Really?
Do you know what a MUVE is?
A MUVE is type of software, almost like a game created to inspire children, tweens, and teens to learn about science, history, and other subjects.
However, unlike video games and social networking sites, which often elicit negative associations for adults, teachers, and parents, MUVES are somewhat structured environments with rules for behavior. MUVE works to help kids to figure out the issues and goals they need to succeed in the environment they are in or have time to socialize.
Thankfully, learning-based virtual worlds are growing more popular in schools and among youth, due to efforts by major universities and private companies. Stefanie Olsen in CNET News.com discusses many different programs such as privately held companies like Pasadena, Calif, Numedeon, makers of Whyville. Harvard University's "River City" is a MUVE that involves a society in the late 1800's that's in a political and environmental disrepair-kids must figure out why residents are falling ill. According to Stefanie Olsen, Harvard's School of Education is in talks with several urban school districts to introduce the software to tens of thousands of school children this fall.
I recall a panel discussion in 2007 at The University of Southern California (USC) that was held to discuss the effects of virtual wolds on children. Doug Thomas, Associate professor at USC's Annenberg School of Communication, said during this panel that during this virtual environment, kids are learning how to be members of a citizenship and are picking up skills they will need in the future workforce.
Additionally, he spoke to the fact that the virtual worlds are really helpful in the world of education when needing help teaching things that are hard to teach in a traditional way or classroom. Issues such as ethics and values, games that allow kids to play out scenarios and allow the kids to play out situations from different angles, and letting them see the various effects has amazing effects.
One of the most interesting comments that Doug Thomas made in 2007, that stuck with me all of these years, was when he was quoted saying, " If you're a parent, I would be much less concerned about things like online predators or violence then I would be about the conflation between consumption and consumerism and citizenship (in virtual worlds)." Doug Thomas, Annenberg School of Communication http//news.cnet.com/what-kids-learn-in-virtual-worlds/2009
Hopefully, we will pack our bags and join our children in this virtual world that our children journey through.....
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
In every generation.....Findings of the most extensive U.S. study of youth media use
Almost weekly for so many years, I have had friends, parents of clients, family members, colleagues, and neighbors ask me various questions about their own social networking pages. It seems that as much as we have concerns about our children being online, we have to admit that we are playing "catch-up" to our kids. They are so savvy about how to use computers and navigate online compared to many of us adults. So many of us had no clue as to how we were supposed to set up our accounts or join certain sites or what was cool or not cool when we were first starting out.
Our kids cannot remember a time that social networking, texting, video gaming, Ipods, and all these media gadgets did not exist...we can.
We remember having to write our friends real letters, with real stamps!
We remember having to use the telephone that was attached to the wall! Privacy sometimes meant having to sit in a closet or beg everyone to leave a public room, like the kitchen, while we were on the phone.
We remember having to carry change to use a pay phone to call home when we needed to be picked up.
We remember our first typing classes, our first papers that we had to type (with correction tape). The excitement when we could buy and use White-Out.
But just like our generation could not remember a time without telephones and televisions, many of our parent's generations could recall a time when they were growing up that they didn't have telephones or televisions. Don't you recall when some of your parents would complain that they would have to go visit their friends and that we were spoiled children, ruining our lives by talking to our friends on the telephone!
We remember our first computers, and our first email accounts. We remember when it was common not to have email accounts. When cell phones were huge...I mean HUGE, not able to be carried around in a purse, or pocket.
Not this generation. They do not remember a time without Myspace, Facebook, Ipods, Iphones, Blogs, Video Games and some of the fastest thumbs for quickest texting imagineable. This is a generation that communicates in a different digital way than we did. It is time that our generation accepts that like our parents generation, new communication is not bad, it is just different. Different can actually be very good. The telephone did not alienate families and friends like our parents first thought; it actually brought them closer. It is time for us to pay attention to the research.
For over three years, UCI researcher Mizuko Ito and her team interviewed over 800 youth and young adults and conducted over 5,000 hours of online observations as part of the most extensive U.S. study of youth media use sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation (2008). I will write more about this incredible undertaking and study at a later time, however, there are a few major findings I would like to share with you today.
