Complete Index
Human Interest
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Educators That Rock!: Danah Boyd - November 13, 2009 05:00 AM
Last week, findingEducation caught up with Dr. danah boyd at the American Association of School Librarians National Conference in Charlotte, N.C. boyd is an internationally recognized social media expert researcher for Microsoft Research New England, a fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and an ethnographer, blogger and contributing author to the book “Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media.”
boyd explains on her blog that “there are a lot of reasons … some personal and some political” as to why she decided to omit the capital letters in her name. A keynote speaker at the conference, she drew from her research on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook to explain how kids use these tools to communicate and to “create digital bodies” to express themselves.
In her online biography, boyd describes herself as a bored and rebellious student that went to “smart kids camp” in the summer but had trouble fitting in until she went online. “The Internet opened the door of possibilities to me. I found other smart kids year round ... Strangers taught me so much about the world and about myself,” she wrote.
“Unstructured environments are critical to social learning,” boyd said in her talk. Educators must “work with the grain, not against it.” She told findingEducation, “It's not about getting kids to be passionate about the things that librarians and teachers are passionate about, but using what kids are passionate about as gateways to learning.” -
Educators That Rock!: Torrey Maldonado - November 09, 2009 12:00 PM
Torrey Maldonado is an author, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Middle School 88 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and a trained specialist in conflict resolution. Maldonado, who describes himself as a Black Puerto Rican, says he was inspired to become a teacher by his mother, who gave him homework she created herself, and by a few good teachers in Red Hook."I had a lot of teachers who encouraged students to become factoid regurgitators, and then I had a lot of teachers who encouraged us to learn the stories in history and see the humanity behind the facts and behind the dates," he told findingEducation.
Maldonado's first book, "Secret Saturdays," will publish in April 2010. Learn more about "Secret Saturdays" at TorreyMaldonado.com. -
Educators That Rock!: Blake Harrison - November 08, 2009 05:00 AM
This week findingEducation caught up with Blake Harrison, a.k.a. Emcee Escher, rapper, educator and creative director of Flocabulary, to hear how he and Alex Rappaport, cofounder and executive producer, are bringing their energy and passion for hip-hop to the classroom.
By weaving words into rhymes with infectious beats, Harrison and Rappaport knew they could engage students and ultimately teach them something. Their first CD, released in 2004, put vocabulary words in context, helping prepare students for the SATs. Since then, they’ve developed programs for teaching world and U.S. history, math, science and even Shakespeare. They’ve taken their music on tour, held teaching workshops and created a current events series called The Week in Rap, now being broadcast on Channel One, a national TV news network for teens. -
Educators That Rock!: Josie Carbone - November 07, 2009 05:00 AM
Josie Carbone, the founding principal of Girls Prep Bronx, an all-girls charter school for pre-K through first-grade students in the Bronx, New York, got involved in teaching while volunteering to teach Spanish at a local elementary school during high school. After graduating from college in 1997, she worked with Teach For America in New York. Carbone taught for six more years before becoming involved with the New York charter school movement in 2003. -
Educators That Rock!: Joyce Valenza - November 06, 2009 05:00 AM
A few weeks ago, findingEducation spoke with Joyce Valenza, an information specialist and author who manages the Springfield Township High School Library in Erdenheim, Pa. Valenza is also a blogger for School Library Journal, a former tech columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and a lecturer on education issues and technology.
Valenza sets the bar exceedingly high for librarians. Inspired by the benchmarks set by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), she recently published "14 Ways K-12 Libraries Can Teach Social Media" (Tech & Learning, 21 Sept. 2009) and her own Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians, which calls for librarians to acquire the necessary skills to guide learners in new and emerging information and communications landscapes.
“If you call yourself an information professional, you have to be a professional in the information landscape of your time,” says Valenza. -
Educators That Rock!: David Lee King - November 05, 2009 11:42 AM
In Topeka, Kan., the library is the second favorite place for teens to hang out. “We’re sort of kicked out at the mall,” they tell David Lee King, the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library’s digital branch and services manager. As a result, the building, particularly the new media area and gaming room, are a little noisier than your average library. But King, a former DJ and assistant recording engineer, and now an author, blogger and librarian thought leader, takes pride in all the bustle. “Not too many people can say, ‘Yeah, teenagers think that the library’s cool.'"
On Oct. 28, King is launching the Library 101 Project with fellow information specialist Michael Porter. The project will include a music video, educator essays and 101 resources.
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Educators That Rock!: Patrick Sweeney - November 04, 2009 09:00 AM
This week findingEducation sat down with Patrick Sweeney, a fifth-grade teacher at Boones Ferry Primary School in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District of Oregon. Sweeney teaches all subjects in his mixed-level, self-contained classroom. How does he keep 27 students with different ability levels engaged and excited about learning while covering the necessary curriculum?
