Playing For Change: A Music Movement That Stirs the Soul

Mar. 18, 2009 ”Music is the poetry of the air.”---Jean Paul Richter Like a smile, music knows few boundaries in its outreach. It has the profound ability to connect cultures, remove barriers, and capture emotion even when words aren’t understood, so it makes sense that youth leverage music for self-expression in so many multimedia forms, from iTunes to profile pages, band … [Read more...]

Serious Fun! Making Media to Study for SAT Exams

Mar. 9, 2009 I’ll admit I had my doubts. When Jack at MIT told all of us on the Classroom 2.0 hub that BrainyFlix was asking kids to make viral videos for pass around fun about SAT vocabulary words my first thought was reminiscent of Cosby’s comedy monologue with Noah and the Ark, “Riiiiiiight.” Even with cool prize payola (free iTunes download for every 5 referrals or … [Read more...]

Oscars, Obama, Twitter Glam & Jonas Brothers? New Media Moments

Feb. 24, 2009 I’ve been asking tweens/teens whether they watched the Oscars on Sunday to get a feel for the youth zeitgeist when it comes to the Academy Awards show as an entertainment draw in itself. After all, the inauguration became a Web 2.0 livestream CNN/Facebook happening, and the interactive tradition continues today with Obama's Address to Congress (live 9pm ET) … [Read more...]

Youth Call to Service: MLK Day Off? Make It a Day On!

Jan. 16, 2017 Update This year it's particularly poignant to contrast the ethics, integrity and service values of our outgoing President Obama with the stark greed, corruption, and narcissism of the incoming oligarchy that threatens our very democracy, so this is a call to action for each and every American to serve not just today, but year-round.  On the #MLKDay … [Read more...]