Digital Literacy Crucial for UK's Global Competitiveness

Greater Understanding of Digital Literacy is Essential for Young People and Their Future job Prospects According to Virtual Voices Conference

The topic of media literacy was discussed last week at Virtual Voices, an event which brought together young people, educators, policymakers and media figures. After a series of debates and workshops all 100% of delegates agreed when polled that understanding media literacy is vital for future success and that the government should do more to support media literacy to help Britain remain competitive.

Resources from the event including photographs, podcasts and supporting material are all now available online at http://www.swscreen.co.uk/virtualvoices

The key conclusions from the event were:

- Media industry and education need to work closer together to ensure that young people have a voice

- Both industry and education want the same thing: a democracy where everyone has a voice and where talent has a chance to shine.

- We must help young people learn how to decipher what information on the web is real, what is a myth or reality, as well as how to communicate online

- Teachers and the government have a vital role to play in teaching media literacy skills, or Britain's competitive position will be at risk

- Online media presents great opportunities for young people to have their say

- Young people are producing some exceptional issues-based work and we need to find ways to bring this into the mainstream

Virtual Voices took place on 10th July in Bristol. It was organised by South West Screen, the development agency for the creative media industries in the South West of England.

The day included a screening of work produced by young people, the films of which are online at http://www.youtube.com/southwestscreen

Photographs from the day are available on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/26168982@N02/sets/72157606103286590/

A podcast of the introduction and keynote speech from the day is at http://www.swscreen.co.uk/podcast

Disadvantaged Youths Receive $330,000 in Grants to Support Educational Programs

Staples Foundation for Learning has awarded 36 grants totaling $328,825 to non-profit organizations dedicated to serving youth throughout the country. These organizations were selected for their commitment to providing educational and job skills programs that help at-risk youth develop the skills necessary to become responsible adults and community leaders.

"Staples Foundation for Learning is committed to supporting organizations that provide disadvantaged youth with growth opportunities," said Ron Sargent, president of Staples Foundation for Learning and chairman and chief executive officer of Staples, Inc. "These recipient organizations embody the foundation's mission to teach, train and inspire young people from all walks of life to realize their full potential."

Staples Foundation for Learning's newest grant recipients include:

Accel, Phoenix, AZ --- $5,000 to Schools-to-Work Job Coach Project, an intensive job readiness program that enables disabled youth to prepare for the workforce.

After-School All Stars, Los Angeles, CA --- $20,000 to All Stars Sustainability, an after-school program that provides at-risk youth with academic enrichment activities.

Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA --- $10,000 to Aquarium Scholarship Fund, which provides elementary school students with hands-on marine science education.

Arts-Kids, Inc., Park City, UT --- $10,000 to Arts-Kids' after school program that teaches youth with disabilities to positively express themselves through art.

Blue Kiwi, Forest, VA --- $6,000 to Grow One Summer Camp, which enables inner-city students to increase their entrepreneurial and business skills.

Bottom Line, Boston, MA --- $10,000 to College Access, which prepares low-income students to graduate from high school and enter college.

Boys & Girls Club of Kingman, Kingman, AZ --- $3,000 to MethSMART, which encourages youth to stop using drugs and achieve academic success.

Boys & Girls Club of Newton, Newton, MA --- $5,000 to the Learning Center, which provides Boys & Girls Club members with academic support and mentoring.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA --- $2,725 to Super Film Camp, which teaches disadvantaged youth basic film skills and techniques.

Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD --- $10,000 to National Summer Learning day, which is an annual event promoting continued learning throughout the summer.

Center for Women & Enterprise, Providence, RI --- $10,000 to Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurial Training to Girls, which provides Latina youth with financial management skills.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation, Carrboro, NC --- $10,000 to the Teacher Store, which enables teachers from disadvantaged school systems to receive free supplies for their classrooms.

The Children's Museum of Denver, Denver, CO --- $10,000 to G.R.O.W. Science and Literacy Collaborative, which increases students' academic success through interactive, educational exhibits.

Citizens Schools --- $25,000 to support after-school programs in Newark, NJ; New Brunswick, NJ, Austin, TX and Houston, TX that enable low-income youth to grow their team-building and leadership skills.

The Civic Education Project, Boston, MA --- $5,000 to Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, which increases high school students' understanding of civics and the American legal system.

East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Detroit, MI --- $10,000 to Learning Sustainability, which provides youth with the resources to become environmental leaders.

