Category Archives: youth
Eight Takes on Play
From John Dewey‘s Democracy and Education, pp 205-206: It is important not to confuse the psychological distinction between play and work with the economic distinction. Psychologically, the defining characteristic of play is not amusement nor aimlessness. It is the fact that the aim is thought of as more activity in the same line, without defining [...]
FDR on Security
A good deal of my dissertation is concerned with notions of security, and insecurity, in informational environments. While my primary concern is with young people’s experiences and understandings of cyber(in)security, I’ve also taken an interest in contemporary and historical discourses of security (e.g. Seven Takes on Security). So, I was excited to see Michael Moore [...]
Cookie Monsters published in CYE
Cindi Katz and I just published an article in a special issue of Children, Youth and Environments that focuses on Children and Technological Environments. CYE is an open access journal so you can read our article for free through their website (FYI – they ask you to create an account before providing access to the [...]
Also posted in censorship, commodification, education, informationalism, participation, play, property, security, surveillance Tagged AriX, article, hacking, iphone, OLPC Leave a comment
“disconnected youth”
Hat tip to Michael Oman-Reagan who brought this to my attention. Apparently, the current version of H.R.1, the stimulus bill being debated in the U.S. Senate, includes incentives for hiring “disconnected youth” which the bill defines as: “(ii) DISCONNECTED YOUTH.–The term `disconnected youth’ means any individual who is certified by the designated local agency– “(I) [...]
good riddance COPA
F I N A L L Y. Via Daily Tech: After losing an appeals court challenge last July, proponents of 1998’s Child Online Protection Act received a final blow to their cause – this time from the United States Supreme Court, who quietly declined to review the law without comment. COPA – not to be [...]
goodbye learning, hello workforce training
Some sad news regarding the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project: Microsoft has joined forces with the developers of the “$100 laptop” to make Windows available on the machines. According to Wired, Microsoft has had their sights on emerging markets in developing countries for a while now and have viewed low-cost children’s laptops as ideal [...]
Also posted in commodification, education, informationalism, play, quotes, work Tagged CD, Krstić, Microsoft, Negroponte, OLPC Leave a comment
(young) person of interest
What would it look like if we were to situate young people in the growing semantic web? A 2007 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) took a look at some of the data mining programs currently underway at the Department of Homeland Security. In their report, GAO offer a “Typical Semantic Graph” which [...]
Also posted in informationalism, security, surveillance Tagged DHS, GAO, semantic web Leave a comment
information assimilation and the life of the child
From Dewey’s The School and Society, p100: It was forgotten that the maximum appeal, and the full meaning in the life of the child, could be secured only when the studies were presented, not as bare external studies, but from the standpoint of the relation they bear to the life of society. It was forgotten [...]
Also posted in education, informationalism, quotes Tagged assimilation, Dewey, experience, pedagogy, school Leave a comment
Bloomberg on technology
From the Wired interview with Michael Bloomberg: Wired: Kids sit on the steps of the Brooklyn library trying to get Wi-Fi. Why can’t we solve the problem that roughly half the people in this city don’t have broadband? Bloomberg: We will. That’s what capitalism is all about. As there’s demand, the private sector will come [...]
Also posted in governance, informationalism, quotes Tagged bloomberg, capitalism, CD, democracy, technology Leave a comment
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