Kids. Cable. Learning.
The Official Podcast Channel of Cable in the Classroom!

This week, Cable in the Classroom and Common Sense Media released the findings from a nationally representative poll of parents about their internet-related actions and attitudes.

Today, we are pleased to make available a podcast [19MB, MP3] of the press briefing conducted to release the poll (conducted via web- and tele-conference).

Conducted by Harris Interactive, the poll, Parenting Moves Online, provides a comprehensive and timely snapshot of parents and legal guardians of 6-18 year olds (whose children go online from any setting) across the U.S. Among other contributions, the poll sheds light on the different behaviors, attitudes, and experiences of parents of children of different ages (6-10, 11-14, and 15-18); on differences between Moms and Dads; and on differences by parental views and practices (including between more and less engaged parents, and between parents who view the internet as more helpful to their children than other parents).

More on the poll and its findings can be found at www.ciconline.org/poll2007.

Based on the poll findings, we have made a number of recommendations for parents related to their children's internet use:

1. Talk regularly with your children about their Internet use and seek out high-tech parenting advice from trusted sources (like from our very own Point Smart Click Safe!);
2. Speak with your children about Internet safety and appropriate online behavior and about more frequently experienced issues;
3. Engage even very young children to set behavioral expectations; and
4. Look to teachers and schools as partners in instilling media literacy skills.

"This poll underscores what we at the PTA have advocated for a long time—the vital importance of parents getting involved and engaged in their children’s lives, online and offline,” said Jan Harp Domene, national president of the PTA. She further suggests that parents need simple, specific, and age-appropriate tools and information to help them engage in their kids’ online lives.

Other resources of note include:

• Cable in the Classroom Magazine's July/August 2007 issue is devoted to keeping kids safe and secure online. It contains a Q&A for parents about technology and kids, an article on using interactive web tools at home, and two articles on social networking
• The May 2007 issue looks at ethical behavior in a digital world, with articles on cyberbullying, plagiarism and copyrights
• Cable in the Classroom Magazine's July/August 2006 edition covered internet safety, parental controls and advice for parenting a digital generation of kids.
• Threshold magazine's Summer 2007 issue focuses on "Responsibilities and Ethics in a Web 2.0 World" with articles discussing the legal, social and ethical implications of new, interactive technologies and how children learn.
• Parenting the MySpace Generation, a 2006 poll of parents on internet issues commissioned by Cable in the Classroom and conducted by Harris Interactive.

In this podcast interview [17MB, MP3], the History Channel’s Dr. Libby O'Connell discusses the network’s Take a Veteran to School Day program that provides engaging curriculum for teachers, diverse learning opportunities for students and recognition for America’s veterans. Take a Vet to School Day is kicking off its first year this fall, linking veterans of all ages with young people across the country. The program offers free age-appropriate curriculum available online for Kindergarten to 12th-grade teachers.

Dr. O’Connell, senior vice president of corporate outreach and chief historian at The History Channel, describes how students who participate in Take a Veteran to School Day will learn a variety of things—history, vocabulary, and geography— while also recognizing these men and women for their service.

More information for schools, teachers and students about Take a Vet to School Day can be found at: www.veterans.com.

Cable systems interested in getting involved, should visit www.aetnjustclick.com.