New AAP Media Guidelines and Family Media Use Tool

Our colleagues at the American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated their policy guidelines regarding screen time for children, looking separately at young children up to five years of age and at older children and teens.

The backbone of their polices for children of all ages, as it has been in the past, is that parents should make sure that screen time does not displace other activities that are critical to healthy development. In other words, families should balance a light diet of media time with physical activity, hands-on exploration, and face-to-face interactions. The AAP policy notes that digital media can provide older children with new ways to acquire information and ideas and with increased opportunities for social contact and information about health and life style. For older children, who generally use digital media without constant parental supervision, risks include negative health effects on weight and sleep; exposure to inaccurate, inappropriate, or unsafe content and contacts; and compromised privacy and confidentiality. 

The AAP continues to recommend no screen time for children under 18 months of age, except for video-chatting (FaceTime or Skype with relatives). Children from eighteen months up to two years old can begin to watch some high-quality programming, as long as a caregiver is present to enhance their understanding of the media and make the experience interactive. The AAP cautions that just because media is advertised as "educational" does not mean that it offers real benefits to children. Between the ages of two and five, children can watch up to one hour but, again, caregivers should be present and engaged. Screen time is used most effectively when caregivers can relate the information on the screen to the world around them, highlighting the interactive nature of the experience. Once a child hits six years old, parents should be consistent in the limits they place on screen time. Most importantly, as noted above, screen time should not replace the more critical activities of childhood, including sleep and active play. 

The AAP also suggests creating media-free zones at home (e.g., no media in the bedroom) as well as media-free times, such as dinner or car trips. As children get older, caregivers should continue to discuss their online presence, including safety and what it means to be a upright online citizen. The policy for older children urges parents to discourage entertainment media during homework time and to make sure that teens don't sleep with their phones, tablets, or computers in their bedroom. Finally, for children of all ages, parents should model responsible use of media, limiting their own use and remaining "present" during family time.

What’s new this year is the Family Media Use Tool. This online tool allows family members to work together to decide how media is going to play a role in their home. It provides customizable options for media-free zones and times, as well as how screen time is going to be used by each family member. For example, toddlers may be designated as co-viewers only, meaning they only engage in screen time as a joint activity. Older children may be designated as allowed to use social media and watch age-appropriate shows, but not visit new websites without permission. Older teens may be able to have freer use of the internet, but limits on where they can use their screen devices, so that parents can keep an eye on what they are viewing. The tool also allows families to choose some suggestions for what they can do instead of screen time, including joining a team sport or playing board games. The media use plan includes tips for online citizenship as well as reminders for kids to keep their eyes off the screen while engaging in conversation. The plan is printable and can easily be made into a contract or star chart for helping children learn how to be knowledgeable and conscientious consumers of media.

Podcasts for Growing Minds - Part III

Today we wind up our three-part series on podcasts with those aimed at parents. Our earlier posts looks at podcasts for children and teens. 

Podcasts Just for Parents

 1. The Longest Shortest Time (30-60 minutes) 

This parenting podcast is hosted by a journalist-turned-podcaster who was inspired to create the show after her experience with pregnancy, childbirth, and adjusting to parenthood. It sees itself as a “bedside companion” for new and seasoned parents alike about topics ranging from balancing parenthood with a career all the way to how to make placenta pills. Two particularly memorable episodes featured a US veteran who struggled to care for her children amid deployments (ever wonder what it’s like trying to breastfeed in a war zone?) and a professional clown who uses his clowning skills while parenting.

2. On Being (52 minutes)

This podcasts can help parents get into their zen zone whenever they have a chance for some down time. Host Krista Tippett interviews religious leaders, artists, scientists, psychologists, lawyers and political activists about their work and many more of life’s unanswerable questions. A recent favorite of ours broke format (typically a single interviewee each week) to share stories from 16 Americans celebrating Ramadan about “the delights and gravities of Islam’s holiest month.” It was our first time really getting a feel for what Ramadan means to Muslim Americans, and it helped us feel connected to the great diversity of our country. Although this podcast often features religious leaders and touches upon some religious concepts, it is wholly non-denominational and spiritual rather than religious.

