Noble's first tip? Don’t shotgun your proposal. Start by finding the top 100 grants you may be interested in. From there, narrow it down to the top 20 worth spending time looking at and then hone in on 2-5 grants you’ll apply for. Be strategic with your time and with your proposal to make something worth reading. Find out in this episode what question to ask the funder so you know whether or not to pursue it. Be clear on the problem you want to solve if you were to win the grant. Listen in for a...
Oct 06, 2020•7 min•Ep. 244
The College Admissions Scandal highlights poor parenting behavior at its worst. Interviews with the families involved in the scandal reveal the fractured parent-child relationships that resulted from parents who acted out of their own greed. All parents have an opportunity to learn from the fallout of the scandal, namely to accept and embrace their children for who they are. About our guests: Melissa Korn is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in New York covering higher education. Jennifer L...
Oct 01, 2020•39 min•Ep. 243
These 3 tips can help your child see ads through a critical lens: 1. Explain advertising, in general, using examples your child encounters the most, whether that’s TV commercials or pop-up ads in their favorite app. Advertisers want us to buy their stuff, so they try different methods to make us want what they’re selling. Advertisers track the digital places we visit online to show us things they know we’re interested in. 2. Teach your child how to look for words in posts and images like “ad”, “...
Sep 30, 2020•7 min•Ep. 242
The Wink app connects users with strangers. Users find new “friends” by swiping through profiles, like the popular adult dating app, Tinder. Once on a profile, they can swipe right to connect with the person or swipe left to move on to the next profile. Users can click a button to add new Wink friends to their Snapchat, or can they chat directly on Wink. Users must be at least 13 with parental permission to use Wink, according to the Terms of Service. However, there is no age verification so kid...
Sep 29, 2020•9 min•Ep. 241
Read our complete guide to TikTok for Parents, Students, and Educators: https://smartsocial.com/tiktok-app-guide-parents/ Learn from Smart Social's resources: Join our free newsletter for parents and educators: https://smartsocial.com/newsletter/ Register for a free online Parent Night to learn the hidden safety features on popular apps: https://smartsocial.com/social-media-webinar/ Become a Smart Social VIP (Very Informed Parents) Member and unlock 30+ workshops (learn online safety and how to ...
Sep 22, 2020•5 min•Ep. 240
It can be very scary as a parent to see your neurodiverse child go online where there are plenty of dangers to worry about. As a parent, Uram shares your concern. As a therapist, he can tell you that there are plenty more reasons to help your child navigate the online environment in a healthy way rather than restrict them from doing so. He has blended his different roles together with the latest research and has developed a few tips that may help you in navigating the internet for your child. Ce...
Sep 16, 2020•18 min•Ep. 239
The Triller app, first released in 2015, is a social media network where users make and share short videos. Anyone can view videos, but users must sign up for a free account to “like” videos, follow other users, read/make comments, and send direct messages. Users can create professional-looking music videos and vlogs in minutes with the app’s auto-editing algorithm. The app has 100+ filters and videos can be personalized with text, drawings and emojis. Triller’s music library features top trendi...
Sep 15, 2020•6 min•Ep. 238
In this episode of Parent Compass on the SmartSocial.com Podcast Jenn and Cindy share their thoughts on tutoring (or rather the trend of "over tutoring") and how it relates to self-advocacy. They also discuss the necessity for parents to practice self-examination--to take a good, hard look at why they parent the way that they parent and how their own upbringing might affect their desires for their kids. And lastly, they offer some advice on navigating the admission process during the current glo...
Sep 14, 2020•17 min•Ep. 237
The Culture Reframed Program for Parents of Tweens and Program for Parents of Teens build young people’s resilience and resistance to hypersexualized media and porn while promoting their healthy development. Get free step-by-step modules to help parents understand the impacts of hypersexualized culture and how to support your tween/teen here . Learn from Smart Social's resources: 2020 Ultimate Guide To Child Sex Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sextortion, & Online Enticement: https://smartso...
Sep 09, 2020•17 min•Ep. 236
Brittany Cufaude’s tips for educators who are navigating virtual learning: Make sure all instruction that’s occurring live with the teacher is actually interactive instead of just talking at the children for long periods of time. Use tool’s, like Pear Deck, to make your Google Slides more interactive. Utilize split screen features. Teachers should make sure they can see their students at all times.Consider buying an inexpensive second monitor, so you will have plenty of screen space to teach you...
