For teachers looking to inject some excitement into their geography lesson, Skype might be the answer. Silvia Tolisano recently created a game she calls “Mystery Skype Call” that uses the video conferencing tool and some critical thinking to teach students geography in a new and exciting way.
Read more and see a video on the Spark blog…
Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!
Slideshow presents the evolution of kid’s computers (computerworlduk.com)
5 reasons why the iPad was made to keep parents sane (cnn.com)
10-year-old releases iPhone game with help from Make-a-Wish (geekwire.com)
The Netflix of baby clothes (plumgear.com)
Survey proves kids would rather be outside (guardian.co.uk)
Justin Bieber says, ‘Don’t text and drive’ (mnn.com)
Check out more news on kids and technology on the Spark blog!
I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I’m looking for:
Active forums or message boards about:
-parenting -teaching -elementary education -digital media learning -kids and technology Do any of you visit or know of any forums like this? If you do, I’d really appreciate you sending me a link! Thanks in advance!
Although women make up nearly half of the world population, their presence in the sciences constitutes a vastly smaller percentage. Today, only twelve percent of engineers are female. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM for short) are all fields in which women are under-represented. This is precisely why this year’s Google Science Fair results are so exciting–all three top prizes were awarded to women.
The winning projects put the classic baking soda volcano to shame. Lauren Hodge, winner of the 13-14 age group, tested a variety of marinades and their effects on the carcinogens typically found in grilled chicken. Her findings showed that lemon juice and brown sugar sharply decreased carcinogen levels, while soy sauce actually increased them.
Naomi Shah, winner of the 15-16 age group, performed a study of 103 adult subjects where she was able to link the increase in two environmental pollutants to decreased lung function and asthma symptoms.
The grand prize was awarded to the winner of the 17-18 age group,Shree Bose of Fort Worth, Texas. Bose’s project focused on the chemotherapy drug cisplatin that is commonly taken by women with ovarian cancer. Bose discovered a protein known as AMPK that, when paired with the drug, stops cancer cells from becoming resistant to its effects. Bose shared her feelings in an interview with ABC:
“That perception that women can’t compete in science has been ingrained in this field for so long. It just shows that our world is changing and women are stepping forward in science, and I’m excited to be a small part of that.”
Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!
—Parents will enjoy these iPhone and iPad apps (Parents.com)
—Mom’s Facebook Community Helps Diagnose Her Ailing Son (Mommyish.com)
—New regulations for food, beverage advertising toward children (Healthkey.com)
—Using touch screens and apps to treat autism (mercurynews.com)
—The Internet Is Making Your Kids Think Differently, Not Less (Mommyish.com)
—Teaching Angry Birds In School (neatorama.com)
—Infographic Shows Top and Bottom States for Science Education (livescience.com)
For the latest on kids and technology, visit the Spark blog!
It’s no secret that state and local budget cuts have been putting pressure on education. A recently published New York Times article discusses one of the many outcomes of this pressure– decreased class time. It seems many institutions are dealing with a smaller budget by creating a shorter school day. “Thousands of school districts across the nation are gutting summer-school programs, cramming classes into four-day weeks or lopping days off the school year.”
This is a surprising development considering our current administration’s stance on education reform. At his 2009 confirmation hearing, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan declared,
“Our school day is too short, our school week is too short, our school year is too short.”
This view is based on several factors, among them our desire to compete with more education-savvy nations who enforce much longer school days. Many educators will also agree that over the summer months, many students forget what they’ve learned and need to be re-instructed come fall.
Can children predict the future of computer technology? Recent research says yes. Read more…
South Korea recently announced plans to spend $2 billion (2.2 trillion won) on digital textbooks and supportive cloud computing systems for the nation’s schools by 2015. In addition to the content provided by their paper counterparts, the digital textbooks boast a variety of features to augment the learning experience. For one, they can utilize audio, video, and other multimedia instead of just text and images. They can also provide a much wider breadth of resources, allowing students to browse and download textbooks on demand. They even have the capability to host online classes, giving absent children the ability to make up classes they might have missed. It comes as no surprise that South Korea is the first to propose the switch. After all, the country was the first to provide high-speed internet access to all of its primary and secondary schools. In many schools, tablets are already an integral part of learning.
