If you are teaching now, you are teaching digital natives.

Their world is different from ours.

You want to consider how to set your students up for a lifetime of success in a world where they are will build their reputations and careers in interactive, digital communities.

Digital citizenship is not about operating the devices. It’s about conducting yourself with empathy and developing meaningful relationships. With your family, with a future spouse, with a future employer.

The landscape is different now, and the rules are changing rapidly. Our students need help, even if they think they don’t.

It’s up to us as educators to mentor students and their parents to ensure that we are helping our kids develop the skills they need to thrive in their Digital World.

Mentors see that kids are very creative and insightful—but that they still need modeling and they still need help navigating this world.

Mentors believe in collaboration over control. Co-creating solutions with kids takes advantage of their creativity and builds trust at the same time.

Work with Raising Digital Natives

Lets make a commitment today—to our kids and to one another.

The way we interact and communicate will keep changing, but one thing remains the same:

True digital citizenship is our responsibility and the stakes are too high to leave it to chance. It’s vital for our kids, good for our families, and necessary for our communities.

Let’s stand up. Let’s be mentors. It’s up to us.

Consulting and Speaking Specialties 

• Parent Engagement Strategy for 1:1 Computing & Edtech Initiatives
• Keynote on Empathy in the Digital Age
• Professional Development Workshops
• Assessing your district’s culture of digital mentorship
• Student workshops on Connecting Wisely Curriculum

Devorah’s Tedx: Empathy is the App

 

Praise for Devorah Heitner’s keynotes & workshops

Devorah facilitated an extremely productive day-long workshop with members of our Intermediate & Middle School faculty. She is well-versed in the research, and moves effortlessly between a student perspective on the digital world, a parent’s perspective, and an educator’s point-of-view.

Devorah’s approach to empowering teachers and parents is not based on fear. She focused on building empathy, understanding and ultimately, positive identities. She illustrates clearly how to harness the power of technology (including social media) to help children learn and grow. Devorah helps translate the digital world across generations in ways that honor children and adults, and that offers a vision for nurturing sound judgment and independence in students as they grow up in a global, digitized community.

– John Novick, Intermediate & Middle School Division Head at Francis W. Parker School

Devorah Heitner of Raising Digital Natives was a guest speaker at my son’s school. Her presentation was informative and thought provoking. She provided wonderful tips and examples of how to best incorporate or sometimes exclude media from your family’s daily life. I highly recommend her.

– Karin Ellis-Wentz, Educator and Parent of a preschooler and an elementary schooler

I really enjoyed your talk. Your style and personality made it engaging, and your academic background coupled with being a mom makes you credible and accessible. Your presentation was informative for me both as a technology educator and as a parent!

– Allison Drew, Technology Facilitator The Joseph Sears School, Kenilworth IL, parent of three children

Devorah worked with the student, teacher and parent communities at The Orchard School. Her consistent message of embracing the technology and helping students and parents understand the role they play in creating a positive digital footprint was inspiring! Look forward to working with this passionate educator in the future.

Jamie Belmont, Technology Education Teacher at the Orchard School. 

I first heard Devorah speak about Digital Natives at our son’s school. I found her to have a clear, concise message about how to address issues our children are facing in this digital age we live in. She was very knowledgeable in the various different ways that our children socialize online and had very simple useable advice to offer. Parents with children of all ages were addressed. In speaking with the other parents attending, the room was abuzz with positive anticipation of getting more of Devorah’s time. Devorah was also very quick to respond to my emails and gave detailed useful advice. I have already recommended her to other parents.

– Frank Bruno, Father of a first grader

Devorah provided an insightful and unique approach to understanding children and their relationship with the digital world. Her approach was empowering both to children and parents by encouraging a partnership to use technology for creativity and learning. I appreciated her simple tips that will allow me to be intentional with my daughter as she learns how to be digitally savvy and learns important life skills that will carry throughout her life.

– Barbara Nordlund, M.A., Psychology, Former Executive Director of a early childhood child center, current nanny recruiter and parent of 3 young girls