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This past week, President Bush signed into law a bill that will establish a new national research center for studying digital technology and learning. The center aspires be to edtech what the National Institutes of Health have been for medical research.

Spurred by the unlimited texting plans offered by carriers like AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company - almost 80 messages a day, more than double the average of a year earlier.

bNetS@vvy is a bimonthly publication of the National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN), the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Sprint. The bilingual newsletter provides resources from a range of perspectives to help adults understand the problem and connect with young teens to reduce the risks that they will become bullies or victims online. Lawyers, School Psychologists, Classroom Teachers and Teens contribute to the bi-monthly publication. Recent issues have covered Cyberbullying topics and Web 2.0

This issue of bNets@vvy focuses on texting and includes articles on: Understanding the Benefits and Risks of Texting, A Pediatrician's Advice for Managing Your Child's Texting Activity, Parents Share Their Strategies for Managing Kids' Texting Behavior, A Teen Talks About Texting and What Parents/Educators Need to Know About It, What's Up with Texting? A Teacher Asks Her Students to Clue Her In

Larry Magid discusses the shift in thinking -- from a focus of constraint and protection against predators to one of developing a culture of responsibility and digital citizenship. For those "at risk" students, school psychologist, Patti Afgatson, suggests that we consider using health prevention models for Internet safety education - basic safety advice for most youth and intense counseling from mental health professionals for the small minority of young people who are taking extraordinary risks both on and offline.

The December 2007 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health was devoted to articles on cyberbullying and youth violence as a public health issue. Eleven research articles are available for download from this page.

New York City's Department of Health launched its Mindspace program last week, an attempt to reach at-risk teens by creating MySpace pages for kids battling common mental health issues.
Though many teens experience mental health issues, they are often reluctant to acknowledge them and seek help. When asked who they are most likely to talk with when they feel sad, more than 20% of teens NYC Teen said they talk to no one, one-third said they would talk to a friend only (31%), and just one-third said they would talk to an adult (32%). The Mindspace page responds to these issues with interactive features that raise awareness and combat stigma by helping teens identify with peers and prompting them to seek help.

The Health Department today announced a new online campaign to engage teenagers grappling with depression, drugs, and violence, and to encourage them to seek help. NYC Teen Mindspace, posted on MySpace, is the agency's first effort to promote health through Web-based social networking - a medium with great potential because of its popularity with young people

There are hobbyists and there are fanatics. I cannot imagine the pricetag for the computer set up shown here and have to hope that these 11 computers used simultaneously to play world of warcraft are put to "good use" at other times during the day. I also see someone who is online but is not connected with others. To me, if I do things online - I like social spaces because of the "interaction" -- sort of like creating your own friend network of 36 different people and tweeting yourself all day -- sort of Sybil-ish, I think. Addictive behaviors is definitely part of digital health and wellness and helping people know when to draw the line.

To many parents, text messaging is an enigma - a practice their children engage in when they could just make a phone call or walk down the street to their friends' houses. It seems to be a strange but harmless means of communication. What most don't know is that too much texting can actually be detrimental to their teens' health.

"Community Technology Programs Deliver Opportunities to Youth" is an 8:46 minute video in which young people help tell the story of why access to quality technology and training matters to their future. The video covers health improvement, educational achievement, workforce training and civic engagement of young people through the use of information and communications technology.

It's important to teach students that just as we don't believe everything we hear on the radio, in the newspaper, on T.V., we can't believe everything on the Internet. Although the QUICK web site hasn't been updated since 2000, it does contain 8 great tips for evaluating web site information. They are presented in a clear and concise style with colorful graphics that will appeal to kids. Usually, such tips are offered by school librarians. This site was developed as an aid for consumers seeking health information.

My Pop Studio is a creative play experience that strengthens critical thinking skills about television, music, magazines and online media directed at girls. Users select from four behind-the-scenes opportunities to learn more about mass media: My Pop Studio strengthens media literacy skills, promotes positive youth development, and increases knowledge about health issues. Highly interactive creative play activities are used to create an online community that guides users through the process of deconstructing, analyzing and creating media. Video segments, flash animation, media deconstruction games and quizzes, and moderated blogs make the website lively, fun and educational. My Pop Studio was created by a team of researchers and media professionals at the Media Education Lab, located at Temple University's School of Communication.

A general site for parents dealing with all areas of children's health, including Internet Safety.

Move over, "texting thumb." A study came out this week about the rise of another physical ailment related to too much texting. Called cubital tunnel syndrome (CTS), it's basically a very unfunny funny bone: it occurs when a pencil-thick nerve gets pinched at the elbow. While it's not a new ailment-those of us over 30 call it tennis elbow-it's another reason to keep tabs on the volume of texts and Tweets your teens are tapping out. CTS is appearing more frequently in teens who keep their elbows bent while holding their cell phones or PDAs.

The average teenager spends more than three hours a day watching TV, but only 43 minutes reading, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, data which suggests that as important as English literature and composition courses are to a proper high school education, something valuable is missing from the curriculum. A number of schools are already answering that need, offering media literacy programs that teach teens to recognize and deconstruct the ways messages are made in film, television and new media.

The Authority & Responsibility of School Officials in Responding to Cyberbullying Article by Nancy Willard, M.S. J.D. [Journal of Adolescent Health 41 (2007) S64-S65]

A warning from the head of a prominent cancer research institute has rekindled fears about the possible health risks associated with extensive cell-phone use, especially among children--and it comes as a growing number of children are using cell phones to communicate.

Safe Schools is a California state-wide agency that provides training for a wide range of school issues including environmental, transportation, health, behavioral [drugs, violence and victimization] and human resources.

Home Business & Finance News Top News UK World Sports Technology Entertainment Science & Health Environment Motoring Oddly Enough Lifestyle The Great Debate Blogs Special Reports Video Pictures Weather Do More With Reuters RSSRSS Feed Widgets Mobile Podcasts Newsletters Interactive TV Partner Services Career Centre Professional Products Financial Media Support (Customer Zone) About Thomson Reuters RPT-FEATURE-Murder brings scrutiny to fast-growing Craigslist Sat Apr 25, 2009 12:28pm BST Email | Print | Share | Single Page [-] Text [+] "There's a whole field of law emerging which is online media liability law and the question is how much liability do we place on companies that host information other people post online," said John Palfrey, a Harvard Law School professor. "The general policy approach we have taken to the Internet starting a decade plus ago was to say there is basically no liability, but these recent cases put to the test that policy," said Palfrey, who is a co-director of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.