The Education Foundation of Harris County, Houston, TX --- $21,000 to Teacher of the Month, which recognizes teachers for their commitment to student success.

Girls for A Change, San Jose, CA --- $10,000 to Girls for A Change National Expansion, which inspires girls to identify social issues in their community and implement solutions.

Greater Palm River Point, Tampa, FL --- $7,500 to The Palm River Youth Corps, which teaches inner-city youth entrepreneurial and business literacy skills.

John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation, Wayland MA --- $5,000 to Mazie Mentoring, which recruits and trains adult volunteers to serve as positive role models for low-income youth.

Junior Achievement of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM --- $10,000 to Junior Achievement Hispanic Initiative, which teaches underserved Hispanic youth financial literacy skills.

Kids in Need Foundation, Dayton, OH --- $10,000 to their National Network Summit, which helps company employees learn best practices to most efficiently run their free school supply stores for teachers from low-income schools.

Kunte Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, Annapolis, MD --- $7,600 to Building Literacy through Multi-Generational Teaming, which unites youth with their grandparents to learn about African-American culture and history through reading.

Lisa Najemy Scholarship Fund, Inc., Framingham, MA --- $10,000 to the Lisa Najemy Scholarship Fund, which ensures low-income children have access to quality child care. This fund was created in memory of Lisa Najemy, a former Staples associate, who advocated for quality early care and education for young children.

Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY), St. Paul, MN --- $5,000 to MITY AID, which enables underserved high school students to prepare and succeed in college.

NetworkArts Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA --- $7,500 to Educational Mosaics, which enables students to create art to beautify their school.

Open Meadow Alternative Schools, Portland, OR --- $5,000 to Career Services Transition Advocate, which enables youth to grow their career skills.

Operation A.B.L.E., Boston, MA--- $5,000 to Operation Service, which enables low-income adults to increase their career opportunities through customer service training.

The National Science and Technology Education Partnership (NSTEP), New York, NY --- $10,000 to NSTEP Study Buddy, which helps students increase their science and technology skills.

PENCIL, Inc., New York, NY --- $10,000 to Pencil Partnership Program, which creates long-term relationships between business leaders and public schools to increase the quality of education.

Prevention Council of Central Ohio, Columbus, OH --- $3,500 to support an after-school program that enables at-risk youth from Hispanic and Latino backgrounds to improve their academic skills.

Project R.I.S.E., Braintree, MA --- $10,000 to support Project R.I.S.E's summer program that enable youth to receive academic tutoring and support.

Resonate, San Francisco, CA --- $15,000 to Spark Apprenticeship Program, which motivates at-risk middle school students to succeed and become engaged citizens.

School-to-Work Council, Inc., Paris, KY --- $10,000 to Plan for Success, which enables high school students to develop and improve their character and leadership skills.

Teaching for Change, Washington, D.C. --- $10,000 to Roving Readers, which enables parents to read with children and share culturally diverse stories.

Youth Base, Greenville, SC --- $5,000 to support their after-school program that provides at-risk youth with academic support and mentoring.

Website: http://www.staplesfoundation.org/

Full-day Kindergarteners' Reading, Math Gains Fade By 3rd Grade

Children in full-day kindergarten have slightly better reading and math skills than children in part-day kindergarten, but these initial academic benefits diminish soon after the children leave kindergarten. This loss is due, in part, to issues related to poverty and the quality of children's home environments.

Those are the findings from a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Loyola University Chicago. The study sheds light on policy discussions as full-day kindergarten programs become increasingly common in the United States.

Using data on 13,776 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999, a study of a nationally representative group of kindergartners, the researchers measured children's academic achievement in math and reading in the fall and spring of their kindergarten and first-grade years, and in the spring of their third- and fifth-grade years. The researchers also looked at the type and extent of child care the children received outside of kindergarten, the quality of cognitive stimulation the children received at home, and the poverty level of the children's families.

Overall, the study found that the reading and math skills of children in full-day kindergarten grew faster from the fall to the spring of their kindergarten year, compared to the academic skills of children in part-day kindergarten.

However, the study also found that the full-day kindergarteners' gains in reading and math did not last far beyond the kindergarten year. In fact, from the spring of their kindergarten year through fifth grade, the academic skills of children in part-day kindergarten grew faster than those of children in full-day kindergarten, with the advantage of full-day versus part-day programs fading by the spring of third grade. The fade-out can be explained, in part, by the fact that the children in part-day kindergarten were less poor and had more stimulating home environments than those in full-day programs, according to the study.

