Guest post by Marianne Malmstrom I’m thrilled by the competency and resourcefulness of my young students. But I also feel an urgency to inform parents and teachers that our children need us to be present and involved online. Just as in “real world" spaces, they require supervision and guidance in virtual spaces. They don’t know to ask for permission to make accounts, connect with friends, … [Read more...] about Mining Minecraft, Part 3: Safety & citizenship in games (do try this at home!)
Parenting
Mining Minecraft, Part 1: Little gamers’ digital play through a teacher’s eyes
Editor's note: This week, my holiday gift to you, dear readers. Below you'll find Part 1 of a three-part series of guest posts by teacher Marianne Malmstrom about what students learning in digital environments can teach all of us – parents, educators, risk prevention experts, and anybody else who works with young people. Editing this series felt like a gift to me, and it'll keep on giving, because … [Read more...] about Mining Minecraft, Part 1: Little gamers’ digital play through a teacher’s eyes
For better child-sexual-exploitation prevention
Child sexual exploitation has long been part of the Internet safety discussion, so here's a tip for good prevention online and offline: We need to talk with and listen to our children using correct language that's free of cultural taboos – and keep the communication channels wide-open. "Child-sexual-abuse educators believe teaching and confidently using universally applicable anatomical terms is … [Read more...] about For better child-sexual-exploitation prevention
FTC still not satisfied with kid app privacy
Only 20% of the 400 children’s apps the FTC analyzed "provided disclosures about their data collection practices," the New York Times reported today – and the apps that did linked to long, dense privacy policies that few users could comprehend. The Federal Trade Commission's announcement does not surprise; it's an update of the Commission's report last February (see this). But it says "little or … [Read more...] about FTC still not satisfied with kid app privacy
Good move: Game company takes down cruel ad campaign
This was good to see: What looked like a truly anti-social media company, game developer Square Enix, saw irresponsibility for what it was and quickly reversed a stupid marketing decision. I'd like to take it as a sign that – in this very social media environment where users are co-producers with the providers of their media experiences – media companies and users alike will be increasingly wise … [Read more...] about Good move: Game company takes down cruel ad campaign