This is a great way to do voter education. Kids' virtual world Dizzywood.com's "candidates" are Kat De Claw, promising to "rebuild the road from Wildwood Forest to Canal City," and Cecil Sideshuffle, promising to "put an end to the evil Emperor Withering's corruption.” Kidzui, the kids' version of the Web, presents cartoon-y versions of Barack Obama and John McCain and their running mates. … [Read more...] about Virtual presidential elections: Kid picks
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New sites & services for kids, tweens, teens
I haven't done this in a while - written about products and services - so here's the caveat up front: These are not product reviews or tests; they're meant to spotlight options for parents to consider and trends in youth tech. 1. Safe playgrounds for kidsIt's like there's a "walled garden" trend afoot! Four of these services - three new ones and one tried and true - immediately come to mind. The … [Read more...] about New sites & services for kids, tweens, teens
Tweens are into phones
If you want some data to back you up when your middle-schooler tells you that "Everybody has a cellphone," Forbes.com has some. Citing Nielsen Mobile research, it reports that "46% of US tweens (ages 8 to 12) use cellphones, but only 26% own them" and about 20% are using parents' hand-me-down phones. The 20% who don't own them borrow them from Mom or Dad. "About 50% take their parents' phones more … [Read more...] about Tweens are into phones
5, er, 6 new ‘worlds’
More signs of where virtual worlds are heading. The new "worlds" (defined loosely as such by Virtual World News) are a service that blends social networking and a virtual-world-like (3D) online environment; two new MMOGs (massively multiplayer online game), one for peer-to-peer learning and one sort of like a World of Warcraft with a twist; a 3D-world feature for the Web browser; and technology … [Read more...] about 5, er, 6 new ‘worlds’
Virtual Worlds field trip
One of the most interesting comments made at the second-annual Virtual Worlds Conference I attended in L.A. this week was from Jon Landau, producer of Titanic and of a project-in-progress called Avatar. Landau said, "I grew up being taught to worry about 'big brother'; with the Internet we have to worry about little brother." I don't think anybody else heard that quite as acutely as an advocate of … [Read more...] about Virtual Worlds field trip