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Tag: Education

  • Evolution in Texas Schools Encounters Resistance

    A report from the Dallas Morning News confirmed that Texas State Board of Education members approved a series of textbooks this week that cover Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in its scientific entirety.

    Almost immediately after the books were approved, a protest was lodged by one textbook reviewer who maintains creationist beliefs. Two of the approved textbooks were sidelined in order to have a panel of science experts examine the text at the request of that reviewer, who pointed out 20 separate issues as “errors.”

    There are only two ways for the board to proceed from here: the errors are dismissed and the books are added to the curriculum, or they are confirmed as “errors” and publisher Pearson Education may need to add corrections and pay a fine before the books are implemented.

    Fox News reported one of the board members, Republican Thomas Ratliff of Mount Pleasant, as saying “To ask me — a business degree major from Texas Tech University — to distinguish whether the Earth cooled 4 billion years ago or 4.2 billion years ago for purposes of approving a textbook at 10:15 on a Thursday night is laughable… I believe this process is being hijacked, this book is being held hostage to make political changes.”

    Steven Meyer, a scholar with the Discovery Institute which is a conservative think-tank that favors the theory of Intelligent Design (a mock-up of evolution and creationism in which God’s guiding hand made it possible for man rise from the primordial ooze), said “[The books] will leave students in the dark about contemporary mainstream scientific controversies over Darwinian evolution.”

    “Unfortunately,” he added, “because Texas is a major purchaser of textbooks, the board’s action may have an adverse impact on science education across America for years to come.”

    On the other side, science teachers and opponents of creationism lauded the Texas State Board of Education. Josh Rosneau of the National Center for Science Education said “The state will give students the foundation for the exemplary education they need to succeed in the 21st century.”

    [Image via Wikimedia Commons]

  • Minecraft Can Now Be Played In School

    Move over, Oregon Trail. Minecraft, the popular sandbox game where players build worlds out of 3D boxes, is being used for the first time in an elementary school in Davie, Florida. The game, which has no real end and no way to lose, allows students to use their imagination to build and explore their own worlds.

    Matt Munro, a computer science teacher at the elementary school, says that the game allows students to explore engineering interests, while at the same time develops technology and science skills. Munro explains that the gameplay “could raise cognitive learning for students by as much as 12 percent and improve hand-eye coordination, problem-solving ability and memory.”

    Minecraft’s gameplay is completely up to the player, who uses the resources provided in the game to build a world of their wildest imagination. Over on their official website, the creators of Minecraft celebrate the game’s many possibilities. “It can be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether. Or you can visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea.” The official Minecraft trailer below gives a nice overview of the game’s basics and shows off some of the stunning visuals you can create:


    If you’re curious to learn more Minecraft (or still really have no idea what it is), the hour long documentary about the game went live on Youtube about a week ago, and is free to watch in its entirety. The game is available as a PC/Mac download from their website, or on your XBOX 360. Recently, the game surpassed the 12 million downloads mark.

    image via YouTube

  • Cursive Handwriting: Is it Still Necessary to Teach?

    Cursive Handwriting: Is it Still Necessary to Teach?

    Think about it. When was the last time you wrote in cursive other than to pen your signature? With the universal use of computers, smartphones and plain old print writing – is cursive handwriting dead? And if it’s hardly used by the adults who learned it way back when, should we bother to continue to teach it in schools today? Or should we spend that time instead teaching students how to type on keyboards?

    The cursive handwriting debate rages on. A group called the Common Core believes changes in the curriculum need to be made, more time and attention towards higher testing standards and keyboard skills should be mandated, in lieu of teaching cursive writing. Morgan Polikoff, who is an Assistant Professor of K-12 policy and leadership, at the University of Southern California contends, “If you just stop and think for a second about what are the sorts of skills that people are likely to be using in the future, it’s much more likely that keyboarding will help students succeed in careers and in school than it is that cursive will.”

    However, the flip side deems learning cursive still a necessity. Idaho State Rep. Linden Batemen argues, “Modern research indicates that more areas of the human brain are engaged when children use cursive handwriting than when they keyboard. We’re not thinking this through. It’s beyond belief to me that states have allowed cursive to slip from the standards.”

