The MPAA and RIAA aren't the only folks with a vested interest in educating teens about their version of IP law, Microsoft has just launched a new curriculum for middle and high school educators titled "Intellectual Property Rights Education." From their press release:

The curriculum is focused on preparing students for the digital age, helping them understand in a meaningful way how intellectual property rights affect their lives and sparking discussion to clarify the "gray areas" in protected and shared content. To complement the curriculum and enhance the learning experience, Microsoft is also launching an interactive Web site, http://www.mybytes.com, where kids can develop their own intellectual property and assign usage rights by mixing music online to create a custom riff that they can download as a ringtone.

In other Microsoft news, danah boyd muses on the company's purchase of Danger, the maker of the Sidekick, which is very popular with teens. She writes:

I can't help but scratch my head at Microsoft's acquisition. Most of the original Sidekick team had long since left Danger for Google. (They are the folks behind Google Android.) The Sidekick doesn't really need an operating system; Danger's OS is hands-down the simplest phone interface on the market. (Personally, I dread the idea of Microsoft inserting their wonky mobile OS into the device; this will be the end of my personal SK use.)

MTV talked about its digital strategy with CNET revealing that they plan to continue launching topical or show specific sites, see how they do, and reskin them if they're not doing so hot.

Continuing in its wait for the outcry until we make changes operating mode, Facebook makes profiles easier to delete (New York Times, reg. required). And speaking of privacy UK schools are putting students records online for employers to be able to search them...

In kid tech news, Google is offering kids an opportunity to compete to add their doodles to its logo for a day (and awarding a scholarship to the winner). TV hit Magi-Nation's game is now in open beta testing for kids. Tech titans are coming together to reinvent Disney's "House of the Future" in its parks' "Tomorowland." Wired blogs about why Spore is going to be a monster hit.

And in other "new games," BBC's Channel Four has launched an online game for teens 14-19 called Bow Street Runner, "which leads the player into the murky world of Georgian London to solve mysterious crimes."

Posted by anastasia