YouthLearn NewsBlog

Three in Four Voters Want Increased Funding for Afterschool

"A new poll taken on Election eve and Election night shows that nearly nine in ten voters (89 percent) say that, given the dangers young people face today, afterschool programs are important. Four in five voters (83 percent) agree there should be some type of organized activity or safe place for children and teens to go after school every day that provides opportunities for them to learn � and 76 percent want the new Congress and their newly elected state and local officials to increase funding for afterschool programs. The poll was conducted by Lake Research Partners with bipartisan analysis by Lake and The Tarrance Group for the Afterschool Alliance."

]]> "A new poll taken on Election eve and Election night shows that nearly nine in
ten voters (89 percent) say that, given the dangers young people face today, afterschool programs are important. Four in five voters (83 percent) agree there should be some type of organized activity or safe place for children and teens to go after school every day that provides opportunities for them to learn � and 76 percent want the new Congress and their newly elected state and local officials to increase funding for afterschool programs. The poll was conducted by Lake Research Partners with bipartisan analysis by Lake and The Tarrance Group for the Afterschool Alliance."

Pew/Internet Survey on the Future of the Internet III

"A survey of experts shows they expect major tech advances as the phone becomes a primary device for online access, voice-recognition improves, and the structure of the Internet itself improves. They disagree about whether this will lead to more social tolerance, more forgiving human relations, or better home lives."

]]> "A survey of experts shows they expect major tech advances as the phone becomes a primary device for online access, voice-recognition improves, and the structure of the Internet itself improves. They disagree about whether this will lead to more social tolerance, more forgiving human relations, or better home lives."

InvenTeams Grant Initiative

"The Lemelson-MIT Program is currently accepting applications for 2010 InvenTeams, which are teams of high school students, teachers, and mentors that receive grants up to $10,000 each to invent technological solutions to real-world problems. The InvenTeam initiative is designed to excite high school students about invention, empower students through problem solving, and encourage an inventive culture in schools and communities. The deadline to submit is April 24, 2009."

]]> "The Lemelson-MIT Program is currently accepting applications for 2010 InvenTeams, which are teams of high school students, teachers, and mentors that receive grants up to $10,000 each to invent technological solutions to real-world problems. The InvenTeam initiative is designed to excite high school students about invention, empower students through problem solving, and encourage an inventive culture in schools and communities. The deadline to submit is April 24, 2009."

Campaign for Rights of the Child Essay Contest 2009

The Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) invites youth throughout the U.S. to participate in its second nationwide essay contest. The purpose of this contest is to continue to raise awareness of the CRC among youth and to engage them in thoughtful reflection on the potential impacts the Convention would have on children and youth in the U.S.

The contest is open to U.S. students in grades 6-12 and homeschooled students in the equivalent grade levels (who currently live in the U.S.). Five winners will be chosen and will receive airfare and accommodations for him/herself and one parent/legal guardian to participate in the Campaign�s 2009 Symposium. Submissions must be received by March 20, 2009.

The Instruction Kit and Application are available for download at the program website.

]]> The Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) invites youth throughout the U.S. to participate in its second nationwide essay contest. The purpose of this contest is to continue to raise awareness of the CRC among youth and to engage them in thoughtful reflection on the potential impacts the Convention would have on children and youth in the U.S.

The Instruction Kit and Application are available for download at the program website.

Study Says Many Teens Display Risky Behavior on MySpace

"More than half of teenagers mention risky behaviors such as sex and drugs on their MySpace accounts, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

They said many young people who use social networking sites such as News Corp's MySpace do not realize how public they are and may be opening themselves to risks, but the sites may also offer a new way to identify and help troubled teens.

'We found the majority of teenagers who have a MySpace account are displaying risky behaviors in a public way that is accessible to a general audience,' said Dr. Dimitri Christakis of Seattle Children's Research Institute, whose studies appear in the journal Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.... Christakis said many teens are unaware of how public and permanent Internet information can be, while parents often do not know what their kids are up to."

]]> "More than half of teenagers mention risky behaviors such as sex and drugs on their MySpace accounts, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

In one of two studies, Christakis and Dr. Megan Moreno of the University of Wisconsin analyzed 500 randomly chosen MySpace profiles of 18-year-olds in 2007.

Overall, 54 percent of the publicly available accounts they checked contained information about high-risk behaviors: 41 percent mentioned substance abuse, 24 percent sexual behavior and 14 percent violence.

Christakis said many teens are unaware of how public and permanent Internet information can be, while parents often do not know what their kids are up to."

Scratch - Software for Media Production

With Scratch software, users can easily combine media to create and share their own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art. It is one of the resources highlighted in the Technology Curriculum Database launched last year, which was developed by YouthLearn for the U.S. Department of Education-funded National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning at SEDL.

