Guest post by Marianne Malmstrom At the Elisabeth Morrow School, we have been on a journey to help our students develop the essential skills of creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and citizenship. We turned to virtual worlds and MOGs because these are the same skills many young gamers practice through immersive play. Initially, we used these spaces largely for curriculum … [Read more...] about Mining Minecraft, Part 2: Brilliance when students drive the learning
Mining Minecraft, Part 1: Little gamers’ digital play through a teacher’s eyes
Editor's note: This week, my holiday gift to you, dear readers. Below you'll find Part 1 of a three-part series of guest posts by teacher Marianne Malmstrom about what students learning in digital environments can teach all of us – parents, educators, risk prevention experts, and anybody else who works with young people. Editing this series felt like a gift to me, and it'll keep on giving, because … [Read more...] about Mining Minecraft, Part 1: Little gamers’ digital play through a teacher’s eyes
For better child-sexual-exploitation prevention
Child sexual exploitation has long been part of the Internet safety discussion, so here's a tip for good prevention online and offline: We need to talk with and listen to our children using correct language that's free of cultural taboos – and keep the communication channels wide-open. "Child-sexual-abuse educators believe teaching and confidently using universally applicable anatomical terms is … [Read more...] about For better child-sexual-exploitation prevention
FTC still not satisfied with kid app privacy
Only 20% of the 400 children’s apps the FTC analyzed "provided disclosures about their data collection practices," the New York Times reported today – and the apps that did linked to long, dense privacy policies that few users could comprehend. The Federal Trade Commission's announcement does not surprise; it's an update of the Commission's report last February (see this). But it says "little or … [Read more...] about FTC still not satisfied with kid app privacy
Facebook’s new photo-syncing tool
Facebook just caught up with Google+, Dropbox, and its own little sib Instagram (which it acquired last spring) where photo-uploading convenience is concerned. [I've found photo-sharing much easier and more fun since my kid introduced me to Instagram last summer.] My ConnectSafely co-director Larry Magid explains here how to use the new Photo Sync feature in your Facebook app to upload photos from … [Read more...] about Facebook’s new photo-syncing tool