College Finals and a Puppy Party December 13, 2010

The bad economy and a scary job market add to already stressed out college students. Silly, fun, and hilarious extra-curricular events plus greater attention to the mental health of emerging adults is the antidote and preventative medicine that colleges across the country employ to take a bit of the pressure off. One positive alternative to more alcohol and drugs to relieve stress …

On a lawn at the Claremont campus, two fenced pens were set up, one with six bunnies and the other with 10 puppies. Over two hours, about 300 students took turns climbing inside and playing with the animals at the student-organized event.

I wonder about the stress level the puppies endured …

The American College Health Association estimates 40 percent of male students and half of female students report feeling so depressed that, at least once in the past year, it interfered with their day-to-day functioning.

Is it possible that helicopter parents rob their midadolescents of the opportunities to develop important life skills that include managing time, stress, and relationships? High School life at its best includes supportive parents who are present yet allow their children to face and navigate the inevitable pressures of deciding how to prioritize and eliminate the unimportant from the necessary.

Some scholars note that social media, including Facebook and Twitter, create their own frustrating and numbing sense of anxiety. One professor invites his students to abstain from all social media during the duration of his semester course, journaling their experience. There is good advice and tips for reducing social media stress from mashable.com.

We are all better off if, during this Christmas season, we slow down, disconnect appropriately, and focus on what matters most.

Jim Liebelts Youth Culture Watch: Kids Texting in Class is the New Normal September 15, 2010

Jim Liebelts Youth Culture Watch: Kids Texting in Class is the New Normal.

What we do is often more powerful than what we say. It is so tempting to pick the phone up and check email or a text while driving, but we usually “get what we are.”

Getting More Kids Riding to School July 3, 2010

How did you get to school as a kid? I remember both walking and riding my bike, but also weathered a short season on the bus. The Department of Transportation reports that in 1969 about 50% of children rode or walked to school, while today barely 13% do. Parents’ fear, bike-unfriendly streets, and distance are reasons given for the decline. Drive, walk, or ride past schools as they start today, but be careful, because their driveways [originally designed for a handful of cars] are packed with impatient and speedy parents dropping their kids off. Riding and walking are healthy alternatives to the crush of cars, helping kids not only slow down but get in shape.

Michelle Hamilton, in the recent issue of Bicycling Magazine, writes that it is possible to get more kids out of cars and riding more between home and school. Here are a couple examples Hamilton highlights:

• Alpine Elementary School in Alpine, Utah received a $12,000 grant from Safe Routes to School to partner with their city, adding “crosswalks, school-zone signs and bike racks, and organized parent-led biking and walking groups – key components in easing parents’ fears.” The number of kids getting out of cars and onto bikes or their own two feet increased from 32 to 50 percent.
• Starkville, Mississippi is stripping bike lanes from all its sub-divisions to city schools.
• Taylor, Texas is in the process of completing a network of trails connecting city institutions for ease of riding and walking.
• The League of American Bicyclist’s (LAB) Bicycle Friendly Community program increased their program from 48 to 140 cities in the last five years.
• Michelle Obama is encouraging more kids to walk and ride to school through her Let’s Move initiative.
• Ray LaHood, U.S. secretary of transportation, is determined to integrate the needs of bicyclists into all federally funded road projects.

Here are six ways Hamilton suggests cities and individuals can get more kids riding to school:

1. Make it a group effort – with city government, parents’ groups, neighborhood coalitions, and bike clubs working together.
2. Champion the cause – it takes an individual to step up in any city and make it happen.
3. Get help – explore available grants listed at SRTS’s guide [saferoutesinfo.org/guide/steps/index.cfm].
4. Use incentive programs – gifts made available by schools for miles ridden or walked, potentially combining incentives with support of worthy causes.
5. Involve kids – using students as safety officers, with parental or school supervision.
6. Educate – by holding education classes for kids and parents. One school launched a “drive-safely” campaign and lowered the percentage of parents exceeding the 25-mph speed limit from 59 to 21 percent.

Changing mindsets and lifestyles takes lots of time, but cities across the country are discovering the joy of using their own power to get to and from school. Get out and ride, and take your kids along!

