10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media

by MaxSchoolBus on May 12, 2009

Citizen journalism, open government, status updates, community building, information sharing, crowdsourcing, and the election of a President.

Our children will inherit a world profoundly changed by the combination of technology and humanity that is social media. They’ll take for granted that their voices can be heard and that a social movement can be launched from their laptop. They’ll take for granted that they are connected and interconnected with hundreds of millions of people at any given moment. And they’ll take for granted that a black man is or was President of the United States.

What’s most profound is that these represent parts of a greater whole. They represent a shift in power from centralized institutions and organizations to the People they represent. It is the evolution of democracy by way of technology, and we are all better for it.

For most of us, social media has changed our lives in some meaningful way. Collectively it is changing the world for good. Given the pace of innovation and adoption, change has become a constant. Every so often we find the need to stop and reflect on its most recent and noteworthy developments, hence the following list.

Please note this is not a top-10 list, nor are these listed in any particular order. It’s also incomplete. So we ask that you add to this conversation in the comments. If you’d like to Retweet this post or take the conversation to Twitter or FriendFeed, please use the hashtag #10Ways.

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An idea for socially responsible children’s books wins $10,000 from ideablob.com

Somerdale, NJ resident Suneet Bhatt is the October winner of ideablob.com’s monthly contest for the best small business idea, as voted on by the ideablob community.

Bhatt’s initiative, Dream Village, is a series of children’s books that describe the true stories of kids who have overcome environmental, economic or social challenges. Each story aims to raise awareness about under-privileged children around the world.

“Dream Village enables child readers to experience the fulfillment that comes from making a difference,” said Bhatt. “We encourage children to make the world a better place in our story telling. For example, the first book tells how the children in a small village in Mozambique helped the village overcome its need for a dependable water source.”

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Smart Lunches: Good Food Leads to Good Grades

October 8, 2008

Study finds that nutritious school lunches can raise math scores.
Does eating right make schoolchildren perform better? A team led by Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist and creator of the popular South Beach diet, presented findings at an Obesity Society meeting over the weekend showing that improving the nutritional quality of school meals bolstered the academic performance [...]

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Ranking America’s Healthiest Schools

September 24, 2008

Health.com ranks the nation’s healthiest schools based on food and nutrition, fitness and activity, health education, and healthy building materials and practices.

The average American child spends nearly 12,000 hours in school, from kindergarten through 12th grade. That’s a big chunk of time during which he or she can develop good (or bad) health habits.
Happily, schools [...]

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The NRDC Laments the Decline of School Design

September 22, 2008

A photo essay from the NRDC on school sprawl.
From the NRDC:
Schools used to be the heart of a neighborhood or community.  Children and not a few teachers could walk to class, or to the playground or ball field on the weekend.  This was relatively easy to do, because the schools were placed within, not [...]

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Green Maps Provide Interactive Online-Offline Educational Experiences

August 29, 2008

GreenMap.org expands educational offering for middle and high school teachers and students.

There’s no question that the Internet is the best thing to happen to education since chalk. It is a tool, a medium, a resource, and a teacher unto itself. It helps students to better connect with and learn from the world outside. With [...]

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SocialVibe Supports Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) with Blog Challenge

August 20, 2008

SocialVibe raises awareness and donations for Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C).

We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s serious as cancer.” The expression is used in many ways. It’s become cliché. But there’s a reason why clichés are formed. Like the universal feeling of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, there’s a deeper truth. [...]

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Public Schools Located Near Toxic Dumps

August 19, 2008

Our major transportation arteries are toxic for anyone living or playing near them. Too bad that’s where 1 in 3 public schools are located.
Erin Brockovich fought against one company’s malfeasance in polluting the water of a local town and won. They made a movie about it, and Julia Roberts won an Oscar. This same [...]

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Is Legislation the Answer to Junk Food?

August 12, 2008

A new report urges the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to support laws that restrict junk-food advertising to kids online. Is this a solution or scapegoating?

Business Week reports on action taken by Children Now to restrict junk-food advertising to kids online.
Having successfully lobbied the government to place limits on junk food ads on TV, they now [...]

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Healthy Vending Solutions Coming to a School Near You

August 11, 2008

Elizabeth Dehart is striving to eliminate obesity in the classroom; ideablob’s $10,000 prize will help her start a vending company that provides organic snacks to school kids.

Advanta Corp. announced today that Elizabeth Dehart of West Jordan, Utah, is the July winner of Ideablob.com’s monthly contest for the best small business idea, as voted on by [...]

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