1.Youth use online media to extend friendships and interests:
The study found that teens use their online time to extend their face-to-face friendships from school, religious groups, sports, and other local activities. A majority of youth use this new media to "hang out" and extend existing friendships.
2. Youth are acquiring various forms of technical and media literacy:
Through trial and error, youth are adding new media skills to their skill-set each time they are online. They gain these skills from trial and error, feedback from their peers, creations they share, from the immediacy and vastness of the information, and the digital world which creates a perfect setting for self-directed learning.
3. Online media allows for a degree of freedom and autonomy for youth that is less apparent in a classroom setting:
It seems as if youth are able to respect learning from their peers more than from learning from adults. So by having their efforts being mainly self-directed online, the outcome of their learning emerges through self-exploration and trial and error. This is opposite from the classroom which has a predefined set of goals and curriculum which is provided for the student.
Overall, many of us might have been thinking years ago, "I am not sure that I want to have all of this 'technology' in my house, or to ruin my children's childhood." Studies are showing us that at the very least, social networking is encouraging technical thinking and literacy, and that it is going to be a critical skill for all of our children to have in this digital generation.
(For more information about the Study see The Digital Youth Project)
Our kids cannot remember a time that social networking, texting, video gaming, Ipods, and all these media gadgets did not exist...we can.
We remember having to write our friends real letters, with real stamps!
We remember having to use the telephone that was attached to the wall! Privacy sometimes meant having to sit in a closet or beg everyone to leave a public room, like the kitchen, while we were on the phone.
We remember having to carry change to use a pay phone to call home when we needed to be picked up.
We remember our first typing classes, our first papers that we had to type (with correction tape). The excitement when we could buy and use White-Out.
But just like our generation could not remember a time without telephones and televisions, many of our parent's generations could recall a time when they were growing up that they didn't have telephones or televisions. Don't you recall when some of your parents would complain that they would have to go visit their friends and that we were spoiled children, ruining our lives by talking to our friends on the telephone!
We remember our first computers, and our first email accounts. We remember when it was common not to have email accounts. When cell phones were huge...I mean HUGE, not able to be carried around in a purse, or pocket.
Not this generation. They do not remember a time without Myspace, Facebook, Ipods, Iphones, Blogs, Video Games and some of the fastest thumbs for quickest texting imagineable. This is a generation that communicates in a different digital way than we did. It is time that our generation accepts that like our parents generation, new communication is not bad, it is just different. Different can actually be very good. The telephone did not alienate families and friends like our parents first thought; it actually brought them closer. It is time for us to pay attention to the research.
For over three years, UCI researcher Mizuko Ito and her team interviewed over 800 youth and young adults and conducted over 5,000 hours of online observations as part of the most extensive U.S. study of youth media use sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation (2008). I will write more about this incredible undertaking and study at a later time, however, there are a few major findings I would like to share with you today.
1.Youth use online media to extend friendships and interests:
The study found that teens use their online time to extend their face-to-face friendships from school, religious groups, sports, and other local activities. A majority of youth use this new media to "hang out" and extend existing friendships.
2. Youth are acquiring various forms of technical and media literacy:
Through trial and error, youth are adding new media skills to their skill-set each time they are online. They gain these skills from trial and error, feedback from their peers, creations they share, from the immediacy and vastness of the information, and the digital world which creates a perfect setting for self-directed learning.
3. Online media allows for a degree of freedom and autonomy for youth that is less apparent in a classroom setting:
It seems as if youth are able to respect learning from their peers more than from learning from adults. So by having their efforts being mainly self-directed online, the outcome of their learning emerges through self-exploration and trial and error. This is opposite from the classroom which has a predefined set of goals and curriculum which is provided for the student.
Overall, many of us might have been thinking years ago, "I am not sure that I want to have all of this 'technology' in my house, or to ruin my children's childhood." Studies are showing us that at the very least, social networking is encouraging technical thinking and literacy, and that it is going to be a critical skill for all of our children to have in this digital generation.
