Category Archives: Guest Posts

“MOLLY OF DENALI celebrates life in a rural community—a unique one, but rural all the same. Having that commitment to rural representation carry over into the educational resources is tremendously gratifying. And, the fact that families from rural communities across the US had a hand in their creation added both value and authenticity.”—Stephanie McFadden, Alaska Public Media More than 9.3 million, or nearly one in five students in the United States, attend a rural school (Why Rural Matters 2018-19: The…

The following post is part of a series springing from the Cooney Center’s joint initiative with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, By/With/For Youth: Inspiring Next Gen Public Media Audiences. This is a project aimed at exploring the role of public media in the lives of young people by taking stock of the current landscape and imagining a future that public media can build alongside teens and tweens. With that in mind, we are inviting public media practitioners who are already experimenting…

The following post was originally published by the Children’s Media Association and appears here with permission. On June 3, 2020, The New York Times published an article titled, “Please Stop Showing the Video of George Floyd’s Death” by Melanye Price. Ms. Price made the case that repeated showings of this and other videos of African Americans being brutalized by police have not led to change and may be having unintended consequences such as “reinforcing pernicious narratives that black lives do…

Mindy Brooks is the Director of UX for Google Play, and one of the key masterminds around the creation of a new Kids section that features Teacher Approved apps on Google Play. Her kids and family team focuses on designing technology that meets the needs of families around the world and helps other teams understand developmental principles for families that help drive product design and vision. Mindy is also an alumna of Sesame Workshop, where she was Director of Content…

I have been a pediatrician in inner-city Boston for over 45 years. During my residency, I  was trained to diagnose and treat children with acute and chronic medical problems.  Over time, I realized that was not enough to help children be healthy, happy, and do well in school. I learned that the best way I could help children achieve these goals is by helping their parents, and that the best way to reach parents is through their children. An “a-ha”…

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?” Opening the black box of digital play Andrew Przybylski, PhD, is a Psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Oxford.  Play is the fundamental activity through which humans learn, live, and adapt to the world.…

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?” A call for intergenerational and inclusive digital play J. Alison Bryant, PhD, is Senior Vice President of AARP Research. The COVID-19 world has impacted family relationships in myriad ways, and the grandparent-grandchild bond is no exception.…

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?” Virtual library spaces to connect children Juan Rubio is the Digital Media and Learning Program Manager at The Seattle Public Library. Before COVID-19, informal learning spaces such as libraries provided children with afterschool programs that gave…

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?” Kids will demand authenticity through digital play Jordan Shapiro, PhD, is author of The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World and a Senior Fellow at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Across all…

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?” Parents and kids will learn to play together Jesse Schell is CEO of Schell Games and Distinguished Professor of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University. Videogames represent a significant divide between parents and kids. Kids are…