Media Simulations Where Kids Cast Their Vote: Silly or Sage?

I vote sage. But you probably figured that. Sunday's Kids Pick the President Nickelodeon News special fell off my radar...even with Linda Ellerbee’s encouragement to get in the practice of voting, “because the next four years affects your future as much as any adult.” (ahem, maybe more, kidlets!) Truth is, I missed posting yesterday because kids were … [Read more...]

Got 5 Friends? Google Maps + Celebrities Rock the Vote

Got 5 minutes? Watch this video. Got 5 friends? Tell ‘em to register NOW to vote. Some states close their voter registration in less than 72 hours, as early as October 4th. (deadlines for each state here) Other states have ‘postmark by’ dates. Some let you register later if you show up in person. Don’t get shut out. Register NOW. Go to … [Read more...]

Do Youth See Politicians As Puppets?

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 stronger case?” it makes me ponder if we're perhaps asking kids the wrong question entirely. I'm all for teaching kids how to watch a debate, and giving media literacy … [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...]