Raising Digital Natives Expert to Speak to Parents/Teachers on Technology/Cell Phone & Media Issues impacting Tweens & Young Teens

Two local community organizations are partnering to help parents/educators learn more about technology, media manners, and cell phones as it relates to tweens and young teens.  The La Grange Public Library and Parent Community Network (PCN), a network of area parents and community members, will host a special discussion with Devorah Heitner, PhD, an expert on kids and media.  She will lead an educational and dynamic workshop for parents, especially those with 4th through 8th graders, about how to create a media ecology in your home that is proactive, fun, smart and positive.

The workshop will be held on Tuesday, September, 24 at 7:00 pm at the La Grange Public Library located at 10 West Cossitt Avenue, La Grange, Illinois 60525.  There is no fee for this workshop.

Some of the issues which will be addressed at the workshop include:

• When is it a good time to get your child a cell phone? 
• Do limits on screen time make sense? 
• How can you set a good tech example for your kids? 
• How do you teach your kids proper media manners? 
• And how can parents even start that conversation when their kids seem to know more about tech than the parents do?

Reservations are suggested and can be made by calling the library at 708.215.3200 or online at: http://bit.ly/lgplevents .

Devorah Heitner, PhD is an experienced speaker, workshop leader and consultant and an expert on the research on kids and media. Devorah is currently writing an e-handbook for Raising Your Digital Native. Devorah has a PhD in Media/Technology and Society from Northwestern University and has published and spoken in the field of media studies for the past ten years. She has taught at DePaul University, the Better Boys Foundation, Street Level Youth Media and Northwestern University. She is delighted to be raising a budding digital native.

More details about Devorah can be found on her website at: http://raisingdigitalnatives.com/.

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Parent Community Network (PCN) (www.parentcommunitynetwork.com) is a volunteer group made up of parents, educators and community members from the Lyons Township area, who share the goal of ongoing parental education and support for each other to raise healthy, well adjusted, substance abuse-free and violence-free children.

Through Parent University (PU) and other educational programs, newsletters and social media, Parent Community Network’s (PCN's) mission is to enhance communication, sharing of information and support among parents, schools, and other community groups in promoting and creating a healthy and safe environment for our youth.

PCN encourages parents to learn, connect and talk with one another and their children, keeping the lines of communication open.

The La Grange Public Library (LGPL) (www.lagrangelibrary.org) serves the residents of the Village of La Grange, Illinois and surrounding communities. The Library’s mission is to provide provides residents of all ages the means to continue learning throughout their lives; to nurture a love of reading; to find, evaluate and utilize information in a variety of formats; and to connect as a community.