"The results of this study suggest that the shift from part-day to full-day kindergarten programs occurring across the U.S. may have positive implications for students' learning trajectories in the short run," notes Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and the study's lead author. "They also highlight that characteristics of children and their families play noteworthy roles in why the full-day advantages fade relatively quickly."

Source: Society for Research in Child Development

Reading, Math Scores Up For U.S. 4th And 8th Graders

The United States' fourth and eighth graders scored higher in reading and mathematics than they did during their last national assessment, according to the federal government's latest annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation's children. Not all the report's findings were positive; there also were increases in the adolescent birth rate and the proportion of infants born at low birthweight.

These and other findings are described in America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2008. The report is compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a working group of Federal agencies that collect, analyze, and report data on issues related to children and families, with partners in private research organizations. It serves as a report card on the status of the nation's children and youth, presenting statistics compiled by a number of federal agencies in one convenient reference.

"In 2007, scores of fourth and eighth graders were higher in mathematics than in all previous assessments and higher in reading than in 2005," said Valena Plisko, associate commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

This year's report also saw an increase in low birthweight infants (less than 5 pounds 8 ounces). Low birthweight infants are at increased risk for infant death and such lifelong disabilities as blindness, deafness and cerebral palsy.

"This trend reflects an increase in the number of infants born prematurely, the largest category of low birthweight infants," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health. Although not all the reasons for the increase are known, infertility therapies, delayed childbearing and an increase in multiple births may be contributing factors.

The birth rate among adolescent girls ages 15 to 17 also increased, from 21 live births for every 1,000 girls in 2005, to 22 per 1,000 in 2006. This was the first increase in the past 15 years.

"It is critical that we continue monitoring this trend carefully," said Edward J. Sondik, PhD, director of the National Center for Health Statistics in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Compared with other teens their age, teen mothers are less likely to finish high school or to graduate from college. Infants born to teen mothers are more likely to be of low birthweight."

Among the favorable changes in the report were a decline in childhood deaths from injuries and a decrease in the percentage of eighth graders who smoked daily.

Source: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/

Reading for pleasure is crucial, say leading authors

Teaching children to enjoy reading rather than just to read is vital in improving literacy, according to two leading authors appearing at the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) international conference in Liverpool this week.

Prue Goodwin, Editor of Understanding Children's Books: A Guide for Education Professionals and Michael Lockwood, author of Promoting Reading for Pleasure in the Primary School, both published this month by SAGE, believe that while learning to read can be hard, it is significantly harder if children are not engaged and motivated with the right kind of literature. They further emphasize that teachers and parents working together play a vital role in nurturing young readers with a life-long love of reading. The promotion of reading for pleasure is a key part of the National Year of Reading, and government-led initiatives such as BookStart and Every Child Matters.

Both books offer practical guidance for teachers and families to better understand children's literature themselves, and to understand the role that books play in children's intellectual, spiritual and moral development. This engagement commences right from infancy (Goodwin features contribution on books for babies from Liz Attenborough of the National Literacy Trust) through to young adult-hood. Most importantly, they promote the importance of all reading, from fiction to comics and traditional tales.

"There is no question that primary teachers need a really strong knowledge of a whole range of children's books - not just fiction - but also non-fiction and poetry," says Goodwin. "Teachers need to be able to use and share books with children that will engage them and motivate them, and in turn children need books that they can pick up and read comfortably so they experience being an engaged reader."

Bestselling children's author Philip Pullman agrees.

"Pleasure is not a frivolous extra, but the very heart and essence of what reading is about," says Pullman about Lockwood's book.

Both Lockwood and Goodwin emphasize the importance of the family in promoting reading for pleasure and that it should take place both in the classroom and elsewhere.

"Reluctant readers often show a lack of appreciation of the place of reading in daily life, equating books and reading with school literacy only, and making few connections with their home or community literacies," says Lockwood. "These are readers who can read, but perceive reading as something they are forced to do in the classroom and will not choose to do once out of it."

With advice from the leading experts in literacy and education, along with practical guidance and case studies based on first-hand research, these two publications provide detailed guidance and support on how to promote reading for enjoyment.

