Category Archives: Commentary

For Part 2 of the Voices on the Future of Childhood series, we asked experts to take a stab at predicting the future by offering their thoughts on “What will change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.”  ME to WE—and letting boredom nurture tomorrow’s Picasso Michael Rich, MD, MPH, is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, practices Adolescent Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, and is Founder and Director of the Center…

For Part 2 of the Voices on the Future of Childhood series, we asked experts to take a stab at predicting the future by offering their thoughts on “What will change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.”  Linear institutions challenged by exponential change Alan Gershenfeld is President of E-Line Media, Co-Founder of Experimental Design and Co-Author of Designing Reality: How to Survive and Thrive in the Third Digital Revolution. The current pandemic has…

For Part 2 of our Voices on the Future of Childhood series, we asked experts to take a stab at predicting the future by offering their thoughts on “What will change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.” Click the thumbnails below to read what they had to say:   Voices on the Future of Childhood by Lori Takeuchi Part 1: One thing that must be done now Part 2: What will change as…

For Part 2 of the Voices on the Future of Childhood series, we asked experts to take a stab at predicting the future by offering their thoughts on “What will change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.”  Better teaching, and rethinking Maslow’s Hierarchy Warren Buckleitner is Founding Editor of Children’s Technology Review and Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of New Jersey. I have good news and bad news. Good news: Better teaching,…

For Part 2 of the Voices on the Future of Childhood series, we asked experts to take a stab at predicting the future by offering their thoughts on “What will change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.”  Adults might be less judgy about teen socializing through tech Mimi Ito, PhD, is the Director of the Connected Learning Lab at the University of California, Irvine, and Co-Founder of Connected Camps, a non-profit offering online…

As we hunker down and shelter ourselves in place to confront yet another day of what we hope is a temporary situation, we can’t help but wonder about the future. What will life be like afterwards? What will return to normal and what will be forever changed as a result of the pandemic? And what will the future hold for our children? The Cooney Center began the exercise of not just wondering, but actively mapping out ideal futures for children…

What is one thing you believe must be done now to improve how children and families are faring during the current crisis, specifically as it relates to the media and technology in their lives?  Rethink media and tech leadership. Michael H. Levine is Senior Vice President of Learning and Impact for Noggin, Nickelodeon’s preschool SVOD service. Levine was previously Founding Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and is a member of the Center’s Board. Media and…

What is one thing you believe must be done now to improve how children and families are faring during the current crisis, specifically as it relates to the media and technology in their lives?  Maria Alvarez is Vice President of Common Sense Latino, a program of Common Sense Media created to guide Latino families on navigating media and tech in our digital world. Over the last three weeks, I’ve been watching Spanish-language newscasts every day. The coronavirus has swept away…

What is one thing you believe must be done now to improve how children and families are faring during the current crisis, specifically as it relates to the media and technology in their lives?  Have a little kindness for parents, please, during this “for-now new normal.” Rosemarie T. Truglio, PhD, is Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop and author of Ready for School! A Parents Guide for Playful Learning for Children Ages 2 to 5. Before…

What is one thing you believe must be done now to improve how children and families are faring during the current crisis, specifically as it relates to the media and technology in their lives?  Learn the ABCDs of equitable remote learning. Vikki Katz is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University. She is the author of Opportunity for All and Kids in the Middle. We have just jumped into a national experiment for students…