3. Only Human (25-40 minutes)

Sometimes, parents don’t have time to read the news every morning or catch up on current events. Sometimes, parents don’t even have time to engage in the thought-provoking activities that keep their brains running. That’s why it’s nice to be able to listen to a podcast like Only Human that forces you to think critically about some of the most pressing issues in physical and mental health. We’ve learned a lot about the history of medicine, new scientific advances, and what it means to be “only human” in the face of chronic illness. The reason we're recommending this podcast for parents, however, is because of its focus on mental health, relationships, and connecting with others. Many of its episodes thoughtfully explore the relationships among parents and children, doctors and patients, siblings, and even med students and their training cadavers. The podcast reminds us to stay connected to others in the face of hardship and doubt, and it stretches our critical thinking muscles in the process. We recommend starting with episode one, in which the host discusses her own experience of fighting cancer while pregnant.

Podcasts for Growing Minds - Part II

This is the second part of a three-part series on podcasts. Earlier this week we looked at podcasts created for children. Today we are looking a those that will especially appeal to teens (although many parents will find them of interest too). And we will end the week with a discussion about podcasts specifically aimed at parents. 

Podcasts for Teens

1. Radio Rookies (5-30 minutes)

This is a recommendation for the 15-and-up crowd. Radio Rookies is a WNYC series "that provides teenagers with the tools and training to create radio stories about themselves, their communities and their world.” It covers difficult subjects through the eyes of New York teens experiencing them, including race, poverty, domestic violence, parenthood as a young adult, and graduating high school against the odds. Some of our favorite WNYC reporting is done by these radio rookies, who offer a fresh perspective and mature insights into issues that aren’t always truly understood by grown-up professional journalists. This radio show is a good way to show teens their potential and their value, especially if they’re interested in journalism or politics.

2.  Invisibilia (60-65 minutes)

This podcast is amazing long-form reporting on “the invisible forces that control human behavior – ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions.”  It prompts teens to think more deeply about themselves and the world around them. They’re all amazing, but two recent episodes have looked closely at how our clothes can change our minds and our behavior, and how noncomplementary behavior can be used to prevent terrorism and help us manage our relationships.  There are two seasons out so far, with a total of 13 one-hour episodes that will leave your teens (and you) thinking twice about everything.

3.  Radiolab (35-65 minutes)

We’ve mentioned this fantastic podcast twice previously, but are including it one more time because it’s really a can’t-miss production.  Radiolab has been around for quite some time and has covered everything from the hidden world of plants beneath the ground to the heart-wrenching story of a child born on the cusp of what doctors call the age of fetal viability.  Some of the episodes focus on really difficult subject matter, like how to (theoretically) ration medical supplies during a pandemic when you know you can’t save everybody, or how parents cope with caring for a terminally ill child, but everything is presented in a truly beautiful format, complete with original music.  The podcast is a great way for teens to become engaged in deep moral thinking, as the hosts often go back and forth with each other and with themselves as they grapple with tough moral dilemmas.  

4.  MorePerfect (36-63 minutes)

A miniseries spin-off from some of the talented folks who make Radiolab, More Perfect is great for teens who are interested in government and politics, but without all the messy current events flooding the airwaves.  This six-episode series explores the history of the US Supreme Court and some of its most influential cases that you probably didn’t learn about in school.  The episodes cover issues like cruel and unusual punishment, how the court became the powerhouse it is today, and why it’s so hard to prevent race-based jury selection with a court ruling.  They even came up with a great jingle for remembering the names of all the current (and prospective) Supreme Court justices. 

5. Note to Self  (10-30 minutes)

Not all of the episodes from the podcast for “anyone trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age” will appeal to teens, but many are sure to strike a nerve.  Some of the best episodes look at tech etiquette around the world (phones at the table? Yes in Korea.  No in France.), FOMO vs. JOMO, and the weird world of mood-altering wearable devices.  There are also two challenges, Infomagical and Bored & Brilliant, that will prompt your teen to consider how she or he consumes media and uses electronics.  

