Friday Round-up
Apple’s iPad helps to improve kindergarten literacy in Maine
Remember last week I posted an article about a school district in Auburn, Maine that had shown improved literacy scores in their kindergarten students? This article discusses that same district, but what I didn’t know last week is they use ShowMe as a valuable app in their classroom!
Introducing Programming to Preschoolers
In 2007, MIT’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group launched a programing language for children called Scratch. The group is now planning to launch a version of the program appropriate for students from preschool- second grade called Scratch Jr. This article discusses the difficulties of creating a programing language with little reliance on text (as many children at this age still cannot read.) It is fascinating to think of children learning to program before they learn to read!
20 Essential TED Talks for Future Leaders
Who doesn’t love a good list of TED Talks? Thank you OnlineUniversities.com for compiling this list of inspirational TED Talks for people who want to boost their leadership skills! I plan to spend an hour or two this weekend watching these.
Collaboration, Really?
Many agree on the value of true collaborative learning, but how often are students actually able to practice collaborative learning and experience the benefits? In this article Susan Lucille Davis took time to talk with some of her students about times in their life when they had actually experienced true collaboration in or outside of school.
‘You are so smart…why did you become a teacher?’
This article attempts to put the bargin made last week between NYSUT and the State Education Department into perspective for us. New York was required to create a teacher evaluation plan in order to qualify for federal funding. However, Carol Corbett Burris brings up some concerns she has with the new evaluation process, and demonstrates how good teachers could receive an “ineffective” score, risking their job.
Share your thoughts, opinions and additional articles in the comments!