    Now, seven states want to make sure that cursive stays in the curriculum: California, Kansas, Indiana, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Utah. Perhaps those states agree with Bateman’s argument that “The Constitution of the United States is written in cursive.” The Representative believes that if students do not learn cursive, they will have issues in the future interpreting historical documents.

    People’s reactions on Twitter have been mixed:

    Tell us what you think. Is teaching cursive still a necessary part of education?

    Image Via Wikipedia Commons

  • LinkedIn Partners With Online Education Sites To Let Users Display Accomplishments

    LinkedIn Partners With Online Education Sites To Let Users Display Accomplishments

    LinkedIn has partnered with a handful of online education companies to add accomplishments to users’ LinkedIn profiles.

    The company has launched a pilot program with Coursera, EdX, Lynda.com, Pearson, Skillsoft, Udacity and Udemy.

    When the user completes a course from one of these providers, they’ll get an email with a link that will let them save a certification or completed course to their profile.

    Linkedin

    “Your next career-defining opportunity might be just around the corner, and it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re putting your best professional foot forward at all times,” says LinkedIn’s Alexis Baird. “Your LinkedIn Profile is that 24/7 representation of your professional knowledge and achievements.”

    LinkedIn announced last month that it has surpassed 259 million users, and that members engaged at record levels. The more positive points of interest you can display about yourself the better. People are always looking at your profile (LinkedIn makes sure your’e aware of that when you visit it).

    It will be interesting to see what other sites join the program, and give users more opportunities to show off their skills.

  • Google Gets Into The Tablets For Education Business

    The education sector has become big business for tech companies in recent years thanks to classrooms embracing new technologies like tablets and educational software. Apple and Amazon are both big players in the tablets for education arena, and now Google is tossing its hat in as well.

    Google announced today its launching a new education initiative called Tablets with Google Play for Education. As the name implies, Google will be working with schools to supply students with Android tablets and the necessary educational software for each grade.

    Here’s how Google describes it:

    Google Play for Education is an extension of Google Play designed for schools. Here educators can discover apps approved by teachers for teachers, as well as educational videos and a collection of classic books for their classroom. Teachers can search for approved apps by grade, subject and standard, including Common Core, pay using a purchase order, and deploy the content to students instantly.

    So, what about the tablets? Starting now, schools can purchase Nexus 7 tablets from Google starting at $229 per tablet. Early next year, Google’s offerings will expand to include the 10-inch ASUS Transformer Pad and the 8-inch HP Slate 8 Pro. Google will also charge a $30 management fee for every tablet running Google Play for Education.

    While this program will now be rolling out across the U.S., Google had New Jersey’s Hillsborough Township Public School system try out Tablets with Google Play for Education a while back. Here are the results:

    If you want to learn more about Google Apps for Education or the tablet program, check out Google’s education Web site.

    [Image: Google in Education/YouTube]

  • Educational Toys In Demand For India

    The parents of children in India value their children’s education as much as any other country. Studies show the need for educational toys in India is expected to grow fifteen percent over the next five years.

    “In the coming days demand for educational toys will be more as the parents want more cerebral games for their children,” the director of business development of Pegasus ToyKraft, Shyam Makhija, said. “Educational toys have the potential to grow at around 15 percent year-on-year in the next five years.”

    The toys they are discussing are not elaborate electronic games, however they are things as simple as blocks and puzzles. “From a purist’s point of view we can look at an edutainment toy as one which provides direct and immediate educational learning through play. The categories which fit the bill most appropriately are educational jigsaw puzzles, tile puzzles, memory-based games, do-it-yourself art and craft kits, builder blocks and construction sets,” Makhija said.

    The president of the Toy Association of India, Sunil Nanda, told IANS, “The scope of the educational toy industry is growing among the literate class of society. There had always been a relationship between learning and playing and it is very important to understand that.” He continued discussing the estimated size of the toy industry being approximately Rs.10,000 crore (US$16 billion), with parents spending approximately Rs.600 to 700 ($10) per child on educational toys.

    Children learn through playing, especially younger children. This is the reason that more Indian parents are seeking out the toys that provide some educational benefit for their children. “An educational toy should be able to add some cognitive value to the child. The presentation has to be very good so that a child doesn’t get bored and it can arouse some curiosity in the child. Learning should happening subtly,” Nanda said.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Head Lice: Should Kids With Lice Be Allowed in School?

    Head Lice: Should Kids With Lice Be Allowed in School?

