tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331822132012-02-02T04:26:43.830-05:00Academic blog touching upon various aspects of my ongoing research on children's media, literature and digital games, as well as the intersection of play, technology and transmedia intertexts within children's culture.Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.comBlogger4551100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-15013091729992115892012-01-09T14:26:00.000-05:002012-01-09T14:26:45.815-05:00

The Winter 2012 semester officially launches today, and this week will mark the first class of a new course that I've just recently designed called "Mediating the Social: Social Networks and Technologies," which I'll be teaching in the Book and Media Studies undergraduate program at the University of St.Michael's College, University of Toronto. As per usual, I'll be maintaining a blog for the

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-35155679470712358322011-12-22T10:50:00.000-05:002011-12-22T10:50:11.812-05:00

I posted this on Facebook this morning, but then realized that it might be useful to a broader audience than my family and friends. A short (but sweet) post relaying the best advice I've thus far received about the peer review (publishing) process and how to handle those ego-deflating (and sometimes just plain mean) reviewer comments.  What to do when you get your reviewer comments back:  Read

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-79143285091951801072011-12-15T13:18:00.000-05:002011-12-15T13:18:56.661-05:00

A pretty key and interesting development has been unfolding over at the ESRB this fall, as reported by Wendy Goldman Getzler for Kidscreen magazine last month. It would seem that despite their early hesitation to delve into mobile games, the videogames ratings board is now extending its system to mobile games as well, through a new partnership with CTIA-The Wireless Association® (an

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-85325622265297546702011-11-21T15:36:00.001-05:002011-11-21T15:36:16.303-05:00

The big "do not miss" event in town this weekend is Gamercamp Lv3, which runs from Nov. 25-27, features a plethora of awesome games, events and speakers, and showcases the pure awesomeness that is the Toronto indie game scene. Co-founded by Mark Rabo and Jaime Woo, Gamercamp is now in its third year and appears to be hitting one heck of a stride. Here's the description from the official website:

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-31654786447799275402011-11-16T12:44:00.002-05:002011-11-21T12:27:18.379-05:00

©2011 Avaaz.orgSome really important and troubling things happening right now on the digital culture/content/access front. Via digital law expert Michael Geist: The U.S. Congress is currently embroiled in a heated debated over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), proposed legislation that supporters argue is needed combat online infringement, but critics fear would create the "great firewall of the

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-78833310251220232112011-10-25T16:44:00.000-04:002011-10-25T16:44:00.899-04:00

Some rough notes on the final panel of the final day of iWDMS (with usual disclaimer for typos, etc.). OMDC: Play Panelists: Claudette Critchley, COO, Big Blue Bubble Valerie Fox, Director, Ryerson Digital Media Zone Ana Serrano, Founding Director, Digital Media Lab, CFC Diane Williamson, President, Digital Wizards Inc. Moderator: Kim Gibson, Program Consultant, Industry Development Group,  OMDC

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-13526304075575459732011-10-25T13:44:00.000-04:002011-10-25T13:44:40.072-04:00

As before - filled with typos, spelling mistake and maybe even the occasional mis-attribution. This is live blogging - it's messy! LUNCH & LEARN - WIFT-T Industry Study Presentation Panel Discussion between: Susan Annis, Executive Director, Cultural Human Resources Council Lynda Brown-Ganzert, Vice-President, Nordicity Shelley Simmons, Director, Chocolate Liberation Front Madeline Ziniak,

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-36564625322656015732011-10-24T17:44:00.000-04:002011-10-24T17:44:45.050-04:00

Making Media that Matters Panel Moderated by Andra Sheffer, ED, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund Jill Golick, Screenwriter/Digital Creator, Story2.OH Years ago, TV producers told her that boys won't watch stuff with girls in it, but that girls would watch programs with boys (*can't remember the source, this is from one of the foundational books on kids' tv from the 60s or 70s)*. Today, they're

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-34551318165663382752011-10-24T12:18:00.000-04:002011-10-24T12:18:53.179-04:00

Here goes my second attempt at live blogging from a conference - proceed with caution (many typos, clumsy paraphrasing and unfinished sentences ahead). iWDMS Panel: Beyond Primetime: The Battle of Push vs. Pull Norm Bolen - Chairman, Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA). Lots of money in traditional media, clear regulation on what they need to invest in CanCon - ensures that a % of

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-62775206682151709632011-10-15T21:13:00.000-04:002011-10-15T21:13:25.637-04:00

"Hobbit Hole" ©2009-2011 ~Legacy0 on devianArt I've posted this already on the Children's Cultural Texts & Artifacts blog, but wanted to be sure that word got out to a broader audience, as this event promises to be a really compelling one. Arthur Slade, Saskatoon YA author and Governor General Award winner, will be speaking at the Lillian H. Smith branch (TPL) this Thursday (Oct. 20, 8pm), on

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-33283758709657723102011-09-28T13:50:00.000-04:002011-09-28T13:50:02.121-04:00

The following is a cut-and-paste reproduction of the original ad/announcement, sent out by email last week. Sorry for the last minute notice - this should be a really interesting discussion, so hope some of you can make it:The Centre for Media and Culture in EducationThe Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, The University of TorontoFALL 2011 LAUNCH EVENTA panel presentation and discussion

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-69875403673081414422011-09-21T14:05:00.001-04:002011-09-21T14:09:31.992-04:00