6. Freakonomics  (30-60 minutes)

This is another long-time favorite, hosted by journalist Stephen Dubner and his sometimes-partner, economist Steven Levitt. The show uses the theory and methods behind economics to try and explain some very interesting, very non-economic issues.  Some memorable episodes have asked how much does the president really matter, why does everyone hate flying, do boycotts work, and why do people wear belts?  The show has covered a broad range of topics, allowing teens to get a feel for fields that interest them.  The host has interviewed US Senator Cory Booker, NYC pencil-shop owner Caroline Weaver, and everyone in-between.

7. The Moth (20-60 minutes)

The Moth podcast compiles true stories from people all over the world told live on stage without a script at Moth StorySlams and Mainstage events.  They have a regular presence in small NYC venues.  Both the live shows and the podcast are great for exposing teens to what life is like for different kinds of people in different kinds of places and situations.  It can also show young writers or poets models for different ways of expressing themselves and constructing their stories. 

8. ThisAmerican Life (60 minutes)

This is the podcast of podcasts.  The show has been around for more than 20 years, and it’s had the same host, Ira Glass, and his unforgettable voice since its inception.  We can’t tell you how many times this show has made me cry, or how many episode your blogger has assigned as required listening for my undergrads at CUNY, but we do know that the team at This American Life goes above and beyond every week to bring us stories about people and the interconnected lives we lead.  This podcast can help teens feel more connected to our world and to our neighbors.  Two of our recent favorites include #589: Tell Me I’m Fat, and the two-parter, #592/593, in which the producers spent time getting to know some of the people living in refugee camps in Greece.  They also have their own favorites list, currently topped with an episode about two schools right here in NYC that feel like they’re worlds apart.

Podcasts for Growing Minds - Part 1

Podcasts (audio shows you can pre-load onto a smartphone or play through a website) have become the hottest thing since sliced bread. They even have the power to potentially get someone out of jail or connect strangers who are tied to each other in a way you could never imagine. They’ve even made it possible to enjoy emptying the dishwasher and doing laundry! Since the number and types of podcasts have proliferated so much in recent years, it seems like a good time to pick out the best of the best to recommend to families. 

Below are reviews some of your blogger's favorite podcasts for kids.  In subsequent posts we'll look at our favorites for teens and adults. These audio programs are a great way to learn about the world, about ourselves, and about some things we never even realized we wanted to learn about in the first place. In addition to acting as valuable learning resources, podcasts can help kids and teens kick off their mindful relaxation time. They’re also superb conversation starters for families looking to engage in some tough critical thinking or debate. 

1. How to do Everything (20-30 minutes)
This is “half advice show, half survival guide.” It’s guaranteed to entertain both kids and adults – one of the best episodes features Patrick Stewart demonstrating what a cow would sound like depending on the region of England it was raised in. Other recent episodes include talking to scientists about what dinosaurs probably sounded like and why we really do the pee dance (and does it work!?). The hosts bring in consultants to answer these and other extremely important questions, like the “World’s Greatest Extra” who can teach you how to blend into the background on any television or movie set.

2. Brains On! (15-25 minutes)

The host of this podcast and her guests, both kids and adults, answer some of science’s most interesting questions in a very fun way. They’re “serious about being curious.” A recent episode, for example, explored why humans get allergies by interviewing an 11-year-old who has a few allergies and an allergist who can answer her questions. Other episode have explored farts (are they good for you?), the science of baking, and how to translate your dog’s barks or cat’s meows.

3. Can I Pet Your Dog? (45-55 minutes)

Yup, you guessed it. This is a show about dogs and all things dog-related. The first episode features an interview with Hamilton-creator Lin-Manuel Miranda all about his dog Tobi. The hosts discuss dogs they’ve met, dog news, dog care tips, and funny stories from their lives (with dogs, of course). It also has a pretty awesome theme song. This is one of the few podcasts out there for kids that isn’t directly trying to teach them something, but it offers plenty of life lessons without even trying.