(For more information about the Study see The Digital Youth Project)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Online Social Networking For Teens with Special Needs
I worked with a wonderful 9th grade boy and his parents. I had worked with this client since he was in sixth grade; he was delightful and bright. He had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome when he was in third grade.
Asperger's syndrome or disorder is a type of pervasive development disorder (PDD) that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate without difficulty, and for some to use imagination.
Due to my client's problems with social skills, I was always searching for creative ways to help him interact with others without creating awkward and embarrassing situations for him. There were a few interesting behaviors that he exhibited that were common for children and teens that have Asperger's syndrome, but made it interesting for him when he tried to develop social skills with his peers. For example, my client had some odd, repetitive movements (he twisted his fingers or flicked his fingers in the air) especially when he was nervous. So when he would try to enter into a conversation with his peers he would twist his fingers in such an intense way that it would distract others from the conversation.
However, my client really wanted to make friends. So did his parents. His father spoke to me weekly about how badly he felt that his son did not have just one friend to invite to come over and hang out. His dad even bought tickets to baseball games hoping that it would entice one of the boys in his son's class to hang out with him. Both of his parents felt it would help their son learn about social cues and communication if their son could just have one friend to learn from. They also just wanted for their son what all parents want for their children: to have a nice time, to enjoy companionship, to learn to trust and care for others outside of his parents, teachers, adults and family.
When I would observe my client at school during lunch, my client would tend to read by himself with his Ipod on. He did not connect with others easily. When someone would approach him, he had a very hard time making eye contact (very common among children that have Asperger's syndrome) he would struggle with what to say and would misread social cues constantly.
Almost at a loss as to how I was going to help my client who had Asperger's syndrome since he was a young boy, a young man that wanted just one friend to connect with to care for. Such a great person that mainly just struggled with face-to-face social interaction and social skills. The answer was actually right in front of me the entire time...online social networking.
The most interesting part of how I figured this out was that it came from my client. One day, during a session with my client, he asked me if he could show me something on my computer. We often used the computer in sessions to help him witness and then practice conversations and other social situations.
Within a few moments, we were laughing at a video on Youtube. I asked him a few questions about his comfort on the computer and I started to think of this concept. After some research and discussing the idea with some colleagues, I contacted his parents and asked them to sign him up on a social networking site for kids his age.
Within one month, my client had begun to develop some real social skills. He had been able to take some of his obsessive traits and used them online to meet other peers his age who loved the same things he did (in his case funny Youtube videos, chess, silent movies, and history). His finger twisting did not factor into his online communication. His lack of eye contact did not pose an issue when he was online.
He could take his time typing out messages to peers from school which gave him the confidence when he was at school to speak more to them. The nicest part, was that he was able to connect on Myspace with two boys from his own school on a game site. They began having lunch together a few times a week, then daily.
Everyone in his life continued to do their part; his parents continued to monitor his behavior online. I worked with him online to make sure that he had appropriate behavior and continued social skills homework (like introducing himself to new people from his school online then face-to-face, eye contact strategies in face-to-face communication, reducing finger twitching, etc.)
My client is in college now, and continues to participate in a host of social networking sites. He has developed some wonderful social skills in some areas, and does continue to struggle in other ways. However, he is an example of how online social networking sites, if monitored and used effectively, can help our children grow and develop in healthy ways.
Asperger's syndrome or disorder is a type of pervasive development disorder (PDD) that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate without difficulty, and for some to use imagination.
Due to my client's problems with social skills, I was always searching for creative ways to help him interact with others without creating awkward and embarrassing situations for him. There were a few interesting behaviors that he exhibited that were common for children and teens that have Asperger's syndrome, but made it interesting for him when he tried to develop social skills with his peers. For example, my client had some odd, repetitive movements (he twisted his fingers or flicked his fingers in the air) especially when he was nervous. So when he would try to enter into a conversation with his peers he would twist his fingers in such an intense way that it would distract others from the conversation.
