Category Archives: In the News

“There was a lot of emotion around 9/11, but of course there was no clear path on what to do with this.  But we had this show, this incredible entryway into homes that had credibility amongst parents and children.  How could we best use it?” -Dr. Lewis Bernstein, Executive Vice President of Education and Research at Sesame Workshop   With the 10th anniversary of September 11th this past weekend, many of us have been reflecting on what we were doing…

Tune into PBS this weekend to see Joan Ganz Cooney Center’s Executive Director Michael H. Levine, PhD on Richard Heffner’s The Open Mind. The program airs on Channel 13 in New York (check your local listings) this Saturday, April 23rd at 12:00 p.m. Together, Michael and Richard discuss some of the top concerns about kids, who are “Growing Up Digital.” The episode raises a question doubtlessly on many people’s minds: Is growing up digital good for kids, or bad? Amid…

A few weeks ago I blogged about Fisher Price’s new iPhone case, a plastic case that protects the devices from the poking, prodding, and sticky fingers of young children. I commented on how we’ve figured out how to protect the device from sticky fingers, but questioned who’s protecting those sticky fingers from the device. Well, it seems like Apple has taken one step in the right direction. Recent accounts of children unknowingly racking up thousands of dollars through in-app purchases…

A funny thing happened at a Capitol Hill Caucus Event in  D.C.  last month–a moment of bipartisan agreement!  The sighting of this rare bird seems well worth noting–everyone who has been following the debate over painful budget cuts has been wondering if and when consensus might ever break out. So I was delightfully surprised to be a part of a discussion of one issue that could, perhaps, be an important bridge across the political chasm: the role of digital technology–especially video games– to…

The game that has knocked “Angry Birds Seasons” off its perch as the top free game in the iTunes store was designed by a self-taught 14-year-old programmer. According to ABC News, Robert Nay decided to design his own game after doing some research in the public library and downloading Corona, a software developer’s kit. With some help from his mother, the eighth grader spent a couple of hours each night over the course of a month designing “Bubble Ball,” a…

Last weekend’s CES was the big event for everyone watching out for innovative technology — and according to reports, the conference exhibitors focused heavily on tablet devices, especially the iPad (see David Pogue’s review of CES in the New York Times). We were thrilled for our colleagues who won KAPi awards at the Kids@Play Summit, especially E-Line Media for most creative game platform (Gamestar Mechanic) and Krista Marks’ Kerpoof Studios. For more about the innovations in kids media that were…

Here are some of the stories and videos that caught our interest this past week – highlights feature the growing movement to include iPads in the classroom and a Q&A with Michael Levine, Cynthia Chiong, and Carly Shuler about the recent report, “Learning: Is There an App for That?” Check back next week for reports from CES 2011, taking place this weekend in Las Vegas. Study: Doctor Visits Give Opportunity for School Readiness Check-up EdWeek’s Inside School Research blog looks…

The final version of the National Education Technology Plan was unveiled on Tuesday, outlining the transition from digital classrooms to other platforms–long overdue.  Read Fred Belmont’s HuffPo piece, Obama’s New Digital Learning Plan: A Killer App. A few excerpts are shared below:  Education Secretary Arne Duncan unveiled the final version of the National Education Technology Plan on Tuesday — proposals to use social networking, data collection and multi-media to get U.S. kids to learn more. According to Duncan, the plan…

Where we’re going, we won’t need remotes. In the slim chance that you haven’t heard yet, Microsoft released a game-changing new system called Kinect on Thursday. As the Wii revolutionized the market with a motion controller, Kinect throws the controller out the window altogether and literally puts you, the player, in the driver’s seat. Kinect attaches to the Xbox 360 and lets you use your very own arms, legs and body (it tracks 48 parts of your body) to make…

The 2010 midterm victors may have technology to thank for sending them into the majority. The blogosphere is abuzz about how much of an impact social media and geo-location services will play in the outcome. Whichever way it goes, there is much to learn about the connection and/or distinction between real and online worlds. In addition, the following products and trends also have great implications for how we develop social science based content and how we engage kids in civic…