kids. Special thank you and credit to Dave for compiling such a large compendium of digital resources.
• Parenting: Screen Time and Your Family: this podcast covers "the brighter side of screen time" and "the darker side of screen time" by interviewing real parents about how they use technology with their family on a daily basis.

Products on Market:

• Meet Circle: Circle with Disney. Small box / app that pair with your router. Pause the internet, individual content filters per user, set time limits on apps.
• Mobicip: limit screen time, manage apps, lock devices, and track location.
• NetGear Filtering: router-level filtering that allows customized profiles to define content filters, time schedules, and more.
• OurPact: mobile-based catch-all family locator and screen time management solution.
• Relay Go: screen-free smartphone for kids.

Questions? Comments? Have a great resource we missed?  Please do not hesitate to email us at eLearning2@edinaschools.org