Is There A “Decline” In Kids Reading Or Is It Just Shifting Forms?

Nov. 16, 2010 When I lobbed the “what do you read just for fun” query at some middle and high school kids recently, reactions ran the gamut from quizzical, “what do you mean by “for fun” to disturbing, “I don’t have TIME to read for fun" or "I have too much school work”…and yet their nose-in-the-text-screen antics tells another story by sheer observation. Kids are CONSTANTLY … [Read more...]

Age of Conversation & Kids: Digital Citizens v Snark Tanks

May 26, 2010 When I mention social media being part of kids’ identity, parents often cringe and squinch up their faces like I’ve force fed them BeanBoozled Jelly Bellies in pickle and ‘rotten egg’ flavor. Some parents perceive social media to be one behemoth danger zone of Facebook/Formspring/Game Chat/Text-fest "words that wound"---injuring kids like drive-by hit-n-run … [Read more...]

Storybird Kids Online Book Community Hatches Creative Fledglings

 Update 11-19-2014: Storybird Studio (Q&A here) launches for educators today, as a "suite of easy-to-use creative, administrative, and social tools for writing, reading, and storytelling" adding to their already successful platform reaching over 300,000 global schools. Post forthcoming, if I can reach some teachers to interview and chat about the new features! Sounds … [Read more...]

FREE iPhone Apps Dad Will Appreciate More Than Soap On A Rope

June 19, 2009 Let’s face it, young kids win ‘em over with artsy casts of their little hands, or fingerprinted cards and plates, poems, rhymes, recitals and songs... ...But some tweens and teens start running out of useful ideas once they’ve gifted freebie music mixes, personal playlists, chore chart IOUs to wash the car and all that good stuff. So how can kids dodge the … [Read more...]