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
Author Archives: Mary Rothschild
Questioning the “New Normal”
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 and the Magic of Attention
Mr. Rogers shows us how to transform the ordinary with attention. Continue reading
Early Childhood / family media literacy / Healthy Media Choices / Media Literacy Education / Parents / Teachers
Possible Marriage: “Medical” and Media Literacy Approaches to Technology in Early Childhood
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
Advertising / children and television / Early Childhood / family media literacy / Healthy Media Choices / Media Literacy Education
Entertainment Media Educates
“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
Advertising / Commercialization / Family / gender / Grandparents / Parents
Gender Identification Begins…
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
What are We Sacrificing?
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
children and media / Early Childhood / Family / family media literacy / Healthy Media Choices / Parents / Strategies
Four Steps to Intentional Media Use with Young Children
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 … Continue reading
Very Young Children and Gaming
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
Just Before the Family Meal
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
Healthy Media Choices™ 
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