    Some parents are outraged at the news that some schools are relaxing their rules regarding head lice. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, head lice infects between 6 million and 12 million kids ages 3 to 11 per year. This number could go up, though, since some schools have decided to no longer send home lice notes and let kids with lice stay in class through the end of the day.

    Most of the time, when a teacher discovers a kid has lice, he is sent to the school nurse and the parents are called. The kid stays out of school for a couple of days–or however long it takes to get rid of the lice–and the teacher sends home a note alerting parents to check their child’s hair because of the infestation. Not only does this single out the kid with lice and embarrass them, it also costs them education time.

    School districts in several states–including Nevada and Texas–have decided to skip out on lice notes and refrain from sending kids home for a couple of reasons, but mainly to avoid embarrassing the kids infested with lice.

    “Lice is icky, but it’s not dangerous,” says Deborah Pontius, the school nurse for the Pershing County School District in Lovelock, Nevada. Pontius also says that kids infested with lice have probably had them for anywhere from 3 weeks to two months, which means he has already spread the lice–all the more reason to avoid embarrassing kids. “It gets out who had lice,” Pontius said, adding that since parents of younger kids should be checking their heads for lice weekly anyway, there is no real need to send home the lice notes.

    Lesslie Sanders, a school nurse in Savoy, Texas says that sending kids home for lice is unnecessary. “The kids are always missing too much school and it’s not a health hazard,” Sanders said. “We call the parents, we talk about the remedies, how to fix it, also how to help the kids not get embarrassed. It’s just not a big deal anymore. It’s mostly just a nuisance,” Sanders added.

    This new policy does not sit well with a lot of parents. “I’m appalled. I am just so disgusted,” said Theresa Rice, whose 8-year-old daughter has come home from her elementary school in Hamilton County, Tennessee, with lice three times this school year. “It’s just a terrible headache to have to deal with lice,” says Rice.

    Parent Cissy Pennelle isn’t a fan of the more relaxed policy, either. “Children bring that home and then it becomes a deal of people being able to afford stuff to take care of it as well as take care of stuff in their home–it is a health hazard,” Pennelle said.

    Do you agree with more relaxed rules regarding head lice? Respond below.

    For equal parts entertainment and educational value, check out the head lice cartoon below.

    [Image via YouTube]

  • Boy Says He Was Suspended for Carrying a Purse

    A 13-year-old Kansas student was suspended from his junior high school this week because he reportedly refused to ditch his Vera Bradley purse. Skyler Davis is an eighth grader at Anderson County Senior-Junior School and says he has been carrying the bag since school started and found himself in trouble after he refused to take it off one day this week.

    Skyler’s mother, Leslie Willis, was called to the school on Wednesday to pick up Skyler. After he refused to take the purse off in class, he was sent to the office, where he also refused to remove the bag.

    “I was a little furious, and I called the school to reverify the story, and yeah, he refused to take off his Vera Bradley bag, nothing more to it. Skyler has been going to school since August with that same Vera Bradley bag on, hasn’t taken it off. What is the problem?” Willis commented. Willis says she is supportive of her son’s decision to wear a Vera Bradley bag.

    Check out a picture of Skyler wearing his Vera Bradley purse below.

    (image)

    “It expresses myself and I think everyone else can wear it, so I wear it as well. All the girls can wear purses but I can’t because I’m a male,” Skyler said. Skyler’s mother says that he is the victim of gender discrimination.

    When Skyler went back to school the next day, he says he was told that he was never suspended for refusing to remove the purse. “He was pulled into an office, behind closed doors to tell him that he was never suspended for refusing to take off his purse, he got suspended for foul language,” Willis said. “That’s not the story that Mr. Hillard told me yesterday. Skyler is only 13 years old. He’s just a child. And if this isn’t bullying, I don’t know what is.”

    Even though the root cause of the suspension is disputed, Anderson County School District Superintendent Don Blome is very clear on the fact that students aren’t allowed to bring any bags in the classroom, something that has been a rule for around 10 years.

    “We strive to make sure we treat every kid alike and there are classroom rules we expect kids to follow,” Blome said. “They can bring (bags and purses) to school. There’s no policy against that. But the classroom rules are that they can’t bring it to the classroom.” Blome says that handbags and backpacks are supposed to be stored in lockers while the kids are in class–this rule applies to all students, not just males.

