Edubeacon

Thirteen days into the new year and the updates on this blog look like I’ve dropped off the planet.  Not so.  It’s simply been that recharge time when, like many others in Australia,  we lift the foot a little and focus on the fun of Christmas and family after the end of year windup.  This [...]

The ALA is getting right behind the US equivalent of our National Youth Week with the promotion of material teachers and librarians can use with adolescents in celebrating Teen Tech Week. The info sheet that really caught my eye is the Social Networking Kit for Educators and Librarians.  It was updated last month and would [...]

danah boyd,  an expert on youth culture, identity negotiation, blogging, and social media is currently presenting in Australia through the Edna seminars.  Last month she published a fascinating article entitled Viewing American class divisions through MySpace and Facebook in which she provides a sociological insight into the use of these social networking spaces (SNS). While MySpace has always been a publicly [...]

A recent incident drew my attention to the Habbo Hotel website. In the same vein as MySpace, it looks far less inocuous however is the exactly the same process and product. Thankfully in this incident, parents were vigilant and interrupted the communication, but not without a load of heartache. The general look of the site [...]

MySpace first came to my attention in July 2005 with the news that it had been purchased by Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation. Promoted as a site specifically suited to 14 to 34 year olds where they could ‘create a private community … share photos, journals and interests with your growing network of mutual friends!’ [...]