©2011 Women in Film & Television - TorontoFor those of you with an interest in gender and media, digital media, and opening up opportunities in digital media production to more women and girls, please be sure to check out the upcoming International Women in Digital Media Summit (iWDMS), which will be held October 23-25 (2011) in lovely Stanford Ontario. Organized by Women in Film & Television –

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-85492373716546539162011-09-18T14:43:00.000-04:002011-09-18T14:43:22.246-04:00

Just a quick heads up on an upcoming CFP and event organized by the Association for Research in Cultures of Young People (ARCYP), which will be held at York University next month. In the interests of disseminating this info far and wide as quickly as possible (the deadline is THIS WEEK), here is a cut-and-paste of the original CFP: ARCYP / Children’s Studies Program Symposium 2011CHILDREN’S

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-60976329469911082812011-09-15T16:03:00.000-04:002011-09-15T16:03:21.289-04:00

©2008-2011 *MAFIA11The end of summer/start of fall is always a really crazy time for us university types. Summer projects (and courses) need to be wrapped up, new courses launched, new students welcomed, pre-existing students/contacts/research partners reconnected with, committees to work on and meetings to attend, emails and websites to write...not to mention all the fun stuff going on in

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-52812934864988863832011-08-26T14:45:00.000-04:002011-08-26T14:45:40.115-04:00

©2011 GamercampFor anyone who is or knows a kid between the ages of 9 and 13 with an interest in games and game design, you should definitely check out this new, very cool resource (and upcoming event) put together by the awesomely fantastic guys behind Gamercamp. Gamercamp Jr. is a website, a set of downloadable activity kits, as well as an upcoming in-person meet up, all aimed at introducing

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-91508263506448128852011-08-19T12:53:00.000-04:002011-08-19T12:53:49.166-04:00

In case you missed it the first time, we're hosting the next iConference and it's going to be a blast. Submissions are due Sept.12 - hope to see lots of children's lit/media, digital media, copyright/remix culture, tech, design and games people there :) Here's the (cute and paste) original CFP: Now Accepting Submissions: iConference 2012 Toronto, Canada February 7-10, 2012 http://

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-8929521786129754512011-08-07T22:41:00.002-04:002011-08-08T10:59:32.551-04:00

©2011 Our Public Library TO, campaign logo I know that many of you (particularly those of you in Toronto and other parts of Canada) have been following the recent, very troubling, threat of funding cuts to our city's public library system...along with numerous other community services, arts and enormously important public fora and services. Many of you are already participating in campaigns

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-47132685859097281382011-07-21T11:48:00.000-04:002011-07-21T11:48:22.506-04:00

With beach/cottage season well underway, questions about good summer reads and recommendations have been coming up with alarming frequency. Everyone has their own ways and resources for answering these questions, of course, and I'm no exception. Out of a series of twitter and blog posts (many of them on YA librarian sites), coincidences and other people's recommendations, I've compiled the

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-81516433133879550962011-07-11T01:59:00.000-04:002011-07-11T01:59:53.232-04:00

July is turning into a pretty hectic month, and as a result Gamine Expedition is going on a short, temporary hiatus. I'll be back soon with some updates from NYC and some of the stuff I've been working on here. Until then, I hope we can stay in touch through Twitter.

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-54003489829494679932011-06-27T14:06:00.002-04:002011-06-27T14:21:37.724-04:00

As promised, here are the slides from my talk this past weekend at TEDxLibrariansTO. I'll post the video link if/when it becomes available. And if for some reason there's no video, I can post a transcript of the talk itself...especially since the slides alone aren't all that informative about the actual contents of the talk, just the subject matter and examples used. The talk touched upon two

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-27595513442735256312011-06-22T12:17:00.001-04:002011-06-22T13:18:26.080-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was floored and honored to receive an invitation to speak at TEDx LibrariansTO, an independently organized TED event put together by two Toronto-based public librarians (Shelley Archibald and Fiacre O’Duinn) under the theme "Librarians as Thought Leaders." I accepted, of course, and am very happy to be listed among the amazing line-up of speakers the event will showcase -

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-5640757867777694302011-06-20T13:07:00.000-04:002011-06-20T13:07:18.595-04:00

©2008-2011 MindCandy - Moshi Monsters characters Via Irina Slutsky in this morning's AdAge online, a new article examining some of the rationale behind going "ad-free" in popular kids' social networks Moshi Monsters and Togetherville, as well as "ad-light" in Everloop. The article has some good points about how hard it is to control who registers, and provides some troubling insight into

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-25185768428154764682011-06-09T09:46:00.001-04:002011-06-09T09:47:26.352-04:00

©2011 nxne festival For those of you in the Toronto area, be sure to mark your calendars and check out the line-up for next week's North by Northeast (nxne) Music Festival and Conference. The event (now in its 17th year) runs from June 13 to June 19th, and boasts a fantastic program of concerts, (music-themed) film screenings and a number of industry + academic panels on a variety of

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-73238051676566139292011-05-29T12:36:00.000-04:002011-05-29T12:36:42.905-04:00

©2011 Cassie Creighton, screenshot from Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure The story of Cassie, age 5, and Ryan, age 33, a daughter-father team who participated in this month's Toronto Indie Game Jam (TOJam) 2011 -- where they made the incredible, hilarious and adorable Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure -- has made its way all over the internets this week, and for good reason. Theirs is a great

