It was a small but mighty gathering at Harvard's Berkman Center this week – mighty in diversity of geographical, personal and professional perspective (40% of the participants were from the global South). It was called "Digitally Connected," but it was about a more inclusive and, I think, more lasting, holistic sense of what "connected" means. It was co-organized by UNICEF and Harvard University's … [Read more...] about Cross-cultural in so many ways: Insights from ‘Digitally Connected’
Law & Policy
A positive, insightful new book for schools on bullying
In the preface to her new book, Positive Relations @ School (& Elsewhere), author and risk-prevention educator Nancy Willard tells of a conversation with a very smart 5th grader in a dance class waiting room. She was explaining to another parent why a "rules and punishment approach" to dealing with bullying wasn't working for schools, when this other person in the waiting room piped up. "Of … [Read more...] about A positive, insightful new book for schools on bullying
How Yik Yak is different from other social media
Based on news reports and conversations with educators about troubles with Yik Yak, the location-based anonymous texting app, at schools in many parts of the US, three scenarios leap to mind…. Remember that kid at school (or maybe that frat house) who felt the need or the pressure to set off the fire alarm to see what would happen, test the system, get attention or whatever social … [Read more...] about How Yik Yak is different from other social media
Factors in good policymaking about youth & digital media
Informed citizens sometimes forget that the reason why negative, tragic or just plain-old bad news is news is because it's the exception to the rule. That's why it's newsworthy. And this is true whether we're hearing about airplane crashes or online bullying. Sometimes the news is unspeakably tragic, but it's still the exception, not the rule. It's not an event from which we can extrapolate what … [Read more...] about Factors in good policymaking about youth & digital media
New Facebook policy targets guns, other regulated items
In the wake of vocal demands that it take action against users promoting gun sales, Facebook just announced new policies around content about firearms and other regulated products. One of the activist groups Facebook worked with, Moms Demand Action, applauded the social media service and its app Instagram for taking "significant steps to block potentially illegal firearm sales through their … [Read more...] about New Facebook policy targets guns, other regulated items