Group items tagged

Young people today born into a digital world are experiencing a far different environment of information-gathering and access to knowledge than a generation ago. Who are these "digital natives" and what are they thinking? How are they using the technology, and are IT experts adequately responding to them? These questions will be addressed in a new Library of Congress series titled "Digital Natives." The four-lecture series will examine the generation that has been raised with the computer as a natural part of their lives, with emphasis on the young people currently in schools and colleges today. The series will seek to understand the practices and culture of these digital natives, the cultural implications of the phenomenon and the implications for education -- schools, universities and libraries.

Embarrassing images can find their way onto the web all too easily, ruining the lives of the people depicted, but a 'privacy tag' could prevent it

Exchanging of nude photos via cell phone among kids [another form of cyberbullying] falls under child pornography laws. The long-term implications for these kids can be serious - not to mention the initial humiliation and embarrassment. Prosecution to the fullest extent of the law means time in juvenile hall and potentially having to register as a "sex offender" for the rest of their lives!

Fighting cyberbullying isn't just a technical problem. We need to educate children and young people to anticipate, recognize and deal with risks and problems as and when they arise. Children and young people will continue to give out their personal details so they need to be taught more about the management of personal information, both their own and other people's. More importantly they must be encouraged to become emotionally resilient in all areas of their daily lives.

Amy Jussel, founder of the Shaping Youth blog, examines how media and marketing influence children in this quick-paced and lively blog.

This video from WebWise Kids tells Katie Canton's story and is excellent to use in class with students. When she was 15, Katie met a 22 year old guy in a chatroom and fell in love. Only after playing the game MISSING with her family, did she come to realize that "John" was an online predator. He is now serving 20 years in prison, after Katie worked with the police and turned in evidence against him. Katie has become an articulate spokesperson for Web Wise Kids and she speaks at school assemblies to advise other kids. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Media technology is an integral part of children's lives in the twenty-first century. The world of electronic media, however, is changing dramatically. Television, until recently the dominant media source, has been joined by cell phones, iPods, video games, instant messaging, social networks on the Internet, and e-mail.This volume examines the best available evidence on whether and how exposure to different media forms is linked to child well-being. Contributors to the volume consider evidence for both children and adolescents and consider the quality of the available studies.

Another source for the MacArthur video, From MySpace to HipHop: New Media in the Everyday Lives of Youth -- a public forum on how digital technologies and new media are changing the way that young people learn, play, socialize and participate in civic life.

"21st Century Learning" is currently the hottest catchphrase in education, but what it means has yet to be fully determined. Technology is a part of students' everyday lives, and substantial advances in technology have profoundly affected the way they learn. As a result, educators are working hard to meet the ever-evolving needs of 21st century learners. Translating the ongoing technological revolution into a learning experience is a fundamental part of that challenge.

April 2008 : THE Journal. Students see a distinction between the writing they do for school and the writing they do in their personal lives. While the vast majority of 12- to 17-year-olds (85 percent) engage in some form of electronic writing--IM, e-mail, blog posts, text messages, etc.--most (60 percent) don't consider this actual writing.

Based out of NYC, the Global Kids Digital Media Initiative is a series of interrelated programs designed to support teenagers to think critically about the role of digital media in their lives and document their experiences in various media. It is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Digital sticks and stones can't break bones-but they can hurt even more. What can educators do to curb bullying in cyberspace? Talk about it," says Cathy Smith. "Define it and discuss expectations and consequences. Don't ignore it or take it lightly." To get kids talking about cyberbullying, Smith meets her students where they live: online. The article cites classroom strategies, including use of some of the information we've collected on this site: NetSmartz videos and Ad Council PSA's

We can never eliminate all risk; but there are ways to maximize our students' safety while using these incredibly powerful tools. Each tool needs to be analyzed individually to ascertain its benefits and the specific risks it might present. From there, thoughtful people can find solutions to the student safety issues that may arise.\nAs educational leaders we need \nto be safety conscious. We need to be prudent, reasonable; but we won't live in \nfear and we won't act from fear.\nIt is by opening doors, not closing \nthem that we create new possibilities for our children and new futures for \nourselves.

How a student spends their Two Million Minutes - in class, at home studying, playing sports, working, sleeping, socializing or just goofing off -- will affect their economic prospects for the rest of their lives. How do most American high school students spend this time? What about students in the rest of the world? How do family, friends and society influence a student's choices for time allocation? What implications do their choices have on their future and on a country's economic future?
This film takes a deeper look at how the three superpowers of the 21st Century - China, India and the United States - are preparing their students for the future. As we follow two students - a boy and a girl - from each of these countries, we compose a global snapshot of education, from the viewpoint of kids preparing for their future.

\n\nThe complete DVD is available for order on this web site. The web site also offers a preview version.

The Entertainment Software Association has put together a comprehensive web site on intellectual property geared for K-5 and middle school students. Through hands-on learning activities, students explore the significance of intellectual property in their everyday lives. There are suggestions for integrating content with classroom curriculum, teacher's guides, reproducible worksheets and Powerpoint templates. All of the activities are designed to raise copyright awareness and build respect for intellectual property.

Networks are evolving so that people may customize what is sent to them. Again, the best filter in the world is the human brain and through RSS, people will have access to many things (that will make it through your firewall.) This is an example of a space for TV buffs that is increasing in interest in the entertainment field.

This is a website where tv enthusiasts are sharing videos and collaborating. This is an example of how television and all of our entertainment is evolving to become more customized.\n\nIn addition to creating personal learning networks, we will also be creating personal entertainment networks (PEN's) -- all via this amazing thing we call RSS. Understanding RSS is not only important for learning but just living your life.\n\nUser created content is here to stay.

Teeming with chatrooms, online discussion groups, and blogs, the Internet offers previously unimagined opportunities for personal expression and communication. But there's a dark side to the story. A trail of information fragments about us is forever preserved on the Internet, instantly available in a Google search. A permanent chronicle of our private lives-often of dubious reliability and sometimes totally false-will follow us wherever we go, accessible to friends, strangers, dates, employers, neighbors, relatives, and anyone else who cares to look.

John Paulfrey (Berkman Center) provides a review of the book in his blog, here.

John Palfrey (Berkman Center) provides a review of the book on his blog, here.

A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University.

Schools should reflect the world we live in today. And we live in a social world. We need to teach students how to be effective collaborators in that world, how to interact with people around them, how to be engaged, informed twenty-first-century citizens.

What happens to our digital footprint when we die? In the physical world, a will instructs friends and family what to do with money and assets. But online lives and their impact may not be taken into account.