Science Songs created by They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants are experimenting in creating educational materials. Similar to Schoolhouse Rock, TMBG are creating songs and videos that show educational topics in simplified manner with visuals and lyrics that help everyone understand how the world works. The videos below are from TMBG’s series, Science is Real.
These videos were found on youtube, but you can also order the DVDs online.

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Stroke of Insight

Jill Bolte Taylor is both a brain scientist and a former stroke patient. In the video below, she describes how the two hemispheres of the brain control different abilities and therefore act and respond in completely different ways. With the left side of her brain paralyzed by the stroke, Dr. Taylor was able to view the world with only the right side of the brain which changed the way she would normally perceive the world. Many people would describe a stroke to be a tragedy, but Dr. Taylor describes a beautiful experience that enabled her to see the magnificence of our world while feeling that she was full and perfect without being distracted by the self talk the left side of our brain controls.

She wrote a book about her experience titled Stroke of Insight, which I plan to read. I think you will find her to be a very engaging and passionate speaker. I wish she taught be science when I was younger.

I think this video would be great as an introduction or review when teaching about the brain. It is also great for anyone to see when trying to understand more about how our minds work.

Proud to be an American!

I have failed miserably with writing regularly this month, but I have been reading and watching a lot that I want to share. I thought I would have time to write during my last trip to D.C., but my flights ran so smoothly that I got off one flight and then directly on the next. In June, I wrote about my last trip to D.C. when I visited Clara, the mom of the host family that I stayed with when I taught in Ghana. Well this time, her two daughters, Eduwa and Fritsewa were there visiting her, and I HAD TO take the opportunity to visit them. I was even lucky enough that my sister could come.
We had an amazing time. I had no idea when I signed up to teach in Africa that I was expanding my family. These people open their homes to me and took care of me when I needed it the most—I consider these people to be members of my family. I cannot describe the feelings flowing through my mind and body as I reunited with them, but I know I am a very lucky person.
The girls were 4 and 6 years old when I lived with them, and now they are 10 and 12. They look and act exactly how I would have imagined. It is interesting to me that there is so much about human’s personalities and temperament that never seems to change.
I asked the girls what they want to be when they grow up—Eduwa wants to be a pharmacist and Frits wants to be a scientist. Hopefully, they will have the opportunity to study their respective sciences in America. The only reason Clara is living and working here is the possibility of giving their daughters an American education with the opportunities available to many of us. It’s not easy, and I know she has her doubts…but she puts all her faith in a higher power that everything will work out. The dad of the family hasn’t been able to get a visa, and it breaks my heart that the family hasn’t been one physical unit since Clara moved to America.
On the way to D.C., my sister and I got to see soldiers in the airport reuniting with their families for the holidays. I probably looked crazy getting teary-eyed in line for security while I watched men and women dressed in their military attire hugging their family members that never wanted to let go. One young daughter that looked like she was 4 years old didn’t let go of her daughter the entire time—she was either hugging him or her arm was around him.
This trip of mine reminded me how lucky I am to live in a country that people want to immigrate to and a country whose citizens volunteer to defend what our country stands for. I am grateful for my ancestors who sacrificed a life that they knew to come to a strange, new country for the possibility of a better life with more opportunities. I am thankful for the soldiers that sacrifice time with their loved ones to defend the country they believe in. While this country isn’t perfect, it attracts strong, resilient people that are willing to sacrifice their comfort for a better future for their children and children’s children. We are lucky that we get to call this place home.

During the last days of 2010, I will concentrate on the positive stories that both inspire and energize me. These stories remind me that anything is possible when we least expect it.
I hope everyone has a happy holiday and gets to end the year surrounded by the people they love!

Just Right

If Goldie Locks was presented with a smart phone, a tablet, and a PC, the tablet would be “just right.”

Smart phones aren’t strong enough to entirely replace PCs, but the phone’s mobile capability draws people to use a smart phone for many of their computing needs. PCs are too large to be conveniently transportable, but the small screens of smart phones make it impossible to use it with ease for some computing needs. It is smart-phone technology that has evolved tablets into a thin screen that runs a touchscreen-focused mobile operating system requiring less processing power than preceding operating systems such as Windows.

