It takes a lot more than "digital sabbaths" to become grounded, but it sounds like the creators of Camp Grounded in northern California get that. I think. As described by writer Matt Haber in the New York Times, the three days were as gluten-free as they were tech-free and packed with activities aimed at human connection, if not so much reflection. "Designed less to be a spiritual journey than a … [Read more...] about For families: ‘Digital detox’ vs connecting mindfully
Parenting
Involving our kids in their own digital media learning
Just as neither blackboards (technology) nor the words or numbers on them (media) weren't the source of learning in the 19th century, digital devices and the games, apps, and other media on them aren't the source of our kids' learning in this century. They're just learning tools. It's how they're used by teacher and students, parents and children, that spells learning. "For teachers, in … [Read more...] about Involving our kids in their own digital media learning
Minecraft & the shared, creative safety of gaming, social media
Reporters and reviewers write about Minecraft as if it's just like any other videogame. Even this highly readable piece about its creator (Markus Persson, aka "Notch") and its parent company (Mojang) by Harry McCracken in Time magazine doesn't cover what makes it different from other games specifically for its kid (and parent) players. But he does bring out this extraordinary differentiating … [Read more...] about Minecraft & the shared, creative safety of gaming, social media
Snapchat’s SnapKidz: All snap, no chat
It's an interesting experiment: The creators of Snapchat, the social app for sharing photos that disappear in seconds, have just introduced SnapKidz, a non-social photo app for kids under 13 with Apple mobile devices (it's not yet available for Android). So, true to its name, it's basically the snap without the chat. It's also the ephemeral photo-sharing app without the ephemeral part. Kids' … [Read more...] about Snapchat’s SnapKidz: All snap, no chat
The power of kid-powered tablets
This article about tablets in school has something to teach us about tablets at home too. Tablets – iPads, Kindle Fires, Meeps, Nabis, iTouches (see this) – and even the apps on them aren't the main event. They can be seen as the means to an end: creativity, communication, learning, fun (author and game designer Ralph Koster says that "fun is just another word for learning"). What a child brings … [Read more...] about The power of kid-powered tablets