European children "now start going online when they are seven, and 38% of 9-to-12-year-olds who are online say they have a social networking profile, in spite of age restrictions," the European Commission reports. So it has formed "a new Coalition to make a better and safer internet for children" as part of its Digital Agenda for Europe, the Commission announced this week. The coalition's 28 … [Read more...] about Europe’s new coalition for a better Net for kids
online safety
Mindfulness for safety as well as success online
As long as there has been a "we" we've had the human drama running in the background of our lives – sometimes in the foreground and even raging in our heads. Social media mirror it, sometimes mass-distribute it, and definitely help keep the drama on the screens of our consciousness 24/7. That goes for the social drama at school that can be overwhelming right when our children are exploring who … [Read more...] about Mindfulness for safety as well as success online
Next step: Crowd-source digital citizenship
I question it even as I'm preparing for talks on the subject in several countries this coming fall…. The term "digital citizenship" is heard more and more in educational and online-safety circles. The subject is now part of the International Society for Technology in Education's national educational technology standards, and ISTE is starting a National Council for its promotion. Elements of it are … [Read more...] about Next step: Crowd-source digital citizenship
A cyberbullying epidemic? No!
Please note: There is no cyberbullying epidemic. Like author and anti-bullying expert Rosalind Wiseman, I can't believe how many times I've been asked about "the epidemic" and what's to be done about it. Rosalind suggests that the epidemic is in bad PSAs and "educational" videos aimed at bullying prevention. I agree, but also suggest that we've been experiencing an epidemic of news coverage of … [Read more...] about A cyberbullying epidemic? No!
We need to work out the social norms of social media: Why?
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about David Brooks's column on today's version of evolution and the new survival of the fittest: survival of the most cooperative, whereby people develop moral communities and the social norms that help those communities succeed. Then I watched Brooks's TED Talk about a new humanism that's emerging which expands on that. It's not the right-leaning … [Read more...] about We need to work out the social norms of social media: Why?