Newsletter of 09/04/2012

Hi followers!

• Yes, it's back to school time for most of us and more than ever, technology is not only a part of our lives, it's invading the classroom. Is it all good? Most definitely not. Regardless, we think the key part of the article is that you start small. Embracing technology doesn't have to be a monumental task!

• Let's instill good habits in our country's youth. With the Presidential election coming up, Rand McNally has created a collaborative, interactive tool for grades 7-12 called 'Play the Election'. You can play as a student or use it as an educator. However, you have to be one or the other to register and your school has to be participating.

• We applaud large companies like Dell that realize that having technology is schools is a necessity and not a luxury. Dell works with qualified organizations to close the learning gap. Maybe there is an organization already close to you.

• These days, we seem to be hearing a lot more stories of how schools are giving iPads to kids to enhance their way students learn. Wayland School District discusses a "flipped classroom" strategy.  The example the teacher provides is the student would have access to her lecture all the time. For people that are terrible at taking notes, this may actually be a good thing. Do any of you live in a school district that has provided free iPads to the children?

• You really can't deny that social networking is a fad anymore. Just when you think that Facebook and Twitter have no equals, Pinterest comes along and quickly becomes a massive hit. The people at Learnist have created an interesting social learning concept based on Pinterest so people can learn from and teach each other. It's not just geared towards K-12, it also includes life-long topics as well. Given how popular Pinterest has become, can it carry over to Learnist?

• Maybe something good can come from Chatroulette!  Verbling is a really creative concept to use the same technology…. for good! When we were in high school, if we wanted to learn a language, we either learned it in class but some of us were lucky enough to house a foreign-exchange student. Verbling now brings those foreign students to your house on demand.

• How much is too much? – A Society in Canada claims that youth should minimize their recreational screen time 3 fold. We think that if you polled a bunch of parents and teachers, a large percentage would agree. Yet, time and time again, we see parents let computers, tablets, and tv babysit their kids.