2009 Read with Kids Challenge

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and US Airways are sponsors of the 2009 Read with Kids Challenge. The goal for the 2009 Challenge is for parents, teachers, grandparents, and adults everywhere to log in 5 million minutes of reading to children between April 1 and June 30, 2009. You can register individually or as part of a team. (Before April 1st, you can pre-register.) Prizes in the Challenge include a trip to DisneyWorld, gift cards for US Airways travel, books, and toys. —And while you are taking off with the Challenge, be sure to visit the RIF site to browse through advice, booklists, articles, and other resources available to you.

Teacher Tips on Twitter

Have you heard of micoblogging? It's like blogging on the run—short messages that can be sent by cell phone, PDAs, and computers to a list of recipients. Twitter is one place where you can investigate this phenomenon. If you don't know what Twitter is, don't worry. The site includes a Beginner's Guide, a Video Guide, information on Twitter etiquette, and a section called Mastering Twitter in 10 Minutes...Or Less. Once you're comfortable with what Twitter is, try Twitter for Teachers, and a host of other education-related topics such as Twitter and Educational Applications, Twitter as a Learning Tool, and a Spreadsheet of Educators on Twitter.

Do You Know How to Make a Great Podcast?

Apple Computer, Inc. offers free podcast seminars 24-7 on the Internet. You and your students can learn how to create, perform, record, and promote podcasts. Some of the topics featured in the three-part seminar are: microphone tips, GarageBand and podcasts,  and promoting with iTunes, and .mac, and Podcast technical specifications. Each seminar is about 1.5 hours in length. A fast Internet connection is recommended. You'll need to register to take part in The Podcast Recipe: Producing a Successful Show seminars. In addition to the Podcast seminars, Apple offers seminars and events in the following categories: audio, business, design, enterprise, photo, science & medicine, and video. Check the site for information about the offerings in each category.

Science & Math Virtual Experiences & Online Learning

If you are a middle school math or science teacher or parent of a middle school student, you should take a look at what Sebit, LLC and PASCO ® offered through the PASCO Online Academy for Sciences and Math. This is a subscription-based service ($299 a year for teachers and $10 individual subscription for students), but you can browse through the topics and try out a 30-day free trial to see if the Academy would prove a valuable resource for you and your students. The program is called a Web-based learning environment that gives teachers and students access to 21^st century learning around the clock. The Activity Objects can be adapted for use in classrooms and home and can also be used in homework or for extra practice or enrichment. Activity sheets and assessment are included.

FETC Virtual Conference

Each year the folks down in Florida put together one of the best tech in education conferences in the nation. —But the conference is usually scheduled in January, a time that makes it difficult for many educators to attend. If you missed the delightful Florida weather and the outstanding presentations at FETC back in January, you might want to register for Virtual FETC scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2009. This free online conference features sessions that address global competitiveness, emerging interactive media, 21^st century Web, the impact of the Federal Stimulus Package, STEM, and even a digital survival kit to empower you. The Live Online Keynote speaker is Dr. Steven Paine, State Superintendent of the West Virginia Department of Education. Dr. Paine will discuss the best practices in 21^st learning being used in West Virginia schools.

Coloring for Children in Need

On May 6^th, World Coloring Day 2009, students around the world will draw pictures targeting the theme "Our Earth – Our Universe". The program, sponsored by the US Division of Staedtler, supports Save the Children, an organization that benefits children's rights. To participate, teachers login to the site to register. The first 10 schools to sign up will receive four classroom packs of colored pencils. The idea is that children will draw and sell their pictures. Funds collected from the picture sales will go to Save the Children. Schools with the highest donations will receive prizes.

Think Digital Scrapbooks for Projects and Reports

Have you ever thought of having students create scrapbooks in place of the usual assigned reports and projects? Why not check out the scrapbook software available from Serif?  There's a special price for educators on Digital Scrapbook Artist, photorealistic scrapbook design software. With it, students can create imaginative albums on any subject. Included are high-resolution images, photo-editing tools, and traditional scrapbooking options like stickers, glitter, and stylized scissors. Students will enjoy creating their own scrapbooks that can be shared electronically or printed. Single copies are $34.99, site licenses for elementary schools are $399, and high schools, $599. Teacher resources are free. Think about the wonderful scrapbooks students could create for social studies, science, and language arts projects.

Today PCs Are Like Hammers

Microsoft's Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer said, "Today your computer is the computational equivalent of a hammer." Mundie predicts that in the next 10 years the computer will evolve from being a tool to being your partner. That's going to be possible because of a chip called a "graphics processing unit" (GPU). It's known as the graphics card in your computer, but in the future it will be used for much more than graphics. One of the big problems in getting all this going is to figure out how to create software applications that will work with it. It should be worth it, for "a single GPU can process as much data as 800 CPUs for certain tasks...." Some of Microsoft's research projects include converting data from Hubble Telescope archives into visual images that can be projected and manipulated through voice and hand commands; interactive tabletops that can be used with cell phones and digital cameras; and avatars that make eye contact, carry on conversations, and serve as digital assistants and health care providers. What is the next step beyond a hammer?

Peter, the Wolf, & More

Even if you and your students missed seeing Peter & the Wolf on PBS, you and your students can enjoy a clever video segment of the program. It features Peter with his friends, the duck and the raven having fun while a Hapless cats stalks the raven. Besides the video, PBS provides other information about the program including a lesson you can use to help your students explore melody. Audio and graphics files are provided to enhance the lesson. Other programs with materials you may want to use are: Nureyev: The Russian Years; Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar; King Lear; Cyrano de Bergerac; Social Attitudes & Stereotypes; The Birth of Soul; and The Nutcracker. You may wish to sign up for the Great Performances newsletter that describes upcoming events and what's available online.

Children's Views of Child Labor

Geneva World is launching a project that targets child labor by asking children to draw pictures on this topic. The group is seeking drawings from both children who have been laborers and those who have not. According to GenevaWorld, "[This] is not a moralistic or political enterprise. It aims to raise the level of consciousness about the fate of some 200 million children worldwide." The exhibit will take place at Quai Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland in August 2009. Some drawings and photos are already posted on the GenevaWorld site. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2009.