It took less than two minutes for a video produced by 5th-graders to accomplish what a dozen concerned (adult) citizens set out to do: convince the Sacramento, Calif., Board of Directors not to slash "Splash" in yet another round of budget cuts. "Thanks to Splash, thousands of elementary, middle, and high school students have explored life in Sacramento’s streams and, in the process, have come to … [Read more...] about How 5th-graders stole show, saved ‘Splash’
School & Tech
iPads at school
It sounds like iPads-at-school isn't ready for prime time yet, but Fraser Speirs, a school tech director by day and Mac software developer by night, has successfully launched a program at his private school in Scotland and chronicled his experience here. Speirs is pioneering an iPads program at Cedars of School of Excellence, a private K-12 school in Greenock, Scotland (about 26 miles west of … [Read more...] about iPads at school
A parent & educator on what gaming can teach
To parent, educator, and graduate student Seann Dikkers, videogaming is a great parenting, teaching, and learning tool. A teacher for 10 years and school administrator for four, Dikkers is now working on his PhD in education, and he says in his site, GamingMatter.com, that the PhD part is his students' fault because they "were the first to ‘get it’ and point him toward games as a means to … [Read more...] about A parent & educator on what gaming can teach
Second Life 101 for teachers, parents
What a service University of Westminster in London provides! Even watching a little bit of this video tutorial can answer a lot of questions about what virtual worlds are like – whether you're curious about what (non-cartoony) avatars look like, want to set up an account and get started with professional development, or want to learn how to build a virtual chair or house. It's narrated in a lovely … [Read more...] about Second Life 101 for teachers, parents
Phoebe Prince story: Much more than meets the eye
If parents want insights into both the Phoebe Prince tragedy and how bullying can develop in a high school today, read this in-depth piece in Slate.com. The writer, Emily Bazelon, was reporting this story for months, publishing interim pieces of it as the news broke from South Hadley, Mass. "My investigation into the events that gave rise to Phoebe's death, based on extensive interviews and review … [Read more...] about Phoebe Prince story: Much more than meets the eye