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-11815515260811896392011-05-24T15:04:00.070-04:002011-05-24T15:43:37.775-04:00

A couple of months ago, Youtube published a video aimed at educating young people about copyright, featuring (and made by the creators of) The Happy Tree Friends. Entitled YouTube Copyright School, the video relays a lot of the same kind of info found in the anti-piracy ads you see at the cinema - albeit in a humorous and much less cloying format. I've embedded the video below: Specifically, the

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-56393480588204000762011-05-11T21:49:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:39:44.492-04:00

©2011 NYU Game Center I'm in NYC right now, enjoying a bit of down time, a.k.a. writing time between conferences, and all I can really say is WOW. It's been gorgeous since we got here, and since my partner is currently doing a postdoc research semester at Columbia, we've had quite a swath of Manhattan to discover and explore. I'm currently being hosted by the fantastically generous and awesome

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-83160209105914012722011-04-26T11:34:00.001-04:002011-05-05T09:47:46.258-04:00

This week, I'm heading to The Association for the Study of Play (TASP)'s Annual Conference, which is being held at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester (NY). I'm going to present a paper I've been working on, entitled "Digitizing the Bedroom: Children’s Domestic Gaming as Consumption, Production, Subversion and Play," which draws on findings and conclusions described in my

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-64997674077900133912011-04-18T10:59:00.001-04:002011-04-24T11:30:32.595-04:00

Last Friday, I gave a presentation at the Toronto Public Library as part of a training day for children's librarians and service providers. It was a wonderful experience - presenting to such an engaged audience always is - and I got a load of great questions at the end. I left the event feeling inspired and very optimistic about future initiatives and possible collaborations in providing an

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-76726809334974205462011-04-08T12:01:00.002-04:002011-04-08T12:02:15.951-04:00

©2011 Centre for Children & Young PeopleVia the "Exploring Childhood Studies" mailing list, info about a new postdoc opportunity at the Centre for Children & Young People in Australia. From the university website, it looks like applications are due May 6th, so anyone interested in applying had better get cracking. Here's the announcement in full: The Centre for Children & Young People (CCYP) at

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-22361530557073157622011-04-04T16:54:00.000-04:002011-04-04T16:54:56.522-04:00

©2011 TIFF SprocketsFor those of you in the Toronto area, be sure to check out Sprockets, The Toronto International Film Festival for Children and Youth, which starts tomorrow (April 5th) and runs until April 17th. In addition to an impressive roster of films for and/or about children and teens, from Canada and around the world, as well school days for elementary and high school students, the

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-54801932912803149842011-03-16T17:50:00.001-04:002011-03-17T11:03:16.758-04:00

©2011 The British Library Board Two of my favourite UK children's scholars, Jackie Marsh and Rebekah Willett, have been collaborating (along with a number of other scholars) on an amazing project for the past couple of years now, examining "Children’s Playground Games and Songs in the New Media Age." Out of this project, Marsh, Willett and their expanding team of researchers, assistants,

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-83981314647768738032011-03-10T13:16:00.000-05:002011-03-10T13:16:46.881-05:00

Over the next couple of days, I'll be checking out new tech, new ideas and generally enjoying massive doses of gamer-y goodness down at PAX-East in Boston. After trying (and failing) to attend one of these  PAX festivals for several years now, I'm beyond excited. Though hoping to catch the keynote by I LOVE BEES/Reality is Broken author Jane McGonigal, I'm going to be dedicating most of my

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-61069686211621387582011-03-08T12:18:00.000-05:002011-03-08T12:18:21.703-05:00

©2011 Wexfordian, Comphermc, Morgana25, rtm223, Hilightnotes, xkappax, Catiers, GruntosUK,CENTURION24, Jaeyden, Cuzfeeshe and steve_big_guns? or is it ©2011 SOE/PlayStation??? As part of my ongoing study of LittleBigPlanet (1 & 2), I've been watching a very cool, player-made (Media Molecule driven) initiative unfold over the past few weeks, entitled The Hansel & Gretelbot Project. As described on

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-86177719997953396422011-02-23T16:14:00.000-05:002011-02-23T16:14:37.489-05:00

©2011 David Wyman (design) Just a little reminder that this week (in Canada) is Freedom to Read Week, a chance to celebrate information rights and creative freedoms, as well as raise awareness about the book bannings and challenges that continue to occur in libraries, schools and communities every year. As this week is also "reading week" at my university, I'll repeat an earlier comment I made

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-28645024856281402262011-02-16T19:39:00.001-05:002011-02-16T19:40:49.594-05:00

When I was a little kid I was certain I wanted to be an architect when I grew up. I was a Lego maniac and spent summers building forts, dams and lean-to's. My favourite book was House By Mouse, and my sketchbooks were filled with rudimentary floor plans (seriously). My parents thought that all this was very cute and precocious. But had I grown up in contemporary Finland, I apparently would have

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-26862931554777100772011-02-11T18:54:00.000-05:002011-02-11T18:54:01.819-05:00

[Note: I'm running 3 blogs right now including this one, and as a result have been spreading myself - and my posts - a bit thin. I've therefore decided to repost the following, which I originally wrote for one of my course blogs (which you can access directly here). Since my analytics tell me very few of my readers are actually reading both blogs, I'm hoping that this will be useful, rather than

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-5083076774958232342011-01-29T16:52:00.000-05:002011-01-29T16:52:56.494-05:00

