In case parents are interested in what the toy and digital industries are thinking about and designing for kids... Digital play that's both mobile and tactile was the centerpiece of what all the adults were talking about at the Digital Kids conference in New York last week, but their insights were like "frozen concentrate" compared to those from a panel of kids aged 8-13. Moderated by … [Read more...] about Notes from a ‘Digital Kids’ conference
From ‘flipped classrooms’ to flipped households
Sounds like a great idea to me. You've probably heard the term "flipped classroom," where the "lecture" or teaching happens at home, usually in video format and at the student's own pace, and the "homework" – the opportunity to practice what's been taught – happens in the classroom. In this set-up, all kinds of interesting things happen: the class becomes much more interactive, with teacher … [Read more...] about From ‘flipped classrooms’ to flipped households
FTC on mobile privacy: Now offering ‘guidance-plus’
The overall message from the Federal Trade Commission to mobile app developers has moved from guidance to what I'd call guidance+. The guidance appears to be growing teeth. The commission, which enforces COPPA (the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), reached a settlement with Path, a social network site and mobile app that agreed to pay an $800,000 penalty in response to the FTC's charges … [Read more...] about FTC on mobile privacy: Now offering ‘guidance-plus’
Online risk in kids’ own words: A research milestone
Up until now, the vast majority of studies about youth online risk have presented kid respondents with risks pre-determined by adults – for example, "the four main risks on the public policy agenda," as the authors of a new report from EU Kids Online put it. Rarely do surveys of and about children ask the kids about risk from their own perspective.* So this is news: With its new report "In … [Read more...] about Online risk in kids’ own words: A research milestone
Details, context on Rounds, Vine & other video-sharing apps
The company behind Rounds – a video hangout app for mobile and Web – has decided to keep the socializing just among friends. Referring to its "young user base" (it says 70% of its users are under 25, though it has yet to catch on at my son's high school), this week announced that the less than 3-month-old app was "retiring" its "Meet New People" feature "to focus on longer, more meaningful video … [Read more...] about Details, context on Rounds, Vine & other video-sharing apps