Full Description
Solutions for navigating an ever-changing social media world
Today's students face a challenging paradox: the digital tools they need to complete their work are often the source of their biggest distractions. Students can quickly become overwhelmed trying to manage the daily confluence of online interactions with schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and family life. Written by noted author and educator Ana Homayoun, Social Media Wellness is the first book to successfully decode the new language of social media for parents and educators and provide pragmatic solutions to help students:
Manage distractions
Focus and prioritize
Improve time-management
Become more organized and boost productivity
Decrease stress and build empathy
With fresh insights and a solutions-oriented perspective, this crucial guide will help parents, educators and students work together to promote healthy socialization, effective self-regulation, and overall safety and wellness.
"Ana Homayoun has written the very book I've yearned for, a must-read for teachers and parents. I have been recommending Ana's work for years, but Social Media Wellness is her best yet; a thorough, well-researched and eloquent resource for parents and teachers seeking guidance about how to help children navigate the treacherous, ever-changing waters of social media and the digital world."
—Jessica Lahey, Author of The Gift of Failure
"This is the book I've been waiting for. Ana Homayoun gives concrete strategies for parents to talk with their teens without using judgment and fear as tools. This is a guidebook you can pick up at anytime, and which your teen can read, too. I'll be recommending it to everyone I know."
—Rachel Simmons, Author of The Curse of the Good Girl
Contents
PROLOGUE
1. Landscape: What Today's Social Media World Looks Like for Tweens and Teens
The New Language of Technology and Social Media
So Much Has Changed, Yet So Much Remains the Same
How Social Media and Technology Affect the Overall Educational Experience
Summary
2. Background: Where We've Been, Where We're Going, and Why It Matters
How We Got Here
The New Social Media
Why All of This Is a Big Deal in Terms of Tweens, Teens, and the School Experience
Summary
3. Side Effects: Five Ways Social Media Affects Today's Tweens and Teens
Altered Expectations
Mixed Messages
Information Overload
On-All-the-Time Mentality
"All About the Likes" Personal Values Development
Summary
4. Conversations: How to Talk About Social Media
Understand the Language and the Lingo
Use the Framework of Socialization, Self-Regulation, and Safety
Recognize the Importance of Attitude and Approach
Make It All About Them
Help Them Identify Their Values
Encourage Them to "Get Real" About Daily Choices and Habits
Work Collaboratively to Come Up with Acceptable Use Policies
A Word About Technology Addiction
Summary
5. Academic Wellness: Organization, Compartmentalization, and Energy Management in the Age of Distractions
The New Language of Technology in Schools
How Social Media and Technology Affect Academic Wellness
Optimizing Organization with Virtual Folders and In-Real-Life (IRL) Binders
Mapping Out Assignments and Activities
Managing Time and Energy
Stress: The Art of Monotasking and Encouraging Personal Productivity
Finding Flexibility for Different Learning Styles
The Cheating Dilemma
Summary
6. Social and Emotional Wellness: Encouraging Students to Be Healthy Online and In Real Life
The New Language of Social Media Socialization
How Social Media Affects Friendships, Relationships, and Personality Development
Helping Students Figure Out Their "Why"
Encouraging Students to Define Qualities of Healthy Relationships
Recognizing Negative Compensatory Behaviors
Understanding Connection Versus Isolation
Closing the Empathy Gap and Cultivating Compassion
Promoting Appropriate Social and Emotional Boundaries
Developing a Plan for Guidance and Support
Acknowledging and Validating the Bystander Experience
Summary
7. Physical Wellness: Finding Balance in an Unbalanced World
The Teetering Imbalance
Promoting Sleep
Encouraging Stress Management
Focusing on Functional Exercise
Understanding Addiction
Knowing the Signs and Getting Help
Protection from Physical Harm and Danger
Summary
8. Moving Forward: Implementing the Strategies at School and at Home
Things to Think About at School
Reflecting as a School
Things to Think About at Home
Reflecting on the Home Front
Recommended Reading List
Acknowledgments
Endnotes
Index