4. But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids (12-22 minutes) 

The premise behind this podcast is pretty simple. Kids ask questions and the hosts get answers from athletes, engineers, scientists, novelists, artists and others from all across the career spectrum. Recent episodes have looked into why bikes don’t fall over, how it feels when families grow and change, how cheese is made, and why people have different religions.

5. The Adventures of Eleanor Amplified (10-15 minutes)
This one is pure fun. Each episode follows fictional journalist Eleanor Amplified on her “pursuit of truth.” She works hard to defend quality journalism and access to information in the face of evil scientists and politicians who try to stop her. The stories find Eleanor all over the globe in all sorts of sticky situations. If you have a child who is having trouble transitioning from watching too much television to becoming a lover of books, this could be a good first step to help her engage in the art of the story without the provided visuals.

6. Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child (50 minutes)
This is a weekly playlist that helps “kids and their grownups” connect over new and classic music, with songs from awesome artists like They Might Be Giants, Beck, REM, Apples in Stereo, and Kermit Ruffins. Finding intersections between your interests and your kids’ can be hard, so it’s nice to see a podcast that the whole family really can enjoy together.

Great Sources for Frontloading Videos – Part 1

One of our favorite strategies here at the Yellin Center is frontloading. Frontloading is a great way to boost comprehension in almost all learners, and especially in students who struggle with attention and comprehension. The principle is simple: A preview of a concept, in which a learner is exposed to some of the most important ideas, tends to help students understand and absorb the information when they’re presented with more thorough instruction later. For example, if a student reads a short summary of a science chapter before reading the chapter itself, she tends to understand the complicated ideas in the chapter more easily. She knows, for example, which information is most important. She also has a sense of where the chapter is taking her as she reads and so can more easily build a schema in her mind.

Frontloading can take many forms, but one of our favorite ways to frontload is to take advantage of the treasure trove of information available on the internet. Videos are a great way to frontload for lots of reasons: they’re visual, engaging, move fairly quickly, and hold students’ attention. We want to share some great sources for frontloading videos, all of which are available, for free, on dedicated YouTube channels. Not only are the videos below great sources for information about physics and earth science, they’re all humorous and are characterized by quick but precise explanations and explanatory visuals, too. Students who spend a few minutes watching a video preview before they attempt to read a textbook chapter or attend the next day’s lecture on the same topic will more readily understand and remember the relevant information.

MinutePhysics – middle and high school

As the name suggests, this channel hosts a series of videos that explain topics important in physics, such as gravity, wave/particle duality, the mechanics of the sun, and even Schrodinger’s cat. At the time of this writing, there were 123 videos available, though new ones are added all the time. Most videos are between one and two minutes long.

MinuteEarth – middle and high school

Just like MinutePhysics, this channel is a gold mine for students learning earth science and geology. Viewers can learn about the properties of sand, how trees survive winter, where Earth’s water came from, and other topics, all in less than three minutes per video. So far the channel has 33 videos, but their collection is growing.

Stay tuned for a follow-up post in which we’ll share other favorite video sources!

Educational Apps for Children: Best Uses and Limitations

We love math apps, but a recent article in The New York Times seemed like a good prompt for us to share some of our reservations. In case you missed it, the article reports on a series of math apps aimed at helping preschool students learn critical math concepts so that they'll be more prepared to start kindergarten and elementary school. According to the article, the National Association for the Education of Young Children advocates technology, with an important caveat: Technology is best used within the context of sound instruction. We couldn't agree more. In our opinion, apps have two outstanding uses: they’re a good way to introduce students to concepts, and they’re great for drills.

