Children’s App Reviews: Does Money Talk? Part Two

Aug. 27, 2015 “I can make or break you” may sound more like a line from Good Fellas than a children’s app review site, but the skullduggery and reticent storytelling seeping out of the industry cracks since I wrote “Part One: Children’s Apps: Does Money Talk?” has nothing on Scorsese. The last few weeks have been a sophisticated sift and sort game of “perception vs reality” … [Read more...]

Children’s App Reviews: Does Money Talk?

August 4, 2015 Lately I’ve been deluged by email solicitations to publish "sponsored content," turning down so many advertising requests that I now have a template reply that goes something like this:“Thank you for your interest and outreach, but currently Shaping Youth is a self-funded, nonprofit, media literacy entity, thus we take no advertising, content marketing, link … [Read more...]

Tech with Kids: Developing Media That Matters

June 9, 2015 As a diehard infovore with a “what’s behind the media curtain” critical thinking lens, I’m fascinated by the scads of kids’ conferences I can’t afford and have no time to attend, usually gathering crumbs of media, education, technology data via hashtag to bring back to my little Twitter nest.This week I chose to outreach like Cinderella in rags asking to go to the … [Read more...]

Can Digital Kids Click With Nature, Wildlife?

Aug. 25, 2016 Update Celebrate 100 Years of our National Parks with FREE admission today! In honor of this centennial milestone, a quick roundup of children's media designed specifically to get kids OUTSIDE to play outdoors in nature and learn eco-literacy lessons for life. Which media would you add that boosts kids knowledge and curiosity about the environment, wildlife … [Read more...]

Gaming: A Battle Over Anorexia In World of Warcraft

June 7, 2014 This coming week I’m attending the colossal gaming #Gsummit in S.F., a four-figure fee fandango (won in a drawing) that I’m eagerly sweeping my slate for in order to learn from ‘the biggies’ how large scale gaming and gamification can impact behavior change, physical/mental and social-emotional environments, education, imaginative play, and even widespread public … [Read more...]