TheGuardian.com in the UK has a blog devoted just to apps – a big job (with more than a million apps at Google Play's app store, passing up Apple's 900,000+ this past summer). And the blog's writer and app reviewer, Stuart Dredge, writes that he's noticed a shift in device and app use among families with kids. More and more parents are downloading children's Android apps for both smartphones and … [Read more...] about App reviewer’s top Android picks for kids
Archives for September 2013
Why kids need more, not less, play
A lightbulb went on when I read "Learning for a World of Constant Change" by authors John Seely Brown and Douglas Thomas. I think I understand now why there's so much cognitive dissonance at the intersection of new media and learning, not to mention "online safety." It has a lot to do with how media has changed, and parents and educators are still trying to catch up. Media is no longer just … [Read more...] about Why kids need more, not less, play
With this teen texting study, only methodology was news
The methodology for a just-released study about teens and texting was new, but the findings don't seem to break much new ground – unless the news media had picked up on what the researchers didn't highlight. More on the reporting in a minute; first the study, published by researchers at University of Texas, Dallas, in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. Past studies of teens' "texting … [Read more...] about With this teen texting study, only methodology was news
Digital media’s power for all kinds of good: One student’s story
Rarely do we hear stories about how playing in digital environments in school – much less playing a popular videogame not originally designed for school – can be life-changing in a good way. So here's one (names in the story have been changed to protect everybody's privacy): For four years, starting in 2008, when he was in middle school, "Zach" participated in the WoWinSchool Club every day … [Read more...] about Digital media’s power for all kinds of good: One student’s story
How digital media’s changing learning AND learners
Are you seeing this in students at your house or school too? "Learners are more resilient and able than many teachers give them credit for. They have unprecedented access to a large array of new technologies. They connect and communicate in ways previous generations could only imagine … [and] they are identified and maintain their identities through their social media," writes Plymouth University … [Read more...] about How digital media’s changing learning AND learners