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.