We need to prevent and solve bullying. No question. But we also need to encourage and empower our children with the knowledge that most kids don't bully, that bullying is not normative – that, in fact, kindness is. As Dr. Marc Brackett at Yale University's Center for Emotional Intelligence said Friday at the federal government's Bullying Prevention Summit in Washington, "Children are wired for … [Read more...] about Leadership in bullying prevention and so much more
School & Tech
Kindness really could be going viral! Just look…
The use of kindness as a conscious, very effective grassroots solution to bullying is picking up steam. Where youth are concerned, sometimes the kindness is purely their idea, such as the kind intervention of two high school upperclassmen that sparked Canada's Pink Shirt Day and students' anti-bullying countermeasures in Iowa in 2012. Other times the impetus comes from teachers and school … [Read more...] about Kindness really could be going viral! Just look…
Social media in Saudi schools … sort of
In the US, social media is banned in most schools but ubiquitous in the rest of students' lives. In Saudi Arabia, social media is banned but will be taught in school. Maybe we could learn something from each other. "The textbook for [Saudi Arabia's] first year secondary students, entitled Computers and Information Technology, would contain information on using, designing and managing websites … [Read more...] about Social media in Saudi schools … sort of
Breadth of videogames’ benefits to kids may surprise
It being summertime here in the global North, there may be a little extra videogame play going on in households with kids. So it may be helpful for parents to know about a mother lode of the latest wisdom on videogames' effects on kids' learning, social development and futures. It's MindShift's "Guide to Games & Learning," and here are a few nuggets: Gaming fuels motivation "We want our … [Read more...] about Breadth of videogames’ benefits to kids may surprise
From ‘Big Data’ to ‘Big Parent’: Student privacy developments
Are you part of the Big Parent response to Big Data? Great lede from Politico.com's Stephanie Simon: "You’ve heard of Big Oil and Big Tobacco. Now get ready for Big Parent." She's talking about an unpredicted mobilization in recent months that has "catapulted student privacy … to prominence in statehouses from New York to Florida to Wyoming" and "attracted powerful allies" from left (ACLU) to … [Read more...] about From ‘Big Data’ to ‘Big Parent’: Student privacy developments