There was good news and bad news in a story coming out of Pennsylvania last week, and the good news is a clear sign of progress. The bad news happened first: As part of Pennsylvania's attorney general's "Operation Safe Surf" program, 4th and 5th graders at Merion Elementary School, about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia, were "warned of serial killers, sex offenders and Al-Qaida," WPVI-TV … [Read more...] about AG’s office apologizes for a school Net safety preso
The smart smartphone social backlash
It was inevitable. The backlash is in full swing. There were the headlines and talk-show chats about digital detoxing and then the how-to books about digital sabbaths and shabbats. Some of it was fashionable, some of it fearful – all of it good if it got us to thinking about managing and not being managed by our smartphones and other digital social tools. So now there are all kind of strategies … [Read more...] about The smart smartphone social backlash
Why Louis C.K. doesn’t let his kids have phones
The video has gone pretty viral over the past few days. On Conan O'Brien's show last week, Emmy-award-winning comedian Louis C.K. explained why he didn't want to give his daughters (aged 7 and 10) smartphones. [You can watch it at Slate.com.] What he says was – as my friend and fellow parent Anastasia Goodstein commented in Facebook – profound. But to get the depth of it, listen all the way … [Read more...] about Why Louis C.K. doesn’t let his kids have phones
Making the future: Why we need to help kids make stuff
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
10-year-old professional DJ
Probably because I'm a baby-boomer, I will never lose my sense of wonder that this is what's possible, now – 10-year-olds able not just to dream about the future but start making it happen while they're dreaming. To wit: 5th-grader Niel Mac is a professional EDM disc jockey in El Paso, Texas, who just started a blended school-plus-home-study solution because he's "about to start traveling" for DJ … [Read more...] about 10-year-old professional DJ