Positive Picks

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

June 14, 2021 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

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...]

Filed Under: Emerging trends & STEM, Positive Picks Tagged With: 50 Best Media Literacy Books, Amy Jussel Author, Analyzing Media Messages, critical thinking k5, developing digital detectives, Digital Dogs Book, Digital Dogs Book Series, digital dogs detectives, Digital Dogs Media Literacy series, Digital Literacy, first of its kind kidlit, kidlit media literacy, kids data privacy, media literacy for kids, Media Literacy K-5 classroom, NAMLE, Namle's Key Questions for Media Analysis, National Association for Media Literacy Education, Parent and Educator Guide Media Literacy Digital Dogs, Secret of the Vanishing Bones, Teaching Data Privacy K-5, The Secret of the Vanishing Bones: Tracking the Data Trail

Headstream: Accelerating Youth Mental Health Innovation

December 22, 2019 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Dec. 22, 2019 With the world in need of joy juice to focus on visionary solutions over dire planetary predictions, youth particularly are impacted knowing they’ll be around the longest and are feeling … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks Tagged With: #mhsm, at risk teens, David Ball, Headstream, Headstream Innovation, Hope Lab, kids mental health, peer to peer mental health, Pivotal Ventures, public health, Second Muse, social media influence on teens, social-media, Springboard, Tech innovation, teen depression, teens mental health, The Kids Are Alright, youth influencers, Youth mental health, youth tech health, YTH

Youth, Vote! Step Up with Easy Digital Tools That Inform

November 3, 2018 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Update, Nov. 6, 2018: VOTE today! If you need to know WHERE, put your address into GetToThePolls.com and out pops all your nearby official voting hubs! Nov. 3, 2018 Instead of reliving the rage … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks Tagged With: #WeVoteNext, 18-29 voters, Ballot Ready, Lyft Ride to Vote, media-literacy, Midterms 2018, No Excuses, Nonpartisan politics, Nonpartisan resources, PBS Education Network, stagecrafting, Student Reporting Labs, student voice, Student Voters, Turnout Tuesday, Vote Easy, Vote for our Lives, Vote Smart, Youth Vote

“Tuesday Tucks Me In” Awarded Best Amazon KidLit

November 10, 2014 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Nov. 11, 2019 Update: This Veteran's Day I found a resource list called "Operation We Are Here" with kidlit books, educational explainers and resources specifically supporting military families and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks Tagged With: ACEs study, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Best Childrens Books 2014, Bret Witter, can video games help PTSD, canine companions, children PTSD, Connect, Dogs of War, empathy, first person narrative, flipping the brain script, Golden retriever, hero dogs, kidlit PTSD, Listen, Luis Carlos Montalván, mental health PTSD, military families, Playing War, PTSD, sesame street workshop, soldiers and dogs, soldiers PTSD, Start Empathy, storytelling, Talk, Tuesday Tucks Me In, Until Tuesday, Veterans Day, video games PTSD, virtual healing, VR exposure therapy, war after the war, War Games, war play dilemma, Wounded Warrior

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

March 29, 2014 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

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...]

Filed Under: Emerging trends & STEM, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks Tagged With: #FemFuture, Advocates-for-youth, Apps Against Abuse Challenge, at risk youth, bullying, campus safety, circle of 6 app, crisis text line, Deb-Levine, digital health, diversity and health, domestic abuse, hackathon for health, health apps, health literacy, Health2.0, ihollaback, Internet sexuality information services, Jamia Wilson, media-literacy, mental health, mHealth, millennials, Parenting-Teens, rape culture, reproductive rights, sexed, SexTech, sexting, sexual health, sexuality, street harassment, suicide prevention, support for teens, Tech diversity gap, teen dating violence, Texting4Health, wired youth, young feminists, Youth public health, youth tech health, Youth-advocacy, YTH, YthLive

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

March 17, 2014 by Amy Jussel 2 Comments

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...]

