Parents world wide are striving to keep ahead of the rapid technology growth and maintain a moral standard to raise their kids by. Traditional options of seeking advice from parents and grandparents is falling to the way side as parents face the technology children of today and aim to find a new way to maintain traditional standards. The publishers of Unique Parenting offer free access to their solution to the technology craze with a new computer use contract, Computer Use and Time Management Contract (http://www.uniqueparenting.com/time-management.html)
"In our home I am equally concerned with how much time my children spend on the computer playing games as I am with accessing the internet" shared Michedolene. "I want to teach them how to manage their computer time in a more constructive way than passive play so we developed a time management contract that our children can be actively involved in."
Michedolene is the publisher and co-author of http://www.uniqueparenting.com/, a website that aims to provide parents with simple solutions to building strong families today. "On average our children will spend 3 - 4 hrs a day on the computer" stated Michedolene. "This level of involvement further supports passive learning and separates the family during leisure time."
In her efforts to discourage passive learning and further strengthen her family as a whole she put together the Computer Use and Time Management Contract. The contract outlines the parents expectations and consequences for computer use. Michedolene shared her belief that three things need to be in place when parents desire to limit their child's computer use and this contract is the beginning.
In December 2008, Unique Parenting made available for download their contract on social networking and a parents method for protecting their kids online. Michedolene shared that this new contract takes parents one step closer to teaching their children responsibility with computer use. Be sure to visit http://www.uniqueparenting.com/time-management.html and get your copy today.
Teaching Children Time Management and Productive Computer Use
Westinghouse N-Vision Announces Science Video Contest
Westinghouse Electric Company is sponsoring a science video contest for middle and high school students focusing on energy.
Administered through the company's speaker's bureau, N-Vision, the contest is designed to encourage young persons to think about energy in the context of worldwide political, economic and environmental realities.
The contest is open to all middle and high schools in the United States. To be eligible, each video must outline three key advantages of nuclear power and two other forms of energy. The video can be staged as a short play, commercial, news broadcast, talk show, music video, documentary, etc. Students are encouraged to be creative, yet informative.
There are two categories of entry -- middle school and high school levels. The winning videos in each category will receive the following: the school science department will receive $3,000 for its educational needs; and each student who took part in assisting with the video will receive $100 for school supplies. Specific guidelines can be found on the Contest Application on Westinghouse's website at: http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/ and under the "Communities" section/Student Video Contest on Forms of Energy. Teachers and schools are encouraged to enter interested students in the contest and turn their videos in by May 8, 2009.
Westinghouse's N-Vision Program encourages education of youth in science, technology and mathematics.
Classroom Strategies for Economic Crisis
As a new president takes the helm of a country facing an historic economic downturn, the Southern Poverty Law Center's Spring 2009 issue of Teaching Tolerance magazine offers classroom strategies to help teachers address the pressures that students, families and school systems inevitably face during harsh economic times.
The magazine, released today, is being distributed free of charge to more than 400,000 educators nationwide.
"Teaching in the Downturn" offers strategies for addressing the symptoms of an economic crisis that can spill into the classroom, such as parental substance abuse, classroom behavioral problems, school budget cuts and growing neighborhood poverty. Psychologist Melanie Killen discusses how educators can help their students cope during hard times, and social critic Meizhu Lui offers her take on where the crisis may lead us.
"There is no doubt that we are living in perilous times, but just as with each generation, change for the better can happen," said Lecia Brooks, director of the SPLC's Teaching Tolerance program. "This issue highlights the challenges educators face in the classroom and offers help for navigating these uncertain and challenging times."
The issue also includes an excerpt of President-elect Barack Obama's historic March 2008 speech on race, "A More Perfect Union," and provides questions to help teachers foster classroom discussions that can lead to a deeper understanding about race and diversity.
The latest issue of Teaching Tolerance can be read at http://www.teachingtolerance.org/.
Education, race and social class also are examined in "Crossing the Gap," which shows how students in a racially and socially segregated Chicago school system organized a diverse grassroots movement that crossed barriers as they demanded equality in school funding. Their courageous deeds are reminiscent of the 1969 Mexican-American student-led revolt against unfair school regulations in Crystal City, Texas, that set the stage for the Latino civil rights movement. That story is revisited in "Walkout in Crystal City."
Teaching Tolerance magazine, published twice a year by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is the nation's leading journal serving educators on diversity issues. In 2007, the magazine was named Periodical of the Year by the Association of Educational Publishers for the second consecutive year. Teaching Tolerance films have garnered four Academy Award nominations and won two Oscars.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala., is a nonprofit civil rights organization that combats bigotry and discrimination through litigation, education and advocacy. For more information, see http://www.splcenter.org/.
Clues For Unlocking Life-long Learning and Literacy
Learning to read and write opens doors to progress and prosperity across a lifetime. The years before kindergarten are a particularly fertile and profitable time to prepare young children to read and learn by teaching them essential literacy skills. The challenge of helping all children become successful readers requires early teaching, using home and school instruction built upon proven research and effective practices.
