You could call Internet users "citizen lobbyists." This week, in a post-Arab Spring sign of how participatory media – and its participants – are powerfully changing things, they successfully went head-to-head with some powerful forces and won. Christopher Dodd, the head of the film industry trade group that lobbied and failed to push through the Stop Online Piracy Act (along with the US Chamber of … [Read more...] about SOPA & citizenship in a digital age
Archives for January 2012
Addendum: But isn’t videogame play bad for kids?
This is an addendum to my post yesterday, "Why kids love video games & what parents can do about it".... There has been a lot of legislation written, news stories published, and research conducted about the effects of violent videogames on kids. New laws have consistently been rejected by the courts as unconstitutional, and the research has shown that "a very small number of kids, about 3%, … [Read more...] about Addendum: But isn’t videogame play bad for kids?
Why kids love video games & what parents can do about it
Listen. Ask our kids about their in-game experiences, and then listen a lot. It may sound simple and we've heard it before, but listening can have powerful effects. This video interview for Kids and Media UK about kids and videogames with University of Bournemouth professor Stephen Heppell, who for more than 30 years has been helping communities and governments in many countries design and … [Read more...] about Why kids love video games & what parents can do about it
A class as a team of co-learners
…with the focus on the learners, which can certainly include the teacher. This is the conceptual infrastructure, presented in educator Jackie Gerstein's User-Generated Education blog, for using tech in the classroom. How does it play out? More emphasis on learners and learning, using technology to facilitate that. Starting when a class first meets. Literally – as in everybody really meeting each … [Read more...] about A class as a team of co-learners
Google’s data-security ed campaign & site
This week Google launched an ad campaign and Web site headlined "Good To Know," according to a report at the Washington Post. Aimed at teaching Net users the basics of protecting their data in our increasingly social media environment, the campaign has ads appearing in "dozens of U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and magazines, including Time … [Read more...] about Google’s data-security ed campaign & site