Lexie Flickinger

Apps as an Introduction

Apps have the capacity to introduce children to concepts in a way that is both inviting and motivating. One of the apps used by the researchers discussed in the article, called Breakfast Time, allows children to "slice" a waffle with a swipe of a finger, then experiment with the resulting pieces. This is a great way to gain a foundational understanding of fractions, but on its own, it's not enough.

The missing ingredient is known in pedagogical circles as "transfer." Many students have difficulty applying what they learn in one task to another task that appears different, even though the connection may seem obvious to adults. Let's use grammar as an example. Many students spend hours identifying nouns and verbs on worksheets. They learn that a complete sentence needs to have a subject, which is a noun, and a predicate, which is a verb or verb phrase. But it takes a fairly large leap to apply that skill to one's own writing without explicit instruction. A student who aces worksheets on parts of speech will often produce sentence fragments and run-on sentences in her writing because she doesn't connect the photocopied, fill-in-the-blank sheets with her own creative story generation. Knowledgeable instructors know that the worksheets are only part of the story; to truly impact a child's written output, they need to teach students to transfer what they learn about parts of speech from a worksheet to their own writing.

So back to Breakfast Time: Slicing waffles via app is a wonderful way to introduce children to fractions. It’s certainly neater than allowing children to practice the same concepts with real waffles. But, as the article explains, the exercise is complete only when the children's teacher shows them how to practice the same principle using real ice cubes and cups, then, we imagine, demonstrates down the road how the same principles can be expressed using numbers.

Apps as a Tool for Drilling

A second great use for apps is to provide kids with rote practice. Going through the same piles of flashcards over and over again is boring, but apps allow children to drill the same facts in a fun way. As many parents have discovered, some of these games can be downright addictive, making kids more likely to want to put in the time it takes to memorize some of these critical nuts-and-bolts skills.

To be alluring to kids, many of these academic games are replete with engaging bells and whistles. If a child taps the right answer, there is often a burst of color or sound, or perhaps a character will deliver a funny (well, funny to your six-year-old) tagline. But these features can sometimes lead the games to be counter-productive, so be discerning about which apps your child uses. 

Kids often show us their favorite apps, and we've seen a few that seem pretty ineffective. For example, one student was so eager for the stimuli that resulted in a right answer that he tapped frantically at all the answer choices until he happened to hit the right one, then beamed as he listened to the music that rewarded him for making the right "selection."  There was no penalty for a wrong answer, and no limit to the number of times he could be wrong. When asked about what he’d just learned, he could not recall the problem or the answer. He just knew that he'd “gotten it right”! Another child found the encouraging phrases that emanated from the game when he picked the wrong choice to be hysterically funny. Instead of using the game to work on his estimation skills, he selected clearly wrong answers on purpose and giggled when the game’s characters innocently urged him to try again.

Most parents and educators realize that technology is not a panacea. But it can provide kids with fantastic tools, and we hope this gives you a few ideas about using flashy new techniques to help develop solid, old-fashioned understanding.

Apple Brings Digital Textbooks to the iPad

Apple Computers made many exciting announcements at its Education Event at the Guggenheim Museum yesterday. Perhaps the most important one for students and educators was its announcement that for the “Textbook” category in iBooks 2, the second edition of its popular e-reading app for the iPad (and other iOS devices), Apple will partner with major textbook publishing giants like Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to make high school textbooks available in a new digital format for $14.99 or less. The price after launch may fluctuate, but it appears that Apple hopes to keep textbook prices in this range.

Not only will textbooks will be more affordable -- making those who paid $200 for their college chemistry textbook wish they’d been born a few years later -- but students will be able to use state-of-the-art interactive features to search through their books, highlight, take notes, and more. There are plans for interactive photo galleries, videos, and 3-D models and diagrams to help elucidate tricky or involved concepts. Learn more about Apple's venture into textbooks here.

A rival company, Chegg, which is already known for its textbook rental business, also made news this month, announcing the release of a new e-reading software designed specifically for digital textbooks.

