Olivia Van Ledtje, just now 12, tells the story of giving a talk in a western Massachusetts elementary school auditorium that was packed with students and teachers from three school communities – when she was 10. She writes that, after her talk, the students wanted to ask “loads of one-of-a-kind kid questions – the kind I can never feel fully prepared to answer. “Luckily, the one-of-a-kind … [Read more...] about Spark Change: The book taking (digital) citizenship to a whole new level
students
5 young activists in 4 countries, Part 2: The social media crucible
The US students who walked out of schools nationwide in protest against gun violence yesterday have counterparts in many other countries. On March 24, young activists all over the world will be staging events in support of the March for Our Lives movement started in Parkland, Fla., and there are other causes and kinds of social change their peers have taken up, social media playing a prominent … [Read more...] about 5 young activists in 4 countries, Part 2: The social media crucible
Student voice for meaning, self-actualization, safety (ISTE 2017)
"Our kids can be experts in the world," said visionary educator Chris Lehmann (@chrislehmann), meaning right now, as students, in school, in digital spaces, in life. Then he asked, "How can we help them be that?" He was speaking last week at ISTE, the world's largest ed tech conference. I went to ISTE to see what educators were saying about student voice, and what I found was a trend: growing … [Read more...] about Student voice for meaning, self-actualization, safety (ISTE 2017)
Learning about ‘The Class’: Researchers on their year in middle school
There is no way a book about spending a year in the life of a middle school class – its 28 students' home, school and digital experiences – could be reduced to a single theme. But one main takeaway from The Class, by UK researchers Sonia Livingstone and Julian Sefton-Green, may surprise and sound familiar at the same time: the old saying that "the more things change, the more they stay the … [Read more...] about Learning about ‘The Class’: Researchers on their year in middle school
Tech likely not the main problem in cyberbullying: Breakthrough study
There are some groundbreaking takeaways (and many more insights) in new research from the University of New Hampshire – "The Role of Technology in Peer Harassment: Does It Amplify Harm for Youth?" – and my headline is one of them. Another one is the answer to the question posed in the authors' headline: "no," their data indicates. But before going any further with the takeaways, a bit about the … [Read more...] about Tech likely not the main problem in cyberbullying: Breakthrough study