However, my client really wanted to make friends. So did his parents. His father spoke to me weekly about how badly he felt that his son did not have just one friend to invite to come over and hang out. His dad even bought tickets to baseball games hoping that it would entice one of the boys in his son's class to hang out with him. Both of his parents felt it would help their son learn about social cues and communication if their son could just have one friend to learn from. They also just wanted for their son what all parents want for their children: to have a nice time, to enjoy companionship, to learn to trust and care for others outside of his parents, teachers, adults and family.
When I would observe my client at school during lunch, my client would tend to read by himself with his Ipod on. He did not connect with others easily. When someone would approach him, he had a very hard time making eye contact (very common among children that have Asperger's syndrome) he would struggle with what to say and would misread social cues constantly.
Almost at a loss as to how I was going to help my client who had Asperger's syndrome since he was a young boy, a young man that wanted just one friend to connect with to care for. Such a great person that mainly just struggled with face-to-face social interaction and social skills. The answer was actually right in front of me the entire time...online social networking.
The most interesting part of how I figured this out was that it came from my client. One day, during a session with my client, he asked me if he could show me something on my computer. We often used the computer in sessions to help him witness and then practice conversations and other social situations.
Within a few moments, we were laughing at a video on Youtube. I asked him a few questions about his comfort on the computer and I started to think of this concept. After some research and discussing the idea with some colleagues, I contacted his parents and asked them to sign him up on a social networking site for kids his age.
Within one month, my client had begun to develop some real social skills. He had been able to take some of his obsessive traits and used them online to meet other peers his age who loved the same things he did (in his case funny Youtube videos, chess, silent movies, and history). His finger twisting did not factor into his online communication. His lack of eye contact did not pose an issue when he was online.
He could take his time typing out messages to peers from school which gave him the confidence when he was at school to speak more to them. The nicest part, was that he was able to connect on Myspace with two boys from his own school on a game site. They began having lunch together a few times a week, then daily.
Everyone in his life continued to do their part; his parents continued to monitor his behavior online. I worked with him online to make sure that he had appropriate behavior and continued social skills homework (like introducing himself to new people from his school online then face-to-face, eye contact strategies in face-to-face communication, reducing finger twitching, etc.)
My client is in college now, and continues to participate in a host of social networking sites. He has developed some wonderful social skills in some areas, and does continue to struggle in other ways. However, he is an example of how online social networking sites, if monitored and used effectively, can help our children grow and develop in healthy ways.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Some of the Benefits of Social Networking
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project (2010), 93% of 12-17 year-olds are online and more than half of them use social networking sites.
If more than 50% of all 12-17 year-old kids are using social networking to communicate with others, it is important that we begin to understand some of the benefits that our tweens and teens gain from social networking.
1. Practicing Social Skills:
Socializing online is not as fast paced as being on a phone or face-to-face communication, so kids have more time to respond. It allows for kids to type and erase responses, which is helpful if a kid is unsure of what to say. Lastly, it allows for kids to practice different greetings, responses, and reactions which is very helpful when learning communication and social skills.
2. Creating Private Social Hangouts:
Remember when it was safe to drop your child off at a mall, a movie, or a park? Let's face it, so many hang outs are so closely monitored by adults that children (especially teenagers) feel that they cannot gather without feeling that they are being watched. Being online allows kids to feel as if they have a cool alone space to hang out with their friends. As adults we need to be careful not to minimize the importance of our kids need to be alone with their peers, and being online is the closest thing that many kids feel resembles privacy.
3. Identity Formation:
A part of growing up is feeling as if you sometimes want to be different from what you normally present to other people. Ever see a child, tween, or teen change the way they wear their hair or clothes radically from day to week? This may be an attempt of theirs to change on the outside how others see them. Online, kids sometimes feel, they can create an identity shift that is different from what he/she is normally perceived as at school or at home. Of course, this is what many people feel can be dangerous for our children. Examples of girls pretending to be older than they are may solicitor the attention of an older boy are often given to warn parents to stop or seriously monitor all social networking behavior. However, I am talking about a different type of identity formation. For example, I had a client who was very shy at school. He was on a popular social networking site, and found that he was able to become a hero of sorts for a group of individuals that were interested in the collection of rare coins. He had this hobby but at school no one was very interested in this subject until he found the confidence online to 'reinvent' his identity. By the time he was graduating from highs school he was able to start a coin collection club at school.