©2011 Leigh Fallon/HarperCollins A little over a year ago, HarperCollins launched inkpop, an online community/social network aimed at connecting "up-and-coming authors with talent spotters and publishing professionals in the teen market", as well as providing a forum for said up-and-coming authors to test out ideas and give/get feedback on each others' submissions. It's also been described as "

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-18155729185039936902011-01-14T17:15:00.002-05:002011-01-14T17:16:08.492-05:00

Oh no! Almost let this CFP slip by without mention - the deadline is tomorrow, but if you have an abstract ready, this is going to be a good one! Revolt, Rebellion, Protest: Change and Insurrection in Children’s Literature June 23-25, 2011Hollins University — Roanoke, Virginia Call for PapersRevolution, upheaval, protest, and cultural change have swept over the world in repeating cycles since

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-86227077242978998052011-01-07T11:12:00.001-05:002011-01-07T11:20:18.706-05:00

I love these animated talks people have been posting lately...so cool, and the visuals add so much to the content, especially to illustrate the "big picture" (literally and figuratively), the relationships between things, time, thoughts, etc. This one is by Sir Ken Robinson and it's a brilliant, thought provoking, challenging discussion of the Western school system. Enjoy!

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-12851580111942079222011-01-05T17:23:00.000-05:002011-01-05T17:23:36.142-05:00

I forgot to make the announcement on here yesterday, that the blog for my second course of the semester, section 104 of the Information Workshops (INF 1005/1006), on the topic of Children's Digital Games, is also now officially up and running. Our first class was this morning and we're already off to a great start. Some representatives from the TPL's Console Gaming @ Your Library committee (the

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-49917704064608355622011-01-01T21:40:00.000-05:002011-01-01T21:40:14.420-05:00

The course blog for my new Masters seminar, INF2304 Children's Cultural Texts and Artifacts is now live and can be accessed here. Classes start this Monday, January 3rd, 1-4pm. Students: please check the iSchool website for the timetable and room number. To get things started off on the right foot this semester, I'm going to use the second half of my first lecture to take a trip over to the

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-16353025053393748292010-12-23T16:19:00.000-05:002010-12-23T16:19:22.122-05:00

©2010 Sara M. Grimes, Grimes Family Christmas TreeWishing all of my readers, students, colleagues and friends, a very happy holiday season!!! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year's! Have a fun, relaxing and peaceful finale to 2010. I'll be off for the next week celebrating various Xmas-related events, but you can expect new posts on Gamine Expedition early in the New Year, including a discussion of

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-4145218748617352372010-12-17T14:43:00.000-05:002010-12-17T14:43:34.147-05:00

©2008-2010 ~thepolestar, DeviantArtVia the Exploring Childhood Studies mailing list, a very cool sounding volume, proposed and edited by  Dr. Christopher Bell, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, is looking for chapter submissions. I've shortened the ad somewhat for the purposes of this post (below), but it's worth reading the original in its entirety for a great overview of Dr. Bell's

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-61668809174669029462010-12-08T11:16:00.001-05:002010-12-08T14:10:37.103-05:00

@Carsten Keßler, 2007, WikiMedia CommonsHead's up to anyone out there looking for a faculty position in early childhood studies/education - there's one opening up at the Ryerson School of Early Childhood Education, Ryerson University, which is located here in Toronto (their campus is even right smack downtown). I have some amazing colleagues who are at the ECE School (many of whom are housed at

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-48729603947007616992010-11-26T16:57:00.000-05:002010-11-26T16:57:49.162-05:00

©2010 YouMedia, Chicago Public LibraryI've been neglecting my blog this month, due to an abnormally intense crunch time at work - deadlines, teaching duties, research, and planning for next semester have taken over (and extended) my life these days, leaving me little time to ponder or read anything that isn't imminently (or  much more often over-) due. However, in a rare moment of down time, I

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-65702584219975209802010-11-13T11:38:00.000-05:002010-11-13T11:38:49.807-05:00

Today is the second jam-packed day of the DIY Citizenship conference, which runs until tomorrow. Ive had an amazing time so far - it's been quite a rush of awesome talks, conversations and displays, and too many totally intriguing panels to choose from. I presented my bit yesterday morning, which means that I'm now free to just enjoy and listen for the rest of the weekend. I won't be blogging

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-57561464714682684432010-11-02T14:41:00.002-04:002010-11-02T14:48:35.140-04:00

©Maurice Sendak, Reading is FunTwo studies pertaining to the current state of recreational reading among kids and teens have come out recently, providing a mixed bag of findings and a shared message of optimism about the future of reading (or rather e-reading) among young people. The first reports on findings from a survey of more than 2,000 children (ages 6 to 17) and their parents conducted by

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-38130346087556534392010-10-25T21:21:00.000-04:002010-10-25T21:21:13.708-04:00

A few weeks ago, the fabulous folks over at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center invited me to write a post for their (really quite) fantastic blog exploring a topic related to gender and gaming. Having just watched the footage from last summer's 3G Summit (The Future of Girls, Gaming & Gender), I was inspired to write about the ongoing debate around girls and games (e.g. why don't more girls/women design

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-51688319907652353352010-10-22T18:26:00.000-04:002010-10-22T18:26:17.660-04:00

