Remember when we thought desktop publishing and then blogging were revolutionary (you may be too young!)? Well, now there's desktop "manufacturing," and your children may soon be printing out their own shoes – of their own design or someone else's, depending solely on their own esthetics (pun intended). Or they could be printing out their dinner. We're in that phase of 3D printing and personal … [Read more...] about Making the future: Why we need to help kids make stuff
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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’
SxSW, Part 2: Rheingold & Salen on how to play with social media
In addition to the panel mentioned in my previous post about Hope North and the one I participated in, "Reaching Teens on the Digital Streets," here – in Part 2 – are some takeaways from featured speakers at South by Southwest (SxSW) last week (Part 1 is here): * From Howard Rheingold, help in making social media work for you Social media is overwhelming to a lot of us parents and educators. … [Read more...] about SxSW, Part 2: Rheingold & Salen on how to play with social media
Why kids love video games & what parents can do about it
Listen. Ask our kids about their in-game experiences, and then listen a lot. It may sound simple and we've heard it before, but listening can have powerful effects. This video interview for Kids and Media UK about kids and videogames with University of Bournemouth professor Stephen Heppell, who for more than 30 years has been helping communities and governments in many countries design and … [Read more...] about Why kids love video games & what parents can do about it
Kids under 13 prefer face-to-face play: Study
"Playreport," a new Ikea-sponsored survey of parents and kids (7-12) in 25 countries found that "kids overwhelmingly prefer playing with their parents (73%) over watching TV and using the Internet." They even more overwhelmingly prefer playing with their friends (89%), but parents did come in second, with Internet and TV coming in a distant 3rd and 4th (14% and 11%, respectively). The children … [Read more...] about Kids under 13 prefer face-to-face play: Study