tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6970138368720666632009-11-06T08:25:10.226-08:00Tracking how technology changes the way we learn, play, think and grow upLisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-76960406339186195362009-06-22T19:35:00.000-07:002009-06-22T19:53:10.184-07:002009-06-22T19:53:10.184-07:00

A year ago, I was asked to contribute a chapter to a new book edited by Allison Druin, director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland. I was eager to do some ethnographic reporting on children and technology, and this felt like the perfect opportunity. The book has now been published and I'm honored to be part of it. The title is Mobile Technology and Children (

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-65247022746800118992009-05-23T06:42:00.000-07:002009-05-24T06:30:33.747-07:002009-05-24T06:30:33.747-07:00

The next issue of Newsweek (dated June 1, 2009) includes an essay I wrote about Sesame Street -- celebrating its extraordinary influence in its first few decades and yet worrying about its waning influence amid so much media competition for young minds.As readers know, most of my writing time is now fully devoted to EarlyEdWatch.org, where I'm blogging for the New America Foundation and pursuing

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-90247287691250675352009-01-20T07:50:00.000-08:002009-01-20T11:58:39.013-08:002009-01-20T11:58:39.013-08:00

On this historic day, with inaugural festivities still ringing in my ears, I happen to have a minute to announce a change of my own: I've decided to take a position with the New America Foundation. As of this month, I'm working as a senior policy analyst for its Early Education Initiative. It is a great opportunity for me to extend my writing about child development and the science of learning,

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-66402162937192888222009-01-20T07:19:00.000-08:002009-01-20T07:48:12.099-08:002009-01-20T07:48:12.099-08:00

If you are interested in how technology is changing the way students learn -- and whether we have the research to prove it -- go get your hands on the January 2nd issue of Science.A video introducing the special issue, which is dedicated to education and technology, spotlights many of the big questions and problems with simply assuming that technology will, or won't, help young people to advance

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-26377525656877416452008-12-02T09:11:00.000-08:002008-12-02T09:41:57.432-08:002008-12-02T09:41:57.432-08:00

Yale University's Medical School and the National Institutes of Health released a study of studies today. Culling data from 173 pieces of scientific research conducted since 1980, the researchers have found reams of evidence for negative associations between media use and poor child health, according to early news reports. To those of us who have been following the research on obesity and

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-78018335401262923942008-12-01T13:43:00.000-08:002008-12-01T13:54:21.466-08:002008-12-01T13:54:21.466-08:00

I've been doing some writing for The Chronicle of Higher Education lately, and readers of this blog might be particularly interested in today's piece: New Machines Reproduce Custom Books on DemandHere's a taste:If you wonder what the future of book publishing might look, smell, and sound like, head north to the University of Alberta's bookstore in Edmonton. There a $144,000 machine is churning

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-32367515819437227062008-12-01T07:21:00.000-08:002008-12-01T07:45:12.438-08:002008-12-01T07:45:12.438-08:00

I'm enjoying Jay Matthews' take on a new report about 21st century skills. Matthews, a widely respected education reporter for The Washington Post, is wary of anything plastered with the "21st century" label, dismissing it as "a marketing trick." And he's got a point. I've heard a lot of talk about how students need to be more creative and critical thinkers, able to invent and innovate and filter

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-45901704898175207642008-11-12T10:32:00.001-08:002008-11-12T12:49:06.385-08:002008-11-12T12:49:06.385-08:00

A report released at a forum I attended this morning was titled "Educationally/Insufficient? An Analysis of the Availability & Educational Quality of Children's E/I Programming." The writers could have done away with the question mark.E/I is supposed to stand for Educational/Informational. The label appears on TV shows that supposedly meet the Federal Communications Commission requirements to

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-82246820893141986522008-11-03T18:56:00.000-08:002008-11-04T06:44:41.397-08:002008-11-04T06:44:41.397-08:00