As young people work on projects in Scratch, they learn many of the 21st century skills that will be critical to success in the future: thinking creatively, communicating clearly, analyzing systematically, using technologies fluently, collaborating effectively, designing iteratively, and learning continuously.

Scratch, a free software program, was developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab, with financial support from the National Science Foundation, Microsoft, Intel Foundation, Nokia, and MIT Media Lab research consortia.

]]> With Scratch software, users can easily combine media to create and share their own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art. It is one of the resources highlighted in the Technology Curriculum Database launched last year, which was developed by YouthLearn for the U.S. Department of Education-funded National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning at SEDL.

Best Wishes from YouthLearn Team for the New Year!

Our team has much planned for 2009, which we'll be excited to share with the YouthLearn community when the time comes. We wish you the best in your endeavors for the coming year. And, as always, please be in touch to let us know how things are going in your corner of the youth, education, and technology world.

]]> Our team has much planned for 2009, which we'll be excited to share with the YouthLearn community when the time comes. We wish you the best in your endeavors for the coming year. And, as always, please be in touch to let us know how things are going in your corner of the youth, education, and technology world.

National Afterschool Association 2009 Convention

Jazzing It Up Afterschool Style: Leadership, Learning and Creativity in New Orleans - NAA's 21st Annual Convention - is being held April 2 - 4, 2009, at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Over 3,000 afterschool professionals and stakeholders are expected to attend. It's one of the largest conventions for the afterschool field, and, this year, takes place as a joint conference overlapping with the annual convention of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

]]> Jazzing It Up Afterschool Style: Leadership, Learning and Creativity in New Orleans - NAA's 21st Annual Convention - is being held April 2 - 4, 2009, at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Over 3,000 afterschool professionals and stakeholders are expected to attend. It's one of the largest conventions for the afterschool field, and, this year, takes place as a joint conference overlapping with the annual convention of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

Inspired Visual Learning Awards

"Inspiration Software, Inc. offers an annual educator awards program. Totaling more than $22,000 in cash and technology prizes, the 2008-2009 Inspired Visual Learning Awards will recognize 15 K-12 educators and their students who are creatively using visual learning in their classrooms. Applications are being accepted until February 27, winners will be announced March 31, 2009.

To win an award for their classrooms, educators must submit student-created examples using Inspiration Software's visual learning software tools: Inspiration�, Kidspiration� and InspireData�. Winners will receive technology and funds for professional development and/or new technology purchases that support visual learning in their classrooms."

]]> "Inspiration Software, Inc. offers an annual educator awards program. Totaling more than $22,000 in cash and technology prizes, the 2008-2009 Inspired Visual Learning Awards will recognize 15 K-12 educators and their students who are creatively using visual learning in their classrooms. Applications are being accepted until February 27, winners will be announced March 31, 2009.

Study finds poverty dramatically affects children's brains

"Certain brain functions in some low-income nine- and ten-year-olds show patterns equivalent to the damage from a stroke, according to a new study to be published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, USA TODAY reports. The study adds to a growing body of evidence that poverty afflicts children's brains through malnutrition, stress, illiteracy, and toxic environments. Research shows that the neural systems of poor children develop differently from those of middle-class children, affecting language development and 'executive function,' or the ability to plan, remember details, and pay attention in school. . . Research also suggests that these effects are reversible through intensive intervention such as focused lessons and games that encourage children to think out loud or use executive function."

]]> "Certain brain functions in some low-income nine- and ten-year-olds show patterns equivalent to the damage from a stroke, according to a new study to be published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, USA TODAY reports. The study adds to a growing body of evidence that poverty afflicts children's brains through malnutrition, stress, illiteracy, and toxic environments. Research shows that the neural systems of poor children develop differently from those of middle-class children, affecting language development and 'executive function,' or the ability to plan, remember details, and pay attention in school. For the new study, researchers used an electroencephalograph to measure brain function of 26 children while they watched images flashing on a computer. The children pressed a button when a tilted triangle appeared. 'It is a similar pattern to what's seen in patients with strokes that have led to lesions in their prefrontal cortex,' which controls higher-order thinking and problem solving, says lead researcher Mark Kishiyama, a cognitive psychologist at the University of California-Berkeley. 'It suggests that in these kids, prefrontal function is reduced or disrupted in some way.' Research also suggests that these effects are reversible through intensive intervention such as focused lessons and games that encourage children to think out loud or use executive function."

Alice - Programming in 3-D

This educational software, named Alice, teaches users computer programming in a 3-D environment. It is one of the resources highlighted in the Technology Curriculum Database launched earlier this year, which was developed by YouthLearn for the U.S. Department of Education-funded National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning at SEDL.

