Virtual Worlds Are Still Unwritten: Can We Move Beyond Consumption?

Natasha Bedingfield’s performing in Habbo's teen virtual world April 10th and her hit song ironically correlates to the future of this kids’ digital platform, as she sings, “I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined...I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned.” As the Virtual Worlds 2008 conference wraps up, it’s no … [Read more...]

HopeLab Raises A Ruckus To Get Kids Moving! Winners Announced!

The good news is, Pamela Omidyar's HopeLab just announced the winners of Ruckus Nation, a global idea competition to get kids moving with physical activity. Bad news is, we were too busy implementing our programs that we didn't have time to apply! Shaping Youth may be short-handed on the time/funding front, but we're big on pioneering ideas, and this is the type worthy of … [Read more...]

Math, Media & Pi Day Converge as Kids Honor 3.14

Pi Day 3.14.18... Stephen Hawking, Einstein, and a salute to science!  In an era when science is being dissed with a government administration turning a blind eye to climate change and the reality of important scientific data impacting our universe, I've found myself 'wishing' I were in a 'parallel universe' sometimes...Here's more on today's Pi Day 2018 significance as … [Read more...]

SXSW, Digital Doings & Teen Docu-Drama Genre

Sleep-deprived digerati are schlepping into offices today, home from the SXSW interactive conference, brimming with mashups, and 'must-sees,’ from core conversations to Games For Change. Alas. (shoulder shrug self-evident) I wasn’t there due to my dang computer crash mishaps earlier, but then, neither was über-media academic goddess danah boyd (Berkman fellow; Harvard … [Read more...]

New Media Made Easy: Wikis, RSS, & Twitter Defined

Back up the train. When I started Shaping Youth, I’d been writing in very basic form for the now dormant Common Sense Media blog, using easy explanations to discuss how commercialism and digital ads were influencing kids at undetected levels far off parental radar. Since then, Shaping Youth has evolved to a deeper level of analysis of media messaging, and I realize I … [Read more...]