Sep 04, 2020•24 min•Ep. 235
Read Melissa's tips on our blog Melissa suggests setting up a designated homework/homeschool space in your home to prevent distractions during online classes and homework time. Things to keep in mind: Try to choose a quiet space in a less busy part of the house , an environment that will naturally minimize distractions. It’s important to choose this area and stick with it Choose functional furniture and stock up on supplies. We suggest avoiding couches or lap desks and instead opt for a traditio...
Sep 02, 2020•8 min•Ep. 234
With easy access to the internet from any mobile device , it’s not a question of if our kids will be exposed to pornography; it’s a matter of when. That’s why one of the most valuable gifts we can give our children is an internal filter–one they can take with them wherever they go. Read Jenson's guest blog on SmartSocial.com, 5 Tips for Talking to Kids About Pornography . Learn more about Protect Young Minds Learn from Smart Social's resources: Join our free newsletter for parents and educators:...
Aug 26, 2020•14 min•Ep. 233
SmartSocial.com's Ultimate Guide To Child Sex Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sextortion, & Online Enticement Joe Laramie is a retired police Lt. with more than three decades of law enforcement experience, including serving as the Commander of the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Laramie Top 3 Tips to Protect Children Online: Stop focusing on the tech : While it’s impossible to know every app and online game out there, it is possible to know your own child. Laramie says ...
Aug 25, 2020•11 min•Ep. 232
SmartSocial.com's Omegle Guide for Parents and Educators: https://smartsocial.com/omegle/ What is Omegle chat? Users go to Omegle.com to instantly start a text or video chat with strangers Visitors can use keywords to find people with shared interests College students can enter a .edu email address (which the site uses for verification) to find other students There is also an “adult” section The website is free to use and is available in multiple languages A graphic on top of the website shows h...
Aug 24, 2020•7 min•Ep. 231
Jenn Curtis and Cindy Muchnick felt like they were “punched in the gut” when they first heard about the 2019 college admissions cheating scandal. “We want to encourage parents to accept and love the child they have, not the child they want to inauthentically create,” explained Curtis. They believe that if you teach students to live life with their own intentions, you can help them better achieve success. “I think it’s the pushing kids that comes from parents that really creates this dissonance a...
Aug 17, 2020•20 min•Ep. 230
Learn from Smart Social's resources: Our Parent and Educator's Guide to Instagram (2020 updates): https://smartsocial.com/instagram-app-parents-guide-video/ Join our free newsletter for parents and educators: https://smartsocial.com/newsletter/ Register for a free online Parent Night to learn the hidden safety features on popular apps: https://smartsocial.com/social-media-webinar/ Become a Smart Social VIP (Very Informed Parents) Member and unlock 30+ workshops (learn online safety and how to Sh...
Aug 11, 2020•5 min•Ep. 229
Read SmartSocial.com's Byte App Guide: https://smartsocial.com/byte-app/ Where is the Byte app available? Apple App Store : 17+ Google Play : T (Teen) Developer’s Website : Byte.co (Based in USA, Owned by Byte, Inc) Terms of Service Privacy Policy Learn from Smart Social's resources: Join our free newsletter for parents and educators: https://smartsocial.com/newsletter/ Register for a free online Parent Night to learn the hidden safety features on popular apps: https://smartsocial.com/social-med...
Aug 06, 2020•7 min•Ep. 228
What is the Yubo app? Yubo markets itself as a way to chat and livestream with new friends It was formerly called Yellow Yubo’s website says users must be ages 13+ with parental permission Users ages 13 – 17 have their own Yubo community that is separate from adults, however there is no age verification to enter the adult chat area New users provide their name, birthday, gender, photo, and phone number. They can opt to have their ID verified through a website called Yoti . Verified users have a ...
Jul 24, 2020•8 min•Ep. 227
The Randonautica app markets itself as “the world’s first quantumly generated Choose Your Own Adventure reality game .” It might sound enticing to students, but safety is a major concern with this app. The app prompts adventurers to set out with a goal in mind. Then it sends them to a randomly generated set of nearby coordinates. These random locations often include private property. Some teenage “Randonauts” were recently led to a beach, where they discovered a crime scene. Read our app guide: ...
Jul 20, 2020•7 min•Ep. 226
Donald's goal is to be the most welcoming school in America. If kids know they are wanted and welcome, they will be socially and mentally better and happier. Teachers, by nature, are planners, but with the times right now, the country is early in the virus and late to be planning the fall schedule of virtual and in-person classes. How do we allow visitors to our school, keep kids protected and safe, and still be welcoming? Donald walks through the "how" we do things may change, but the "why" we ...