    Skyler has received a lot of support for his decision to wear a purse, both at school and online. Check out some comments posted to Twitter. Make sure to post your thoughts on the issue below.

    [Images via KCTV5]

  • New Taliban Leader: Same Boss Who Wanted Malala Dead

    CBS News and The Week have both reported that, following the drone bombing of Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, a new leader for the Pakistani Taliban Movement has been chosen.

    The AP confirmed the ascendance of a new leader with a statement from the Taliban’s leadership council. Mehsud, in particular was a difficult target to hit, with several previous reports of his death proving false and a $5 million bounty placed on his head. But the official word from the Taliban indicates he is quite dead this time, and has been replaced by a man named Mullah Fazlullah.

    Fazlullah’s age isn’t accurately known, but he rose to fame in 2006 when he started broadcasting Islamist messages from a pirate radio station he called “Mullah Radio” in the Swat Valley region. Fazlullah’s broadcasts encouraged a return to Sharia criminal law, the closing of all girls’ schools and the complete cessation of female education.

    In 2009, Pakistani military forces attempted to wrest Swat Valley from Taliban influence. Many homes were looted in the fighting, but a tentative peace was established; Fazlullah dodged the Pakistanis in a game of cat-and-mouse, taking him through the mountains on the border with Afghanistan. He is suspected to be directing operations in both countries using that same mountain range.

    2012 saw Fazlullah step up his campaign against women’s education, particularly when he ordered an inspirational 14-year-old named Malala Yousafzai shot for publicly condemning his desire to close girls’ schools. She survived the attempt, and became an international symbol of defiance against Islamist hardliners in a way that remains similar to her namesake, Malala of Maiwand, who became a symbol of defiance against British Imperialism in the 19th century.

    The Taliban’s previous leader had indicated a willingness to go to the negotiating table. Fazlullah is an extreme propagandist, who appears regularly on YouTube encouraging violence while carrying a U.S.-made M4 assault rifle, perhaps a wartime trophy. After Malala survived the assassination attempt, Fazlullah made additional threats against her and her family.

    Fazlullah and his fellow Taliban hardliners believe they are the sole inheritors of Mohammed’s vision of society in Medina, a mystical egalitarian community that the Islamic Prophet allegedly created in Saudi Arabia. But that vision sometimes clashes with the tribal rules and laws that the Taliban leaders must follow, as their insurgents need shelter, sustenance, and supplies — which they would not get if they operated outside their tribal structure.

    [Image of the old Taliban leader via YouTube]

  • Christiane Amanpour Interviews Malala Yousafzai Who Defied Pakistani Terror

    Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who defied Pakistani terrorists, and almost lost her life to defend freedom and women’s right to education, was interviewed by famed journalist and opinion moulder Christiane Amanpour this week. The full interview will be aired as a special report “The Bravest Girl in the World” on CNN this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.

    Yousafzai has become the global face of oppressed Pakistani and Asian women who are quietly mobilizing by the millions to fight for equal rights and universal secular education. Malala was shot in the head in a barbaric assassination attempt by Pakistani terrorists on October 9, 2012, while she was returning home from her school.

    The brave teenager’s life was saved at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, where she underwent intensive rehabilitation, that helped recover her mental faculties, her hearing and speech. The assassination attempt did not kill Malala, but only made her stronger.

    She has redoubled her efforts since February this year to spread worldwide awareness on the inhuman treatment of women in Pakistan and West-Asia and the challenges they face to their dignity in daily life. On July 12, she spoke in front of the United Nations on the power of girl child education, and why pen is mightier than the sword. She has been feted with accolades, honors and awards across the globe including this year’s nomination for Nobel Peace Prize.

    During the interview, Amanpour asked Malala whether she hoped to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

    Malala responded, “If I get the Nobel Peace Prize, I think it will be such a great honor, and more than I deserve, and such a great responsibility as well…It would help me to begin this campaign for girls’ education, but the real goal, the most precious goal that I want to get and for which I am thirsty and I want to struggle hard for, that is the award of seeing every child to go to school.”

    She added, that being shot had only strengthened her resolve:

    “They can only shoot a body, they cannot shoot my dreams…They shot me because they wanted to tell me that, ‘we want to kill you and to stop you campaigning’, but they did the biggest mistake: they inured me, and they told me through that attack, that even death is supporting me, even death does not want to kill me.”