Below are a couple articles that describe tablets and their future in schools, businesses, and homes around the world.
PC World’s “What the Ultimate Tablet Would Look Like”
Here is a summarized list of tablet ideals taken from the article:

1. Weigh less than 1.5 pounds.
2. Antiglare coating provided as an option.
3. Kickstand to prop up the tablet.
4. USB ports included.
5. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)
6. Capabilities to support Web standards such as HTML5and Flash.
7. Quick turn on.
8. Dual camerasincluded.
9. Open videocapabilities.
10. The ability to print from the tablet.

Kno Releases Tablet Designed for Students

Apple Makes iPads More Useful for Schools

Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad can do and show so much, but until now, users haven’t been able to print from the devices. The iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad don’t have the ports needed to connect the devices to a printer, but Apple, Inc. developed software that makes it possible for users to print wirelessly over Wi-Fi networks. The software, called AirPrint, allows the Apple gadgets to locate printers on home, work, or school networks, and then print. Currently, only certain Hewlett-Packard Co. printers are lucky enough to be compatible with AirPrint.

AirPrint along with AirPlay are two new feactures available with iOS 4.2, the latest operating system for the Apple devices…just in time for the holidays.

Microsoft Certifications Earned at North Carolina High Schools

Next fall, North Carolina will be the first state to offer Microsoft computer training in every high school. Currently, about 30 high schools are using the Microsoft IT Academy —which is a “subscription-based membership program designed to help schools offer students and faculty learning solutions for IT skills training and certification as well as technology essentials for professionals.” The North Carolina students will have the opportunity to earn certification as a Microsoft Office Specialist or a Microsoft Certified Professional.

Even after graduating college with a degree in Computer Sciences, I know that many people spend their free time pursuing certifications such as these because they are either required in order to be hired by a certain company or they bump a person up to the next level of pay scale. While it would be ideal for students to have the chance to be certified with various types of software rather than just Microsoft, I think it is really cool that these students have the chance to leave HIGH SCHOOL with a certification that would actually be worth something in the real world with a real corporation that offers a real salary and benefits. I think this is the new direction for many technical schools serving students 18 years and younger.

National Ed-Tech Plan...revisited

On May 19th, I wrote about the proposal of the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) and its goals. Well…It’s official! Last week, the final version of the National Ed-Tech Plan was released by the U.S. Department of Education.

The document is organized into 5 components that the Department of Ed says are essential in “learning powered by technology”:

1. Learning: Engage and Empower
2. Assessment: Measure What Matters
3. Teaching: Prepare and Connect
4. Infrastructure: Access and Enable
5. Productivity: Redesign and Transform

Even if reading a 90-page government plan isn’t your thing, I encourage you to check it out. There are sidebars on many of the pages that are boxed in light blue. Each of these sidebars explains real-life programs in schools and organizations that are taking advantage of the benefits of technology.

Why Do I Have to Learn This..?

As we know, Americans are falling behind many of the other industrialized nations when it comes to our mathematical knowledge. Shorter schooldays and school years and more diverse populations of students are a couple of facts that may lead to our low scores in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects. There are many teachers and organizations that are dedicated to finding better ways to teach our students math, so that we can remain to be a competitive nation. Here are a couple of stories I have read about that I would like to share to you.

Audrey Cucci, a high school math teacher in Frankfort, New York, uses group work and various means of technology to create an interactive and collaborative classroom that gives students opportunities to work together and manipulate abstract math problems to find solutions and explain their work. You can click here to read about Cucci’s classroom here, or you can click here to view her lessons on SchoolTube. Cucci uses an interactive whiteboard and microphone to record each of her lessons.

“Why do I have to learn this?” If your students have this question for you during one of your math lessons, you may want to show them the careers that require a solid background in math. Texas Instruments and the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center have dedicated a portion of their Student Zone website to describing various STEM careers and the background it takes to succeed.

As we know, there is still a significant pay gap among men and women and more women than men are graduating with bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees, But…men still outnumber women in STEM careers which often offer generous salaries. Expanding Your Horizons Network is dedicated to motivating young women in science and math; AAUW Tech Trek is a math/science camp “designed to develop interest, excitement and self-confidence in young women who will enter eighth grade in the fall”; Singer and founder of Advancement of Women Now , Mary J. Blige, has partnered with NASA to encourage young women to pursue STEM career choices.

Kiran Bir Sethi Speaks About an Infection We Want

Kiran Bir Sethi, the founder of Riverside School in India, shows examples of how the empowerment of Riverside’s students shifted the mindset of the students from “teacher told me” to “I can do it.” She uses data to show that when children are empowered, they care more about their world, and they do better in school. I know this is not groundbreaking news, but this video gives us an opportunity to watch these students change the world around them.

Just watch it…the video is less than 10 minutes long.

Tech Companies Sponsoring High Schools

On Tuesday, June 29th, I wrote about Philadelphia’s School of the Future, a high school that Microsoft started in 2006. Today, I learned that IBM participating in the trend of corporate-sponsored education. With the help of the Gates Foundation, the City University of New York and IBM will open a new high school that is expected to teach 500 to 600 students. The school will extend to 14th grade, and upon graduation, students will receive an associates degree in addition to a high school diploma. IBM will have the opportunity to teach the students computer science in a way that will most benefit their company, but students are not forced into any sort of commitment with the company.

So, where is the money coming from to create this computer science-focused school..?

IBM is giving $250,000 to NYC to create the school.

New York City is among the four beneficiaries of the Gates Foundation's Communities Learning in Partnership grant. Each recipient received $3 million to fund innovative proposals to boost college completion rates. (San Francisco, Mesa [AZ], and Riverside [CA] were the other cities given the grant money.)

Finally, NYC was awarded $36 million Teacher Incentive Fund to encourage highly-skilled teachers to work in low-performing schools and to mentor their colleagues.

Education and Gender

In the 2008-2009 school year, women received the majority of the U.S. doctorial degrees for the first time. This should not be a huge surprise because women have received the majority of BS and MS degrees since the 1980s, and women received 49% of doctorial degrees in the 2007-2008 school year. Men continue to earn approximately three-fourths of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) doctorates.

According to BBC, girls believe they are cleverer, better behaved, and work harder than boys. Boys believed they were equal at the ages of 4-6, but then agreed with the female students by age 8. Researchers questioned 238 students at two primary schools in Kent, England. This research was presented by Bonny Hartley at the annual conference of the British Educational Research Association.

I don’t want to accidently offend someone by summarizing this from my point of view, so please read, and let me know what you think: Geek-aversion May Explain Lack of Women in Computer Science

12-Year-Old Takes the Initiative to Run a School in her Village

At the age of 12, Bharti Kumari, is the head teacher at her school in Kusumbhara, an Indian village. Each morning and each evening after Bharti Kumari attends her school that is a 2-mile walk away from her home, she teaches the English and math learned during her school day to 50 village children who are not enrolled in school. The children at her school are between the ages of 4 and 10 years old, and they are among the 10 million Indian children that are not able to attend school because of poverty.

As an infant, Bharti Kumari was abandoned at a railway stations in Bihar, India. Her adoptive father, Rampati, encourages his daughter to continue her learning in school rather than continuing the rural tradition of pushing young girls into marrying.

Dr. Sugata Mitra: Unsupervised Learning

Most people would agree that there is no replacement for a good teacher, but what happens when the good teachers do not want to go where they are needed the most? In this TED Talks video, Dr. Sugata Mitra argues that every country on earth has regions where good teachers are needed but are not available. He also has suggestions for improving these situations.

Mitra says, “Children will learn to do what they want to learn to do.” He experimented with the ways children will drive their own education by placing computers (without instructions) in various areas of the world such as embedded in a wall in a slum in Delhi, India; then observed the students' interaction with the devices and the students' ability to identify and make use of its resources. Mitra found that the children’s interest in the computers allowed the students to work together to educate themselves in using the hardware and software and in navigating the Internet to find the answers to both simple and complicated questions.

I encourage you to watch the video and check out Hole-in-the-Wall , a learning methodology created by Dr. Sugata Mitra .

