The new www: whatever, whenever and wherever

"In an age of instant media gratification, learning must be real, rich and relevant. The new www -- offering us whatever we want, whenever and wherever we want it -- may seem like just an extension of our already technology enhanced contemporary life. The latest Educational Leadership examines how such a wireless stream of media gratification is actually creating great challenges for our children."

Men want facts, women seek relations on Web - survey

Thu Dec 29, 2005
By Eric Auchard

"SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Internet users share many common interests, but men are heavier consumers of news, stocks, sports and pornography while more women look for health and religious guidance, a broad survey of U.S. Web usage has found."

Look Who's Talking: An Image Editing Activity

Do the kids want to make holiday cards, multimedia art for the walls, or (why not?) political cartoons? This activity from the YouthLearn online collection offers a good framework for introducing and working with image-editing programs. In it, kids work in pairs to take pictures of two people, import them into a photo-editing application like PhotoShop, and combine them to create an image of the two people talking to each other with comic book-style word balloons.

Engagement & Achievement Rise When Students Are Given a Voice

"This article presents the wide reaching positive results of soliciting student input and incorporating their feedback into classroom activities, which extend beyond student self-efficacy. Research indicates that schools that function in a truly democratic way are more likely to have fewer disciplinary issues and meet high academic standards. This is supported by a study conducted in 2002, in which it was noted that students who are 'systematically silenced' are more likely to drop out..."

New Literacies for a Changing World

The Winter 2006 issue of Cable in the Classroom'sThreshold: Exploring the Future of Education features "articles focused on New Literacies for a Changing World, produced in partnership with The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation."

In "Framing the Future of Literacy," Alan November, Kathleen Tyner, and Henry Jenkins "explore the new, active literacies students will need in a global, participatory culture." Kathleen Tyner spoke to YouthLearn Director Tony Streit for her piece on "The Three Ts of New Literacies."

New Cisco campaign to increase education and career opportunities for girls and women

"On November 7, 2005, Cisco Systems, Inc. and The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) launched a campaign to increase awareness of education and career opportunities for girls and women in math, computing and technology. The campaign is designed to address the declining interest of girls and women in information technology careers, a problem that persists despite U.S. Department of Labor predictions that the number of future jobs in the professional technology workforce will outstrip available, qualified candidates by two-to-one. The campaign kicks off with a letter targeting parents, educators, and girls, and introduces a comprehensive digital library with a variety of resources for encouraging interest in math, computing and technology, including information about careers, local technology clubs, programs, curricula and summer camps. Partnering with Cisco and NCWIT on the initiative are the Education Development Center, the Information Technology Association of America, the Stanford University Office of Science Outreach and Junior Achievement."

U.S. Dept. of Education Talent Search Program

"This program helps to identify qualified youths with potential for education at the postsecondary level and encourage them to complete secondary school and undertake a program of postsecondary education. Maximum Award: $220,000-$3,600,000. Eligibility: Institutions of higher education; public or private agencies or organizations; combinations of institutions, agencies, and organizations; and secondary schools under exceptional circumstances. Deadline: January 6, 2006."

Christopher Columbus Awards Program Invites Middle School Children to Apply

"Deadline: February 13, 2006. Sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation in cooperation with the National Science Foundation, the Christopher Columbus Awards program is a national competition for middle-school-age children that combines science and technology with community problem-solving in a real-world setting.

With the help of an adult coach, participating students work in teams to identify an issue they care about and, using science and technology, work with experts, conduct research, and put their ideas to the test to develop an innovative solution to that problem."

IS THE iPOD REVOLUTION GOOD FOR SCHOOLS?

"As teachers and administrators face rising demands to improve student performance, they see new challenges coming to the classroom in the form of personal technology -- like some iPods that can play video as well as audio. A survey of more than 70 public and private high schools in the Indianapolis metro area showed that most do not allow electronics of any kind to be used during the school day. Rather than trying to beat it, reports Lisa Renze-Rhodes, some educators are joining the hand-held technology boom, allowing certain personal electronics to come to class."