This is the message being delivered today as the National Institute for Literacy (the Institute) releases findings from the much-anticipated report, Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention. The National Early Literacy Panel's (NELP) report serves as the basis of several powerful, research-based recommendations to the early childhood community - educators, caregivers, Head Start providers, and parents - on promoting the foundational skills of life-long literacy.
"Literacy skills start developing the moment we're born and it is literacy that enables a person's ability to participate in society. This new report shows the scientific validity of earlier and more targeted investments in literacy development," said NELP chairman Dr. Timothy Shanahan, a professor of urban education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and director of its Center for Literacy.
Some of the key findings of the report reveal the best early predictors of literacy which include alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, rapid naming skills, writing (such as writing one's name), and short-term memory for words said aloud. Instruction on these skills may be especially helpful for children at risk for developing reading difficulties. More complex oral language skills also appear to be important.
"These are very important findings," Dr. Shanahan added. "We can use the report to shape educational policy and practice, determine how teachers and families can best support young children's development, and guide future literacy research initiatives. This is the most comprehensive synthesis of published literacy research ever conducted by scientists on children from birth to age 5, and it provides an important basis for actionable recommendations."
In addition to presenting findings on which early measures of a child's skills predict later decoding, reading comprehension, and spelling achievement, Developing Early Literacy identifies a wide-variety of interventions and instructional approaches that improve a child's early literacy skills. NELP researchers also looked at the role of environment and at child characteristics that may link to future outcomes in reading, writing, and spelling.
Said Shanahan: "We have accomplished a major goal by synthesizing the scientific evidence to better understand what matters when the youngest of children are developing literacy skills. This report provides clear evidence that early literacy interventions work. However, we need more investment and research from government, business, philanthropy, and academia to continue to build and strengthen the connection between scientific evidence and strategies used in classrooms, early learning centers, and at home to make children better readers and learners."
The Institute convened the nine-member National Early Literacy Panel in 2002 in consultation with The National Center for Family Literacy, and was supported by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Developing Early Literacy bridges a large gap in the early-literacy research knowledge base. By synthesizing research on language, literacy, and communication, the report clearly identifies which critical early skills or abilities and proven instructional practices are precursors of later literacy achievement. It provides important clues and insights into emergent literacy from birth through age 5 and points the way for future literacy research and scientific inquiry.
The National Institute for Literacy, a federal agency, provides leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth, and adults.
A copy of Developing Early Literacy, and related NELP information and products, can be found at http://www.nifl.gov/.
Free Lesson Plans, Teacher Resources and Student Activities on Presidential Inauguration
As the historic Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama approaches, Thinkfinity.org is featuring a rich collection of free lesson plans, teacher resources and student activities highlighting many facets of the Inauguration and its significance, and some of the key issues the new president will face.
The educational resources featured on the Thinkfinity.org homepage provide teachers with a wealth of classroom activities on everything from stories of children who grew up in the White House, to an online activity that allows students to determine what priorities they would set as president, to a recording of Barack Obama's 2004 speech that launched him into the national spotlight.
Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's comprehensive Web site containing more than 55,000 educational resources, including standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans, online educational games and videos for teachers, students and parents.
Among the free lesson plans, teacher resources and student activities on the presidential inauguration featured on the Thinkfinity.org home page are:
Presidential Inaugurations: A Capital Parade on a Cold Winter's Day -- This resource from the National Endowment for the Humanities EdSITEment will provide an overview of the history of the Inauguration including information on the first Inauguration, the oath of office and inaugural balls. The resource also includes links to several other related resources. http://edsitement.neh.gov/spotlight.asp?id=154
All the Presidents' Children -- In this online interactive from Smithsonian's History Explorer, students learn about the lives of many of the children who grew up in the White House, such as who received a dog as a gift from a Soviet premier, and who was nicknamed "Dynamo." http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/5a2b.html
If I Were President -- In this online activity from the Council for Economic Education's EconEdLink, students decide how they would structure the federal government's budget if they were president, determining how much to spend on schools, hospitals, roads, the military and the environment. The activity, along with a complimentary lesson plan, can be found at: http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lesson=EM375&page=teacher
Barack Obama President-elect and Author -- In this resource from the International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English's ReadWriteThink.org, students review the works of Barack Obama, specifically focusing on his experiences with media messages and his understanding of his identity. Students are asked to examine the way people of different ages, race and gender are portrayed in the media. http://readwritethink.org/calendar/calendar_day.asp?id=726
Science at the White House -- In this activity from the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science NetLinks, students view a video of President-elect Obama discussing plans to hold White House events on such topics as space exploration and physics to raise awareness of the importance of science and inspire a sense of discovery. Students then participate in an online poll to offer topic suggestions. http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/politics/index.cfm
Say it Plain: A Century of Great African-American Speeches -- In this partner-reviewed resource, students can read and listen to the keynote speech that Barack Obama gave at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and that launched him into the national spotlight. Students can also review speeches of 11 other prominent African-American leaders including Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. and Clarence Thomas. http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/sayitplain/index.html
Using Technology to Enhance the Writing Skills of Students With Special Needs
Don Johnston announced the publication of a new and independent research study by The Journal of Special Education Technology (JSET), a Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). The study "Using Software to Enhance the Writing Skills of Students with Special Needs" examines the impact of assistive technology on the writing skills of students with disabilities. This research compared students' writing outcomes using word prediction and talking word processor tools to their handwritten work samples.