Filed Under: Emerging trends & STEM, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks Tagged With: #CharacterDay, Amy-Jussel, Character Day, character strengths, cloud filmmaking, cloud films, cloudsourcing, collaborative learning, collective knowledge, connected, Craig Wiesner, crowdsourcing, Declaration of InterDependence, Derrick Kikuchi, Digital Detox, digital filmmaking, digital innovation, Doug Engelbart, firing up the global brain, humanity, humanity rising, Let it Ripple, March 20, Mobile Films for Global Change, NAMLE, NextNow, participatory learning, reach and teach, SEL, Social Emotional Learning, student of life, Students, Sundance, Sustainability, the film, The Future Starts Here, The Mediatrician, The Science of Character, Tiffany Shlain

Upstanding Is A Force Field! Feel The Anti-Bullying Gravitational Pull

October 23, 2013 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Oct. 23, 2013 May the anti-bullying force be with you, upstanding digital citizens…The month of October, once known for autumn leaves, pumpkin patches and Halloween, is now sharing time with newly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Counter-marketing, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Stereotypes & Diversity

Gifts of Time, Tech Training for Dad’s Day

June 13, 2013 by Amy Jussel 2 Comments

June 13, 2013 Our family just wrapped up an impromptu multi-generational digital debriefing with all ages in town for teen graduation. “Wait, how’d you DO that?” became the common refrain of the day, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks Tagged With: A Platform for Good, collective knowledge, digital dads, digital keepsake apps, Digital Literacy, family time, Father's Day, free gift coupons, free printables, gift of time, keepsakes, Media management, milestones, multi-generational media, participatory learning, photo apps, screen free time, Shaping Youth, Tech training

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

April 10, 2013 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

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...]

Filed Under: Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity, Viral & Buzz Media Tagged With: Advocates-for-youth, AIDS, AIDS Awareness, AIDS-free generation, Campaign to End AIDS, comprehensive sex ed, First National Youth HIV AIDS Awareness Day, Get Yourself Tested, GYT, HIV, HIV positive, HIV/AIDS Awareness, Kaiser educational theater, Kaiser Permanente sex ed, LGBTQ, NYHAAD, Red Pump Project, reproductive rights, Secrets, Sex education, sex-education-teens, sexual assault, sexual-health-teens, sexuality, STDs, STDS/HIV-exposure, Victim blaming, youth, Youth Aids Day, Youth HIV testing, Youth public health, YTH.org

ACEs Wild: Flip the Brain Script on Adverse Childhood Experiences

March 19, 2013 by Amy Jussel 1 Comment

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...]

Filed Under: Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Nutrition & Wellness, People Shaping Youth, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: ACE, Adverse Childhood Experiences, at risk youth, Bay Area Discovery Museum, Bayview Children's Health Center, black history, Center for Youth Wellness, change agents, childhood trauma, childrens health, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, health effects of living in violence, immigration anxiety, infant health, kids and public health, kids stress, Nadine Burke, neuroplasticity, neuroscience, obesity prevention, Poverty, Preschool brain science, public health policy, The Poverty Clinic, toxic stressors, urban pediatrics, violence prevention, wellness, Youth-advocacy

Media Netiquette + Some Great Nature Apps In A Totally Wired World

March 13, 2013 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

July 26, 2015 Update: Adding Washington Parent's list: Nature Apps, Life Beyond the Screen and DailyTekk.com's iPhone app specific picks for enjoying the outdoors, plus Mother Nature Network's "7 Apps … [Read more...]

Filed Under: EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: 21st century thank yous, Amy-Jussel, Animal Jam, cellphones, Children and Nature, children and nature network, connected, connecting kids to nature, Digital Detox, Digital era redefining netiquette, Discover the forest, Earth-Awareness, fitness activity trackers, hiking apps, Kids-Nature, media netiquette, Media Unplugged, mobile thanks, mother nature network, National Wildlife Week, nature and wildlife apps for kids, nature apps, Nature Rocks, nature sanctuary, nature trail etiquette, Nature-Deficit-Disorder, NCLI, Nick Bilton, NPS, quantified self, reconnecting with nature, Rich Louv, sciSpy, Screen Free Week, Sharing Nature with Children, SMS Text, Texting-Tweens-Teens, trees, Trekaroo, unplug to reconnect, Unplug Your Kids, wifi in National Parks

