Those who care for and teach young children (birth to 6 years) often see the effects of media use – for good or ill – play out in the childcare or school environment. We offer clear research-based strategies for intentional use of screen time in childcare and preschool environments as well as speaking with parents …
Many of us look to faith or humanist organization for help with living a life in accord with our values. Today, with a large part of our days spent with technology and media, there is a strong need to look at our habits through the lens of our beliefs. Our research-based, individually tailored approach is …
There’s a lot of information flowing about some of our conceptions/misconceptions about the “digital divide” and what young children actually need. Articles in the NY Times point out some of the things those most involved with developing digital technology and media have to say about their own children. So, which organizations are trustworthy? Which give …
Link to YouTube recording of conversation with Cynthia Jaggi of Gatherwell: Grow for Good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyGTBcR-518 In Last Child in the Woods, his seminal work on children and nature, Richard Louv quotes Paul Gorman, Founding Executive Director of the Religious Partnership for the Environment: Kids have to feel that this connection (with nature) is vital and …
There are four foundational steps toward an intentional relationship with media in the home when you have young children. 1: Get the information you need: Here are a couple of places to start American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Recommendations for Parents The AAP discourages media use by children younger than 2 years. The AAP …
Last year, Mary Rothschild moved 3,000 miles and engaged in a new listening tour of parents and teachers of young children, as well as a massive curation of all her former work preparing for a book publication. What emerged is that we see the need both to bring the sunshine of our attention to young … Continue reading
Somehow, New Year’s resolutions leave me cold. Probably, this is because of experience with starting with an idea about what would be “better,” only to find that it was just that – an idea, with its own set of unintended consequences. Being resolute, actually finding a place in myself that can stand up to inertia and … Continue reading
Amazon’s advertisement: “We are the People With the Smile on the Box,” brought media ecologist Neil Postman to mind. On page twenty of his book Technopoly, he says: New technologies alter the structure of our interests: the things we think about. They alter the character of our symbols: the things we think with. And they … Continue reading
Mr. Rogers shows us how to transform the ordinary with attention. Continue reading
Reading “Media Literacy In Early Childhood: Inquiry-Based Technology Integration” by Faith Rogow sharpened my understanding of the different paradigms that govern thinking about technology in early childhood education. First, the fundamental difference between what Rogow calls the “medical model” based on the recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Media Literacy Educators model … Continue reading
“Experts Defend Videogames’ Educational Role,” La Prensa’s article on a study from researchers at the Open University of Catalonia, caught my eye. What the researchers point to is the need for Ludoliteracy, an understanding of how video games work, what they teach and how they influence us as humans. They point to the marginalization of … Continue reading
This was originally posted on February 28. I’m updating because I want to add JeongMee Yoon’s work: “Pink is For Girls….” from Slate.com “The consumer embryo begins to develop in the first year of existence…Children begin their consumer journey in infancy…and they certainly deserve consideration as consumers at that time.” James U. McNeal, Pioneering Youth … Continue reading
The current Verizon ad asks: “What are you giving up?” by not being on the largest, most reliable network, sharing every moment, streaming all night long, watching a movie in a tent, drowning out the sounds of nature, all around? The more relevant question, especially for those with young children, is: What are you giving … Continue reading
As I walked through the crowded and cavernous Union Square subway mezzanine recently, my step aligned with those of a man who was bent over as he walked with hands on the shoulders of a young boy he was guiding through rush hour commuters. The boy’s head was down. Was physically disabled in some way? … Continue reading
Family meal times are getting a lot of press right now, and high time. Recent articles in The Christian Science Monitor by Mary Beth McCauley and the New York Times by Susan Dominus as well as the Huffington Post’s on-going series “Family Dinner Table Talk” extoll the virtues of this time-honored (but oft neglected) family … Continue reading
