ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The ideas and concepts shared in this book are the result of decades of working with kids, parents, technology innovators, and education experts. In other words, if you found any of the ideas in this book helpful, the credit should be spread among those who were generous enough to share their experiences with me and, in so doing, shaped my thinking. I am blessed to have had Arne Duncan, Elliott Masie, Jonathan Kayes, David Egbert, Al Merkley, Beth Noveck, Dana Karp, Paul Allen, and James Baird as the best team of mentors and life coaches anyone could ever hope for.

When it comes to the topic of digital citizenship, I am particularly appreciative of the insights and inspiration I got from Erik Martin, Eli Pariser, Renee Hobbs, Emily Davis, Jaron Lanier, Zeynep Tufekci, Marina Nitze, and Lisa Guernsey. Their tireless efforts are helping create a better digital world for all of us.

The process of writing a book requires a whole other set of gratitudes. I’m grateful for the encouragement I received from Sandy Speicher, Willa Perlman, and Manoush Zomorodi, who believed in the idea of this book even before I did and whose vote of confidence helped make it a reality. And I can’t say enough about the incredible team at Harvard Business Review Press, especially Courtney Cashman, who patiently helped turn my ideas into concepts others could understand, and Jane Gebhart, whose discerning eye and meticulous copyediting made those concepts readable (while also reminding me how little I know about the proper use of semicolons).

I’m grateful to Tiana Page, Mollie Kavanaugh, Brittany Singleton, and the amazing team of innovators at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for always pushing my thinking and asking the important questions; to Janna Patterson for helping find data and examples to support the ideas in this book while always making sure the most important voices stayed at the forefront of the conversation; and to Joseph South—whose thoughtful persistence nudges the whole world to a better place—for his unique ability to turn my mediocre ideas into good ones.

I am deeply thankful for my parents: For my dad, Rich Culatta, who in addition to being an indispensable thought partner on this book, by having the same name as me has always made my Google search results look way more impressive than they otherwise would be. For my mom, Barbara Culatta, who always encouraged my curiosity and broadened my view of the world. For Jan Culatta, who taught me tenacity and confidence. And for Melinda Baird for being my sounding board and friend.

Finally, I’m incredibly grateful for my family. My wife, Shaundra, patiently endured abandonment and neglect while trying to coach our four kids through online learning as I hid in the closet to write this book. Shaundra is the genius behind many of the ideas presented here and has graciously allowed me to spend more time writing about them than helping her implement them. And to my four amazing kiddos—the willing guinea pigs for my crazy ideas—who take so seriously their responsibility to make the world a better place. Thanks for taking after your mother. Oh, and to Bailey for chewing on my fingers while I was supposed to be writing.