Technology & Media

The potential for tech-based creativity and innovation is nearly endless, but our grasp of the pitfalls is often limited. How is new media changing the way we learn, interact, vote, volunteer and work? Hear from experts and young people in our Intro Video (coming soon)!

Sparks: A Monthly Expert Blog

Whether you're new to this issue or a longtime expert, our Sparks blog can help you stay up to date. Each month, we ask a different expert to weigh in on important and under-reported developments to watch.

Currently under construction but there will be a blog soon!

Feature Stories

June 10, 2010
Metro TeenAIDS Logo
Metro Teen Aids

On Friday, June 11, 2010, DC youth will use their phones to find out where to get tested for HIV/STIs.

February 24, 2010
Texting
SparkAction

SparkAction's Shane Gooding gives us her take-aways from a 2010 Society for International Development workshop on high-tech ways to engage hard-to-reach teens.

November 5, 2009
Ray Schultz
Child Advocacy 360

Behind the news with the the only journalism nonprofit that focuses exclusively on children, youth and families at risk. What do its leaders think about the state of mainstream media, the power of "good news" and what comes next?

June 2, 2009
Child Advocacy 360

The advocacy organization Every Child Matters persuaded hundreds of members to congratulate President Obama on his first 100 days and on the "kid-friendly parts" of his budget. How did it mobilize so many? Through e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, among other things. But can children's champions use social media to make a real-world impact?

June 10, 2008
SparkAction (at press time, Connect for Kids)

Get the scoop in the 2008 contest and listen to a special CFK podcast with Bryan Doerries, program director of Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, which administers the Scholastic Art and Writing Award, and two of the high school students who took top honors in photography.

Youth Voices

June 10, 2010
Metro TeenAIDS Logo
Metro Teen Aids

On Friday, June 11, 2010, DC youth will use their phones to find out where to get tested for HIV/STIs.

March 8, 2010
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National Coalition Against Censorship

NCAC screens winning films from the Youth Free Expression Network's film contest “Free Speech in schools (Does it Exist?)”, and several youth films from Reel Works and Global Action Project. Hip Hop poet Kahlil Almustafa performs his poetry as part of the celebration. A conversation with the filmmakers follows the screening.

February 5, 2010
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Healthy Schools Campaign, 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure

When’s the last time you visited your local high school?

February 3, 2010
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The News Market

Haitian filmmaker and earthquake survivor Jean Bernard Bayard speaks about filming the earthquake's aftermath in Jacmel, Haiti.

January 19, 2010
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Media That Matters

Arts Engine celebrates ten years of Media That Matters — the premier showcase for short films with big messages.

Partnering with professional news outlets can be tricky. Here are examples of successful relationships between youth- and adult-made media.

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Latest Resources From the Field

August 3, 2010
Pew Research Center

When it comes to socializing and communicating with friends, young Latinos (ages 16 to 25) make extensive use of mobile technology. These findings are based on a new analysis of data from a nationwide telephone survey of Latinos conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

July 16, 2010

Educators today regularly use streaming video and other online multimedia resources in the classroom to enliven instruction, spark discussion, and engage students. However, rolling out such a digital resource across an entire institution, multiple campuses, or even online, can pose significant technological and pedagogical challenges.

July 7, 2010
eSchool News

Contrary to popular opinion, newer teachers aren't any more likely to use technology in their lessons than veteran teachers, and a lack of access to technology does not appear to be the main reason why teachers do not use it: These are among the common perceptions about education technology that new research from Walden University’s Richard W.

June 30, 2010
Alliance for Excellent Education

The "Online Learning: Addressing Challenges and Seizing Opportunities" state profiles present state-specific information about the three crises confronting the nation: global skill demands versus educational attainment, the funding cliff and a looming teacher shortage.

May 25, 2010
Workforce Strategy Center, Sloan Consortium

The Workforce Strategy Center is partnering with the Sloan Consortium to promote the increased use of online and blended learning in community college workforce development efforts. The Center has issued a call for papers for on practical applications for a special issue of the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks.