News and Notes from the
World of Al Menconi

Maintaining  Relational  Presence in a Technological World by Rhett Smith with Fuller Youth Institute February 28, 2011 Becoming Aware A shovel, a mirror, and a tray. Recently I stood before a classroom of parents with these rudimentary objects.  The shovel, mirror, and tray presented stark contrasts to the technological tools I was trying to help parents view as influences that are shaping their kids’ lives. The journey that brought me to this place of teaching parents about their teenager’s use of technology and how it shapes them may be similar to yours. Like many people who work with youth, as a college pastor I found myself quickly intrigued by all the new electronic media students were utilizing. Thanks to my college students I started a blog in ’04, followed by Facebook in ’05 and Twitter in ’07.  And you never saw me without my trusted Blackberry or iPhone. But it was not until this last year that I started to become wary of the changes that I was

Janet Fowler, provided by Investopedia October 11, 2012 The inexperienced and trusting nature of young people is often what causes them to fall victim to scam artists. Some scam artists know how to identify and take advantage of teens and their need to fit in. Also, because teens are often so involved in new technology and web-based interactions, it's no surprise that many scammers have found the Internet to be the optimal environment for preying on teens. Inexpensive Luxury Goods Have you ever seen ads online for cheap iPhones, electronic gadgets, designer clothes, handbags and other luxury goods being sold at just a fraction of the retail price? Many of these advertisements are simply scams aimed at unsuspecting individuals who are looking for a good deal. However, these scams don't only exist online. Teens can be approached with too-good-to-be-true offers just about anywhere. Sadly, in many cases, these cheap goods don't even exist. After these teens hand over thei

How to Set Screen Rules That Stick Easy tips for limiting kids’ computer, TV, game, and movie time. by Caroline Knorr | Sep. 17, 2012 | CommonsenseMedia.org In many homes, getting kids to turn off their cell phones, shut down the video games, or log off of Facebook can incite a revolt. And if your kids say they need to be online for schoolwork, you may not know when the research stops and idle activity begins. It may seem counterintuitive, but getting involved with your kids' media is the first step to cutting the cord. Showing an interest, knowing what they're doing -- even playing along with them -- makes it easier to know how much is too much. Every family will have different amounts of time that they think is "enough." What's important is giving it some thought, creating age-appropriate limits (with built-in flexibility for special circumstances), making media choices you're comfortable with, and modeling responsible screen limits fo

Good morning, Al! I have been intending to send you this message for some time, but just never got around to it. A little background: our daughter (and only child), Anna, is 27. She is married and lives in Austin, Texas. Back when she was in late elementary school I heard you (probably at ACSI) challenge parents to spend money on Christian music for their kids. I accepted the challenge. We already frequently listened to Christian radio in the car, and I played Maranatha Praise at home, but Anna didn't identify that as her music. I told Anna we would buy her all the Christian music she wanted, but that she would have to buy her own secular music. We put no limits on the type of Christian music she could listen to. Thanks to a Christian record club at the time, we avoided going broke buying Christian music for her during those years. Like mother, like daughter--she mostly listens to Christian music today (with a little of the pop music from her teen years and some of he

Background Television At Home May Be Harming US Kids Development By  RYAN JASLOW  /  CBS NEWS /   October 1, 2012, 10:59 AM Leaving the television on for background noise may be harming the development of many American children, new research suggests. Previous studies suggest television exposure has been linked to children being less likely to pay attention during playtime, reduced cognitive abilities, and lower-quality interactions between parents and their children. Despite these negative effects, researchers have been unsure of how big of a problem background television watching is among families. The new study found it's a prevalent problem in American homes. "Our results indicate that children are exposed to a tremendous amount of background TV," wrote the researchers, led by Matthew Lapierre, a communications researcher at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. For the study, published in the Oct. 1 issue of Pediatrics , researcher