I've recently partnered with Facebook and co-authors Linda Phillips and Dr. BJ Fogg to write the Facebook for Educators Guide!
The guide is also available in Spanish, Portuguese and German.
Does texting mean the death of good writing skills? John McWhorter posits that there’s much more to texting -- linguistically, culturally -- than it seems, and it’s all good news.
In this TED talk, linguist John McWhorter thinks about language in relation to race, politics and our shared cultural history.
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"Sounds good my man, seeya soon, ill tw": Alexander Heit apparently typed that text message when he drifted into oncoming traffic, jerked the steering wheel, and then went off the road and rolled his car.
Now the parents of the 22-year-old, who died in the crash, hope that a photo of these words will serve as a stark warning for others not to text while driving.
Read more over on Yahoo! News: http://yhoo.it/ZHdzaW
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Social media and text messaging have assumed a dominant role in communication among adolescent society. And, as common in teenage social environments, these circumstances often involve online teasing and harassing. This has become known as “cyber bullying”.
Delaware state Attorney General, Beau Biden, describes cyber bullying as a communication that “interferes with a student's physical well-being, is threatening or intimidating, or is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it is likely to limit a student's ability to participate in or benefit from the educational programs of the school.”
According to Delaware Online, the state recently implemented a law enforcing that schools penalize cyber bullying issues the same as they would for incidents that happen within school walls.
Many states have begun to implement similar laws enforcing stricter punishments for those engaged in cyber bullying, and sometimes the victims are not only teens. NPR recently addressed a North Carolina law that was passed to protect teachers against bullying from their students.
A teacher at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School had a student create a fake Twitter account under the teacher's identity, and posted offensive comments. Under new laws, students charged with such offenses could potentially face a month in jail and fines of up to $1,000.00.
The recent International Journal of Technoethics article “Cyberbullying: A Sociological Approach” evaluates the concepts of bullying and cyber bullying and addresses the emerging nature of these occurrences: “Cyberbullying has become a major social concern because it raises questions about the ethical use of technology.
In recent years, this has been the subject of research and information and prevention activities for different groups such as governmental and non-governmental organizations and schools and parents’ associations to protect against the misuse of technology.”
Written by José Neves and Luzia de Oliveira Pinheiro of the University of Minho, Portugal, the article features studies evaluating Portuguese University students in observation and focus groups, interviews, and investigations that aims to explore and define the characteristics of cyberbullying in Portugal.
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UK teens have a significant presence online and are at the leading edge of many digital behaviors, according to a survey conducted by Research Now and initiated by K&A BrandResearch.
When UK teens go online—whether via PC or mobile—using search engines to seek out information is their No. 1 activity, in line with the ubiquity of this action among older age groups as well.
The next two most popular activities showed the ways in which teens’ digital priorities may somewhat diverge from older consumers.
Just about 80% of UK teens said they went online to visit social networks. And another seven out of 10 used the internet to listen to music. These responses beat out email, watching video and playing games as teens’ primary digital activities.
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Quick. Here's a test: Stand-up straight with your feet together in front of a mirror and look for a space between your upper thighs. If you see a gap, you have the latest body image obsession teen girls are starving themselves to achieve.
The 'thigh gap', as it is known, is a new teen girl obsession with a huge following on social media sites like Tumblr, YouTube and Instagram.
The trend is fueled by digital media and magazines that feature celebrities with the elusive 'thigh gap'---which is, in most cases, the work of a highly skilled Photoshop guru and not so much based on reality.
Exposure to this dangerous body image trend is just an app click away---girls can read tweets from Supermodel Cara Delevingne about her thigh gap on Twitter or scroll through thousands of thigh gaps on Tumblr with images of ultrathin women in bikinis, super short skirts, and lingerie, all baring thighs so thin they don't touch.
Whether or not this is a widespread trend or just a blip across teen culture is yet to be seen. However, this is another example of where parents, teachers and youth pastors need to step-in and faciliate a discussion about body image, social media and celebrity culture with their kids.
And remember, body image issues aren't just a 'teen girl' issue.
While there has been lots of media coverage and press about young girls/women regarding body image & eating disorders, there has been very little devoted to how the media effects boys. In many cases, boys are an understudied group with regard to body issues (dysmorphia, bigorexia).
Even as the media continues its obsession (yes, Twilight I’m looking at you) for the almighty 'six pack', boys have been gaining on girls in eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.
Additional Resources
Photo Credit: @ready_for_thynspo on Instagram
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A new study from cable industry association CTAM – and conducted by Nielsen – looks at how we talk about television, what we talk about, when and with whom this chatter takes place, and how this dialogue influences TV engagement and tune-in behavior.
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Graham D. Brown, an internationally recognized expert on mobile technology, wants you to know that just about everything you think you know about about kids, mobile phones and technology is wrong.
No really.
In his new book, Mobile Youth: Voices of Mobile Generation, Graham brings years of expertise working in the communications and youth marketing space, coupled with interviews with youth from around the world, into a compelling exploration of how the mobile youth culture revolution is driving our increasingly social and mobile future.
It's Not About Technology, It's About Relationships
While news outlets run stories warning parents of the dangers of teen ‘internet addiction’, social media and texting, (most often during ‘sweeps week’ to garner eyeballs and advertising dollars) Graham takes a more nuanced, balanced and global look at the behaviors and sociological drivers behind these mobile trends.