According to a ministry official: “It will be up to schools to decide which digital textbooks to choose for students in what year in what subject. We don’t expect the shift to digital textbooks to be difficult as students today are very accustomed to the digital environment.”
Free tablets will even be made available to low-income families to make sure all children receive the same benefits. While the cost may seem steep and the goals ambitious, the potential impact of this investment could signal a sea change, not only in Korean schools, but for the future of education around the world.
Read more about technology and education on http://www.sproutfund.org/spark/blog/
I wrote it for a class in college. We were supposed to create something that somehow defined “The Perfect Teacher.” I wrote this:
The Perfect Teacher
In Kindergarten, I learned how to share. That is really the only thing I remember.
In first grade, I was taught to be kind and not throw rocks at boys. Those are really the only things I remember.
In second grade, my best friend taught me how to tie my shoes while my teacher taught me the importance of feeding a hamster every day. Those are really the only things I remember.
In third grade, I learned that I would not like all of my teachers and I just had to deal with it. I also learned that you can’t decide if your best friend’s mother is going to have a baby boy or girl. Those are really the only things I remember.
In fourth grade, I was shown just how mean girls can be when my two best friends became my two worst enemies and we had to have a pow-wow with our teacher in the hall. I was embarrassed and angry. So were they. That is really the only thing I remember.
In fifth grade, I learned that when a boy asks you to be his girlfriend, it really only means that you are friends. At least in fifth grade it does. I also learned that school doesn’t have to be boring and that learning about Native Americans is actually kind of fun. Those are really the only things I remember.
In sixth grade, I learned that life is not fair when my best friend’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I learned that boys at that age do not understand the whole breast cancer concept. I also learned that punching a boy for making fun of your best friend’s mom is not the correct way to deal with things. Those are really the only things I remember.
In seventh grade, I realized how much the appearance of someone can effect how others perceive you and judge you. That is really the only thing I remember.
In eighth grade, I was taught that a hug can say a thousand words when given to your best friend when her mother just passed away of breast cancer. I also realized that you can’t trust everyone and you can’t like everyone. Those are really the only things I remember.
In ninth grade, I learned that all friends are not forever and teachers are more than teachers, they can sometimes become your friend. I also realized that high school is not at all what it is made out to be. Those are really the only things I remember.
In tenth grade, I realized how stupid fighting is when my good friend passed away from a car wreck one week after a pointless fight that I have to wait the rest of my life to apologize for. I also realized that the best conversation I’ve had in my life so far occurred with another friend when he told me that he was looking forward to going to heaven so he could see his mother again. He got that wish three days later. Those are really the only things I remember.
In eleventh grade, I learned that when a teacher makes you to stay after class to ask you if you have an eating disorder because she heard you say that you skipped breakfast does not mean that she is trying to attack you. She is just worried about you and has your best interest in mind. That is really the only thing I remember.
In twelfth grade, I learned the importance of having a mother when my close friend’s mother died in a car crash and how walking across the stage to get my diploma in the same room as her funeral is hard to do. I realized that lying to your parents is not smart because they will find out anyway. I also learned that most of the friends I had in high school were really bad friends. Those are really the only things I remember.
So far, in college, I have learned that family is the most important thing. I learned that true friends don’t care what you look like and what you wear. They care about who you are inside. I realized that love is not easy and life is never perfect. I saw that people will believe in you, but only if you believe in yourself first. I learned that sometimes you have to make sacrifices and that being selfish is okay if it effects your overall happiness in life. Those are really the things that matter.
I have sat in hundreds of classrooms. Listened to many teachers lecture to me over why math is important to my life. But those are the teachers that I would not put in the “perfect teacher category.” To me, the perfect teacher is not always the person who stands in front of a chalkboard and does a math equation. To me, the perfect teacher can be your mother, father, sister, friend, boyfriend, coach, and most of all, yourself. Teaching is more than what the state standards set. It’s going beyond those four white cement block walls and into the world. It’s giving lessons that will change a person’s life for the better. To me, you can’t put a definition on the perfect teacher.