We will discuss the advent of the age of the digital textbook in much greater detail in this blog in the months to come, as we join our colleagues in education in assessing both the incredible opportunity and potential risk that will come with the implementation of the digital textbook on a large scale. 

--Beth Guadagni, M.A. and Jeremy Koren contributed to this post.

More Helpful Apps for Students

With thousands of applications available for iPhone, iPad, and other smart devices, it can be difficult to figure out which are the most helpful applications for students. As we have done before, we want to bring a couple of apps to your attention, both of which are available for download on  iTunes.

Web Reader

Many students with reading decoding difficulties find audio textbooks to be extremely helpful. Listening to the words while reading along can boost comprehension and make challenging materials more accessible. For reading non-copyrighted materials, like computer documents, there are a number of text-to-speech programs on the market; we think Web Reader can be particularly helpful. Web Reader is an inexpensive (price: $1.99), user-friendly app that reads web pages and PDFs. Users can save the audio as .mp3 files for later listening, too. Web Reader’s voices are, unfortunately, just as canned as those of other text-to-speech programs , but its affordability and portability make it hard to beat. Male and female voices are available, and listeners can adjust not only the volume but also the speed at which the content is read. Web Reader can also work in conjunction with DropBox to read content stored in other formats, like Word or .rtf files.

KidCalc

Few educational apps for "iProducts" are as thoughtfully-designed and as well-reviewed as the KidCalc 7-in-1 Calculator (price: $.99). Parents can download this app to access a plethora of mathematical tools and games for their 2- to 10-year-olds. KidCalc features flashcards and games, but perhaps its best feature is its interactive calculator, which pairs imagery with the numbers the child enters to nurture his/her number sense. This app will take your child’s calculator way beyond just numbers.


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Access The Yellin Center's extensive list of resources here.

Opportunities for Young Writers

The next Virginia Woolf or Robert Frost needn’t languish in obscurity until adulthood to make themselves known; thanks to the internet and a surge of interest in fiction by and for young people, opportunities for kids and teens to publish their writing abound. All of the websites and publications below are great ways to motivate kids and young adults to get writing.

FOR EVERYONE

Spaghetti Book Club a fun website, featuring hundreds of book reviews, is a great resource for kids looking for a good book, but it provides an even better opportunity for young writers. Anyone can submit a book review and even an accompanying illustration for others to view. Books are searchable by grade level (kindergarten through 12th grade) or by title.

FOR YOUNGER WRITERS

Stories for Children is an Ezine written for kids ages 3-12 that publishes work by both adults and young writers. Categories include fiction, poetry, discovery, visual art, and more.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Cicada Literary Magazine, aimed at readers 14 and up, is affiliated with the outstanding Cricket Magazine Group, which publishes Babybug, for children ages 6 months to 3 years; Ladybug, for ages 3 to 6; Spider, for ages 6 to 9, and Cricket, for ages 9-14. (Check their website for a list of non-fiction magazine offerings as well.) The magazines make lively, enriching, and highly enjoyable reading for children, but Cicada is the only one that offers young writers the opportunity to submit short stories, poetry, book reviews, and visual art for publication. Alternately, authors can load work electronically onto Cicada’s “The Slam,” where other young people can laud it online and make comments. Finally, their “In the Know” webpage offers tips for writers and a list of other publications that accept submissions from teen writers.

Spine Breakers is an online magazine “for book-loving teenagers by book-loving teenagers” (editorial decisions are made by a panel of 9 British teens) is perfect for vampire or science fiction fans. Because the site is affiliated with Penguin Publishing, it has a sleek, professional appearance with content to match. Much of the featured art and written material is contributed by young people between the ages of 13 and 18, and there are lots of contests and opportunities to upload poetry, short stories, and song lyrics. A particularly appealing feature is the call for alternate endings to existing books.


Photo used under Creative Commons by Amelia Wells

The Value of Play

For many children, summer means trading in structured school days for equally structured days at camp. Concerned parents worry that “just playing” the summer away is a waste of their child’s time, and instead plan three months’ worth of enriching activities in a variety of settings. In a recent article for Education News, writer and consultant Julia Steiny combats that notion, instead making the case that play is a critical foundation for later learning.

