There is certainly so much stuff out there to capture our attention and keep us scrolling, connecting, liking, commenting and sharing. Whilst I certainly hope to be more intentional this year with much of what I consume online, there have definitely been some people and pages I follow that I am sure I will continue to grab my attention throughout the coming year.
I cannot continue to provide the very best information, data, research and strategies without the help of many others online and in real life. There are certainly many more than I could have mentioned here and I will continue to promote their work throughout this year, but here are the few that have definitely been a standout for me in 2018.
Podcasts
Potential Psychology Podcast :Ellen from Potential Psychology has interviewed some fabulous minds this year, particularly in the area of parenting, performance and productivity. I was lucky enough to also appear in an earlier episode, and Ellen has a great way of getting so much practical advice and tips for us all to use in our everyday.
Stand Out Life Podcast :This podcast from Alli Hill was a new find for me this year but I have enjoyed indulging in many past episodes as Alli has a wonderful way of weaving peoples stories into her podcasts, to also look at the lessons we learn from life’s experiences and how we can best live ‘a stand out life’.
Other podcasts I continued to enjoy were No filter with Mia Freedman, Conversations with Richard Fidler, Straight and Curly with Kelly and Carly and the WellthyLiving Radio show with Lisa. For entertainment I loved Eyes on Gilliad and for crime it was all about A Teachers Pet.
Education and Media Literacy
I have lots of people to thank this year who have supported me, challenged me and helped me grow and learn, particularly those in the same of similar field of work to me. Some of the many people I admire in this space are:
Dr Kristy Goodwin : Kristy is fabulous at interpreting the research and helping turn the data into strategies and tips to help us navigate this space. We are very often on the same page and we are both passionate about taking the fear out of parenting in the digital world and replacing it with realistic help and empowerment.
Eyes open social media safety : these guys know everything there is to know about safely setting up social media and devices for safer scrolling.
Office of the eSafety Commission: whilst I am an accredited speaker with the Commission which help schools and organisations find suitably accredited people in the field, the website itself also provides a host of resources for all those struggling to navigate the online world and is a place to report any forms of online abuse.
CyberBullying.org : plenty of fabulous research in the area of cyberbullying can be found here, by Dr Justin Patchin and Dr Sameer Hindjadu.
Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA): I head to these guys for the latest research on the gaming industry in Australian households and the impacts of gaming on society.
Common Sense Media : for the latest reviews on all apps, games, books and media this is one of the most comprehensive places to help you determine whether something will be suitable for your child.
Child Protection Education
Safe4kids : awesome education, resources and training for child protection, protective behaviours and body safety.
Youth wellbeing Project :Also helping to counteract a hypersexualised society with a holistic approach to the researched harms of a society swathed in pornography.
Tweeters
Some of my favourite Tweeters:
Digital nutrition : Jocelyn helps keep the click bait headlines accountable.
Amanda Third: is a fabulous researcher of young people and digital media.
Sonia Livingstone : shares great unbiased content and is a wonderful researcher of children’s rights online.
Jennifer Casa Todd : for continuing to show us the many wonderful ways young people can use the internet for good.
Parenting Gurus
Parenting Ideas : as one of my original parenting mentors, it has been wonderful to work with Michael Grose and his team this year. I have always loved his practical and realistic approach to parenting which has always been very much in line with my own parenting style.
Dr Justin Coulson: another of my favourite positive parenting experts with helpful strategies and empathetic approach to parenting.
Reading reviews and recommendations
For any reading for pleasure I head to these guys….
The GFCBookProject on Instagram for all my book reviews
Style and shenanigans for book, film and podcast reviews (and plenty of other awesome stylish shenanigans)
So here’s to those who inspired me, and those that have taught me, challenged me, entertained me and provoked me this year. Thank you for being my ‘go to’ things to follow in 2018, and I am sure you will continue to provide me with new learning, inspiration and enjoyment throughout 2019.