SUMMARY: After years of running children’s film festivals, educational innovator and media guru Nicole Dreiske developed “Screen Smart” workshops kids. She includes the program in her new book, The Upside of Digital Devices: How to Make Your Child More Screen Smart, Literate, and Emotionally Intelligent. Aptly nicknamed “The Essential Survival Kit for Parenting in the Digital Age,” Dreiske’s book helps not only parents but also teachers, pediatricians, and other adults train children how to view screens in healthy, safe, and useful ways.

SHOW NOTES

00:26   Who is Nicole Dreiske?

03:00   Why did Dreiske write The Upside of Digital Devices?

04:40   Emotionally charged screen time 

05:15   Teaching healthy screen time using dialogue 

06:15   Explaining the “Screen Smart” program

08:55   Self-awareness is the key to being screen smart

09:15   Learning from a “Screen Smart” primer

11:15   Forming “Screen Smart” playgroups to improve literacy skills

13:35   Using read-aloud skills while watching screens

15:40   Weston Woods creates short videos based on books

16:45   Co-viewing builds bonds of trust

17:10   Using the Pause & Question (P&Q) method

17:20   Developing emotional intelligence

18:20   Handling family movie nights

19:05   Categorizing movies: fun, bad, sad, scary

19:55   Using a 15-second pre-screen orientation

20:30   Building a trusting relationship between child and technology

21:55   Teaching digital manners

22:10   Building a positive feedback loop

23:15   Dealing with fears, protecting from inappropriate content

25:00   Using “navigation buoys”

27:30   Expressing soothing statements as a catch-all

28:50   Helping adults master their own screen time

31:20   Recognizing where the magic happens

32:35   Helping schools benefit from the “Screen Smart” program

33:10   Building sensory and emotional intelligence

33:20   Leverage literacy, inferential reasoning, critical thinking skills

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Relationships are the key to successful screen viewing.
• Screen viewing skills can be likened to read-aloud skills.
• Categorizing movies (fun, bad, sad, scary) creates a conversational springboard.
• Taking an offensive, positive approach to screens empowers children to share feelings, opinions, and questions.
• Pre-screen orientation leverages cognitive skills.

BUY The Upside of Digital Devices: How to Make Your Child More Screen Smart, Literate, and Emotionally Intelligent

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