Digital ‘Smart’ Pens Transform Paper into a Digital Tablet

Echo, Liverscribe’s latest smart pen:

• streams all notes taken on their special dotted paper in real time to a computer while also recording the notes in pen’s memory. (Currently, it must be connected to the computer via a USB cable to stream notes.)


• records audio as well as handwritten text— by tapping the paper with the pen, students can hear what the instructor was saying at that exact moment in their notes.


• has a 4GB model for $169.95 and an 8GB model for $199.95. The 4GB pen can record about 400 hours of audio while the 8GB pen can record approximately 800 hours.


• provides reference tools such as a dictionary, simple games, and study guides.


• will allow users to instantaneously create a PDF file of the recording and save or share it through email with the click of a button.

…Software allowing the above capabilities will be released this fall.

IOGEAR’s Mobile Digital Scribe:

• does not require special paper.


• is built with enough memory to store the notes on 50 standard-size sheets of paper.


• stores handwritten notes or drawings that can be uploaded to any computer.


• handwritten text and drawings cane be displayed directly on the computer screen when the scribe is connected to the computer.


• provides editing capabilities that make it possible for users to modify their notes.


• allows users to export notes via JPEG format and share notes with other users through email or Instant Messaging.


• supports 12 languages (English, Spanish, Traditional/Simplified Chinese, French, Dutch, Italian, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Korean, Japanese, and Russian).

OLPC Founder Give Recommendations for India’s Tablet

Nicholas Negroponte, the founder and chairman of One Laptop per Child (OLPC), invited the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to visit the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in order to examine how the OLPC team created their $100 laptop. As I mentioned last month, India’s government recently revealed a $35 tablet that is specifically designed for students. Negroponte stated in his invitation to India’s MHRD that he would like to collaborate with the tablet’s inventors rather than compete. Negroponte also gave six pieces of advice, and I found one of those most interesting:
“Focus on children 6 to 12 years old. They are your nation’s most precious natural resource. For primary school children, the tablet is not about computing or school, it is about hope. It makes passion the primary tool for learning.”

KIPP: Knowledge Is Power Program

While reading articles on one of Bill Gate’s websites, I learned of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP). KIPP is an open lottery program gives students from low-income communities leaning experiences that allow them to transform themselves into high-achieving students with goals of higher education. KIPP is determined to teach in a kid-friendly manner which includes teaching students through music and chants the same way young people memorize popular songs.

I found most of these tidbits of information on KIPP’s website :

Over 85% of KIPP alumni have gone to college. (This is compared to 20% of low-income students graduating college nationwide.)

Fifteen years ago, KIPP started with 2 schools and 120 kippsters and now there are more than 82 schools and over 20,000 kippsters.

Nationwide 94% of kippsters outperform the district average in language arts; 100% of kippsters outperform the district in math.

33 of kippsters who have graduated from college have come back to work at KIPP.

Click here to watch KIPP in action, or click here to learn how KIPP started by two DEDICATED teachers.

One-Kindle-Per-Child Program

In May, I wrote about One Laptop per Child, and last Friday, a co-worker of mine showed me this article from The Wall Street Journal. Former Amazon senior vice president, David Risher, co-founded Worldreader which created the One-Kindle-Per-Child Program. Guess where they have chosen to test the program. GHANA!

When I taught in Ghana, the lack of books was one of our major challenges. Ghana’s capital city, Accra, did have bookstores with a decent number of book options, but they still would not have the selection we have in most American cities. The other cities in Ghana that I visited had a bookstore or bookstand, but the options were very limited. The selection was similar to what we could expect if we bought all of our books at thrift stores and garage sales. As anyone could guess, it is extremely difficult to get kids excited about reading when all of the book options are secondhand, random selections with content that usually is not relevant to young people. I am excited to see how this program plays out. I firmly believe programs such as this one is the best way to provide kids with the opportunities they need to take control of their future no matter where they live.

Got to love a passionate teacher!

“It’s hard to imagine what could be if you don’t know anything about what is."
--Brian Cosby, 4th grade teacher and educational leader

iB-LIEVE

iB-LIEVE is a social enterprise that creates programs for youth and community development that are grounded in neuroscience. Starting in August 2011, iB-LIEVE will embark on their largest project yet, the iB-LIEVE Express.