The meaning of the Sabbath – latimes.com May 3, 2010

The meaning of the Sabbath – latimes.com.

This article affirms some of my thoughts in the previous post. I’m trying to recapture what it means to pursue downtime in appropriate measures.

Distracted driving: cellphones and texting May 3, 2010

Distracted driving: Driving with cellphone to ear or while texting? This cop has just the ticket for you – latimes.com.

Fact: Distracted driving causes an estimated 6,000 fatalities each year in the U.S., and some of the more common distractions include texting, phoning or fiddling with a GPS.

Fact: An estimated 500,000 people are injured each year by distracted drivers.

I’ve made a vow to not pick up my cell phone while driving and have not been completely successful, but am making progress. Since I do a fair amount of road biking I’ve grown familiar with what it looks like for a driver to be distracted while fiddling with tech gadgets. I know I will be the big loser in any confrontation with a car.

The featured cop in this article waxes philosophical about the reasons he thinks people refuse to put down their phones and obey the intuitively practical need for the hands free law–he states that “people don’t like down time.” This speaks to a deeper issue–we may have allowed the ability of technology to keep us connected to determine our pace of life. We are more hurried, fragmented, and anxious about productivity than ever. One key to the effective, efficient, and overall healthy use of technology is an internal ability to know when it is appropriate to turn it off and disconnect. Adequate downtime is vital to productive and healthy uptime.

See also–teenagers want help to stop texting: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/30/earlyshow/main6447065.shtml

Facebook study shows college students paint the story of idealized life February 17, 2010

Facebook study co-authored by Temple professor finds emphasis on college rituals.

“It was really interesting to see the visual worlds that students construct for themselves,” said Mendelson. “It’s an argument to each other of the life they wish for and idealize.”

Also notable was what was missing from the photos: family members, especially older family members, and anything related to academics such as studying or going to class.

“The photos are not about the reality of college, but rather building this idealized college experience,” said Papacharissi.

Frontline: digital_nation – life on the virtual frontier February 3, 2010

Last night I watched with great interest and fascination the PBS documentary that presents an in-depth exploration of what it means to be human in a 21st-century digital world.

Frontline: digital_nation – life on the virtual frontier

This is a great resource for parents, educators, coaches, youth workers, and anyone who cares about not only the way kids are accessing technology, but its impact on all of us. There is a parent quiz helping you discover your digital parenting style. There are also helpful digital workshops for parents and educators. The report is created and produced by award winning Rachel Dretzin, who is joined by commentator Douglas Rushkoff – a leading thinker and writer on the digital revolution.

You can watch the entire show online and also access Rachel Dretzin’s previous documentary, Growing Up Online.

The documentary did not supply many solutions to the very real challenges presented by our digital age, but it did leave two significant suggestions.

1. It is vital we not fear technology but instead continually ask ourselves a key question: what is the impact technology is having on us, the user?
2. Second, we must set boundaries for ourselves and our children for when, where, and for how long we will be connected to technology. There is a time to shut it off.

Generation M2 – media for 8-18 year olds January 21, 2010

The Kaiser Family Foundation has just released their new and long-anticipated report on the use of media by teenagers. It is a load to wade through but Anne Collier has given us a sharp summary and a caution about its findings.

Major study on youth & media: Let’s take a closer look.

Also, check out Meredith’s take from her really great site, Ypulse.

Get the full report and other documents here: Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds.

School spirit is still alive, it’s just changing December 24, 2009

School spirit is alive at Shorewood High School in the state of Washington. Their spirit is impressive and the result is really fun. Kudos to their film teacher who helped most of the school join together and collaborate in a creative way.

Digital Technology is Changing Us [everything] November 28, 2009

Dr. Michael Wesch teaches at Kansas State University and is teaching us about participatory media.

I recommend two videos as starters – these are outstanding lessons on how digital technology is changing the way we learn and relate to one another.

The Machine is Us/ing Us [Final Version]

An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube – this one requires about 55 minutes but it is worth your time.

Enjoy.