Why playing in the virtual world has an awful lot to teach children

§ January 9th, 2010 § Filed under General § Tagged , , § No Comments

Many times I hear other adults using absolutes when talking about ‘computer games’. But discounting online gaming as ‘not engaging with the real life’ is a stage of denial about how technology is changing our culture, our constructs and our children, that we can’t sustain.

The linked article below is from The Guardian (UK) and offers a few new ideas for our discussions about youth and gaming.

Why playing in the virtual world has an awful lot to teach children | Technology | The Observer.

Feel free to comment below,

Merlyn

Forum paints pretty picture of men who buy sex

§ November 27th, 2009 § Filed under Media and News, News § Tagged , , § No Comments

This sounds like it was a memorable event for those present.

Forum paints pretty picture of men who buy sex.

It’s a very lively piece of journalism. I’d be interested to hear the comments of anyone who was there.

Top 10 Facebook Don’t for Parents

§ November 27th, 2009 § Filed under General § Tagged , , § No Comments

I liked this article a lot – if only for the chuckle value. I think we need to be present with our kids online but that doesn’t mean there still aren’t some boundaries to be negotiated. This article has a few good suggestions for being on social networking sites.

Vicki Courtney’s Top Ten Facebook Don’ts For Parents

Posted using ShareThis

Monday Morning collection of articles to note…

§ November 23rd, 2009 § Filed under News § Tagged § No Comments

I had a very inspiring conversation today with Tim Davies who has done some very interesting work around youth work, policy and online technologies. He is connected with many online communities and resources that I will put as links up here in the near future.

Shortly after that I got an email from an old friend who updated me about the discussion paper called “There Ought to be a Law: Protecting Children’s Online Privacy in the 21st Century” being launched this week.

And then, as the ebb and flow of memes is apt to, another surge of interest is expressed in this article from Charity Village entitled “Social Media: What are you afraid of?  Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story.

Read up and comment if you find anything that of interest!

The History of the Internet in a Nutshell

§ November 15th, 2009 § Filed under General § Tagged , , , , § No Comments

If you’re reading this article, it’s likely that you spend a fair amount of time online. However, considering how much of an influence the Internet has in our daily lives, how many of us actually know the story of how it got its start?

Here’s a brief history of the Internet, including important dates, people, projects, sites, and other information that should give you at least a partial picture of what this thing we call the Internet really is, and where it came from.

While the complete history of the Internet could easily fill a few books, this article should familiarize you with key milestones and events related to the growth and evolution of the Internet between 1969 to 2009.

via The History of the Internet in a Nutshell.

Reviews and Ratings for Families – Movies, TV, Web Sites, Games, Books and Music | Common Sense Media

§ November 15th, 2009 § Filed under Announcements, General, Media and News, Social Work § No Comments

Reviews and Ratings for Families – Movies, TV, Web Sites, Games, Books and Music | Common Sense Media.

Posted via web from Roadtrips and Ramblings

HealthDay – worth a re-post and re-read

§ November 15th, 2009 § Filed under General § No Comments

MONDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) — More than half of teens who use the social networking site MySpace have posted information about sexual behavior, substance abuse or violence, new research shows.

The good news, according to a second study from the same research group, is that a simple intervention — in this case, an-e-mail from a physician — made some of the teens change their risky behaviors.

“I was surprised, at least to some extent, at how clearly teens were discussing behaviors that we struggle to get out of them,” said Dr. Megan Moreno, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Once we started getting the findings, we wondered, why are they doing this?” Moreno said. “Do they not get it? And, if they don’t understand that this is public, can we send them a cautionary message to let them know just how public their information really is?” Moreno was working at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Research Institute at the time the studies were done.

Full article is available here –  healthday.com

I know that I”ve posted this before, but in rereading it, it seems even more relevant now.

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A Better Safety Net: It’s time to get smart about online safety – 11/1/2009 – School Library Journal

§ November 15th, 2009 § Filed under General § No Comments

It’s time to get smart about online safety

By Anne Collier — School Library Journal, 11/1/2009

Online safety as we know it is obsolete. A concept little changed since the 1990s, it’s one size fits all, emphasizing fear instead of facts, with young people stereotyped as potential victims in a hostile media environment.

See the complete article here – schoollibraryjournal.com

Great article and argument for sensible online safety measures.

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WhiteHouse.gov Goes Drupal [Updated] | Personal Democracy Forum

§ November 15th, 2009 § Filed under General § No Comments

Nancy Scola | October 24, 2009 – 2:42pm | 1 comment | Email This!

http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/whitehousegov-goes-drupal

Full article here

WhiteHouse.gov has gone Drupal. After months of planning, says an Obama Administration source, the White House has ditched the proprietary content management system that had been in place since the days of the Bush Administration in favor of the latest version of the open-source Drupal software, as the AP alluded to in its reporting several minutes ago.

Related: Drupal project lead Dries Buytaert reflects upon the White House’s switch to Drupal.

From the Archives: Why the White House’s Embrace of Drupal Matters

[Updated with details on the contractor and subcontractors involved in the WhiteHouse.gov contract.]

Comments

Another big win for Drupal

by jordanwillms on October 25, 2009 – 8:54pm

Another big win for Drupal. The point here is that Drupal is an extensible platform and fit for the future. While they may not be using the full power of Drupal yet, they will. And the good news about Drupal is, the Whitehouse can try something “new” in social media without wasting hundred of thousands of your tax dollars on systems integration consultants for proprietary content management system tweaks.

Jordan
http://www.sumolabs.com

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200 years that changed the world

§ October 15th, 2009 § Filed under General § No Comments

via gapminder.org

This is mind-bending stuff. This is a (creative commons licensed) database and processing site that draws on existing international databases. This site is a must-see for any social studies or history teachers. Fascinating and addictive.

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