©2010 Nintendo, Inc., Kirby Epic Yarn promo materials This week Nintendo released it's newest installment of the Kirby series, Kirby's Epic Yarn. What piqued my interest about the game is its use of arts & crafts as an aesthetic motif - everything looks like it's made of string, buttons, yarn and zippers. The aesthetic is supplemented by some clever looking game mechanics, which add to the

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-64376113455359181842010-10-15T12:03:00.006-04:002010-10-15T12:27:25.466-04:00

©laffy4k, Crayola Lincoln Logs, at Flickr Way back in June, Newsweek did a cover story on the Creativity Crisis, centered on an article by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman about a steady decline in American children's Creativity Quotient (CQ) scores since the early 1990s. The main focus of the article was the most recent batch of findings from a longitudinal study (50 years and counting) initially

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-15358673661146334132010-09-29T18:29:00.003-04:002010-09-29T22:07:21.929-04:00

©American Library Association, Banned Books Week 2010 This week is Banned Books Week in the US, and a great opportunity to learn more about (not to mention contribute to) the ongoing battle against censorship that readers, librarians, educators and authors across the continent and around the world are engaged in every day. Since last Saturday (September 25th), and ongoing until this coming

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-58799208281616929122010-09-14T12:15:00.001-04:002010-09-23T21:20:13.899-04:00

Check out this upcoming, free, public lecture by Children's Literature professor Laura Tosi - to be held at the Lillian H. Smith Branch (which also houses the The Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books) of the Toronto Public Library on September 30th. I've reproduced the entire announcement from the Italian Cultural Institute website below - I think it will be a great talk, as well as a

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-24721902557450034952010-09-08T17:19:00.001-04:002010-09-08T17:19:57.355-04:00

Screenshot of Rule of Rose, © 2006 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.  A colleague of mine has added Portal to the reading list of one of his grad seminar courses this year, which is oh-so-awesome. It's a wonderful game, with mind-blowing gameplay mechanics and a deep and multilayered story that has a surprisingly lot to say (given the game's short length and puzzle-solving focus) about

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-71234215796415462632010-09-07T19:42:00.001-04:002010-09-08T17:45:55.730-04:00

Via the Childhood Studies mailing list, as posted by Peter Cumming, an announcement and call for applications for TWO(!) tenure-stream faculty positions at York University's Children's Studies Program. Very exciting news for those of you currently or soon-to-be on the academic job market. I'm so glad to see this program expanding, and am really looking forward to seeing who they get!!!! 

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-71811912856502643362010-08-24T16:10:00.002-04:002010-08-24T16:11:33.576-04:00

©2010 Scholastic, Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay A short follow up to my previous post on dystopian YA fiction from a couple of weeks ago, to note the release of the third installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, last night at midnight. While not as massively popular as "mega"-series like Harry Potter and Twilight (a comparison that will likely make any fan groan, as it's

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-75427552141289610892010-08-13T13:50:00.001-04:002010-08-23T17:35:10.381-04:00

© Sesame Workshop, Image of Panwapa From the looks of all these CFPs flooding my Inbox, 2011 is set to be an AMAZING year for children's studies...which is very fitting, seeing as this year has been proclaimed the International Year of Youth by the UN. This next CFP comes out of Rutgers University in Camden's Department of Childhood Studies, home of several of my favourite academics, including

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-50451726637017633012010-08-02T15:32:00.005-04:002010-08-02T17:43:05.967-04:00

© 2008 Disney/Pixar, Film still from Wall-E  I read a great article in The New Yorker a couple of months ago, written by Laura Miller, exploring the role and rise of dystopian fiction in children's and YA lit. The article describes the recent boom in the genre, focusing on Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy (the 3rd installment comes out in 22 days...and yes, I am counting), but also

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-2392441156306380222010-07-23T14:50:00.000-04:002010-07-23T14:50:51.376-04:00

© Kim Bolan Cullin, 2010, Teen Spaces 2nd Edition's photostream Via YPulse and NPR, some thought provoking discussion this week about the growing buzz around libraries, and the surprising idea that libraries might be the "new big pop-culture wave." Or, as NPR put it, libraries are (or at least could very well become) the new cupcake. I particularly enjoyed YPulse's interview with Kim Bolan

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-36147868504911153612010-07-15T16:03:00.002-04:002010-07-15T16:05:26.384-04:00

©2010 Alloy Entertainment, television still from Pretty Little Liars So, I've been watching Alloy Entertainment's most recent offering, Pretty Little Liars, and I must say it's every bit the guilty pleasure of Gossip Girl (one of Alloy's other hits) or of early seasons of The O.C. It's very much a soap opera, with its impossible plot lines and coincidences, scandalous-to-disturbing romances, and

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-86838350275846872512010-07-12T16:38:00.000-04:002010-07-12T16:39:39.360-04:00

"Childhood Map" ©2009 by Joe Beale at ghost blog Via the Centre for Research in Young People’s Texts and Cultures (CRYTC) website, another CFP for yet another fantastic looking conference on topics related to children's culture & media studies. This one seeks to explore a wide range of issues that will help map the state of child studies in Canada, as well as examine our ever changing notions &

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-90901426472511130822010-07-08T22:10:00.000-04:002010-07-08T22:15:48.624-04:00

© 2009 Laika Entertainment, movie still from CoralineVia the Exploring Childhood Studies mailing list, CFP for a conference next summer in Australia. It sounds positively awesome!Fear and Safety in Children's LiteratureCALL FOR PAPERS20th BIENNIAL CONGRESS OF IRSCL 4-8 JULY 2011QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIAChildren’s literature has always been responsive to the tenor