    And in a clear warning to Pakistan’s patriarchal society, she made her ambitious clear:

    “I want to become a Prime Minister of Pakistan, and I think it’s really good. Because through politics I can serve my whole county. I can be the doctor of the whole country…I can spend much of the money from the budget on education…

    International organizations and leaders have rallied to Malala’s clarion call for women’s freedom and education rights, and here is what Malala had to say at an event hosted by World Bank today:

    As Malala’s heroic speeches and worldwide campaign for women gains steam, Pakistani terrorists are increasingly desperate to hold back human progress. The world is watching, but the world must also act – to help young girls like Malala, as they yearn to breathe free.

    [image from youtube]

  • Amazon Is Buying TenMarks

    Amazon Is Buying TenMarks

    Amazon announced on Thursday that it has reached an agreement to acquire parent/teacher math resource company TenMarks.

    TenMarks provides personalized online math instructions and videos at the K-12 levels.

    “Amazon and TenMarks share the same passion for student learning. TenMarks’s award-winning math programs have been used by tens of thousands of schools and Amazon engages with millions of students around the world through our Kindle ecosystem,” said Amazon Kindle VP Dave Limp. “Together, Amazon and TenMarks intend to develop rich educational content and applications, across multiple platforms, that we think teachers, parents and students will love.”

    “Amazon and TenMarks share a commitment to developing easy-to-implement solutions for schools and families,” said TenMarks co-founder Rohit Agarwal. “We currently offer teachers, students and parents access to effective resources to foster the vision of the Common Core curriculum in math, including scalable professional development and tools for connecting with parents. We back this belief with our business model, where teachers can register and access our product for free, while being able to opt in for premium features, if needed. Going forward, we believe Amazon and TenMarks will create significant innovations in the K-12 arena.”

    The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Terms were not disclosed.

  • ADHD: October is ADHD Awareness Month

    Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects millions of children and adults. While many people are familiar with the term ADHD, there are many misconceptions tied to this learning disability. Several ADHD groups hope to educate people on these misconceptions during October, which is ADHD Awareness Month.

    It’s not uncommon to hear people scoff at ADHD and call it an excuse for poor parenting. Even though ADHD is recognized by “nearly every mainstream medical, psychological, and educational organization in the United States…[and] these organizations also concluded that children and adults with ADHD benefit from appropriate treatment,” some people remain convinced that ADHD isn’t a real disorder. They assert that ADHD is simply bad parenting and lack of discipline:

    Because of the misconceptions surrounding ADHD and the fact that the numbers of children and adults with ADHD are increasing, several ADHD groups have joined together to make October ADHD Awareness month. These groups include ACO, ADDA, CHADD and ADDitude. The ADHD Awareness Month Coalition has put together a list of a few things everyone should know about the disorder, including:

    ADHD is a non-discriminatory disorder affecting people of every age, gender, IQ, religious and socio-economic background. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the percentage of children in the United States who have ever been diagnosed with ADHD is now 9.5%. Boys are diagnosed two to three times as often as girls.

    In order for a diagnosis of ADHD to be considered, the person must exhibit a large number of symptoms…for a minimum of six months.

    Up to 30% of children and 25-40% of adults with ADHD have a co-existing anxiety disorder. Experts claim that up to 70% of those with ADHD will be treated for depression at some point in their lives.

    When the ADHD is undiagnosed and untreated, ADHD contributes to problems succeeding in school and successfully graduating.

    ADHD is NOT caused by moral failure, poor parenting, family problems, poor teachers or schools, too much TV, food allergies, or excess sugar. Instead, research shows that ADHD is both highly genetic (with the majority of ADHD cases having a genetic component), and a brain-based disorder (with the symptoms of ADHD linked to many specific brain areas).

    Do you have ADHD or know someone who does? Share your experience below.

    For any parents, teachers or other caregivers who suspect a child in their care may have ADHD, the NIH has put together a list of symptoms. It’s important to note that the presence of a few of these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean the child has ADHD, but consulting the child’s pediatrician for an evaluation would be a good ideas.

