All Screens Not Equal When It Comes To Kid’s Health

Sixth-graders who spent more time watching TV had a greater likelihood of consuming junk food and soda than did those who devoted an equal amount of time to playing video games or using the computer, University of Michigan researchers found. Two to six hours of screen time was associated with excess weight and higher blood pressure levels compared with less than an hour of electronic media use, the study found. Of course, maybe that’s because it is harder to eat when you are playing video games.

Click Farms Boost Brand and Celebrity Twitter and Facebook Followings

A growing group of companies around the world are running "click farms" that offer fake Twitter followers, Facebook likes and other social interactions to Western brands and ad agencies. The services reportedly are widely used, although experts say it's a high-risk strategy with a limited payoff. "The illusion of a massive following is often just that," says Hollywood marketer Tony Harris. This is the kind of information, though, that kids need to have in order to analyze the concept of popularity. Saying someone has thousands of Twitter followers or hundreds of Likes on Facebook is becoming a bogus measure.

Move Over Bake Sales - Using Crowdsourcing for School Tech Programs

Trying to get more technology into your school this year and wondering how to raise the funds? Take a look at this guide called “Raise Money for Your School Using Crowdfunding” from the folks at Edutopia. The guide covers ten steps to emulate as well as pitfalls to avoid. It also reviews 12 of the popular crowdsourcing platforms.

Do You Know Where That Photo Came From?

A photo posted to a blog that mocks corporate headshots has pitted ARAG North America, a company that provides legal insurance, against Google in a copyright lawsuit. It is a case that legal experts say exhibits an increasingly common clash over bloggers who post images online without permission. The lawsuit concerns a head-and-shoulders photo of Ann Dieleman, a senior vice president and chief marketing officer with ARAG. The photo was published in 2009 on SexyExecs.blogspot.com, a forum where users post photos of executives with satirical comments.

Google owns Blogger, the company that hosts the website, and while no new pictures have been posted to the site since 2011, the photo remains.

This is a good case to take note of if you or one of your family members posts a blog. Many bloggers (and members of the general public) don't realize that what they post online may infringe on copyrights. While there are many exceptions to the law, in general you cannot post someone else's photo online without their permission, even if you attribute it. Companies, like Google and Facebook, receive thousands of requests each day to remove content. Last month alone, Google received nearly 25 million take-down requests for copyright violations, according to the company's self-published transparency report.

This suit also says a lot about digital permanence. It is hard to get something you have posted to a public site taken down. We all need to remember that when posting any content, whether it is about others or ourselves. Once posted, it is likely to be very hard to remove.

Some Common Sense Advice on Raising Media Smart Kids

The folks at Common Sense Media are rolling out the new school year with 5 Free Ways to Bring Common Sense to Your Kid's Classroom. Their suggestions run the gamut from hosting a Family Engagement night to making Family Media contracts outlining rights and responsibilities. They also offer free videos on current parenting topics involving technology and offer suggestions for how to help teachers locate the best in digital media.

Technology Headlines – Reading for the Bottom Line

A recent headline, “Teens' Antisocial Texts May Foretell Bad Behavior,” about a new study caught my attention recently with very predictable results. Perhaps, you can guess what those are? That teens who text about bad behaviors such as drug use or fighting are more likely to actually engage in those behaviors as well. Buried at the end of the article though was this tidbit. "We also saw positive, meaningful communications," the study’s author said. "We saw a lot of really heartfelt encouragement that goes on, on the spot, when the students needed it. I think there is a lot that's both good and bad, just like any other form of communication." So, remember that before you prejudge teens and texting.