Oct. 27, 2016 On the cusp of Media Literacy Week, Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2016 I'm turning over the mic (er, keyboard) to MediaGirls as part of our Media Literacy Week series on creating critical thinkers in … [Read more...]
Media Literacy Week 2016 Spotlight: Camp Reel Stories
October 12, 2016 by 1 Comment
Oct. 31, 2016 Official first day of Media Literacy week which runs Oct. 31-Nov.4! Please share critical thinking tips and tools to create a more informed public, so we don't have a plague of fake … [Read more...]
Her Next Chapter: Media Literacy Puts Mothers-Daughters On Same Page
May 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
April 17, 2015 Update In honor of National Library Week as I put the finishing touches on my presentation tomorrow about gender stereotypes and navigating unhealthy cues to kids, I'm sending a loud … [Read more...]
KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Review Oscar Animation Nominees
February 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
With so much Oscar chat about Frozen putting all other animation contenders on ice, I thought I’d “get beyond the buzz” of school, social media and neighborhood chatter to ask kids who are trained as … [Read more...]
Back to School: Using Branding as a Media Literacy Lesson
September 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
August 20, 2015 Update: More Back to School branding boondoggles...Remember when the G-force Gatorade tribe was caught red-handed with their marketing machinations of hawking sugar hydration to … [Read more...]
Year Round Media That Matters: Positive Picks for Kids
November 26, 2012 by 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...]
Toy Joy or Consumption Junction? Critical Thinking for Holiday Fun
November 15, 2012 by 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...]
Life 360: Testing Family Safety Apps With Teens (Part 2)
October 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Oct 21, 2012 Any parent who has ever ended up in a glorified game of ‘Where’s Waldo’ hunting for their offspring after temporarily ‘sliding off the grid’ with whereabouts unknown (homecoming, prom, … [Read more...]
Life 360: Family Locator Apps-Mapping the Shades of Grey (Part 1)
October 15, 2012 by 5 Comments
Oct. 15, 2012 Teens call them ‘trackers,’ parents call them ‘tools,’ and the telecom industry refers to GPS and LBS (location based services) as sheer “growth” in a mobile market that’s booming with … [Read more...]
Unplug: On Summer Hiatus For Digital Detox (Again)
August 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
August 17, 2012 Long time readers know I'm a huge fan of 'digital detox' to give writing a break, focus fully on family at the end of summer, and regroup for the back to school scene... I've … [Read more...]
Olympic Body Image: Talking Points To Get it Right, Fit vs Fiction
August 6, 2012 by 4 Comments
Aug. 9, 2016 Rio! This post still applies tenfold in terms of word watching and body image critiques of Olympic athletes! Media Smarts has added some parenting talking tips for boys/girls too! … [Read more...]
Mattel’s Manipulative Monster High Marketing Machine: Unkind.
June 15, 2012 by
June 15, 2012 Last year when I wrote about Mattel’s vampy campy Monster High dolls I purposely didn’t even name their brand, hoping it would quietly fizzle and bury itself in the outcry of parents … [Read more...]
How Can We Use Media To Gift Without Buying?
December 11, 2011 by 7 Comments
Update: Dec. 12, 2018 Open Call...for any and all ideas to give the gift of TIME to teachers, elders, family and friends and reduce consumption/increase heartfelt meaning in the process! Hit me up … [Read more...]
Best Childrens’ TV You’ve Never Seen: Ameba TV
December 2, 2011 by 6 Comments
Dec. 2, 2011 Heard of Ameba TV yet? For world-weary parents of kids aged 2-12 who'd like to allow media in moderation but are sick of monitoring cruddy channels of influence being served up by … [Read more...]
The LAMP Shines Light on Media Literacy: NAMLE Recap
August 5, 2011 by 3 Comments
Aug. 5, 2011 In internet time, the couple of weeks that have passed since NAMLE (the Nat'l Assoc of Media Literacy Educators' conference) may SEEM like a virtual eternity or 'old news' as digital … [Read more...]
Using Media With Mindfulness
April 1, 2011 by 31 Comments
Update Jan. 14, 2016 Fame focus...don't bite the hook! Adding this excellent post by Ryan Holiday of the NY Observer calling out the recent Rolling Stone ratings raunch along with a slough of … [Read more...]
Do Youth See Politicians As Puppets?
September 29, 2008 by Leave a Comment
As MyDebates.org gives kids a MySpace forum for Social Studies classrooms to attempt to instill a civic sense of ‘how it all works’ with “Who won? Who lost?’ Who made the … [Read more...]