Young people can easily create animations to tell a story, produce an interactive game, or make videos to share on the web. A free teaching tool, Alice introduces fundamental programming concepts in the context of making media.
Alice was developed to engage young people in computer science and, especially, to demonstrate the relevance and applicability of computer science concepts to addressing real-world problems. The software and supporting materials grow out of a collaboration of faculty, staff, and students across several universities.

]]> This educational software, named Alice, teaches users computer programming in a 3-D environment. It is one of the resources highlighted in the Technology Curriculum Database launched earlier this year, which was developed by YouthLearn for the U.S. Department of Education-funded National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning at SEDL.

Name NASA's Next Rover - Essay Contest

Learn about the Mars Rover and come up with a name for it ahead of its next mission! To enter the essay contest, students must be in grades K-12 in the United States, including U.S. possessions and schools operated by the U.S. for children of American personnel overseas. There are Disney/Pixar WALL-E prizes for finalists and a trip to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the winner.

Submit essays between November 18, 2008 - January 25, 2009.

]]> Learn about the Mars Rover and come up with a name for it ahead of its next mission! To enter the essay contest, students must be in grades K-12 in the United States, including U.S. possessions and schools operated by the U.S. for children of American personnel overseas. There are Disney/Pixar WALL-E prizes for finalists and a trip to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the winner.

Submit essays between November 18, 2008 - January 25, 2009.

MTV and Ashoka GenV Invite Young People to Submit Ideas for the Environment

"MTV Switch, MTV Networks International's global climate change campaign, and Ashoka GenV are inviting young people to submit their creative ideas for improving the environment through the 'Dream It. Do It' challenge.

The challenge is open to all youth between the ages of 12 and 20 in North America and Europe and 12 and 24 everywhere else...

Ideas and action plans may be submitted in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French." Deadline: December 31, 2008

]]> "MTV Switch, MTV Networks International's global climate change campaign, and Ashoka GenV are inviting young people to submit their creative ideas for improving the environment through the "Dream It. Do It" challenge.

Applicants will be eligible for seed funding awards of up to $1,000 each to make their ideas a reality. Up to twenty-five grants will be awarded through the challenge. The best projects may also be featured in a half-hour MTV documentary scheduled for Earth Day 2009. In addition, the Lemelson Foundation will award five project leaders a trip to Boston, Massachusetts, to take part in a roundtable discussion on climate change at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The challenge is open to all youth between the ages of 12 and 20 in North America and Europe and 12 and 24 everywhere else. Each participant will be required to submit an action plan showing what activities will be carried out and how the grant will be spent. Each participant will need to form a team with at least two other youth to qualify for funding.

Ideas and action plans may be submitted in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French. Because project ideas are evaluated and grants are awarded on an ongoing basis, applicants are advised not to wait until the December 31, 2008, deadline to submit their ideas.

Visit the program's Web site for entry guidelines."

Ten ways to boost learning with technology

"Urging policy makers and school leaders 'to take bold steps ... to improve education for America's 21st-century leaders,' the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has issued new guidance for reforming the nation's schools with the help of technology.

Hoping to reach the attention of a new administration and Congress, SETDA's 'Class of 2020: Action Plan for Education' notes that every child entering kindergarten this year deserves a high-quality, 21st-century education. The plan includes several white papers, a Student Bill of Rights, and a set of 10 recommendations to improve teaching and learning using technology."

]]> "Urging policy makers and school leaders 'to take bold steps ... to improve education for America's 21st-century leaders,' the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has issued new guidance for reforming the nation's schools with the help of technology.

'There is a crisis in American education today, as evidenced in falling graduation rates, entrants unprepared to enter college and the workforce, fewer people seeking science and math degrees, costly teacher turnover, and poor retention rates," said Mary Ann Wolf, SETDA's executive director. 'Our students deserve better. We know how the proper uses of technology in education can transform teaching and learning to improve student engagement and achievement.'

Afterschool Activities from the How Stuff Works Website

"Kids don't stop learning when they come home from school. The after-school activities for kids on these pages are entertaining, educational ways to engage kids and keep their curious minds working when they're not in the classroom.

From physically active hula-hoop games that teach cooperation to kite-making projects good for blustery fall afternoons, these after-school activities will provide hours of learning and laughs for your kids and their friends."

The site also links to afterschool games, crafts, and more activities for young people.

]]> "Kids don't stop learning when they come home from school. The after-school activities for kids on these pages are entertaining, educational ways to engage kids and keep their curious minds working when they're not in the classroom.

The site also links to afterschool games, crafts, and more activities for young people.