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-55737606128645686032010-07-07T14:45:00.000-04:002010-07-07T16:23:22.547-04:00

© 2010 Mahindra FoundationVia Kidscreen, news today about a fundraising initiative that uses the serial or "pay-per-chapter" model to raise money for girls' education in India. The campaign, called A Girl Story, ties access to a new web-based film series, presented in segments, with user donations. The idea is the result of a collaboration between Nanhi Kali ("For the Girl Child," part of

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-42379749419006892502010-06-22T02:40:00.000-04:002010-06-22T03:36:24.453-04:00

Promo image for new feature film Tangled © 2010 DisneyA couple of weeks ago, Disney released its new trailer for an upcoming addition to the Princess line of feature films/media properties, Tangled. Loosely based on the story of Rapunzel, the film is already gaining momentum via the Disney promotion machine, with toy line sneak peaks and now trailer gaining coverage online, along with a number of

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-56471960108918027332010-06-02T17:16:00.000-04:002010-06-02T17:59:50.150-04:00

Head's up on a couple of publishing opportunities that are available to both academics and professionals conducting research on or involved in the production of kids' media/lit. The first was advertised on the new "Exploring Childhood Studies" email list recently launched out of the Rutgers-University Camden Department of Childhood Studies, and is more specific to children's literature. The CFP

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-24338230818068099182010-06-01T19:56:00.000-04:002010-06-01T20:49:19.692-04:00

© 1992 Jouannigot, Éditions MilanI realized today that I've let some pretty important, as in life changing levels of important, events slip by without writing a single blog post about them! I blame Twitter and Facebook, where status updates provide the instant gratification of social interaction, in the form of immediate response/dialogue with friends and colleagues. But that's no excuse for

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-2608793335247517042010-05-18T14:28:00.000-04:002010-05-18T21:55:34.841-04:00

© Jeff Smith, 2006There have been quite a few important developments of late within kids' culture that I've been meaning to comment on-- particularly around issues of representation and access in children's literature. We all know that kids' culture is a hotbed of controversy: frequently mobilized as a site of moral panic and censorship on the one hand, and used as a tool for hegemonic discourse

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-34859224376063010042010-05-10T14:19:00.001-04:002010-05-10T15:39:25.590-04:00

Via the MAGIC Network, news that next month Toronto will be hosting the G(irls) 20 Summit, in lead-up to the upcoming G20 meeting (June 26-27). The event is aimed at acknowledging the importance of girls and women within global labor and economic processes, as well as fueling discussions, generating ideas, and creating opportunities for investment and education that would lead to more equal,

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-27841064825317609882010-04-30T23:47:00.001-04:002010-05-01T00:04:09.646-04:00

©Ted Naifeh, Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things FCBD edition, May 2003Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day - wherein, on the first Saturday of May, comic book stores across North America do their part to spread love and appreciation of comic books/graphic novels by giving away selected free issues to anyone who comes into their stores. The annual event is geared toward expanding readership by

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-45193617918563395652010-04-27T21:48:00.000-04:002010-04-27T22:13:49.844-04:00

As I discussed previously, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is holding a series of public consultations this spring, exploring emerging issues around online tracking, profiling and targeting of consumers. The consultations arrive in Toronto this Thursday (April 29), for a full day of discussion about issues relating to advertising, location-based/geospatial tracking and children's

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-38258084471822354422010-04-26T14:04:00.000-04:002010-04-26T14:22:37.169-04:00

With my PhD defense a mere one week away, I haven't had much time to keep up with the news these days. But my "to do" list for this week includes submitting abstracts to two upcoming conferences that will likely be of interest to some of you. One has an imminent deadline, but has a great line up of confirmed speakers and a very compelling focus, and looks to be well worth dedicating part of an

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-22595368565096369212010-04-14T12:47:00.000-04:002010-04-14T13:03:15.013-04:00

©PinkShirtDay.caToday is Pink Shirt Day in Canada, part of rapidly growing movement to support kids who take a stand against bullying. The idea links back to two teen boys from Nova Scotia, who came up with the idea a couple of years ago as a way to show solidarity with a fellow student who was being bullied for wearing pink. Here's an excerpt from the CBC News coverage of the event when it

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-5740638428414206112010-04-12T18:36:00.000-04:002010-04-12T19:33:46.858-04:00

Live Blogging alert - I'm writing this post from Jackie Marsh's keynote address on "Digital literacy and play in MMOs/virtual worlds for children," at the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub workshop on kids' virtual worlds. Jackie' is presenting some of her findings from a larger ongoing project on Children's playground games and songs in the new media age project, in collaboration with

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-71721448708840069522010-04-05T12:51:00.001-04:002010-04-05T15:12:40.290-04:00

Image ©Nintendo, Inc. Via About.comAs regular readers of this blog already know, my next research project (which I'll finally be launching this summer) is on UGC (user-generated content) games designed for kids. My main case studies so far are LittleBigPlanet, Kodu and Spore, but I've been keeping an eye out for other titles to add to the list. I'm still in the process of figuring out the "what"

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-80489485560342026552010-03-19T13:23:00.000-04:002010-03-25T21:49:08.379-04:00

Screenshot from Disney's Toontown (2008)I'm very happy to announce that I've been given an amazing opportunity to deliver a public lecture at the University of Toronto Faculty of Information next week. The talk, entitled 'Playing by (and with) the rules', will provide an overview my dissertation findings and future research plans (i.e. next steps), along with a discussion of the larger social,

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-53997499336859484572010-03-13T14:18:00.000-05:002010-03-15T17:26:20.239-04:00

Image still from Fractured Fairy Tales: The Phox, The Box & The Lox (1999)Heads up, children's media fans in the Vancouver area - you're about to get the chance to hear the wonderful and prolific Professor Jack Zipes (Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota) discuss his ongoing and thoroughly fascinating work on fairy tales. UBC's Green College is currently hosting Zipes as Cecil H.

