Teach Bookmarking

We take for granted that Gen Z are tech natives. After all, they often teach us older folks how to navigate technology. Yet, for as natural as tablets, phones, and social media apps feel to children and teens, there are skills that younger people do not know. In my time working with children I have discovered that bookmarking websites is a common hole in their tech know-how. Yet, it is something that helps school work go so much faster. While some sites can be easily located within seconds, others, like a school's Blackboard login page, a library's links to research resources, or a textbook publisher's interactive resources for a particular book, are more challenging to find each time they are needed. Take a few minutes this fall to show your children how to add a bookmark. If that is a skill your child already knows, work on cleaning up the bookmarks list and creating folders so that links are easily navigable. For older children who are technology dependent to complete their homework or tutoring, bookmarking makes the process a few minutes faster and less frustrating.