Steiny references psychologist Susan Linn’s The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World, which argues that play is, in fact, pretty serious business. Linn makes a distinction between being entertained by hours of screen time and engaging in creative play. Interaction with one’s environment, Linn argues, defines real play, giving children “the opportunity to learn invaluable skills – to immerse themselves in experience, solve problems, create possibilities where non exist, learn what it’s like to be someone else, and make something new from that which already exists.” Working on these “skills” may feel like fun for kids, but it also allows them to rehearse important processes involved in thinking and learning.

Media like movies, television, and electronic games “invite only imitation” according to Linn. Their effects can be seen even in unstructured play time, when children take on prescribed roles and reenact familiar sequences instead of engaging in curiosity- and creativity-driven play. Girls play at being Princess Jasmine and Belle, and boys take on the role of characters from Pokémon or fight off invaders with light sabers. Even games marketed as “interactive” don’t allow for much creativity; they provide children with pre-determined choices so that they bring nothing of themselves to the game. As Steiny points out, “No matter how different each Sim city might look, they all still look like Sim city.”

All of this provides children with fewer opportunities to begin building important academic and social skills, according to Linn. “Most child development experts agree that play is the foundation of intellectual exploration,” she writes. “It’s how children learn to learn. Abilities essential for academic success and productivity in the workforce, such as problem solving, reasoning, and literacy all develop through various kinds of play, as do social skills such as cooperation and sharing.”

Steiny recommends turning off electronics and scheduling play dates and trips to the park this summer instead. For parents seeking inspiration, she notes that Linn provides numerous ideas in her book for healthy, genuinely interactive activities and materials to offer children. Just playing, it seems, may be the most productive work children can do before September.

Top photo used under Creative Commons by Ben Britten

Digital Youth Project: Facebook May Be Helping Your Kids Learn

The announcement yesterday of the establishment of a new center at UC Irvine to foster collaboration and research around digital media and learning brought our attention to an interesting 2008 research paper known as the Digital Youth Project, which was developed by the some of the same core group of researchers involved in this new center. 

The study (as well as the new center) is part of the MacArthur Foundation's digital media initiative.

To conduct the study, researcher Mizuko Ito and her associates interviewed and observed over 800 kids and young adults -- focusing primarily on their use of games, gadgets (such as Ipods and mobile devices) and social networking interfaces. 

Two of their major findings were that kids use social networking and online media to further develop friendships and interests, and that kids engage in self-directed learning online. The implications mean that adults ought to facilitate kids' engagement with digital media, and not necessarily hinder it by blocking or restricting access to these devices or websites (with supervision and moderation, of course). The study also finds that adults have a key role to play in establishing goals and expectations for informal learning via these means.

Further, the study suggests that in order to remain relevant, educational institutions need to stay up-to-date with technological developments in new media.

Read a two-page summary of the project's findings here.

Via BoingBoing by way of DML Central.

NYT on Textbooks in the Digital Era

The New York Times has a good piece this week on the coming evolution of the textbook in the digital era.

The implications of the gradual shift from static, one-dimensional texts for classroom learning to dynamic, multi-faceted and ever-evolving platforms are huge for all learners and educators. Imagine a classroom where different levels of readers are all reading the same text - but the interface adapts to each student's individual style of learning. Built-in supports will be able to adjust text size and color for better readability; sections of text could be highlighted and converted into speech files with the click of a button; review tools can test a student's understanding of the material and review key segments if appropriate standards have not been met, all the while reporting to teachers and administrators who can then use the data to pinpoint interventions and support for those readers who are lagging behind.

While this scenario may still be years away from fruition, the momentum for a better, universal access to texts is building significant momentum.

Our partners at CAST (The Center for Applied Special Technology) have been at the forefront of the technology behind the digital textbook and have an assortment of programs underway to address the needs of all learners with a universal design for learning.