DOPA ain’t so Dope…a?

“It’s good to shut up sometimes.”
-Marcel Marceau
Tizzy! Tizzy! Social Networking! Social Networking! Children… MUST… be… stopped… from learning technology and talking to other kids…. What a silly reaction.  Granted– safety is  BIG issue.  And– how can teachers/librarians keep up on the latest of the latest when they’ve a thousand other things to do.  But shutting [...]

The BIG social networking sites: Are they as cool anymore?

“In
times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find
themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer
exists.”
(Quote by Eric Hoffer)
Big social sites in decline?
The Wall Street Journal reports there is “a fringe of Internet users now renouncing MySpace and other social-networking sites – not in spite of their popularity but because [...]

"Always listen to experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done and why. Then do it.”

Inside Facebook – Read it for Free
Karel Baloun, one of the first engineers to join Facebook, recently wrote and self published a tell-all ebook on his experiences there called “Inside Facebook.”
Early reviews are mixed, although I found the book to be an insightful look at a successful startup from a key insider. The language [...]

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.

The articles of the day:
Finding Balance in Teen Use of Social Media
They (Teens) Want to Be Good
The UK is Teaching Kids What They Should Know about Being Safe Online
Samantha Parker’s Ruminations on Safety and Building Social Networking Sites
Information about Swiki’s– the Marketing Wiki tool of the Future
A blog entry about entering into the Mod world [...]

“The same thing happens in any genre: They’ll saturate it, put a pillow over it and smother it.”

Oh, woe are the good hearts that want to create a social community to create congregation, commiseration, and unstoppable insanity.
So the buzz words of the year are: Social Networking and Online Communities
It’s hard to conquer a nation on behalf of kids when everyone else is doing it to make a buck. Okay… so making [...]

“Sow good services; sweet remembrances will grow them.”

Questions to ask:
1) Social Responsibility and Ultimate Kid Empowerment. How and when do they intersect? How and when do they conflict?
2) Media, Literacy, and Accountability. Are there guidelines for media’s creative influence over children? Is it a hope that supportive websites for cartoons & books automatically support literacy? Or are [...]

“Level with your child by being honest. Nobody spots a phony quicker than a child.”

Thanks for that, Mary MacCracken.
Okay, ladies and gents, I’ve just got to say it: some people have it, and some people don’t.
Have what, you ask?
Well– have the ability to garner attention freely given by a child. Some people use props to try and make up for the lack (but only [...]

I see the arduous sea reach and fall for the open sky, yet never cease.

Louisa May Alcott once said,

“Far Away, there in the sunshine, are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”
I have no accute, precise way of saying what I want for kids… I just know I want [...]

“Hello, Babies! Welcome to Earth”

Thanks for that quote, Kurt Vonnegut.
You can expect: quotes, kid speak, moderation tidbits, and the hard knocks of someone making their way in a new world.
Hang out. I’ll do a jig for you.