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-2178599616501187902010-03-06T20:09:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:30:50.118-05:00

My Little He-Man Pony - Original artwork and photo by © Mari Kasurinen.A quick post today, to point you towards some of the fascinating work that STS scholar, MIT professor and "big thinker" Sherry Turkle is currently working on. Turkle is well known within new media/internet/game studies for her early work on online identity, particularly The Second Self and Life on the Screen. Her more recent

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-91557611986317860382010-02-24T17:38:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:31:28.321-05:00

At the DMLC last week, during the discussion period that followed our panel presentation, a delegate humorously thanked me for doing the work that I do so that others don't have to. It was a comment full of good intentions and was certainly received as such (both by myself and by the audience), but it is also a comment that I in fact receive quite often. For while studying kids' games certainly

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-37760525125480201682010-02-20T17:58:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:31:49.889-05:00

For those of you who weren't able to make it to the Digital Media Learning Conference (see below), you can view our presentation here (made - collaboratively - using Prezi).

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-53008249897507510892010-02-15T20:43:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:32:14.822-05:00

Later on this week, I'll be heading down to sunny San Diego to participate in the First Annual Digital Media and Learning Conference, supported by the MacArthur Foundation and organized by the Digital Media and Learning Hub at the University of California, Irvine. The theme for this inaugural event is "Diversifying Participation," the conference is chaired by none other than Henry Jenkins, and

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-46161362682520516452010-02-08T22:03:00.000-05:002010-03-13T22:50:32.531-05:00

Martha Hastie’s self-portraits and first diary entry for 1881, courtesy of the Archives of OntarioVia the Girl Studies network, news about the (somewhat) recent launch of the first official exhibit of the Girl Museum. The Girl Museum describes itself as the "first and ONLY museum in the world dedicated to the celebration of girlhood." An online initiative, the museum is virtual but comprehensive,

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-75786706322066816592010-01-25T15:51:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:32:53.118-05:00

Via the P2P Foundation and Patrick Crogan, of the Digital Cultures Research Centre, a call for papers for an upcoming conference (Sept. 2010) that will likely be of interest to many of you. Here are the details, reproduced in full form the original CFP. CALL FOR PAPERS: Paying Attention: Digital Media Cultures and Generational ResponsibilityA European Science Foundation Research Conference,

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-6193680941152775522010-01-18T16:54:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:33:13.190-05:00

A quick post today to relay an announcement from the Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart, on a series of public consultations that her Office is hosting on issues of online tracking, data mining, data profiling and the targeting of consumers by businesses. A great opportunity to share some of the emerging info on kids' online games and websites, as well as data mining and tracking in

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-34865350276296190852010-01-16T20:32:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:33:23.400-05:00

Photo by Andrew Bigosinski, for AOL News.Via Unicef's MAGIC Network, news today about an amazing and humbling initiative being undertaken by students of Haiti's only film school, the Ciné Institute, who are tirelessly documenting and producing an eye witness account of this week's devastating earthquake and its aftermath. Located in Jacmel, a small town south of Port-au-Prince, the film school's

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-2147660580597989012010-01-05T15:04:00.000-05:002010-01-05T15:21:14.449-05:00

This semester, I will once again be teaching cmns324, Media, Sports and Popular Culture at Simon Fraser University (School of Communication). This time around, however, I get to co-teach the course with a colleague, Danielle Deveaux, which means lecturing half as often, running half of the tutorials and actually getting a chance to get to know many of the students! This course is pretty popular,

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-31316051500350713062009-12-21T15:08:00.000-05:002009-12-22T23:50:06.619-05:00

Just wanted to let readers and friends know that I won't be posting again until after the holidays. Christmas vacation started early this year (yay!), but I'll be back with a new post before the New Year. Merry Christmas and/or happy holidays to you and your loved ones...hope it's a good one!!!Sara(via Geeksugar)

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-83829569643385904362009-12-15T14:16:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:34:02.900-05:00

Via Emily Claire Afan at Kidscreen online, news this week that Sulake is expanding its already impressive data mining services to advertisers and third-party data collectors, by enabling companies to "track" how, when and why certain topics come up in the everyday "in-world" conversations of players of teen-targeted virtual world Habbo Hotel. The company calls the service "Habble," and describes

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-43645869409130811002009-12-03T15:56:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:34:16.911-05:00

Via the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and Advertising Age magazine, news (well, Thanksgiving-leftover news) of the recent online launch of Disney's newest kids' program The Possibility Shop. Described by AdAge as Disney's "First Branded-Entertainment Program," The Possibility Shop is a DIY Craft show for kids and "moms" (according to the official "About" description) staring

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-52154703258237101142009-11-23T14:00:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:28:58.842-05:00

