According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of students in the U.S. who live in homes where the first language is not English has doubled over the last 20 years. For these language-minority students and their peers who are learning a second language, the goal is to develop several core competencies that allow them to develop and maintain social relationships and communicate ideas.
Blog about how to create and use miis or avatars on interactive white boards (IWBs) to improve delivery. Best for K-12 educators. Contains several free ideas and many creative ways to integrate avatars.
recent findings from a longitudinal study of high school-age students challenges these notions, suggesting that youth who pursue their interests online are more likely to be engaged in civic issues.
The study found that spending time in online communities appears to promote engagement with broader society.
It also found that youth are not simply participating in online political discussions that become simply echo chambers that fail to expose them to diverse perspectives. Only 5% of youth reported that they were exposed only to political views they agreed with online. More damning, perhaps - 34% said they didn't encounter any political perspectives online at all.
The findings from the study echo recent research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project that found that among adults as well, Internet users were more civically-engaged.