Mar 25, 2019
BBC – Staff Writer
“Researchers from the University of Michigan found parents talked more about the technology than content when using electronic books. With print, the frequency and quality of interactions were better, said lead author Dr Tiffany Munzer. The results of studying 37 pairs of parents and toddlers appear in the journal Pediatrics. In the study, the parents and children were observed reading three different formats – printed books, basic electronic books on a tablet and enhanced e-books with features such as sound effects and animation.” (more)
Mar 25, 2019
Ed Surge – Wade Tyler Millward
“Some of the conclusions may not come as a surprise in the Omidyar Network’s report on what works in scaling education technology in different regions worldwide. Governments, educators, advocacy groups and companies large and small need to work better together. Long-term planning and investment in infrastructure for widespread and improved access to the internet and mobile devices is critical.” (more)
Mar 25, 2019
KQED News Mind/Shift – Katrina Schwartz
“Many students are not good at evaluating the credibility of what they see and read online according to a now-famous Stanford study that was released just after the 2016 election. And while it’s true that 82 percent of middle schoolers couldn’t tell the difference between a native advertisement and a news article, neither could 59 percent of adults in a study conducted by the advertising industry.” (more)
Mar 25, 2019
Education Next – Chester E. Finn, Jr.
“An ambitious, important new piece of analysis by scholars Eric Hanushek (an economist) and Paul Peterson (a political scientist), plus Laura Talpey and Ludger Woessmann, concludes that “gaps in achievement between the haves and have-nots are mostly unchanged over the past half century” and that “steady gains in student achievement at the eighth grade level have not translated into gains at the end of high school.” In other words, young Americans across the socioeconomic spectrum have made some progress over the past half-century in academic achievement, but that rising tide (a) hasn’t narrowed key gaps among them and (b) hasn’t lifted the high school boats. By and large, this starts from the glum but largely unchallenged conclusion of the 1966 Coleman Report that differences in family circumstance explain more of the differences in educational outcomes than do differences in school resources.” (more)
Mar 25, 2019
E-School News – Mike Causey
“As a former computer engineer with a background in applied math, I’m a firm proponent of STEM education. As a math teacher with 14 years of experience facilitating robotics clubs for students, I’m also an ardent supporter of programming and robotics as a vehicle for STEM ed, so when I had the opportunity to build a K–5 robotics class from the lab up, I leapt at the opportunity.” (more)
Mar 25, 2019
The Guardian – Alex Bellos
“Legs eleven, Ocean’s Eleven, elevenses! Yes, let’s hear it for the number 11, star protagonist of today’s puzzles. Eleven is the first number you reach once you go beyond ten. Since ten is the base of our number system, eleven’s position gives it some interesting properties – as the members of Spinal Tap knew all too well. (Although you might need to turn up your brains to 11 and a half for today’s puzzles.)” (more)
Mar 24, 2019
The Go Dan River – Mari-Jane Williams
“Studies have shown that proficient readers are more likely to be successful in school and life, partly because better reading skills make it easier for students to access curriculum in all subjects. So the Kids and Family Reading Report issued this week by Scholastic, which showed a significant decrease between ages 8 and 9 in the number of children who think of themselves as frequent readers, is somewhat discouraging.” (more)
Mar 24, 2019
The South China Morning Post – Julia McGuire
“Whatever the academic grouping system a school has in place, whether it be streaming, ability grouping within a class or mixed-ability teaching, it is imperative that all children are being challenged at an appropriate level. Some studies show that high-ability pupils can become demotivated and frustrated when they are grouped with lower-ability students. On the other hand, if less able children are always grouped together they never have the advantage of working with good academic role models, and this can also be demoralising.” (more)
Mar 24, 2019
The Jamaica Gleaner – Timothy Simmonds
” Undoubtedly, foreign language acquisition is a vital tool needed for the longevity of all cultural and economic facets of life. However, language acquisition is often frowned upon as being more of a theoretical discourse than a practical, much-needed skill. This is one of the many preconceived misconceptions that foreign language instructors strive to dispel while having to deconstruct mental blocks towards foreign language learning.” (more)
Mar 24, 2019
GPB NPR – Staff Writer
“Dan Finkel says math is often taught as a series of rigid steps—which can be intimidating. Instead, he wants kids to see the fun, creative side of math that leads to deep learning and discovery.” (more)