The iB-LIEVE Express will be traveling to all 50 states in 50 weeks for 300 Days of Youth Empowerment broken down as:

100 days of programs on personal leadership, career development, and team building on campuses, in classrooms, and on athletic fields

100 days of community service to target specific needs within cities throughout the country

100 days of live, broadcasted, conversations with key leaders, change makers, and experts of our nation

Since August 1st, they have been competing in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge to help fund the iB-LIEVE Express. Pepsi is awarding grants each month to the best ideas that will refresh the world. iB-LIEVE has applied for the largest grant award of $250,000 and the winner with the most votes takes home the prize. If interested, you can vote through
iB-LIEVE’s website , Facebook , or Pepsi’s website . You can also text Pepsi (73774) the following code: 101681

Race to the Top 2nd Round Finalists

QUICK NOTES:

Race to the Top is a $4.35 billon project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The money is awarded to states that prove aggressive education reform plans.

Tennessee and Delaware were the only states to win money in the first round.

The following 18 states along with D.C were chosen as finalists in the second round:
-Arizona
-California
-Colorado
-Florida
-Georgia
-Hawaii
-Illinois
-Kentucky
-Louisiana
-Maryland
-Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
-Pennsylvania
-Rhode Island
- South Carolina

The winners of the second round will be announced in September. All states can apply again if they do not receive money in second round.

Interesting Articles and Slide Shows: Education and Technology

Education Inventors Get Boost Under New Programs
This article addresses the difficulty that comes along with trying to introduce a new, innovative product in the K-12 education market and the push to make it easier.

SMART vs. Promethean
Christopher Dawson, NDNet Education Blogger, states the pros and cons associated with each whiteboard and gives education leaders tips for choosing the best whiteboards for their districts.

The Brad Ovenell-Carter – The Myth of the Digital Native: Web IS the Platform
Brad explains how students need to be taught how to use the Web as a tool just as they were taught how to use a pencil.

Students at India’s Top Technical Universities Invent $35 Tablet Computer

QUICK NOTES on tablet:

-Designed specifically for students, the touch-screen tablet can be used for functions like word processing, web browsing, and video conferencing.

-India's Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal hopes the tablet will eventually cost $10.

-Christopher Dawson, an education blogger for ZDNet, says schools are struggling with connectivity and might not be ready for devices such as this.

-India’s leaders hope to bring the tablet into production by 2011.

Education Summit

During the week of September 27th, NBC News will bring together education and political leaders to discuss how to improve schools in light of statistics showing the U.S. lagging in student achievement. Hopefully, this summit will truly concentrate on ways to strengthen our system rather than simply bash the obvious gaps.

Here is a list of a couple other plans NBC has for involving itself in the future of education:
1. nbclearn.com
2. NBC News Archives on Demand (K-12): A collection of NBC news videos, primary source documents, images, and resources specifically designed for teachers to use in their classrooms to introduce or teach a concept.

Learning Between Grown-Ups and Kids Should be Reciprocal, says Adora Svitak

Many of you may have heard of Adora Svitak because the more I read about her, the more popular I realize she is. Svitak is the author of Flying Fingers, a book on learning. At the age of 12, she is also a public speaker and serves as an advocate for literacy.

This video was filmed at TED2010 convention. Watch Adora Svitak teach us how the world could use more “childish” thinking.

School of the Future

"We've had this saying from the very beginning: Money and technology are great, but people are better."
-- Mary Cullinane, director of innovation for Microsoft Education and liason to School of the Future

In 2006, less than 8% of the juniors scored proficient or higher in math and only 23 % scored proficient or higher in reading. Four years later and the ENTIRE senior class graduates!

The first video was filmed in 2006/2007, the School of the Future’s first school year. It shows the teachers, the learners, and the school and its original objectives in greater depth than the second video.


The second video shows the students on their graduation day. Congratulations!

