Building Freedom: Celebrating Independence With Kids

July 4, 2015 Update: Adding this "Made in the USA" label lingo literacy from Consumer Reports to remind us all of our increasingly interdependent global culture and fascinating glimpse of whether the flag-waving zeal and patriotic pride merits a "made elsewhere" second glance. Here's to a peaceful celebration of independence, and thankfulness for the freedoms we all too often … [Read more...]

Social Media ABC’s: An International Opportunity

June 23, 2009 Changeblogger and informal learning pro Jasmin Tragas, (also one of my fellow NextNow Collaboratory global gal pals and co-contributors to the Age of Conversation Gavin Heaton and Drew McClellan's collaborative social media project for Variety, the Children’s charity) has put together a stunningly simple alphabet slide show that's Sesame-Street-easy in imparting … [Read more...]

Neda: Iconic, Insta-Media Shifts Us To Visual Story Threads

June 22, 2009 Youth culture is highly visual and iconic, no doubt about it. According to Graham Brown's article, Youth in Iran, about 60% of the population in Iran is under 25, so it's no surprise that the death in the streets of 26-year old “Neda” has become iconic very, very fast. As students and global citizens rally using social media mobilization to protest the … [Read more...]

Youth Advice Slinger With A Story to Tell: Josh Shipp

June 8, 2009 One week ago today I watched Josh Shipp, a guy who self-defined as a high school class clown with hair that “looks like a chia pet” open the Ypulse Youth Marketing “Mashup” as keynote speaker. Josh Shipp is the kind of guy who charismatically creates a following like the Piped Piper, and ends up senior class president on a lark (he used the slogan “Shipp … [Read more...]

What Will Kids Learn About Dr. George Tiller? And From Who?

May 31, 2009 When heinous acts of murder shake our nation to its very core, it brings out “the good, the bad, and the ugly” in media coverage, personal dogma and combative demogoguery. Whether it’s  terrorism, school shootings,  or today’s death of Dr. George Tiller, media has a role to play in curbing violence and handling the outpouring of grief productively. It's … [Read more...]