I always recommend that all families should first consider setting up safety measures to protect the families computer, consider signing a contract to communicate the expectations of the family being online, and parents should agree to find appropriate ways to monitor their child's online behavior so that the benefits of social networking can take affect in our homes.
If more than 50% of all 12-17 year-old kids are using social networking to communicate with others, it is important that we begin to understand some of the benefits that our tweens and teens gain from social networking.
1. Practicing Social Skills:
Socializing online is not as fast paced as being on a phone or face-to-face communication, so kids have more time to respond. It allows for kids to type and erase responses, which is helpful if a kid is unsure of what to say. Lastly, it allows for kids to practice different greetings, responses, and reactions which is very helpful when learning communication and social skills.
2. Creating Private Social Hangouts:
Remember when it was safe to drop your child off at a mall, a movie, or a park? Let's face it, so many hang outs are so closely monitored by adults that children (especially teenagers) feel that they cannot gather without feeling that they are being watched. Being online allows kids to feel as if they have a cool alone space to hang out with their friends. As adults we need to be careful not to minimize the importance of our kids need to be alone with their peers, and being online is the closest thing that many kids feel resembles privacy.
3. Identity Formation:
A part of growing up is feeling as if you sometimes want to be different from what you normally present to other people. Ever see a child, tween, or teen change the way they wear their hair or clothes radically from day to week? This may be an attempt of theirs to change on the outside how others see them. Online, kids sometimes feel, they can create an identity shift that is different from what he/she is normally perceived as at school or at home. Of course, this is what many people feel can be dangerous for our children. Examples of girls pretending to be older than they are may solicitor the attention of an older boy are often given to warn parents to stop or seriously monitor all social networking behavior. However, I am talking about a different type of identity formation. For example, I had a client who was very shy at school. He was on a popular social networking site, and found that he was able to become a hero of sorts for a group of individuals that were interested in the collection of rare coins. He had this hobby but at school no one was very interested in this subject until he found the confidence online to 'reinvent' his identity. By the time he was graduating from highs school he was able to start a coin collection club at school.
I always recommend that all families should first consider setting up safety measures to protect the families computer, consider signing a contract to communicate the expectations of the family being online, and parents should agree to find appropriate ways to monitor their child's online behavior so that the benefits of social networking can take affect in our homes.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Teenagers Who Were Blogging Showed Little Risky Behavior
As parents, every day we are being told that our children are in danger online, not only from strangers, but from their own behaviors!
There is some interesting data in a new study found in the Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, Volume 27, April 2010 from Ohio State that was conducted by Dawn Anderson Butcher, Associate Professor of Social Work. Even though this study had a smaller sample of teens,they were all blogging on Zanga (a popular site before Facebook which is like micro blogging) used their blogs to nurture relationships with peers and not participate in risky behavior (like posting sexy pictures).
The teenagers in the study used their blogs to build a sense of community. Most of the blogs were creative, used poetry, lyrics and had a real sense of imagination to them. The authors of this study were amazed to see that these teenagers talked about homework, spending time with family, and even participating in school activities.
What becomes so interesting about this study is the implication that our teenagers are using the Internet to talk to their friends when they are home from school, and the authors of this study noted that 65% of the teens in this study talked about being bored, which is still better than acting out in risky behavior.
If so many teenagers are using the Internet to talk to their friends, and they feel safe doing so, then we need to think about some alternative ways to create safe environments for them to use their creativity, imagination and talent to continue to harness their energy to communicate with each other. Facebook is a start, but not enough. We may also think about ways that mentors, counselors, teachers, and other leaders in the community can help parents monitor and support our teenagers. The Internet is not going anywhere, and neither are our teenagers need for friends.....
