Best Practices For Kids Social Media: Profile Settings

How can we help kids’ learn to configure their profiles so they have fun on social media sites, while protecting themselves from needless data-mining, behavioral profiling, ad targeting, spam and such? I wrote about the new plug-in at My Data is My Data.org (just went live today) and rightfully, press buzz and discerning eyes noted that it simply shifts the trust/faith … [Read more...]

Is a Facebook Study Group “Cheating?”

What’s the difference between a virtual study group & meeting face to face in the library or dorm room? Policy, please? So far, I've got to side with the students, as this makes no sense to me as a virtual educator… Why does Freshman Chris Avenir (story in the Toronto Star) face possible expulsion from Ryerson University for swapping tips on homework … [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...]

Did “Jott the Vote” Decide to “MoveOn?”

Jott, the voice to text transcription service that I wrote all about here, came up with Jott the Vote as a derivation last fall, but it went awol in classic ‘flash-n-dash’ startup mode, as the application seemed to “move on” to more universal uses. People use Jott in different ways...my own personal Jott use is usually for mental floss/self-reminders … [Read more...]

Youth-Led Ideas for Worldchanging: Go Overboard!

...And snag $1000 while you're at it! Girl Overboard author Justina Chen Headley, in partnership with Youth Venture ("Dream it. Do it.") and Burton Snowboards are set to receive kids' concepts on how THEY want to commit to change and spark improvement in their own interest areas for action-based, passionista, youth-led innovation. I love this "Go Overboard" challenge grant … [Read more...]