Screens and Memes: Understanding Young People's Digital Lives

A workshop for parents, relatives, and mentors to help youth develop the critical thinking skills they need to manage their online lives and to use technology responsibly and ethically. Today's students are living in a culture of personal sharing that has changed the concept of connectedness and privacy. This shift profoundly impacts their social, emotional, and academic lives. Most are using social media in a positive way, yet they live in a world where there are few rules about how to behave online. Through our direct work with over 21,000 children and teens in the classrom and through our Teen Advisory Boards and programs, our workshops provide insight directly from "the experts" about how they are using technology and how it affects them developmentally. You will learn how youth are: Utilizing rapidly evolving technology like social media and gaming Responding to technology and social media from the social emotional perspective Coping with challenges such as techno-perfection, digital distraction, sleep deprivation, and sexting Attendees will leave this workshop with strategies to engage the child in your life with constructive conversation and promote media balance for the entire family. Agenda: - 6:00 pm: Network and engage with MDT2 Teen Advisors - 6:30 pm: Workshop begins - 7:30 pm: Q&A with MDT2 Teen Advisors and Presenters About Our Presenters: Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet, LCSW, PPSC, Co-Founder of My Digital TAT2 Gloria has been a school social worker, educator, and program developer since 1981. She has served as a lecturer in the Graduate Program of Social Work at San Jose State University for 20 years. She specializes in bullying prevention, understanding the digital lives of children and teens, and providing mentorship and supervision in the fields of social work, psychology, and education. Erica Pelavin, LCSW, Ph.D, Co-Founder of My Digital TAT2 Erica, a practicing children’s psychologist in Silicon Valley for over 20 years, works from a strength-based perspective. She specializes in bullying prevention, relational aggression, digital drama, digital safety, and conflict resolution. This workshop is graciously presented in collaboration with Box.com