(UPDATED Nov. 4)At this very moment, in a high-ceilinged conference room with a river view in Flemington, N.J., about 50 people have gathered to opine late into the night, wine glasses in hand, about children's toys, games and technology. It's an eccentric and rambling bunch. I miss them already.Earlier today I was part of this group at the Dust or Magic Institute, sitting on the "Critic's

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-40050733520075392832008-11-03T18:35:00.000-08:002008-11-12T11:46:08.202-08:002008-11-12T11:46:08.202-08:00

Book club by phone. With callers from all over the world convening for an afternoon chat. This could be fun.I'm happy to report that The Center for Screen-Time Awareness, the group behind T.V. Turnoff Week, has selected Into the Minds of Babes for its book club this month. On November 13th at 4:30 p.m. EST, the center will host an international conference call to discuss the book. I'm looking

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-69206320556129547072008-10-17T11:56:00.000-07:002008-10-17T12:35:49.139-07:002008-10-17T12:35:49.139-07:00

Yesterday evening I gave a talk at the Farmington Community Library in Farmington Hills, Michigan. I had my book in front of me, my powerpoint behind me, and my brain buzzing with reminders aboout the clearest ways to explain the latest psychological experiments on how and when children learn from screen media. You might think I felt like the expert in the room.Au contraire. There's so much more

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-17353922126603096962008-10-09T11:29:00.000-07:002008-10-09T11:49:12.766-07:002008-10-09T11:49:12.766-07:00

I just started reading A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool, a slim, dense but compelling book just out from Oxford University Press, and I'm struck by the foreword by Edward Zigler, professor emeritus at Yale University. His observations -- based on a long, influential life of scientific research in early childhood -- drive home the argument that we overly focus on academic achievements

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-45463403910113645282008-09-30T09:06:00.000-07:002008-09-30T11:32:41.029-07:002008-09-30T11:32:41.029-07:00

Usually I'm straddling two very different territories -- writing about education issues for the youngest students one day and the oldest the next. For several years, I've been digging into research on early learning and childhood. But I started my career writing about higher education, and I still find myself writing plenty of stories that explore how technology is reshaping campus life or what

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-18949306827295518392008-09-30T08:48:00.000-07:002008-09-30T11:33:29.275-07:002008-09-30T11:33:29.275-07:00

I've been commissioned to do several in-depth interviews with thought leaders who are sparking new conversations about technology, creativity and childhood. (Thanks to Claire Green of Parents' Choice for the opportunity.)The first two are now online at the Web sites for Sandbox Summit and Parents' Choice, as part of what is being called "Digital Dialogue."A conversation with Sir Ken RobinsonA

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-31389753435780548952008-09-30T08:18:00.000-07:002008-09-30T11:34:30.562-07:002008-09-30T11:34:30.562-07:00

Children are losing all semblance of being social beings these days. They just sit by themselves watching TV, clicking around on the computer or locking into the games on their Game Boys, oblivious to the real world.Children are more socially active than ever. They play videogames with their friends, either sitting together on the couch, laughing and jostling each other over friendly competition,

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-50908504176509114792008-09-29T13:18:00.000-07:002008-09-30T11:36:19.213-07:002008-09-30T11:36:19.213-07:00

Last Wednesday in New York City about 250 people gathered for the latest installment of The Sandbox Summit, a series of conversations about how technology is changing the nature of kids' play. Here are a few notes on what I took away with me that day -- some virtual sand in my shoes, you might say.Gears engaged by GoogleThe morning started with Andy Berndt, managing director for Google Creative

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-4991225332202879322008-09-17T10:45:00.001-07:002008-09-17T11:09:14.072-07:002008-09-17T11:09:14.072-07:00

A friend of mine just introduced me to Radio Lab. (Thanks Jeff). I'm listening to the most recent podcast, Making the Hippo Dance, as I write. It's about the sludge that science writers must trudge through before reaching the mountaintop, about the difficulty of filtering through the good stuff (the readable, fun, fascinating parts) from the boring stuff (the acronyms, the nitpicking, the caveats

