The folks in the UK just finished celebrating their European Safer Internet Day (SID) on February 9th.  This is an annual European event designed to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones.  But what are we doing here in the US?  PBS Kids is doing something pretty cool.

Take a test drive.

Jump into the driver’s seat and fasten your seat belts because it’s time to take an Internet driving test for FREE courtesy of PBS Kids!  Kids: take the official “Rules of the Road” test and get your own Kids Web License.  Parents and teachers: you should try the test too.  You may learn more than you think!  Here’s what the test covers:

• Meeting people online
• Downloading
• Cookies
• Sharing information
• Password protection
• Privacy policies
• Cyber bullying
• Plagiarism

The best part?  You get to PRINT OUT your very own Web Driver’s License!  I already took mine…pretty cool, right?  So head over to PBS Kids and see if you should be on the Internet super highway or not.  No tailgating and make sure to use your turn signal!

Fail the test?

So you took the test and didn’t do so hot.  No need to worry.  Maybe you were just nervous. But for those of you that want to do a little studying, try visiting the Playnormous parent pages, specifically our one on safety.  There you can learn all about how Playnormous keeps families safe.  Click on the links at the bottom of our safety page to get even more information.

Tweet, tweedle-lee-dee.

Now that we’ve finally made our big move I’ve made a couple of belated New Years resolutions for Playnormous.  At the top of that list is be more active on Twitter.  I’ve met so many amazing people on Twitter and read so many good articles that I’ve decided enough is enough.  It’s time to share all of this good social stuff with the world.  Of course, I wanted to start with you, my amazing Monster’s Blog audience.  This article comes from @LearningToday, where individualized learning programs for students are king.

Incorporating web into the classroom well.

If you’re a teacher and reading this blog, you probably have tried or are at least considering incorporating web-based activities in your classroom.  For many this is not an easy process.  Learning Today recommends that you start by asking yourself five simple questions.

1. What is the curriculum related purpose of the activity?  →  The outcome or assessment should be aligned to your lesson objectives and standards.
2. Does the Internet enhance the activity?  →  If the answer is no, find a more appropriate place to integrate the web.
3. How will students use the online resources?  →  Once students locate information, they should be asked to apply, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, or create. The activity should require them to move to higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
4. Do students have necessary information analysis/information synthesis skills or am I including these in instruction?  →  The project should not become simply an exercise in locating information. Students must have the necessary background knowledge and pre-requisite skills to complete higher level tasks or these must be included in instruction prior to the web-based learning activity.
5. Do I have the necessary time and support for the activity?  →  Double your original time estimate and always have access to technical support to resolve problems efficiently.

Try Playnormous.

Are you ready to take the internet plunge?  Why not take Playnormous for a spin?  In addition to online educational games, we have a full curriculum for each one!  We even follow Bloom’s Taxonomy to get your students thinking harder and you testing smarter.  That’s right…I have a Masters degree in health education.  We know what we’re doing around here.  So visit our teacher page, and let us know what you think!

Guitar Hero meets Schoolhouse Rock.

Dr. James Tour, a chemistry, mechanical engineering and computer science professor at Rice University is taking science education to the next level.  Dr. Tour is using the power of video games, specifically Guitar Hero and Step Mania, to teach science lessons through music.  Funded by the National Science Foundation, “SciRave” and “SciJam” pair science-themed songs these popular music video games to heighten the learning experience.  See the media release from the Texas Medical Center for more information or visit the SciRave website to get it straight from the source.

Free (and fun) science curriculum for teachers!

Dr. Tour’s group is looking for teachers to test out the SciRave and SciJam games and  so visit the SciRave website to download the games for free.  Print out the lyrics, listen to the music, and send them feedback on how your students liked the games.

Calling all health game researchers!

Last year, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation made a call for universities, government agencies, medical centers, and non-profits to submit proposals for research projects involving games.  They wish to study how health games can be designed and used to improve players’ health behaviors and health outcomes.  Right up our ally!  Competition was stiff and 12 research teams were awarded more than $2M last year.

Well they’re at it again, so mark your calendars for January 15, 2009 when a second call for proposals will be announced.  To learn more, visit the website Health Games Research.

Today’s monster.

And without further ado, today’s feature monster.  This one is a gamer himself, but of a different sort.  Enjoy!

It’s a small world after all.

One thing I really enjoy about this social marketing thing is that once in a while you run into some amazing people that love what you do.  And then you find out they know each other.  One of our first Playnormous fans is Amy Jussel, Founder and Executive Director of Shaping Youth. One of our most recent advocates is Andre Blackman, owner of another blog called Pulse & Signal.  Come to find out, Amy and Andre know each other.  In fact, Amy was one of Andre’s mentors.  What a small world!  Andre and Amy both attended the Health 2.0 Conference this past month in San Francisco.  Unfortunately I missed this one, but Andre was kind enough to record several of the presentations.  Including ours! Better yet, he’s given me permission to post this video on Monster’s Blog. Thank you, Andre!  But before we get to the clip, I’d like to give you a little information about our two good friends at Pulse & Signal and Shaping Youth.

Pulse & Signal merges health and technology with action.

Andre Blackman is the owner of Pulse & Signal, a blog that features commentary on the impact and potential uses of technology on health communication and social marketing.  Andre’s goal is to ensure that the public is informed about the choices they have regarding their health in this new era of user-generated content and Web 2.0 tools.  He firmly believes that it’s up to us to make our health better, and it’s time for us to make that change for a better tomorrow.  I couldn’t agree more.

I really enjoy Andre’s blog because he focuses on health communication and health marketing.  Health issues + effective communication + scientific theory + business savvy + creativity.  That’s what I like.  We come from the same world, Andre and I, one that is not well understood and is relatively unknown to the average person.  It’s always very exciting to find someone who knows what you’re talking about.  We also have similar tastes in reading material including Well by Tara Parker-Pope, Chris Brogan, Health 2.0 Blog and of course, Shaping Youth.  Check out Andre’s first Pulse & Signal post Who IS this guy? to learn more about him and his blog.

Shaping Youth

Shaping Youth is a nonprofit concerned with media and marketing’s impact on kids.  Their focus is to shift harmful messages in a more positive direction with the help on industry insiders.  They do this without political, religious, or censorship agendas.  Well done!  I originally found Shaping Youth when I first started researching blogs that focused on Childhood Obesity.  Shaping Youth was one of them.

Amy Jussel is tackling this problem and many more by informing the public about the junk food market, consumerism, body image, and much more.  We are proud to call Amy and Shaping Youth a Friend of Playnormous.  Here are some of her amazing posts she’s written about us these past few months:

• Games For Health Regional Summit: Playnormous, Humana and More
• Health 2.0: Got Mercury?  Cellphone Tool for Fish Fanatics Like Me
• Kids’ Health 2.0: Get Your Head in the Game
• 150 Kids’ Virtual Worlds: 95 Live, 68 in R&D How Many Are Worthy?
• Media Rules!  Shaping Youth Interviews Brian Reich
• Flying Under the Radar: e-Health Innovators, Digital Darlings

The presentation.

Now, without further ado, the Health 2.0 Conference video of Richard’s presentation, courtesy of Andre at Pulse & Signal!

Health 2.0 Conference - Richard Buday of Playnormous and Archimage