Posts Tagged ‘Ideas’

2009 Toy of the Year Nominations

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

The Toy Industry Association has announced the nominees for 2009 Toy of the Year.  And since it’s the holidays, we thought we’d look at the toys in the Educational and Electronic toy categories to help you make smart gift choices this year–and of course we wanted to see which ones are incorporating media!  You can view the entire list of nominees here.

EDUCATIONAL TOY OF THE YEAR

Computer Cool School by Fisher Price: This kid-friendly keyboard attaches to your home computer, and includes a CD-ROM which needs to be installed (one time only) before the games begin.  Kids can use the special keyboard to navigate the program and do activities related to math, science, reading, art, vocabulary and more–all while learning the basics of using a computer.

Idbids Eco-Friendly Starter Kit by Idbids: The Idbid characters consist of Scott the Cloud, Lola the Flower or Waverly the Water Drop.  Each kit uses one of the characters to teach kids about the environment, including a storybook, Field Guide of small things kids can do to make a difference, and an online rewards program where kids get a certificate for completing their Field Guide mission.

TAG Reading System by Leapfrog: This pen-like device is used concurrently with a selection of over 20 books.  As the pen touches the page, it “reads” the words on the page, providing audio as they learn to read.  The pen has different settings which can be used for different reading levels.

Zillions Touchscreen ATM by Summit Products: This fancy piggy bank replicates an actual ATM to help kids learn about withdrawing money, saving money and how to count money.

V-Motion Active Learning System by Vtech: A wireless gaming console that works with your television for your kids to play learning and developmental games with characters like Scooby-Doo, Thomas the Tank Engine, WALL-E and others.

Discovery Kids Smart Animals Scanopedia by Jakks Pacific: A wand scans a barcode on Smart Animal figures to give more information about the animal, like what sound they make, what they eat, etc.  The wand can also be used with the provided poster for more activities.

EyeClops Bionicam by Jakks: This is essentially a microscope.  Kids look at specimens with the camera, save them to the camera’s flash drive, and can look at them more closely on the computer or share with friends online.

ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT TOY OF THE YEAR

Ultimate WALL-E Programmable Remote Control Robot by Disney: Based on the movie, this robot interacts with you to play music, dance and talk to you, all by using a remote control.

Imaginext Spike, the Ultra Dinosaur by Fisher-Price: Use a remote control to make Spike walk, stand, blink and more.

Fur Real Friends Biscuit My Lovin’ Pup by Hasbro: Looks like a dog, and responds to your voice to perform tricks and play.

U-Dance by Tiger Electronics: This is a wireless mat-free dancing game.  Players have motion-sensor detectors, and use their movements to control the game.  Kids dance to songs, or simulate running on a treadmill for a workout.

KidiJamz Studio by Vtech: The keyboard acts a mixing station, allowing kids to record and create their own songs.  Kids can use their voice, preprogrammed songs and sound effects as well.

RS Tri-bot by WowWee: A robot friend who dances, runs, tells jokes and stories.

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Yet another wake-up call

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

A study was released by the MacArthur Foundation which reports what most young people already know: Digital media are good for you.  Some of the major findings include the assertion that youth use online media and networks to extend friendships and interests, and that youth engage in self-directed, peer-based learning online.  The report also calls for educational institutions to modernize their systems, and that adults have a responsibility to facilitate the relationship their youth have with new media.

Bingo! This is what we here at the LAMP have said many times before in our workshops and materials: Media needs to be a family affair.  It’s not enough to set up filters; you have to actually talk to your kids about it and learn how to use it yourself.  Too often, I run into adults who look down on new technology as trivial or beyond their ability to understand, and the simple response is that it is not.  I think that we will look back on ourselves years from now, and wonder why we didn’t act sooner.  Schools also have to take the step towards utilizing new media in their lessons, and in tandem with this, administrators and federal funders need to make this possible by allocating money.  Stringent rules (like blocking YouTube from all NYC public school computers) are not the answer–an attempt to standardize something so complex as the Internet does not benefit anyone.

In my view, much of the antagonism adults feel towards new media has been created by sectors of the media itself.  It’s true that online predators exist, and that hateful and inappropriate material floats around in cyberspace.  What’s also true is that these stories are generally reported with more frequency than the positive things that happen with the Internet.  Unfortunately, however, fear of the unknown has prevailed, enabling big media to own the way we view things and turn our heads.  My hope is that the MacArthur report will reach educators and adults who are are paralyzed and overwhelmed by new media, and help them wake up to change and new responsibility.  If you have children, you’re already at an advantage to learn–have them teach you.  You might be surprised.

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Press Release: Financial Crisis May be Tied to Lack of Media Education

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

For Immediate Release

Contact: Emily Long, Communications Director
The LAMP
718-789-8170

http://www.thelampnyc.org

Financial Crisis May Be Tied To Lack of Media Education

“Deceptive” advertising misled consumers

New York, New York: The collapse of the subprime mortgage market may have been enabled by a media illiterate public, according to D.C. Vito, Executive Director of the LAMP (Learning About Multimedia Project).

“Without a strong presence of media education in our schools and communities, consumers are easily lured by misleading advertisements,” says Mr. Vito. “When people are not thinking about the media around them, they don’t read the fine print and ask questions. The current situation is one example of how media education, consumer education and financial literacy are all linked.”

