Supergirl’s Adoption Lens: Swooping Past Stereotypes

April 14, 2016 Most know Superman and Supergirl are adopted, along with Peter Parker as Spiderman, Dick Grayson as Robin, and heck even Bamm Bamm Rubble from the Flintstones...but all too often in media, characters depicted as adopted get the ‘cartoon’ treatment even when they’re not cartoons. From language used in journalism coverage, to controversial  Avengers punchlines in … [Read more...]

#DigCitSummit Pt1: Debating The Facebook Dislike Button

Sept. 24, 2015 As a partner organization in the first ever Digital Citizenship Summit October 3, 2015 bringing in thought leaders and stakeholders from the student, parent, educator and industry sphere I’ve been applying my own mental floss to see how the conference will translate challenging and divergent opinions into some “best practices” to “be the digital change.” As a … [Read more...]

A Social Media Helpline for Schools: I Can Helpline

May 19, 2015 Once upon a time, call-in centers were helpful first responders to direct levels of care, staffed with human specialists not robots, touch tone prompts, and layered redirected voicemails entangled like spaghetti.In a throwback to an era of personal, customized approaches to dilemmas, the newly proposed social media hotline  for schools, called I Can Helpline.org, … [Read more...]

The Girls Q&A Book: 50 Ways to Fix A Friendship

Nov. 13, 2014 "There is no girls’ friendship drama that can’t be made WORSE… through staying silent, venting behind a friend’s back, or pretending things are just peachy," writes tweens and teens parenting pro Annie Fox in this interview that probes Annie Fox's latest new book "The Girls Q&A Book: 50 Ways to Fix A Friendship Without the Drama."“What part of friendship gives … [Read more...]

Speaking Out: A Rainbow of Reasons We Need Diverse Books

June 26, 2015 Update Photo essayist/youth archivist Rachelle Lee Smith of visual literacy book Speaking Out will be in town signing copies at Reach and Teach San Mateo tonight 7-9pm. Apropos on this day of historic family diversity with the 5-4 Supreme Court decision ruling that gay couples have the right to marry, as her photos in the book point to the many youth voices not … [Read more...]