Screen Smarts: A Family Guide to Media Literacy

by Gloria Degaetano

Television, video games, and on-line media are now a fact of life for our children, whose developing minds and bodies are particularly vulnerable to their power. This vulnerability has sparked a national debate, and parents and educators have joined forces to address the benefits and drawbacks of visual media. In Screen Smarts, Gloria DeGaetano, a nationally recognized expert on mass media and children, argues that while these technologies are often overused, when used consciously and purposefully, they can not only support children's development but enhance it as well. This book addresses all the vital media-related issues for children through the age of fourteen and offers proactive strategies for supporting children's optimal development in a media age. It is sure to be the definitive sourcebook on media literacy for a long time to come.

Paperback

Published January 1, 1996

About the author

Gloria DeGaetano, M.Ed., began her career as a classroom teacher, working with inner-city youth in Seattle. She then worked as an elementary reading specialist, and a year later joined the administrative team to direct the district’s Reading and Language Arts Programs, K-8.

For a decade she served in that capacity, developing new programs and approaches resulting in higher test scores for students, greater parent involvement, and overall more effective staff training and curriculum selection processes.

In the 90s, Gloria began her work as an independent consultant to schools and organizations. With her groundbreaking book, Screen Smarts: A Family Guide to Media
Literacy, she introduced the term “family media literacy” to public awareness.

Gloria has written several other books including the best-selling Stop Teaching Our
Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie, and Video Game Violence, Left to Their Devices, What’s Left?, and Parenting Well in a Media Age, recipient of the 2007 i-Parenting Media Award.

Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Baby China
Magazine, Parenting Insights, Seattle’s Child, Portland Parent, American Baby Magazine, The Boston Globe, Committee for Children Newsletter, and the American Academy of
Pediatrics Newsletter. Her books and articles have been translated into 10 languages
including Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Danish, German and Turkish.

Gloria has been a guest on The Today Show and national radio shows, including NPR’s Fresh Air, Marketplace, and The Tavis Smiley Show. She has also been featured in television documentaries produced by ABC and the Canadian Broadcast Corporation, and Lifetime’s Balancing Act for Women. Her work has been featured on news programs by NBC-affiliates throughout the country and in newspapers and magazines including Newsweek, Parents Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The New York
Times, The Wall Street Journal, La Tribune, The London Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, American Way, The Chicago Daily Herald, Redbook, and
Southwest Airlines Magazine.

Gloria is the mother of two grown sons and makes her home near Seattle.

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for those with small children. Understand why you limit screen time. I was a convert at the first read. I try to share this info. with as many young parents as I can. Extremely valuable info.