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-45633308226509763772008-09-15T06:10:00.000-07:002008-09-15T06:33:28.417-07:002008-09-15T06:33:28.417-07:00

The NYT has a special section on children's health today, and I contributed a story on how to make healthy choices at the media buffet. It includes a sidebar list of Web sites, online games and (for parents) review sites that are worth taking a peek at.What it doesn't include is a paragraph about new research on videogames because it got chopped to make room in the newspaper's print layout. So

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-13043784182887016022008-09-12T07:54:00.001-07:002008-09-12T08:07:28.031-07:002008-09-12T08:07:28.031-07:00

I've recently come across three interesting blogs that deserve a shout out.Schoolhouse Rock on Slate.com by Paul Tough, who has written some fascinating and thoughtful pieces for the New York Times magazine about education reform (he's got a new book out this month, Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America)The Online Mom by Monica Vila, a parent and tracker of how

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-89379430188075962342008-09-11T06:31:00.001-07:002008-09-12T08:02:40.031-07:002008-09-12T08:02:40.031-07:00

Gillian, my 4 year old, just started her first week of being the "big kid" in preschool. This will be the final year of watching my kids hold those big dripping paint brushes in front of tottering easels and ride big wheels in the parking lot. This the last year of letting the morning revolve around snack. Yeah, it's true: I'm a little sad, already waxing nostalgic.After years of writing about

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-73546891596819817732008-09-03T13:12:00.000-07:002008-09-03T13:28:32.903-07:002008-09-03T13:28:32.903-07:00

Happiness. I just read the July/August issue of the National Institute for Early Education Research, which not only includes a great article on whether new media may help children, it also includes a pull-out box with the "Three C's" that I highlight in my book: content, context and the individual child. The three C's are based on peer-reviewed research of how young children are affected by

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-14184258004633781602008-08-26T05:32:00.000-07:002008-08-26T09:50:02.707-07:002008-08-26T09:50:02.707-07:00

It is easy to bemoan materialism -- the wanting and needing of more stuff -- and when adults see children exhibiting signs of it, they can't help but disapprove. Look at all these spoiled kids, the old folks cry, nagging for cell phones and iPods and the Nintendo DS. What a shame, the thinking goes, that they can't simply be happy with a swing in the backyard.But what if a child's desire for

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-72674852228990958282008-08-21T08:22:00.000-07:002008-08-21T10:28:13.131-07:002008-08-21T10:28:13.131-07:00

According to the A.P. this morning, the French government has just barred French TV channels from broadcasting programs that are aimed at children under 3 years old.The story also reports that French cable operators that offer foreign channels with programs for babies must "broadcast warning messages to parents. The messages will read: 'Watching television can slow the development of children

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-62761955827608222672008-08-19T13:58:00.001-07:002008-08-19T14:17:15.716-07:002008-08-19T14:17:15.716-07:00

Elmo and Chris Brown have me smiling along with Sara Mead of the New America Foundation, who highlights their video collaboration from a recent episode of Sesame Street. It's on YouTube here, but Mead provides helpful context in the Early Ed Watch blog about the pro-literacy message and how desperately low-income kids may need it.Plus, get a load of Elmo's harmonizing. Lovin' it.

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697013836872066663.post-22070874157304315612008-08-18T06:01:00.000-07:002008-08-19T14:18:07.504-07:002008-08-19T14:18:07.504-07:00

If you're like me, the New Yorkers stack up week after week, a silent reminder of how fast the cultural waters rush past when you have kids. But I did get a chance to comb through a few of them last week. That happily led me to Jill Lepore's July 21st article about Stuart Little and the history of children's book reviewing, which didn't even exist until after the turn of the 20th century. It's an

Lisa Guernseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802490119006848211noreply@blogger.com0