Analyzing Media Messages: A Digital Dogs Demo of NAMLE’s Key Questions

Update! October 26, 2021 Join Lucy & the pups for a Halloween haunt to celebrate Media Literacy Week Oct. 25-29, 2021 as new Halloween coloring pages and Pre-K through grade 2 FREE activities … [Read more...]

Pinstripes: A Bold Type of Entertainment Hub

Nov. 22, 2019 update: Pinstripes will now open officially to the public on Dec. 3, 2019 after their community opener Dec. 2, 2019. Original Post: As the surge continues with millennials making … [Read more...]

Ghosting and the Machines: Media Devices, Normalizing Behaviors (Part 1)

March 25, 2019 Mute. Block. Unfriend. Delete. Ghost. It’s fast, effective and final, but these one-click solutions that treat humans like devices are creating behaviors that are almost algorithmic in … [Read more...]

Gender Stereotypes: Part 2 with Dr. Elizabeth Sweet

April 28, 2016 The dismissive wails from the Twittersphere and social media mavens were almost audible: "Oh please, not another pink and blue gender in the toy aisle post..." To coin a phrase from … [Read more...]

Tech with Kids: How to Assess Reviews, Find Quality Apps

June 19, 2015 One of the thorny questions I posed at the recent Tech with Kids Conference involved how to "review the reviewers."There are a wide array of reputable resources...Common Sense Media … [Read more...]

Guardian Princesses: Prosocial Planet Protectors?

Sept. 1, 2014 I admit, my first reaction to The Guardian Princesses was wince-worthy...“Oh please, NOT more freakin’ princesses!”Followed by, “Here we go with the chocolate covered broccoli bit … [Read more...]

Amazon Kids Shows Segue Screen Time Into View + Do

June 30, 2014 “What’s a cookie cutter?” said one student as I passed out the tools to build a knock-off of a Lunchable as part of a health literacy ‘switch pitch’ teaching about ingredients.“What do … [Read more...]

YTH: Youth, Tech, Health–Shaping Youth Interviews YTH Jamia Wilson

Mar. 29, 2014 Like a teen whose spirited, edgy adolescence evolved toward bold innovation, I’ve watched YTH.org "grow up" as an organization over time, expanding and emerging into one of the most … [Read more...]

The Science of Character: Hosted by Shaping Youth and Reach and Teach

Mar. 20, 2014 Premiering worldwide! Attention students of life...“There are 7.1 billion people on the planet, and each one of us has a unique character,” opens The Science of Character filmmaker and … [Read more...]

KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Review Oscar Animation Nominees

With so much Oscar chat about Frozen putting all other animation contenders on ice, I thought I’d “get beyond the buzz” of school, social media and neighborhood chatter to ask kids who are trained as … [Read more...]

Youth Trailblazers Ignite Inspiration at First Ever Startup Weekend Oakland

Feb. 16, 2014 “You know you have something special when your teen and his friend are up and ready to head in to code by 7:15 am! –Startup Weekend Oakland is changing lives”—Leah McGowen-Hare“Thanks … [Read more...]

Hollywood Climate Change: Warming to Sheroes or Still in Denial?

Jan. 7, 2014 2014 is the year of Redefining Girly. Not just Redefining Girly, the new book on gender stereotypes and sexualization of kids by parent actionist Melissa Wardy, but redefining girly in … [Read more...]

Dot Complicated: Holiday Media Management

Nov. 19, 2013 Ditch the tantalizing Instagram food shots and showy status updates. Halt turkey tweeting. Spare the live streaming of the family fest. MAYbe use the Pinterest prep cheat sheets if you … [Read more...]

The Girl Effect is Rising: New “Girl Declaration” Gives Voice to MDG 2015

Oct. 6, 2013 While we count down #11DaysOfAction in October with our friends at Day Of The Girl Summit leading up to the second annual U.N. International Day of the Girl, October 11, 2013 with this … [Read more...]

Brave Girls Want: A Movement, Not a Moment.

Sept. 11, 2013 Grand Finale Tally for IndieGoGo campaign ended at 11:59PT: $26,673 Sept. 9, 2013 Today marks the triumph of a grassroots groundswell over colossal corporate branding, with the … [Read more...]

Back to School With A Healthy, Green Spin On The Freshman 15

Aug. 19, 2013 Turning negative media messages into positive, purposeful pursuits is what Shaping Youth is all about, so the newly launched "Freshman Green 15" project from Teens Turning Green.org fits … [Read more...]

Grad Night, School Policy and Mobile Media Management

June 6, 2013 “…Any personal items (including car keys, ids, cell phones) will be bagged and labeled with the student’s name. Digital cameras must NOT have transmission capability and will be left at … [Read more...]

Talking to Kids About Headline News; The Positive Social Media Lens

Talking with Kids About Ukraine: Resource Roundup March 10, 2022 Update-Russia's Invasion of Ukraine As parents and educators grapple with urgent headlines, grisly visuals and untenable war crimes … [Read more...]

Youth Aids Day: First Gen Who’ve Never Known a World Without HIV

Nov. 25, 2015 Update World Aids Day is coming up Dec. 1st, and Durex is promoting the creation of a "condom emoji" to be used via social media to shorthand safety messages for public health. April … [Read more...]

ACEs Wild: Flip the Brain Script on Adverse Childhood Experiences

1-8-18 Update: Important new data on public health problems emerging with kids in this damaging era of immigration anxiety. I see this every week when I tutor at Americorps/Reading Partners and … [Read more...]