Congratulations to the 2009 Digital Media and Learning Winners!

April 15, 2009 No, it was not me. Remember this post about kids coping skills and resiliency? Same song, second verse. The MacArthur Foundation and HASTAC folks will announce 2009 winners tomorrow to the world, but here’s a sneak peek of who won which ironically, I had just stumbled upon yesterday and sent to my research associate Rebeca Montealegre Boyte who was outbound to … [Read more...]

Do Older Kids Outgrow Easter Egg Hunts and Dyeing Eggs?

April 12, 2009 Passover, Easter and religious convos aside, let’s just say EVERY generation seems to love spring fun and festivity. My parents hosted a pack of 85 year olds in an impromptu ‘just do it’ session awhile back and you’d think those ‘kids’ were 8 and 5 not eighty-five. In my house today, the Easter bunny got a bit creative with the teen scene, to hide her basket … [Read more...]

Elf Island GoodQuest: Stimulus Package That Helps Polar Bears!

Mar. 2, 2009 Talk about a two-fer: A great deal AND a great cause! Elf Island has put forth a brilliant triple-play “stimulus package” where kids can have fun gaming, help REAL nonprofits make a difference in the world and LEARN about climate change to boot.  Wow. A healthy media venue with no ads, a safe tween hub, and a philanthropic mindfulness message for a $27.95 annual … [Read more...]

A Virtual World to Be Wild About: Elf Island Tweens Help WildAid

Feb. 18, 2009 As reticent as I am to bring MORE media into kids’ lives, when I’d rather they be outside in non-electronic natural environs, I’m firmly convinced that it’s all about balance, content, values, messaging, and leveraging the power of media in positive ways. No secret that I’ve had my eye on Elf Island (fact sheet here) ever since Izzy Neis gave a heads up on this … [Read more...]

Beyond Tech Toys: Pico=A Playful Invention Company (Part Four)

Feb. 6, 2009 Today I had the pleasure of speaking with global fellowship recipients in Stanford's Innovation Journalism Program (here's VentureBeat's audio of Director David Nordfors explaining the concept of innovation journalism). I tried to explain Shaping Youth's version of innovation learning and thankfully, had asked Scott Arpajian, co-founder of virtual world Dizzywood … [Read more...]