Circle of 6 Campus Safety App: What It is And What it Isn’t

February 27, 2013 by Amy Jussel 1 Comment

Update: March 7, 2013 It's official! The President Signed VAWA! Feb. 28, 2013 Finally! The Violence Against Women Act has passed both the House and the Senate and is moving on for final signing by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Misogyny & Racism, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: A Thin Line, abusive relationships, Apps Against Abuse Challenge, break the cycle, Bsafe, campus safety apps, Campus Sentinel, CDC Violence Prevention, Chris Brown Grammys, Circle of 6, circle of 6 app, culture of care, cyberstalking, dating violence, Deb-Levine, digital abuse, domestic violence, Elin Waldal, emotional abuse, Fight Back, Gender, gender violence, gender-based violence, Guardly, healthy masulinity, HHS, how do you measure prevention, intimate partner violence, Isis, IVP, kidvid, Life 360, Love is not abuse, Love is respect, mobile-youth-trends, Nancy Schwartzman, NCADV, On Watch, One Love Foundation, OnWatch, public health, rape, rape culture, Rihanna, school climate, TDVAM, teen dating violence, Teen Dating Violence Awareness month, textual harassment, thats not cool, The Line Campaign, Tornado Warning, VAWA, verbal abuse, Verizon DVP Summit, violence against women, Where is your line, youth tech health, YthLive

When We Were Free To Be: Revisiting A Classic w/Deesha Philyaw

December 18, 2012 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Dec. 18, 2012 This year marks not only the 40th Anniversary of Title IX changing women’s sports forever, it’s also the 40th Anniversary of the cycle-breaking, movement-making pop culture childrens' … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, People Shaping Youth, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: 40th Anniversary Free to Be, 40th Anniversary Title IX, 70s sitcoms, African American sitcoms, Amy-Jussel, black sitcoms, children's classics, Cinderella Ate My Daughter, Co-Parenting 101, cultural literacy, Deesha Philyaw, feminine versus feminist, Free to Be, Free to Be at 40, Geena Davis Institute, gender and media portrayals, Gender neutral toys, Gender Portrayal, gender research, Girl Child Press, Glee, kids free to be kids, Laura Lovett, Lego Friends, Lori Rotskoff, Marlo Thomas, media-literacy, Michael Jackson Grew Up, Modern Family, Nancy-Gruver, New Moon Girls, Norman Lear Center, Packaging-Boyhood, Packaging-Girlhood, Peggy Orenstein, Pop culture impact on kids, Pop-Culture, race and class stereotypes, SEL, Self-worth-kids, Social Emotional Learning, Title IX, When We Were Free to Be

A Mighty Girl: Healthier Media Messaging, One Click Convenience

December 10, 2012 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

April 11, 2013 Update: Check out A Mighty Girl pics for Environmental Books and movies for green kidlit and Earth Day 2013! Dec. 10, 2012 What to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature … [Read more...]

Filed Under: EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, People Shaping Youth, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: A Mighty Girl, Amy-Jussel, antidote to sexualization, Brave, Carolyn Danckaert, Early-Sexualization, encouraging STEM, Geena Davis Institute, Gender, gender and media portrayals, gender literacy, girl-empowerment, girlpower, girls leadership, girls-self-worth, graphic novels, healthy choices, healthy girls toys, healthy media, media-literacy, Monster High, multicultural kids books, Packaging-Girlhood, Peggy Orenstein, pink and blue, positive messages about girls, positive role models for girls, Shero, sheroes, STEM for girls, strong female characters, SuperGirl, supershero, top books on bullying prevention for girls, Ultimate guide to the independent princess, winx, women and girls lead

CCFC: A Positive Pick, Even When Calling Out Negative TOADY Toys

December 4, 2012 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Dec. 4, 2012 No question I continue to land hard on watchdogs that aren’t woofin’ when it comes to media and marketing’s impact on kids, but nobody does it better than Campaign for a Commercial Free … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Counter-marketing, EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Nutrition & Wellness, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: age compression, apptivity ball, baby media, best toy of the year, Bratzillaz, building brain plasticity, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, CCFC, consumer watchdogs, corporate profiteering, digital devices, Digital Literacy, Digital Media Learning, digital world, early childhood education, Early-Sexualization, Facing the Screen Dilemma, FTC, Healthy kids in a digital world, impact of excessive screen time, Kids health, kids rights, kids socioemotional health, Lego Friends, media use, media-literacy, Monster High, National Parenting Publications Awards, Nielsen reports, nurturing healthy brain development, power of play, screen time, Susan Linn, TOADY Awards, Truce, value of unstructured play, winx, worst toy of the year

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building Through The Power of Play

