Webinar – Supporting Virtual Classrooms: Educational and Enriching Content for Kids
Overview
The full discussion can be viewed here.
As many families prepare for distance learning during this unprecedented back-to-school season, concerns around the efficacy of virtual education and increased screen time are coming to the forefront. Parents are now facing the challenge of schooling at home, striving to shift kids’ summer routines to a more structured academic digital environment, while also adapting their own lives to reflect the impacts of COVID-19. This process raises important questions for the industry experts, educators, and content creators who are working to support families in their new in-home virtual classrooms, such as:
– How can we shape kids’ online experiences to include meaningful, enriching material that supports their academic success?
– Where can parents easily find entertaining and educational ways to play and learn online with their children?
– How do parents know their child is interacting with safe, appropriate online, that are positive for their digital wellbeing and protective of their rights online?
On Thursday, September 10th, we covered these questions and more with a panel discussion featuring these leading experts:
- Alicia Blum-Ross, Google
- James Filippatos, The Walt Disney Company
- Josianne Galea Baron, UNICEF
- Dr. Leanna Prater, LEGO Education
- Deirdre Quarnstrom, Minecraft Education
- Stephen Balkam, Family Online Safety Institute, Moderator
Speakers
Deirdre Quarnstrom
Deirdre Quarnstrom started the program at Mojang Studios to bring Minecraft to mainstream education which now reaches millions of students and educators around the world.
Josianne Galea Baron
Josianne Galea Baron is a children's rights and business specialist at UNICEF in Geneva, focusing on how companies in the ICT sector can best respect and support children's rights throughout their business activities.
Leanna Prater
Leanna is a Solution Architect at LEGO® Education. In this role she helps provide content area-expertise, thought leadership and strategic solutioning to support activities specific to the instructional goals and program needs of LEGO Education customers.
James Filippatos
Jim is Vice President for Global Public Policy at The Walt Disney Company where he is responsible for developing and directing strategic international public policy initiatives across the company. He focuses on media and Internet policy, human rights, children's issues and business entry and expansion in developing markets, among other areas.
Alicia Blum-Ross
Alicia recently joined Twitch, a livestreaming platform owned by Amazon, as the Senior Director for Global Youth Policy. Prior to coming to Twitch she worked at YouTube where she helped create resources to support families like the YouTube parental supervised experience and Best Practices for family creators. Before working in the tech industry she was an academic and media literacy educator, and co-authored (with Sonia Livingstone) the book Parenting for a Digital Future: How Hopes and Fears About Technology Shape Children's Lives. She's given talks for parents and caregivers in outlets like NPR, the BBC and more PTA meetings than she'd care to admit. She is currently trying to put her own advice into practice raising 9 year old twins in the Bay Area.