Promoting Reading for Pleasure in the Primary School by Michael Lockwood is published by SAGE, available in paperback and hardcover from http://www.sagepub.co.uk/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book230391

Understanding Children's Books by Prue Goodwin is published by SAGE, available in paperback and hardcover from http://www.sagepub.co.uk/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book232225

New Literacy Forum Archives

The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) has launched its Literacy Forum archives, a diverse collection of webcast stories, experiences, and expertise on literacy. Ministers of education from across Canada, under B.C.'s leadership, have united in their commitment to help the many Canadians who struggle with literacy skills every day. In April 2008, the CMEC Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum, a first-of-its-kind event, was simultaneously webcast to 3,000 participants at nine sites across Canada. Literacy.cmec.ca is the information hub of CMEC's Literacy Action Plan, Literacy - More than Words. It contains important perspectives and information for anyone working to overcome literacy challenges.

"Education ministers across Canada are united in their goal of improving literacy skills for the nine million Canadians who struggle with low literacy. We have highlighted the importance of strong literacy skills and are now working aggressively in our communities to support our learners," said B.C. Minister of Education Shirley Bond. "The inspirational and informative materials in the Literacy Forum archives will provide an excellent resource to support local literacy efforts across the country."

Literacy.cmec.ca currently holds keynote presentations from leading Canadians in government, business, and literacy research such as:

- Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson
- Former Premier of New Brunswick Frank McKenna
- Canwest Global VP David Asper
- Early childhood development expert Dr. Fraser Mustard
- Adult literacy expert Dr. Paul Bélanger

Over the coming months, the site will grow to include more experiences and resources that were featured during the forum. Each of the participating sites focused its presentation on a key aspect of the literacy challenge: Aboriginal literacy, lifelong literacy, literacy and the workforce, building literacy in communities, and the economic benefits of literacy.

"Literacy is a priority for Canada's education ministers," said Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick's Minister of Education and Chair of CMEC. "Through these forum archives, we are continuing this pan-Canadian dialogue on literacy and moving forward on the national literacy agenda."

The Literacy Forum archive collection will continue to grow throughout the summer to showcase highlights from many of the more than 100 literacy presentations and activities seen at the forum.

CMEC is an intergovernmental body composed of the ministers responsible for elementary-secondary and advanced education from the provinces and territories. Through CMEC, ministers share information and undertake projects in areas of mutual interest and concern.

PBS Launches Online Education Community for Pre-K-12 Educators

PBS today unveiled a new online community for preK-12 educators that supports the advancement of digital media content and technology integration in education. PBS Teachers Connect (pbsteachers.org/connect) provides teachers, school library media specialists, technology coordinators, early childhood educators and other education professionals with opportunities to share ideas, collaborate and support the effective use of instructional technology and multimedia to enhance student learning.

The new online community is built around PBS Teachers (http://www.pbsteachers.org/), the Web portal to the wide-ranging multimedia instructional resources and professional development services PBS offers preK-12 educators. At no cost, educators can search more than 3,000 standards-based classroom activities, lesson plans, interactive resources and other materials on the PBS Teachers Web site, then easily bookmark, annotate, share and manage their tagged content within the PBS Teachers Connect community. Many of the resources feature PBS' award-winning programming and content, including on-demand streaming video from select PBS programs.

PBS Teachers Connect will foster discussion and use of digital media content, and enable educators to form shared-interest groups online. The community features a personalized homepage for each user, enhanced user profiles, a searchable database of resources and community members, bookmarking tools and discussion threads. Additional online components, such as private messaging, community feeds, friend feeds, online events, and a digital media gallery, will be available this fall.

Through its nationwide network of local stations, PBS will extend the online interaction in PBS Teachers Connect into local school communities through face-to-face events. Educators across the country will be able to customize their homepages to receive local PBS station programming and event schedules as well as access a rich array of local education resources.

A key component of the PBS Teachers Connect offering is the PBS Teacher Leader program, which recognizes and rewards innovation in the use of digital media and technology in education. PBS Teacher Leaders will be an integral part of the online community's continued development by fostering discussion, collaboration and contribution of teacher-created content.

With the vast majority of students using social networking sites on a weekly basis, according to a recent report from the National School Board Association, more educators are incorporating social media tools in their professional lives to collaborate with and support each other. Community-building that once was confined to face-to-face encounters in school departments and association conferences, or informal contacts with like-minded staff members, is now increasingly happening online.

The power of Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogs, wikis and forums, enables educators to grow their network exponentially, connecting with teachers across the United States and around the world. Social networking in education opens doors to an unprecedented array of learning opportunities in an environment where educators often feel freer to express themselves, share their ideas and be catalysts for change.

For more information about PBS Teachers Connect, go to www.pbsteachers.org/connect.