Michael Calhoun, director of the Center for Responsible Lending, has denounced ads from online mortgage lenders like lowermybills.com as “the classic definition of a deceptive ad.” However, the ads appear to persist; according to reports from Nielsen Online, the Financial Services industry maintained its position in Q2 2008 as the highest spender in online advertising. Online lending services also appear to remain popular, with current web traffic to eloan.com alone stabilized at around 250,000 unique visitors per month.

“We don’t expect companies to stop advertising,” continued Mr. Vito, “but we do believe in a media environment where consumers are making informed choices. Media literacy is crucial in helping people learn not to take everything they see at face value.”

Efforts by the LAMP to provide media education include workshops in which students break down an ad and then create one of their own, and others where they learn how to recognize persuasion techniques. All of the workshops are provided free of charge to participants, and reached over 130 students last year alone.

About The LAMP:
The Learning About Multimedia Project (The LAMP) is a non-profit organization which strives to provide critical media literacy skills to the inter-related groups of youths, their parents and educators throughout New York City. Free media education workshops and events offered by the LAMP demystify the constant flow of media these three groups encounter, bridge the digital divide, and provide workforce development skills for future generations. The LAMP is incubated by the Fund for the City of New York.

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Blogs in the classroom

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

Here at the LAMP, we love when we learn about ways that teachers are integrating multimedia into their classrooms.  We’re strong believers in teachers, students (and parents) exploring the unlimited possibilities presented with new media and media education, so it was with great pleasure that saw a post in the New York Times’ Lesson Plans blog by an Alaskan schoolteacher, Doug Noon.  Mr. Noon is a middle school teacher, and for the last three years his students have been sharing their writings on a blog called Tell the Raven.  The posts are about a wide range of topics–sometimes students write about something that happened in class one day (like dissecting a moose heart) or something a little more personal (like their cat).    The blog also has its own wiki, photo gallery, and sections with bookmarks to different subjects being covered in class.

As Mr. Noon notes in his post on the New York Times blog, Tell the Raven is still a work in progress.  He hoped that the blog would help connect his students with other schools in Alaska, but so far that hasn’t happened–although they have been connecting with students in Australia.  I admire that the students are encouraged to write and share their thoughts, and that they have an adult mentor like Mr. Noon to review their posts and help them consider how they want to present themselves to their classmates and to the world.  The students get to learn about everything the Web has to offer, and have a guide to show them how to have a positive experience online.  For Mr. Noon, he gets to learn more about what his students are doing and what interests them in class, and of course parents get learn more about their children.  Everybody wins.

If you’re a teacher using multimedia in the classroom, tell us about it and share your ideas!

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Waiting for Corporations to figure it out

Monday, August 4th, 2008

Here in New York City, after a resolution passed by the City Board of Health in 2006, you will find the caloric count listed next to most of your favorite fast food items on the overhead menus. The idea is that as long as you’re aware that the Double Whopper you’re about to order is almost 800 calories (alone, not including the large order of fries and soda you’ll most likely pile on), you’ll make your decision to proceed with or without your purchase informed and knowledgeable. I’m a big proponent of this measure because I theorize that it will cause a shift in the marketplace, where companies start offering more healthy options to their patrons in order to maintain their customer base (and perhaps even grow it). I don’t see the measure as going far enough, but I understand – baby steps.

The Associated Press recently reported on a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) that explains how few nutritional options the average parent has to choose from for their children when they eat out. The center found 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices at 13 restaurant chains they examined exceed 430 calorie, which is apparently the recommended per meal number of calories for children. I was shocked to learn that there was in fact a recommended amount – my parents sure weren’t trying to stick to a caloric maximum when they were insisting I clean my plate. In fact, our family rarely ate out at fast food joints and restaurants because my parents recognized the indulgence and the poor healthy options offered. Which leads me to my point. Is this report from the CSPI really necessary? How many parents honestly think a meal that consists of deep-fried chicken fingers, deep-fried french fries, or a fried-cheese sandwich swallowed down with a sugary soda or juice could be anything but unhealthy? Instead of waiting for corporations to make the products they offer healthier, parents need to take a more proactive role in their child’s nutritional well-being.

This falls right in line with the LAMP’s goal, bringing families together through their consumption of media in order to make it a healthy and robust relationship rather than waiting for the media companies to make that decision for them.

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Remix Culture and Copyright

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

Some of the most-watched online videos include mashups–essentially, fancy edits of sound and images that twist the intent of the source material for humor, parody and more.  Recently, the Center for Social Media at American University conducted a study on remix and mashup culture, and from it devised a Code of Best Practices for the use of content in online videos.  (The study is called Recut, Reframe, Recycle–be sure to check out the video posted on the study’s website for a quick lesson in what mashups can do, how they are used, and for a guide to some of the best mashups.)  The terms of fair use are not always clear, and they become even less clear in the digital realm, as many industries struggle to resolve the issue of who owns what and who should be getting paid for work displayed online.  The Code was developed by a national team of legal and media scholars, and although it doesn’t constitute a law in and of itself, it provides a useful guide for content creators who want to stay within copyright law.  Anyone out there who is generating their own content online should be sure to take a look.

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