An article about why we should support loose screen time rules with kids. Children are suffering today not from too much computer play or too much screen time. They are suffering from too much adult control over their lives and not enough freedom.
An article that talks about how to view violence in games from a new angle. Violence in videogames can help kids gain practical skills. The mystique of violent and scary themes draws children's natural curiosity, and dealing with it is a part of normal child development. It's not the violence itself that is attractive to kids. It's the opportunity to develop and master skills and have the freedom to make choices in the game universe. Also, the violent games happen to have the most emotional appeal to kids.
A good site that encourages kids to upload their artworks. They are encouraged by rewards. Parents can monitor their kids' portfolio using their dashboard and give comments. Instruction is kept simple on the site.
Augmented reality is dazzling when used appropriately. The Science Museum in London's exhibit on the Making of the Modern World looks to be a wonderfully educational experience about how specific technologies have propelled human history forward.
Devices like the iPad are new and fun and give children an incentive to read, including those who might be reluctant. It's a new motivation to explore reading. However, the concern is that parents rely too much on them and stop engagement with their young children.
An article about what we can learn from the Finish education reform - we need to raise the standards for entry into the teaching profession, and future teachers should have intensive professional and academic preparation. Finnish teachers are driven by a sense of intrinsic motivation, not by the hope of a bonus or the fear of being fired. Intrinsic motivation is also what they seek to instill in their students.
Educators interested in "flipping" their classroom (that is, providing traditional lecture material for review at home and problem-solving exercises in the classroom) now have two more options to provide core content with a minimum of effort.
Our schools and system are mostly designed for extroverts and for their need of lots of stimulations. The ideal students in schools are believed to be extroverts although researches show that introverted students tend to be more knowledgable. Instead of emphasizing too much on group work which benefit both extroverts and introverts, schools should also teach students how to work on their own. That's because solitude is critical for creativity and where deep thoughts are formed.
an interesting point from the article: "adolescents aren't reckless because they underestimate risks, but because they overestimate rewards-or, rather, find rewards more rewarding than adults do."
The article pointed out that the concept that the Internet would drive a singular global culture is false. In order to engage people in different countries or cultures with social networks, brands and content producers will need ever more localised strategies.