There is some interesting data in a new study found in the Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, Volume 27, April 2010 from Ohio State that was conducted by Dawn Anderson Butcher, Associate Professor of Social Work. Even though this study had a smaller sample of teens,they were all blogging on Zanga (a popular site before Facebook which is like micro blogging) used their blogs to nurture relationships with peers and not participate in risky behavior (like posting sexy pictures).
The teenagers in the study used their blogs to build a sense of community. Most of the blogs were creative, used poetry, lyrics and had a real sense of imagination to them. The authors of this study were amazed to see that these teenagers talked about homework, spending time with family, and even participating in school activities.
What becomes so interesting about this study is the implication that our teenagers are using the Internet to talk to their friends when they are home from school, and the authors of this study noted that 65% of the teens in this study talked about being bored, which is still better than acting out in risky behavior.
If so many teenagers are using the Internet to talk to their friends, and they feel safe doing so, then we need to think about some alternative ways to create safe environments for them to use their creativity, imagination and talent to continue to harness their energy to communicate with each other. Facebook is a start, but not enough. We may also think about ways that mentors, counselors, teachers, and other leaders in the community can help parents monitor and support our teenagers. The Internet is not going anywhere, and neither are our teenagers need for friends.....
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Social Networking Sites, Anything other than Facebook and Myspace for our children and tweens?
I have many parents who ask me what they should do with their children and tweens outside of television based sites or Myspace and Facebook.
"Dr. Hilary, My daughter is 10 going on 16. She loves playing on the computer. We have done everything right; we have software to protect her from viewing any inappropriate sites. However, she is so bored with Webkinz.com and similar sites like it. Do you have any recommendations? A friend of ours mentioned that she was thinking that it might not be the worst thing to have her 11 year old daughter join Myspace! Is that next? Thanks for your help."
Myspace at 11 years old! I sure hope not. Just because our children are 11 years old physically, does not mean they are 11 years old emotionally, socially or spiritually. We really need to make sure we are protecting our kids' childhood by giving them time to be just that, children. Allowing them to be exposed to things ahead of them being ready to understand or comprehend its meaning just adds to the anxiety, confusion and helplessness that children may feel while growing up.
Social networking for children can be divided into three categories. First, like the mother in the letter above mentioned, her daughter was participating in the early social networking/type sites that mostly involve paying some fee to play games with limited or no chatting amongst participants.
www.Webkinz.com, Disney's www.Clubpenguin.com, www.Whyville.com, are examples of sites that are linked to the purchase of a toy and have a virtual world with games that provide virtual money.
Disney XD is another type of limited social networking site however, they have added a broader chatting component for its' members. There is a "chatting open" or a "speed chat" which allows for a public or private option. Parent have control over whether the child participates in this feature. They have also added a feature that will allow members to create a page like Myspace, with parental control.
Most people skip to the third category, which is the popular Myspace and Facebook sites. Myspace has a minimum age requirement of 14 for it's members and Facebook , requires it's members to be 13 years of age. Parents do not have control over the member's profile, but the parent can create the profile with the teenager so that the profile can contain all of the security options the parent agrees with.
Before your child is ready for Myspace and Facebook however, there are some wonderful sites for the child and tween. Please check out the following sites as you may find one or more that possibly fits your child perfectly :
1. www.poptropica.com
I like this site as your child creates a character that moves from island to island all over the world and receives medals as they travel and accomplish things.
2. www.habbo.co.uk
This is the biggest hotel on earth, and after your child creates a room they meet other friends from all over the world and they play games from all over the world. There are some strict rules to participate in this virtual world, they do not allow cyberbulling.
3. www.moshimonstors.com
Adopt a monster, play games with it, create a blog about it, puzzles, all sorts of fun activities on this site.
4. www.stardoll.com
Adopt a doll, try clothes on, hairstyles, if you liked barbies than you will not believe this site!
5. www.neopets.com
Adopt a pet, enter your pet into contests, win money to buy food and clothes for your pet....maybe a good site if you child is bugging you for a puppy.
6. www.facechipz.com
A new site for games and some basic social networking.
7. www.kidzrocket.com
Basic social networking, games, created by educational team.
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