    ADHD Symptoms:

    Symptoms of inattention:

    Struggle to follow instructions
    Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things
    Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless they are doing something enjoyable
    Have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things
    Not seem to listen when spoken to
    Daydream, become easily confused

    Symptoms of hyperactivity:

    Fidget and squirm in their seats
    Talk nonstop
    Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
    Have trouble sitting still
    Be constantly in motion
    Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpX7RQtw4Ac

    Image via ADHDAwarenessMonth

  • Food Allergy Legislation: The Senate Votes Next Week

    With the number of people who have food allergies on the rise, there is a lot of concern about how allergic reactions are handled in schools. Since food allergy reactions can be fatal, the Food Allergy and Research Education (FARE) group is working to get legislation passed that will make sure all schools in the nation are prepared.

    The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2094: School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act in July, and the bill will go before the U.S. Senate next week, on October 2. If the bill is passed and signed into law, all schools will be required to have EpiPens on hand in case a student has an allergic reaction. EpiPens are described as the “first line of defense.”

    Food allergies affect 1 out of 13 children, which according to FARE is “roughly two in every classroom.” Food allergies increased 50 percent from 1997 to 2011, and the numbers are expected to continue going up. Some people are unaware that they even have food allergies until they have a reaction. Death related to food allergy complications can occur within minutes, which necessitates a quick response.

    This January 2012 death of seven-year-old Amarria Johnson from Virginia inspired the pending bill. Amarria died after eating a peanut another child gave her. Since Amarria didn’t have an EpiPen prescription at the school, she had to wait to receive treatment from EMTs, but by then it was too late. After Amarria’s death, state legislators passed “Amarria’s Law,” which requires all schools in Virginia to have EpiPens.

    According to the University of Michigan’s Dr. Matthew Greenhawt, “epinephrine is used more frequently in schools than a fire extinguisher…and the cost of maintaining epinephrine is significantly less expensive as well.” The number of deaths related to food allergy reactions is between 100 to 200 deaths per year, so the passing of the food allergy bill could be lifesaving.

    Image via YouTube

  • Powerball: Someone in SC Won $400 Million Jackpot

    Powerball: Someone in SC Won $400 Million Jackpot

    Someone in South Carolina is a little bit richer after winning the $400 million jackpot in the Powerball lottery. The lucky winner, whose name hasn’t yet been released, was the only person to pick the following numbers in Wednesday’s night drawing:

    (image)

    The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA gasoline station in Lexington, South Carolina. Store manager Keith Wedmore says this is the first big winner his store has sold. “I was at the store at the time,” Wedmore said in an interview. “I don’t know who it went to.”

    According to the Powerball website, the Wednesday drawing had two other people with $2 million tickets and six people with $1 million tickets. One of the $1 million winners is also a South Carolina resident.

    The lottery winner would probably love to remain anonymous, since money has a way of making new family members and old friends come out of the woodwork. However, South Carolina, like most other states, has “laws that require the lottery to release the name and city of residence to anyone who asks the lottery has to release the name and residence,” according to Powerball information.

    The Powerball winner has 180 days to claim the ticket, and thanks to taxes, the winner won’t get to keep all $400 million. The grand prize winner still gets a nice chunk of change after Uncle Sam gets his part, as the winner can choose a lump sum payment of $233 million, or can receive annual payments of $13 million.

    Since the winner hasn’t spoken up yet, people can only speculate what he will spend his money on. Many in the Lexington area probably hope that the winner will follow in the footsteps of another Powerball winner from South Carolina who won almost $260 million. Rev. Solomon Jackson, Jr. won the Powerball lottery in 2009 and has donated millions to education in SC. Jackson donated $10 million to Morris College in Sumter, $500,000 to buy two new buses for Benedict College in Columbia and $2 million to Booker T. Washington High School in Columbia.

    The Powerball jackpot will reset at $40 million, and the next drawing will be held on Saturday night. Do you have any strategies for playing the lottery? Share below.

    Image via YouTube

  • Jaden Smith Thinks School Brainwashes Our Youth

    Do you know the boy with one expression? Will Smith’s son? Anyways, Jaden Smith, 15, movie star of such blockbuster hits like After Earth and Karate Kid, said in capitalized letters on Twitter last week, that: “If Everybody In The World Dropped Out Of School We Would Have A Much More Intelligent Society.” As Jaden Tweeted via phone, he added, “Everybody Get Off Your Phones And Go Do What You Actually Wanna Do.”