Real-Life Lessons

It’s been awhile since I’ve last posted. June has been a busy and fun month. My summer MBA course started 2 weeks ago, and I went on a recent vacation to our nation’s capital. While in D.C., I visited my cousin, Laura, and Clara, the host mom I lived with while I was in Ghana. Clara moved to the states a little over a year ago with the goal of giving her daughters an American education. My D.C. experience was eye-opening and reminded me to be grateful of my American life and education.

Clara has an interesting story. She grew up in Ghana, and married her husband, Stephen Bediako Sayki. Together, they had two beautiful daughters, Eduwa and Fritsiwa. The girls were 4 and 6 years old when I lived in Ghana, but Eduwa is now 12 and Fritsiwa is 10. Clara was able to get a U.S. visa and legally made her way to America, but her husband has not been able to get a visa and Clara cannot afford to have the girls here at the moment. The only reason why Clara is here is to give her daughters the opportunity to get an American education. The main goal is for Eduwa and Fritsiwa to go to college here. They all love Ghana, but they want the American opportunities ….and who can blame them? America isn’t perfect, but it is beautiful and full of endless possibilities. I consider Clara and her family to be a part of my family, and I’ll be giving updates on their brave endeavors. With tears in her eyes, Clara said, “I can struggle and sacrifice for 10 years if I can give my daughters a better future. I can do it. But, it is so difficult and so stressful.”

Winners and Losers

Other than ‘leading by example’, I am not sure of the best way to promote healthy eating to our nation’s kids. But, I give props to anyone fighting to keep kids physically and mentally healthy. I also feel the need to draw attention to those that will put a kid’s self-esteem in danger when there is money to be made.

Winners
Ways to Advocate for Healthy School Lunches

Oregon kids show decrease in obesity rates





Losers
Game for kids’ benefit? Or, sugar cereal advertisement for company’s benefit?

Advergames

Common Core Standards: Math and English Standards FINALIZED

If you haven’t heard the phrases, “common core standards” or “Race to the Top”, then it is time to Google both.

The objective of the Common Core Standards (CCS) is to establish consistent learning goals across states while creating standards similar to the standards established in top-performing countries. The CCS initiative is state-led, but states making the commitment to meet these standards will receive federal funds.

The Standards

Common Core Standards--Frequently Asked Questions

Race to the Top--Frequently Asked Questions

Digital Divide II: One Laptop per Child Update

(Click here for more photos of kids enjoying their new OLPC laptops.)

On May 11th, I wrote about the digital divide and mentioned a nonprofit organization called One Laptop per Child. Today, I learned that OLPC has decided to provide tablets instead of laptops in order to reduce costs while customizing the technology to the needs that arise from each country's environment. Some people believe that OLPC's goals are unrealistic and not as important as other problems these kids may deal with. You decide. Click here to see the tablet prototype.

My Heroes

Kristin Richmond and Kirsten Tobey are leading a revolution that is long overdue. We teach kids about the food pyramid, and then we serve them a lunch loaded with fat and salt and lacking in fresh fruits & vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. It just doesn’t make sense, but these two ladies are doing something about it!
Check out: Revolution Foods

National Education Technology Plan 2010 (NETP)

The Department of Education has proposed the National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) to transform what education is today, so that we can attain Obama’s two major goals for education:
• To raise the proportion of college graduates from where it now stands [39%] so that 60% of our population holds a 2-year or 4-year degree.
• To close the achievement gap so that all students – regardless of race, income, or neighborhood – graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.
The NETP is in the drafting stage and is open to comments. I encourage you to read the draft and voice your questions and concerns.
Click here to download the the National Ed Tech Plan PDF. Comments to the draft may also be posted on this site.

Stephen Lien’s comment on ED.gov spoke to me—“Technology is only as smart as the programmer who designs it, and it's only as effective as the teacher who wields it. If a piece of technology is effective at improving instruction and enhancing the classroom setting, it's not the technology we should thank, but rather those that know how to use it.”

