The timing struck me. Though it seems all of life is at an inflection point now, in the middle of a pandemic, two new papers that represent a pivotal moment for digital safety and citizenship education are published almost at the same time. Individually and together, they offer new guidance that simply mustn’t be lost in the Covid-19 din. Thus this 2-part series. Part 1 was on safety, and here’s … [Read more...] about 2 new papers spell a turning point for digital safety & citizenship: Part 2
Urs Gasser
Two 2014 anniversaries that say reams about our kids’ futures
We don't want to let 2014 slip away without marking two anniversaries that are very important to our children: those of an invention and a convention. This year was the 25th anniversary of Tim Berners-Lee's release of his computer code creating the World Wide Web, now with some 3 billion users worldwide, and the 25th anniversary of the UN's adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child … [Read more...] about Two 2014 anniversaries that say reams about our kids’ futures
Cross-cultural in so many ways: Insights from ‘Digitally Connected’
It was a small but mighty gathering at Harvard's Berkman Center this week – mighty in diversity of geographical, personal and professional perspective (40% of the participants were from the global South). It was called "Digitally Connected," but it was about a more inclusive and, I think, more lasting, holistic sense of what "connected" means. It was co-organized by UNICEF and Harvard University's … [Read more...] about Cross-cultural in so many ways: Insights from ‘Digitally Connected’
Top takeaways from US’s top Net-safety conference
Each November Internet-safety organizations, tech and media companies, researchers, authors and policymakers gather in Washington, D.C., to get an update on young people's social media practices, safety and privacy at "FOSI," the nickname for the Family Online Safety Institute's annual conference. That update just happened, and here are my top takeaways. Internet safety not really about the … [Read more...] about Top takeaways from US’s top Net-safety conference
Who’ll see what I post 20 yrs from now?
That's a question that needs to hang around 24/7 in the back of social networkers' and bloggers' minds, because - according to the authors of just-published Born Digital (Basic Books, 2008) - "at no time in human history has information about a young person been more freely and publicly accessible to so many others.” This comes as no surprise to many parents, but few of us know the reasons. Here's … [Read more...] about Who’ll see what I post 20 yrs from now?