Jennifer Cullen, Dayton Ohio Public Schools, Stephen B. Richards and Catherine Lawless-Frank; University of Dayton, performed the study to measure the impact of assistive technology writing tools on 5th graders' writing skills over a 7-week period at an urban elementary school. Don Johnston's Co:Writer® word prediction program and Write:OutLoud® talking word processor were chosen as the writing accommodations to support students during their daily district-mandated writing activities. The study demonstrated that the technology helped students improve their writing outcomes in four key measures: writing rubric scores, accuracy, spelling and number of words written.
The complete research study is available in the October 2008 JSET Issue, Volume 23(2), pg. 33-43. The online summary is: http://www.donjohnston.com/products/cowriter/research.html
Ben Johnston, Director at Don Johnston, said, "A high percent (65%) of students referred for learning disabilities have a writing disability. (Mayes, Calhoun, Crowell, 2000). Many of these students have physical, cognitive, or learning differences and can't reach their potential with conventional writing tools. This study demonstrates that students can thrive in the right environment provided they have the right tools. Over 20% of school districts use Co:Writer and Write:OutLoud as accommodations to support students who struggle in writing. We are pleased that more research is being done to match students to the right learning environment where they can excel."
In 2006, JSET published another study on the "Impact of Word Prediction Software on the Written Output of Students with Physical Disabilities", Volume 21, No. 3, prepared by Pat Mirenda and Kirsten Turoldo at the University of British Columbia and Constance McAvoy, Special Education Technology-British Columbia (SET-BC) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This research examined the impact of Co:Writer on the written output of 24 students with physical disabilities. The study included surveys from students, teachers and adults after observing ten-minute writing samples in three modalities: handwriting, word processing, and word processing with Co:Writer. Two-thirds of students and over half of the adults believed that Co:Writer helped students spell better; use a wider variety of words; write faster; produce neater, easier-to-read work; and write more correct sentences. Another two-thirds believed that Co:Writer helped students write more with less fatigue and frustration and read what they had written. This research concluded that using word processing and Co:Writer together resulted in higher percentages of legible words, correctly spelled words, correct word sequences; and longer lengths of consecutive sentence sequences than by writing by hand alone.
Additional research and case studies about the benefits of assistive technology to support students with disabilities can be found at the Don Johnston website at http://www.donjohnton.com/ and at the Journal of Special Education Technology's website http://www.tamcec.org/jset/index.htm.
Resource Links:
Download this case study at: http://www.donjohnston.com/pdf/cowriter/cow_wol_research_study.pdf
Watch Co:Writer demo: http://www.donjohnston.com/media/flash/product_demo/cowriter/index.html.
Read a summary of this and other Co:Writer research and case studies: http://www.donjohnston.com/products/cowriter/research.html.
Adult Literacy Findings Highlight Need for Targeted Stimulus Funding
ProLiteracy today reiterated the need for substantial investment in adult literacy and adult basic education, as the findings of a federal study showed that nearly one in seven adults in the U.S. lack basic prose literacy skills.
The study, released by the U.S. Education Department's National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), revealed that many states have seen an increase in low-skilled adults since the last assessment in 1992. It estimates that an additional 3.6 million adults are now considered to have low literacy skills, bringing the total to almost 32 million adults in the U.S.
"The crisis of adult literacy is getting worse, and investment in education and support programs is critical," said David C. Harvey, president and CEO of ProLiteracy. "More than 1 million people lost their jobs in 2008 and the new unemployment figures are the highest in 16 years. A large number of the unemployed are low-skilled individuals who struggle with everyday reading, writing and math tasks. The administration wants to create new jobs with the stimulus packages, but to take advantage of those new positions, these adults need basic literacy skills."
It is estimated that illiteracy costs American businesses more than $60 billion each year in lost productivity and health and safety issues. However, almost 90 percent of adults who need access to literacy programs cannot obtain the services due to a lack of funding at the federal, state and local levels.
Program funding would inherently benefit the overall economy, as it provides additional tax income, more employment, reduced welfare payments and greater citizen involvement.
ProLiteracy recently made a call to action for Congress and the new administration to include at least $100 million of the economic stimulus package for Title II of the Workforce Investment Act, the federal government's largest discretionary program that supports adult basic education and literacy programs throughout the U.S.
For more information, visit http://www.proliteracy.org/ and http://www.newreaderspress.com/.