Sweeney is a big proponent of project-based learning and teaming, both within and across grade levels. By bringing interests he’s passionate about into the classroom, and combining them with project-based learning principles, he’s come up with some pretty creative ways to get kids excited about coming to school every day. -
China Claims Success in Child Trafficking Crackdown - October 29, 2009 08:00 AM
China announced that it found 2,000 kidnapped children in the last seven months as part of a campaign to combat the country’s booming child trafficking market. -
Daylight Saving Time: Don't Forget to Change Those Clocks - October 29, 2009 08:00 AM
Most Americans will set their clocks back one hour before they go to bed tonight. Why do we "fall" back one hour in the autumn, and "spring" ahead one hour in the spring? -
Becoming Maurice Sendak: A Children’s Author Grows Up - October 17, 2009 07:00 AM
Maurice Sendak, whose book, “Where the Wild Things Are,” has just been adapted into a film, is considered a visionary and even an activist for children. He sees himself quite differently, however. -
On This Day: T.A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant Explodes - October 04, 2009 02:00 AM
On Oct. 4, 1918, explosions rocked the T.A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant in New Jersey, killing scores of people and destroying the largest munitions factory in the world. -
On This Day: Edgar Allan Poe Found Delirious - October 03, 2009 12:10 AM
On Oct. 3, 1849, famed American poet Edgar Allan Poe was found delirious in Baltimore; he would die four days later. -
Four Years After Katrina, Communities Show Their Resilience - September 09, 2009 11:00 AM
Though thoughts of Hurricane Katrina may have faded in other parts of the country, efforts to revive stricken areas continue as townspeople commemorate the fourth anniversary of the tragedy. -
Real Love Inspires Creativity - September 08, 2009 02:30 PM
A new study from the University of Amsterdam shows that romantic love heightens creativity, while lust improves logical thinking. Though experts note there are ways to summon one’s creative energies, even without a muse. -
This Labor Day, Play Golf to Support Families of American Veterans - September 04, 2009 07:00 AM
The Folds of Honor Foundation holds its annual fundraiser, Patriot Golf Day, to provide education scholarships for the spouses and children of American veterans. -
Tomb May Hold Answer to How Much Shakespeare Actually Wrote - August 12, 2009 05:00 PM
A sarcophagus in an English parish church built by the writer Fulke Greville, a Shakespeare contemporary, could contain clues about several works traditionally attributed to Shakespeare. -
Does Altruism Signify Frailty? - August 07, 2009 07:00 AM
After all the research done on kindness, competition and survival, are we any closer to understanding the basic question: do nice guys always finish last? -
Pretty And Personable Students Have Classroom Advantage - August 04, 2009 12:30 PM
Around report card time many parents hear a familiar complaint: “My teacher just doesn’t like me.” Researchers at the University of Miami acknowledge there may be truth to these grumblings, and that “non-cognitive traits” influence students’ grades. -
Diver Saved by Beluga Whale - July 30, 2009 02:25 PM
Mila, a beluga whale, rescued a drowning diver in a touching example of positive interaction between humans and marine mammals. -
What Are Survival Instincts? Ask a Soldier - July 30, 2009 11:43 AM
Although the media often credits “survival instincts” for saving lives, making correct survival decisions is more than luck or preparedness—it’s science—and the Army wants to know more. -
Pets Neglected During Recession, but Help Is Available - July 20, 2009 07:00 AM
Some pet owners who can’t afford treatment or care are now letting pets go without care or giving them up to shelters, continuing a yearlong trend. -
Web Tips to Help You Combat the Recession - July 17, 2009 07:00 AM
According to a Pew study, two-thirds of American adults are looking online for advice on “recession-induced personal economic issues.” Here's how you can stay afloat using the Web. -
Double Suicide of Conductor and Wife Invites Controversy - July 16, 2009 08:00 AM
Celebrated British conductor Sir Edward Downes and his wife, Joan Downes, died with assistance at a clinic in Switzerland. Their deaths rekindle the thorny debate over assisted suicide. -
Should It Be Legal to Sell Organs? - July 15, 2009 05:00 PM
Year after year, the number of kidney donations is insufficient to save the lives of thousands on the waiting list for transplants. Some argue that the problem cold be solved by offering financial incentives to donors, but others counter that an organ market would exploit the poor and dehumanize the sellers. -
Kidnapped Boy Returns Home After DNA Match - July 13, 2009 11:00 AM
After a 10-year absence, parents in China’s Yunnan province were reunited with their kidnapped son in early July. Still, many parents argue that local police and the government aren’t doing enough to help locate missing children and prevent child abductions. -
Ruppy the Fluorescent Puppy Is World's First Transgenic Dog - July 11, 2009 10:00 AM
Ruppy (short for Ruby Puppy) is a cloned beagle from South Korea who glows red under ultraviolet light. He's an example of how dogs may be used to study human diseases. -
Homelessness in the US, Past and Present - July 11, 2009 07:00 AM
Homelessness, generally considered an urban problem, seems to be creeping into smaller cities and towns. New research from the Office of Housing and Urban Development says it’s also impacting more families. -
Gene Research Project Illuminates Human History in Africa - July 09, 2009 08:30 AM
Conducting one of the most exhaustive genetic research studies ever, scientists in Africa are gaining insight into the continent’s genetic diversity. -
India Challenged by Racism Within - July 05, 2009 05:30 AM
Recent attacks against Indians in Australia brought cries of racism from the media in India. Now writers have shifted their focus, examining India’s own struggles with racism. -
Sunday Morning Coming Down - June 28, 2009 08:00 AM
For many people, Sunday afternoons are a mix of cloudy yearning for the day before and dread of the week to come.
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