Here’s an audio recording of a recent piece broadcasted on KQED in San Francisco. Guests include Amanda Lenhart of Pew Research Center, Jim Steyer of Common Sense Media, and Madeline Levine, a psychologist based in Marin County, CA. During this conversation, the participants discuss current research, trends, and implications for parenting in the 21st century. 

Last week the Mozilla Foundation announced its first iteration of badges known as Open Badges 1.0. These web-based badges are stored in a virtual backpack and  can be used in various platforms to prove mastery of certain skills. The MacArthur Foundation is supporting this project, and over 600 groups will be implementing systems to recognize the accomplishments of individuals. 

  Listen (or read) this piece from NPR’s Tell Me More series entitled “Social Me”.  Harvard Berkman Center associate Rey Junco discusses his research on “disinhibition”, a term describing how people may be more likely to say or do certain things because they are online. Junco goes on to say that disinhibition is not necessarily a negative thing, and it often allows positive classroom learning relationships to be established that are…

Edudemic shares more than two dozen ways to use tablets to enhance the learning process, from art to science, from writing to public speaking, from research to testing to social media.

Showcasing a new infographic titled Professors, Peers, and Pinterest, EdTech Magazine looks at how students, administrators, and professors are finding creative users for the popular social media pinboard. The graphic includes user tips for educators and institutions new to pinning.

Writing for social media guru Jeff Bullas’ blog, elementary educator Dave Guymon describes his class trips to Canada, England, South Africa, Israel, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand–free, virtual trips enabled via Web 2.0 tools and social media networks that can “flatten” classroom walls.