Please join us for an evening with

 Dr. Erica Pelavin 

as she discusses:

my digital TAT2 

Today's students are living out loud in a culture of personal sharing that has changed the concept of privacy. This shift profoundly impacts students in their social, emotional and academic lives. Most are using social media in a positive way, yet they live in a world where there are few rules about how to behave in cyber-space. In this new frontier, there is potential for posting too much information and making online 'mistakes' that can damage reputation and have long lasting effects. Dr. Pelavin calls these long-term effects a 'digital tattoo;' they can be created in an instant, but stay with their owner forever. 

Social media it is not going away. The immediacy and public nature of Facebook and Twitter has made it necessary to teach children and youth the importance of thoughtful communication, respect and compassion on-line. We need to help children learn, as early as elementary school, the power and permanence of the words they chose to post, tweet, share, and forward. “We need to help them understand that with the great power of the Internet comes great responsibility. And it is only through early education that we can front-load thoughtful use, respect, and compassion in the digital age.” offers Pelavin.

The focus of this interactive presentation is on helping youth develop the critical-thinking skills they need to manage their own privacy, respect the privacy of others, and use cyber-sense and ethical decision making in their digital lives. Dr. Pelavin believes in supporting students to create a positive digital tattoo and stand up to social cruelty both on and offline. 

Founded by Pelavin and Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet, MyDigitalTAT2 engages digital citizens in thoughtful conversations about the importance of privacy, strategies to think before you click, and, most importantly, tools to stand up to social cruelty. “E-communications have created a place for bullying to occur 24/7 through text messaging, Facebook and instant messaging,” stresses Pelavin. 

It’s time we began these conversations with our children, regardless of where we live — at the earliest age possible, but definitely before middle school, when their world widens and adult supervision decreases. Developmentally, this is also the time students are most vulnerable to peer pressure. “Our kids need a virtual road map,” says Pelavin. And so do we.