Digital Divide I

While the Internet has some negative affects, it has changed our world. Obviously. We use the Internet to find and apply for jobs, to join social and career networks, and to quickly and easily learn about the unknown. Not to mention, the Internet has free video tutorials for just about every subject known to humans.
If I didn’t have access and benefit from digital technology, then I probably wouldn’t have:
1. My job
2. My bike
3. My roommates
4. Constant communication with my family and closest friends
5. A strong relationship with my beloved Ghanaian host family
Access to the Internet makes it very easy for me to organize my money, take care of basic home repairs, and find the best prices along with a bazillion other things. Living without access to the Internet and most digital technologies means living without the unlimited opportunities that are currently being offered to the digital-haves.

The Digital Divide worries me, so I’d will regularly highlight some groups that are doing something about it.
I heard about his group from my pal, Mr. T (Don Tapscott): one laptop per child

OverDrive

OverDrive.com is great, and I have only accessed one part of it. I use it to rent audiobooks from my local library that I listen to while I'm working or working out. When I listen to audiobooks, I usually listen to professional development or self-improvement books that motivate me, open my mind, and don't require me to listen to every single word. In addition to audiobooks, OverDrive offers eBooks, music, and movies.  You can get started, see what it can offer you, and download it--All of this for FREE as long as you have a library card. Just check it out, and see if it's for you!

If you're interested in using OverDrive for your personal use, go to OverDrive.com and look on the left side of the page. There is a place for you to enter you zip code. Click on your library and get started. You will need to download the OverDrive Media Console, which you can find here (for FREE): http://www.overdrive.com/software/omc/

Here are more instructions if you need or want it, but I think the Web site does a good job of telling you what to do: http://www.mvlc.org/Overdrive/howtouseoverdrive.pdf

I recently discovered a portion to OverDrive that is for K-12 students to use at school or in the classroom. Would this be helpful in your school, or do you already use it? I'm curious--please let me know!

Strengths Movement

READ THIS BOOK.
Whether you teach kids...have kids...or were a kid, you should read this.
It's not too late to do work and have fun in ways that make you feel energized, effective, and whole. This book describes ways we can discover our strengths through identifying what we're good at and enjoy doing. The author, Jenifer Fox, provides the reader with practical ways use our strengths in order to make the most of our everyday lives.

RePlayGround

RePlayGround was created by Tiffany Threadgould. After graduating from Pratt Institute with a masters in design, Threadgould started a company that uses trash as raw material for beautiful and functional designs. You can buy their products online, but the RePlayGrounders show people how we can transform trash into treasure.

Check out the DIY portion of their Web site for classroom project ideas:
RePlayground's DIY page
I thought the spinner made out of an old CD would be a great for kids to make. Then, they could use it to invent their own math game. RePlayground's BLOG

Wallwisher in the Classroom

            Wallwisher.com is an online bulletin board that is great for making announcements, posting notes, and responding to sentence starters and questions.

 Ways to use Wallwisher in your classroom:

• Display students’ responses to a story, poem, song, article, or presentation.
  
• Give students daily sentence starters to reply to with words and images.
  
• Create interactive KWL charts by asking students to write what they Know, Want to know, and Learned.
  
• Post research before a class field trip and then post students’ reflections after fieldtrip.

How to Get Started:

1. Go to http://www.wallwisher.com/.
   
2. Sign up for a Wallwisher account by clicking on login/register
   
3. Click on build a new wall.
   
4. On the top left side of page, write the title and subtitle of your choice.  You can also choose a color scheme.
   
5. Write a URL for your wall and set privacy settings.
   
6. To add text to the wall, double click the wall and sticky notes will appear. Add text and/or images to the sticky note and then click done.
   
7. When you’re finished, Wallwisher will send you an email with your wall’s information. You can send the URL to others, so they can add comments or questions to the wall. 
   

See my Wallwisher example below...

My Very First Blog

Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I used to think that blogging was simply making an online journal public. I have kept journals on and off since I was first grader. I love journaling, but sharing my journals is another story. I recently realized that a blog is a great way for me to save and share information. I read and read about education, and its affect on children and our future. Education of all kinds leads to opportunities and opens minds. For these two reasons, I am PASSIONATE about education and giving every child the opportunity to find their strengths, so they can become productive, confident, and empathetic people. Please follow me on my blogging journey, and contact me with your own thoughts on education and its future. Thanks again!