This is how safety, citizenship, and social change work best in social media. Count on students to lead the way. "After a bullying Twitter account at Linn-Mar High School [in Marion, Iowa] spurred copycats in Iowa City," students at West High School in the latter city adopted countermeasures, the Iowa City Press Citizen reports. Their strategy was simple and effective: Identify a student being … [Read more...] about Smart students’ countermeasures for social media safety
Youth
Global ‘collective of information’: Student
A couple of things 21-year-old US student Charles Tong told YPULSE in its latest "millennial interview" reminded me of a study of Brazilians his age. Referring to the site where President Obama made a seemingly impromptu appearance this week, Charles talked about how reddit is one of his favorite social sites "because it easily connects me to millions of other anonymous like-minded users around my … [Read more...] about Global ‘collective of information’: Student
Virtual, tangible, interactive & mobile ‘toys’
Remember Pokemon cards? My kids were crazy about them when they were little, and I didn't mind supporting that passion because the cards were part of what seemed like a whole field of child anthropology. At a very young age, kids were learning about the traits, customs, physical abilities, relations, culture, etc. of an imaginary species – and sharing that knowledge in collaboratively designed … [Read more...] about Virtual, tangible, interactive & mobile ‘toys’
Learning from, working with at-risk youth
A lot of great work on social media and at-risk youth has been done in the UK by Internet-safety consultant Stephen Carrick-Davies, and here's an important takeaway from his latest work: Educators and other professionals who work with marginalized young people need to understand and use social media – the social and communications tools of their everyday lives. In the UK, some of that work … [Read more...] about Learning from, working with at-risk youth
Student bullying-prevention activists, leaders, mentors
Probably any number of things could inspire a student to become an activist, but in 16-year-old Ali's case, it was "an English homework assignment about marginalized groups in society," The Gazette, in Lisbon, Iowa, reported. "She realized they needed a voice," apparently thought about how kids can get marginalized in bullying types of situations, and emailed Lisbon Community Schools' dean of … [Read more...] about Student bullying-prevention activists, leaders, mentors