Earlier today, the MacArthur Foundation and the HASTAC Initiative announced the upcoming launch of the 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition, on the theme "Reimagining Learning." The $2 million open competition officially starts on December 14, and seeks proposals that outline "creative ideas to transform learning using digital media." In particular, the competition description emphasizes

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-33255523418040482012009-11-22T17:03:00.000-05:002009-11-29T14:52:59.883-05:00

For those of you who are, like me, currently attempting to navigate the bewildering, intimidating and - unfortunately - often disheartening process of applying for a faculty position, this article by Adam Chapnick is definitely worth a read (and a bookmark!). It appeared in a Canadian online resource called University Affairs a couple of weeks ago, and provides a step-by-step guide to putting

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-84613360601905264892009-11-20T19:21:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:34:45.849-05:00

This week I've been thinking a lot about the changing (and not so changing) role of "domesticity" (traditional notions of femininity, home/private sphere, keeping house, proper etiquette, gender roles, aesthetics, etc.) in the lives of girls and women, particularly within the realm of leisure. This is in large part due to the fact that my lecture this week was on "technologies of empowerment,"

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-6609877374565693972009-11-10T22:27:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:34:58.412-05:00

This week's issue of The Escapist is on the theme of "Healthy Living," and explores various ways that gaming can be a part of (rather than a detriment to) a healthy lifestyle. I'm happy to have my article on outdoor play, the free-range kids movement, and portable/ARG game hybrids included in what has turned out to be a fascinating issue that covers both a number of serious health issues (obesity

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-79154358615655235692009-11-02T17:56:00.000-05:002010-03-13T18:36:12.772-05:00

There's been so much "buzz" around the Disney Fairies, Tinkerbell and Pixie Hollow these past couple of weeks I don't even know where to start. I was initially thinking of posting about Tinkerbell's recent "makeover" (which actually isn't a makeover but rather just a new additional outfit she appears wearing in the new Disney Fairies direct-to-DVD Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure), perhaps in

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-28216515302828444382009-10-16T13:36:00.000-04:002010-03-13T18:34:58.413-05:00

Be sure to check out this week's issue of The Escapist, which explores the various acronyms associated with gaming and the game industry, under the theme title "Alphabet Soup". Alongside some great articles on MMORPGs, IGDA and TGI (Triangle Game Initiative), is an article I wrote on the ESRB and the many challenges it will need to overcome if it is to remain relevant in a web 2.0,

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-77152683011402010862009-10-14T22:31:00.000-04:002010-03-13T18:35:26.049-05:00

Part of the digital literacies discussions that I've been following of late have centered on the long-discussed (but not always applied) potential associated with using comics for intertextual, heavily visual, narrative formats through which kids can explore cultural themes, literature and learning. It's a fascinating idea that draws on the long history of comics, picture books, and transmedia

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-31449391452026892912009-10-02T12:26:00.000-04:002009-10-02T12:54:05.224-04:00

Today, the much-lauded and much-discussed film Whip It finally premieres in theaters across North America. The movie, which was directed by Drew Barrymore and stars Ellen Page, explores the wonderful and bizarre world of all-female roller derby. I had an opportunity to delve into this world a tiny bit last year, after attending a derby bout and then writing an article about where and how this

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-13690024399750999902009-09-27T18:35:00.000-04:002009-09-28T15:54:50.495-04:00

I'm very pleased to announce the recent publication of an article I co-authored with Neil Narine, which appears in the latest issue of Communication, Culture and Critique. The article, entitled "The Turbulent Rise of the "Child Gamer": Public Fears and Corporate Promises in Cinematic and Promotional Depictions of Children's Digital Play," explores the ways in which child gamers have been depicted

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-31395439513674790202009-09-17T18:41:00.001-04:002009-11-30T22:35:21.201-05:00

Exploring theoretical concepts and course materials beyond simply writing about them can be a challenging prospect. This semester, in lieu of the standard class presentations, I'm asking my cmns 455 Women and New Information Technology students to explore the theories, terms and ideas discussed in seminar through social networking tools. Since technology is best approached as a form of practice,

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-10852930011166847092009-09-13T18:14:00.000-04:002009-09-13T18:36:13.040-04:00

I wish I had gotten around to this sooner, but alas! There are only a few hours left to have your voices heard in the Government of Canada Copyright Consultation. The hard-working people over at Fair Copyright for Canada have made submitting a response as easy as signing a form letter, so there's still time to add your name to the long (but perhaps not long enough) list of people dissatisfied

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-48481284559350745112009-09-04T15:34:00.000-04:002009-09-04T16:01:37.547-04:00

Once again, I've allowed my blog to slowly wind down as my intended posts list has piled up out of control. Now that the new semester is imminent, and I'll once again be managing two sites, I figured the best thing to do is another one of those long summary posts that briefly hits on a good assortment of "items of interest". I have so many, I predict another similar post will be in order in the

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33182213.post-75171710095634343702009-08-24T21:45:00.000-04:002009-08-25T18:25:08.411-04:00

Last week's edition of Ip Osgoode features an excellent blog post by Patricia Aufderheide, Professor in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, about a recent US ruling that's added some extra oomph to fair use. The ruling in question came out of the recent case of Warren Publishing Co. v. Spurlock. The details of the case are described most aptly by Rodney Perkins over

Sara M. Grimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168122635717142885noreply@blogger.com0