The book contains several case studies of how youth---from Beijing, Tokyo, L.A. and even Amish Country in rural Pennsylvania---use mobile phones as a way to connect with their families, teachers and, most importantly, their peers.
As Brown points out, the most important thing any brand, marketing campaign or youth-focused organization can do is help consumers connect with their peers. The most successful brands, whether it’s a mobile tech firm like Samsung, a food truck in Los Angeles or social media company like Twitter, provide consumers with a way to connect with each other, which in turn creates value, relevance and stickiness for your product.
And this is the real secret sauce behind of why mobile devices have become our most valuable possessions. In the end for today’s youth, it’s about using technology (mobile, social) to connect people to their friends, passions and community.
Simply stated, the emotional connection they have with their mobile phone isn’t so much about technology, it’s about relationships.
Kids and Technology: Same Behavior, Different Tools
The other important lesson, this time for parents and educators, is to take a step back and release that teen behavior hasn’t changed from when they were kids, just the tools and technology.
Think of it this way: twenty years ago, teens hung out at the mall to share ‘status updates’, stalk and make friends and, occasionally, get into trouble. And don’t forget the hours upon hours that were spent talking on the phone (the one with the curly cord) and watching TV.
These youth behaviors still happen, but now the mall is out and Facebook is in. Hours on the phone tied to the wall has been placed with SMS, KIK and Twitter. Wasting time watching TV is out and wasting time watching Hulu and YouTube is in.
Mobile Youth: Voices of Mobile Generation is a must read for anyone--youth marketers, parents, educators, youth pastors--wanting to garner a better and deeper understanding of the emotional relationship between young people and their mobile phones.
About Graham D. Brown
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Games for a Digital Age: K-12 Market Map and Investment Analysis
includes a sector analysis and market map of game‐based learning
initiatives with an analysis of relevant trends in education and digital
technology that are likely to impact development of a robust game-based
learning market segment.
By formulating a new framework for understanding the changing dynamics of purchase decisions at the school, extended learning, and consumer levels including a “follow the money” analysis, this report will guide efficient use of existing capital and examine where new investment would be most productive.
Conducted and written by Dr. John Richards, Leslie Stebbins and Dr. Kurt Moellering, the report synthesizes findings from extensive market research and a series of fifty interviews with leaders in the developer and publishing industries, and from the government, foundation and research sectors.
Games for a Digital Age: K-12 Market Map and Investment Analysis by
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There are 1.7 million youth who are homeless in the United States. In San Francisco alone, social workers see some 6,000 cases of homeless teens a year.
By supporting the Do Something 'Jeans for Teens' program you can help make a difference in the lives of homeless teens.
Here's how to help: Bringing in a pair of
your gently used jeans to Aéropostale, they'll collect them all and distribute them to local homeless shelters in your community.
Find more info here: http://www.dosomething.org/teensforjeans
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In many communities, after the library and the computer lab close for the night, there is often only one place to turn for students without internet access at home: the local McDonald's.
In this interesting and sobering example of the digital divide, WSJ's Anton Troianovski reports from Citronelle, Alabama on the daunting logistics of writing 8th-grade paper when you don't have home Internet.
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A year-end review from Trendrrreveals that sports (31%) and reality (17%) are the primary genres generating social TV buzz, combining to account for about half of social TV conversations between January 1 and November 30 2012.
Drama (11%) and comedy (5%) also played a role in the social TV landscape, with the remaining 36% of conversations taking place around the aggregate of other, miscellaneous TV genres.
Source: The Trendrr Blog | Click Image to view LARGE
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Wayward Nation is a documentary series that follows Ethan and Mikey, an activist and a filmmaker, in a cross-country journey in search of stories that narrate how this generation is finding ways to rise to the challenge of becoming the next great generation.
By sharing these stories they hope to energize and invigorate others into being extraordinary.
Wayward Nation takes us on a journey in search of the American Dream as defined by Gen Y. In these 5-10 minute episodes they will profile resilient Gen Y members who have found their purpose, be they a ground-breaking non-profit organization or someone who is just starting out.
Wayward Nation Kickstarter Campaign
Wayward Nation plans to film 12 episodes for its first season, profiling people, for example: those who are trying to eradicate youth-homelessness, one backpack at a time or an open community that is restoring land and living sustainably. This is more than a web-series, it’s a movement that is trying to convert Gen Y’s cynicism into optimism.
They are the first to have the technology to change the world. They make up 30% of the US population and have been said to be influenced and motivated by their peers so, just maybe, Wayward Nation can excite and provoke others into doing something positive in their lives.
Wayward Nation is live on Kickstarter and is looking for backers who will help them get on the road and start getting the stories about these prodigious Gen Y individuals to motivate others to get off the couch and start being the best they can be.
By pledging as little as $15, you can get a downloadable HD version of all episodes and a special featurette for backers only with unreleased behind the scenes footage.
Gen Y and the New American Dream
The creators, as members of Gen Y, were motivated to do this project because they said, "We see the old notion of the American Dream as not only unattainable, but undesirable.
We believe there is a NEW version of the American Dream, and that there are plenty of people out there who have already figured out what that is.”
The pioneers of this New American Dream are normal people, just like us, who do what they love, and use that passion to make the world a better place. Wayward Nation is dedicated to telling their stories because to us, it's no longer about where we get to in life. It's about the roads we travel.
Follow Wayward Nation on Twitter
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Header Artwork by BT Livermore
Social Icons Courtesy of Davide Di Cillo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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