Weekly News Roundup August 26

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!





E-readers: technology that works for developing countries (readwriteweb.com)



What do today's tech-savvy kids need to be taught about computers? (theatlantic.com)



Missouri teachers protest 'Facebook Law' meant to protect students from sexual predators (abcnews.go.com)



Comcast to offer $10 internet service to disadvantaged students (mashable.com)



Open University research says there's no such thing as a 'digital native' (agent4change.net)



5 ways to use Twitter in the classroom (hp.com)



"20th Century Students" video highlights the changing face of education (schooltube.com)

 

For the latest updates on kids and technology, check out the Spark blog!

The 4C’s Help Children Go Above and Beyond

We've all heard of the the 3R's-- Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. The 3R's are easy to name because they're traditionally thought of as the fundamental areas of elementary learning. Try to name the 4C's, and you might have more trouble. Yet incorporating these skills: Communication, Collaboration, Critical thinking and Creativity, into elementary education might just be the key to creating students who can flourish in the 21st Century.



 



Head over to the Spark blog, to watch the short animated film Above and Beyond. Produced through a partnership with P21 and FableVision, Above and Beyond tells the story of what can happen with the 3R's and 4C's are integrated into one holistic approach to education.



 

Weekly News Roundup August 5th

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!



7 obscure children’s books by authors of grown-up literature (brainpickings.org)



McDonalds recruits Mom bloggers to smooth over healthy Happy Meal rollout (cnn.com)



Toys R Us to carry Kindle (reuters.com)



16 Must-have apps for a healthy pregnancy (parents.com)



Cell phone use doesn't alter kids' cancer risk: study (reuters.com)



Nintendo says 3DS is not for kids (mnn.com)



Social media game aims to end extremism (bbc.co.uk)

 

 

For more news on kids and technology, visit the Spark blog!

Weekly News Roundup July 29th

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!

--- Slideshow presents the evolution of kid's computers (computerworlduk.com)

--- 5 reasons why the iPad was made to keep parents sane (cnn.com)

--- 10-year-old releases iPhone game with help from Make-a-Wish (geekwire.com)

--- The Netflix of baby clothes (plumgear.com)

--- Survey proves kids would rather be outside (guardian.co.uk)

--- Justin Bieber says, 'Don't text and drive' (mnn.com)

Read more news on kids and technology on the Spark blog...



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Weekly News Roundup July 22

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!

Parents will enjoy these iPhone and iPad apps (Parents.com)

Mom’s Facebook Community Helps Diagnose Her Ailing Son (Mommyish.com)

New regulations for food, beverage advertising toward children (Healthkey.com)

Using touch screens and apps to treat autism (mercurynews.com)

The Internet Is Making Your Kids Think Differently, Not Less (Mommyish.com)

Teaching Angry Birds In School (neatorama.com)

Infographic Shows Top and Bottom States for Science Education (livescience.com)

For the latest on kids and technology, visit the Spark blog!

9 Year Old Designs App for iPhone

When asked to create something, most nine year olds will grab crayons and construction paper. Ding Wen Lim of Singapore is much more likely to sit down at his computer. The fourth grader started using the computer at age two and has since learned six programming languages. At age nine, he has already completed 20 programming projects. His latest, Doodle Kids, is a free drawing program for use on Apple's iPhone. Lim says, “I wrote the program for my younger sisters, who like to draw but I am happy that other people like it.”

It seems this propensity for programming runs in the family, as Lim's father, Lim Thye Chean, also writes iPhone applications. He says, “He told me it was his wish to learn programming so I decided to teach him the basics. Every evening we check the statistics emailed to us (by iTunes) to see who has more downloads.”

Read more on the Spark blog...

Billboards Give Pittsburgh Youth a Voice

Hear Me, a project of CMU's CREATE Lab, strives to make the voices of children heard. This summer, they have chosen a larger-than-life medium that they hope will give children one more way to communicate: billboards.

So far, 50 billboards have been erected in Allegheny County and the surrounding region. The topics discussed cover everything from cyber-bullying and neighborhood violence to concerns over the environment. One billboard reads, "I still get called names... --- Crystal, 16." Another reads, "I was scared when I first heard the gunshot... -- Sherdina, 12." The billboards include links that viewers can follow to the Hear Me website where they'll find audio stories from more than 3,000 students in 25 school districts.

"We assume that children today have plenty of opportunities to make their dreams, fears and hopes known, whether it's by a mobile phone, computer or just talking," said Heide Waldbaum, director of Hear Me, "But learning how to express themselves about things that they really care about -- and getting adults and people in authority to really listen to them -- is difficult for many young people."

Read more on the Spark blog...

Children Predict the Future of Technology

Can children predict the future of computer technology? Recent research says yes.

Last year, Latitude, an international research and consulting firm asked 201 children from across the globe a simple question: “What would you like your computer or the Internet to do that it can’t do right now?” The children were asked to draw a picture in response. The study was aimed at targeting the first generation of “digital natives” and discovering their desires and expectations when it comes to technology. Despite the fact that the children ranged in age (from 5-12) and location (from South Africa to Chile and many countries in between) many of them echoed similar desires.

Read more on the Spark blog...