It takes a lot more than "digital sabbaths" to become grounded, but it sounds like the creators of Camp Grounded in northern California get that. I think. As described by writer Matt Haber in the New York Times, the three days were as gluten-free as they were tech-free and packed with activities aimed at human connection, if not so much reflection. "Designed less to be a spiritual journey than a … [Read more...] about For families: ‘Digital detox’ vs connecting mindfully
Social Media
Instagram adds video
Facebook's little photo-sharing app just became a video-sharing app too. Whether they're using Apple or Android phones, Instagram's 130 million users can now simply pick whether that image they want to capture is better static or in motion, then click on either the little camera or videocam icon (see the left-hand screenshot below). If they go with video, they can capture up to 15 seconds (no … [Read more...] about Instagram adds video
Pinterest for consuming, curating, producing
I love seeing the clear distinction being made by this teacher between consuming vs. producing social media – and the learning value being placed on the producing. Seems obvious, I know, but I still see peers – including media researchers – referring to today's media as merely consumed. "As I looked into using Pinterest as an educator tool," writes educator Lisa Nielsen, "I found that most … [Read more...] about Pinterest for consuming, curating, producing
Parenting the littlest media users: Important study
Increasingly, digital media are just part of the rhythm of everyday US family life, a significant new study of parents of young children indicates. The study, "Parenting in the Age of Digital Technology," conducted by Northwestern University's Center on Media & Human Development, surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 2,300 parents of children 8 and under about how media – … [Read more...] about Parenting the littlest media users: Important study
Point & counterpoint on young video gamers: 2 studies
What an interesting point and counterpoint about videogames have been turned up by two just-released studies, one from Northwestern University in the US and one by University of Victoria in Canada: On the one hand: "Parents assess video games more negatively than television, computers, and mobile devices. More parents rate video games as having a negative effect on children’s reading, math, … [Read more...] about Point & counterpoint on young video gamers: 2 studies