November 29, 2012 by Amy Jussel 2 Comments

Nov. 29, 2012 Kuala Lumpur’s famous Petronas twin towers will now always look like ‘stacking cups’ to me, the Guggenheim Museum in New York upside down stacking rings, and Tokyo’s Yoyogi National … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Emerging trends & STEM, Media Literacy, People Shaping Youth, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: A Celebration of Building, A+ schools, Art and architecture, award-winning kids books, building kids, building minds, Caine's Arcade, can't be unseen, Case for Make Believe, children's books, Christy Hale, creative thinking, defending pretending, Dreaming Up, early childhood education, ECE, eco art, Edweek arts as essentials, encouraging STEM, engineering, Environment-Kids, Forgiveness Garden, illustrations, imagination, Imagination Foundation, Institute of Play, Lee and Low, Lego, maker faire, multicultural kids books, National Institute for Play, nature of art, once you see it can't be unseen, open ended play, Our School Garden, play, positive kids media, reach and teach, recycled art projects, school gardens, ScrapKins, STEM building toys, Stuart Brown, teaching resources, The Power of Play, unstructured play

Year Round Media That Matters: Positive Picks for Kids

November 26, 2012 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Nov. 26, 2012 With all the coinage and consumption swirling around Black Friday and Cyber Monday for people hunting “deals” I think it’s fitting to honor the organizations that deliver positive media … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Consumerism, Counter-marketing, EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Amy-Jussel, books, cause marketing, Club Chica Circle, consumption, Craig Wiesner, critical thinking, Cyber Monday, Derrick Kikuchi, gender and media portrayals, gender equality, girls leadership, girls self esteem, girls-self-worth, Green Festival, Humane Education, kids online community, meaningful gifts, media mindfulness, Media stereotypes, media-literacy, Nancy-Gruver, New Moon Girls, online gifts for kids, online magazine, positive kids toys, positive media influence, reach and teach, ScrapKins, social justice, teachable moments, Toward the Stars, transform the world, Zoe Weil

Toward The Stars: New Online Marketplace of Goods for Girls to Soar

November 19, 2012 by Amy Jussel 5 Comments

Nov. 20, 2012 “To the moon!” was once an iconic working class phrase that 50s TV star Jackie Gleason made famous in mock-threat to his sitcom wife Alice in The Honeymooners. He'd shake his fist, “why, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: A Mighty Girl, Achilles Effect, Amy-Jussel, appearance, Black Friday, brain plasticity, Brave, change the channel of influence, Cinderella Ate My Daughter, curated kids toys, Cyber Monday, Geena Davis Institute, gender in media, Gender Portrayal, girl-empowerment, girlpower, healthier messages, in defense of girlhood, Ines Almeida, kids socioemotional health, Media-Kids, Monster High Dolls, neuroscience, New Moon Girls, No labels no limits, not about pink, PFZ Inc, PigTail Pals, pink and blue, Pink Think, Princess Free Zone, reach and teach, Redefine Girly, STEM programs for girls, stereotypes in toy aisle, Super Tool Lula, to the moon, to the stars, Toward the Stars, toys with positive values, USC Annenberg

Toy Joy or Consumption Junction? Critical Thinking for Holiday Fun

November 15, 2012 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Dec. 7, 2016 Update Why not turn holiday gifting into a media literacy opportunity? Tomorrow I'll be signing up once again for Samaritan House sorting and stocking for kids less fortunate and I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Buy Me That, cause marketing, CCFC, change the channel of influence, critical thinking, deconstructing toy ads, eco-friendly toys, empowering gifts for girls, Engage Education, Gender neutral toys, Goldie Blox, Holiday 2012, kids gifts, meaningful gifts, Media Literacy Clearinghouse, Media management, media-literacy, NAMLE, New Moon Girls, pester power, Philosophy for Kids, positive kids toys, project girl, put your money where your mouth is, reach and teach, ScrapKins, social justice, Sophia the Great, SuperToolLula, support healthy media images for girls, teachable moments, Toward the Stars, toys 2012, Zilly

Fast Forward Health Film Fest Oct 30, Celebrate Food Day 2012

October 24, 2012 by Amy Jussel 1 Comment

Oct 24, 2012 Food Day 2012! “I don’t need any finger-wagging salad munchers scolding me about junk food” ---no worries, not happening. But if you'd like to be more informed about the reason for … [Read more...]