150 Kids’ Virtual Worlds: 95 Live, 68 in R&D; How Many Are Worthy?

Seems everyone is in L.A. for the Virtual Worlds Expo except me right now, with e-mails and schmooze plans flinging back and forth like a gamer leader board. No, gang, I can’t make it to dinner, but yes, I DO wish someone would crosspost some of these fly-on-the-wall conversations on Utterz as I’m sure key connections will transpire and I want to track anyone … [Read more...]

How Can Such An Avid Blogger Miss Blog Day? Oops!

Aw, crud, it’s ‘Blog Day’ and I might have missed it! Like a Hallmark Holiday that shanghais the buyer into feeling like they’ve missed an occasion of importance, (Heads up! Grandparents’ Day is Sept. 7th this year folks; supposedly always the first Sunday after Labor Day unbeknownst to all but the marketing machine perpetuating it!) I’m … [Read more...]

GovTweets: A Snapshot of Election Dialogue

Not that a ton of teens are tweeting on Twitter just yet, but if helpful hacks like GovTweets take hold, the PoliSci exam cram kids will be au courant in a micro-second with these little info capsules! Created by Canadian political analyst Stephen Taylor, it’s a cool ‘day in the life’ of media mindshare in our ongoing Age of Conversation. He's made it so … [Read more...]

Shaping Youth Interviews ATB Director Darryl Roberts

Last Friday I broke policy and posted America the Beautiful: “See it. Support it.” sight unseen! 48 hours ago I saw it; applauded it. 24 hours ago I started a ‘social media scramble’ to rally a posse of social media pals to “Tweet it, Digg it, Blog it, Friend it," and NOW, I’m asking YOU to get your keister  into a seat and spike the … [Read more...]

Kids, See How You’re Smart: Use Your Intelligence(s!)

There’s nothing more heart-wrenching to me than a child self-critical of his or her brainpower, tossing off statements about ‘the smart kids” while excluding themselves from this tribe. I see this often in my work at Shaping Youth, and it’s painful to observe, much less ‘counter-market’ because media and classroom ideals often reinforce this type of self-selection. On … [Read more...]