Jul 17, 2020•20 min•Ep. 225
Politicians consider banning TikTok in the US “Citing national security concerns, India banned TikTok [in the summer of 2020]. The US and Australia are also considering blocking the app… Politicians are worried the Chinese government could use the video app to spy on US citizens .” c|net Read SmartSocial.com's comprehensive TikTok App Guide : https://smartsocial.com/tiktok-app-guide-parents/ Learn from Smart Social's resources: Join our free newsletter for parents and educators: https://smartsoc...
Jul 13, 2020•4 min•Ep. 224
The key to creating margins is being intentional and saying no to things that may interfere with creating margins. The last people we want to be short with is our family, friends, and those closest to us, but oftentimes, this is who gets the brunt of our lack of time and energy. Parents sign kids up for so many activities, but do these match the goals that the kids have? Ask children what their end goal is and if what they are doing is what they want for their future. If not, move on, and add mo...
Jul 01, 2020•27 min•Ep. 223
If your student is a gamer, there’s a good chance they’re on the Discord chat app. Discord is a free voice, video, and text chat app that boasts more than 250 million users. Like many chat apps, Discord doesn’t put out dangerous content, but some people who use it might. If your student is connecting with random people on Discord, they’re putting themselves at risk of coming across inappropriate content and conversations. What is the Discord chat app? Discord is a free voice, video, and text cha...
Jun 29, 2020•8 min•Ep. 222
Without a plan in place, you can't just rip screens cold turkey from you and your kid's hands. It took a slow process to gradually take away screens from April's four children until they went screen-free for 6 months. It's all about being intentional about the process - from auditing how much time each person spends on screens now to figuring out how to dwindle down the usage each day. Once April's family was screen-free, it was easy! Kids want more of their parent's time, but really more of the...
Jun 22, 2020•24 min•Ep. 221
Read The Negative Effects of Video Games (Parent Guide) on the SmartSocial.com Blog: https://smartsocial.com/negative-effects-video-games/ Learn more about Open Sky Wilderness Therapy: https://www.openskywilderness.com/utilizing-wilderness-therapy-to-treat-gaming-disorder/ Gaming disorder is considered a mental health condition In 2018, the World Health Organization officially began recognizing gaming disorder as a mental health condition What are gaming disorder warning signs? According to Worl...
Jun 18, 2020•15 min•Ep. 220
Smart Social’s Device Recommendation Gabb Wireless (Promo Code: SMARTSOCIAL) This device looks like a smartphone but is specifically designed for tweens and teens. It will not let users access the internet, online games, social media, the App Store, or Google Play. The Gabb phone is now $49.99. As an added bonus, SmartSocial.com Podcast listeners get an extra $5 off the already discounted price by using this link . Gabb Wireless has all of the features your child needs from a phone including: ca...
Jun 17, 2020•17 min•Ep. 219
"Just because you don’t live in an urban area where you see exploitation happening does not mean that your child, sitting alone with their computer or their phone, in their bedroom, is not being exploited.” - Erin Williamson, US Programs Director at Love146.org Love146 is an international human rights organization working to end child trafficking and exploitation through survivor care and prevention. Learn more here: Love146.org Learn from SmartSocial.com's resources: Read the 2020 Ultimate Guid...
Jun 16, 2020•17 min•Ep. 218
April and Jennifer are making the summer of 2020 “the summer of grace.” They’re saying yes to their children more often and are giving themselves extra grace through it all. Do you have a summer bucket list set up before the summer? How have all the cancellations affected your lives? April and Jennifer talk about changing up their schedules and navigating the world of cancellations. One of their golden rules, however, is how bedtime is important no matter what time of year it is. Even in the sum...
Jun 08, 2020•25 min•Ep. 217
Fortnite: Battle Royale is a free, multiplayer game that is incredibly popular with students. The concept of the game is simple – the last player to survive the battle wins. But this isn’t a traditional war game. Fortnite Battle Royale is set in a colorful, surreal world where players can dress their avatars up in silly costumes, dance, and have fun while trying to survive. Watch SmartSocial.com's Fortnite Battle Royale app guide video for parents and educators Why should parents care? Fortnite ...
Jun 05, 2020•35 min•Ep. 216
What is the Zynn app? A free Chinese-owned video app where users watch and create content It’s extremely similar to TikTok The main difference is Zynn claims to pay its users for watching content and referring friends The app boasts a “massive” music library, cool stickers, and funny effects Videos can be shared to Instagram , Snapchat , etc. You don’t need an account to watch videos, but you do need an account to make a profile and earn rewards/money Users can “like” and comment on videos and f...
Jun 03, 2020•9 min•Ep. 215