    “People Use To Ask Me What Do You Wanna Be When You Get Older And I Would Say What A Stupid Question The Real Question Is What Am I Right Now,” Jaden added. “All The Rules In This World Were Made By Someone No Smarter Than You. So Make Your Own.”

    “If Newborn Babies Could Speak They Would Be The Most Intelligent Beings On Planet Earth.”

    Perhaps Jaden’s view on school is much different than his parents’. According to Radar Online, back in 2008, Will Smith, 44, and his wife Jada Smith, 41, founded the New Village Leadership Academy in Calabasas, California. It was a new type of private elementary school that taught on a curriculum influenced by Scientology. It shut down last June.

    In May, The Sun newspaper had an interview with Will Smith, in which he said that his son requested for his 15th birthday to be “emancipated.” Shortly after that interview, there was an outburst in the media, to which Jaden clarified his father’s statements on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show. “I’m not going anywhere. Everything at [Will Smith’s] house is free. So I can get anything and everything I want at his house. So I think I’m going to be there for 20 [to] 30 more years. [Will Smith] says as soon as I have a movie that’s bigger than one of his movies then I have to get my own house.”

    Below, are the snipped clips of Jaden’s sage-like Twitter updates concerning the issue of school:

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    Will Smith’s son? Famous Hollywood child actor and singer?

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    Everybody reads it, right?

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    Didn’t Steve Jobs say something similar?

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    Food? Change my diaper?

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    You know, Chomsky talked about this once.

     

    Do you think there is merit to Jaden’s words?

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    You can get Jaden Smith’s latest mix tape, The Cool Café, here.

    (Images courtesy of Facebook and Twitter)

  • Fraternity Muslims: First Muslim Frat House

    America now has its first all-Muslim frat house. Alif Laam Meem (also goes by Alpha Lambda Mu), which was founded in February, is located at the University of Texas in Dallas. Before you start getting images of wild parties such as those seen in “Animal House,” getting drunk isn’t a pastime at this Muslim fraternity.

    According to Alif Laam Meem’s mission statement, the purpose of the Muslim fraternity is to “empower and unite men towards success in this life and the next in accordance to God and his final Messenger, Prophet Muhammed, Peace Be Upon Him.”

    Instead of hosting parties where students see how many beers they can funnel at once, founder Ali Mahmoud says “the primary purpose of a fraternity is to unite these men as brothers under a specific cause.” This means Saturday nights are spent in prayer and discussing ways the young men can help their communities. “Muslims are supposed to bring benefit and prevent harm to everyone and anything, not just Muslims,” Mahmoud said.

    Alif Laam Meem is trying to grow awareness of the new Muslim fraternity with social media websites Twitter and Facebook. The fraternity is accepting applications for membership, and non-Muslims can also apply. The membership fee is $100, which is donated to charity.

    Mahmoud, a 19-year-old junior, hopes that the fraternity will help educate people about the Muslim religion. “Muslims in America are in a similar position, and our fraternity is fulfilling those needs as well as many more,” he said. “We’re paving a new path for Muslims on campus to have an organic, wholesome college experience without having to compromise the values of their religion.”

    The Muslim fraternity has received a lot of supportive comments on Twitter. Even though Muslim-Americans are often the target of stereotypes, many people seem happy to hear about a fraternity whose existence doesn’t revolve around excessive alcohol consumption.

    What do you think about the new Muslim fraternity? Add your comments below.

    Image via Facebook

  • Rupert Murdoch: Questioning by UK Parliament on Hold

    Rupert Murdoch’s return to the Media Select Committee of the UK parliament’s House of Commons has been postponed in light of anticipated phone-hacking trials related to Murdoch’s news companies. Murdoch is being called back to the Committee to be questioned again about secretly recorded comments he made about bribes involving British newspapers. The postponement was advised by the News Corp chairman’s lawyers who want to wait until the criminal trials against News Corp publications News of the World and The Sun have concluded.

    This pushes Murdoch’s return back until at least July 2014 and depending on appeals and other trials, he may not appear until 2015. The Committee agrees with the advice, concerned in their own right that the criminal proceedings could be prejudiced. The recordings were secretly obtained during a meeting between Murdoch and over 20 Sun journalists, now accused of unlawful payments to public officials to obtain stories.

    The first of the criminal trials begins on 28 October and involves eight defendants. Among those are Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of News International (now News UK), and Andy Coulson, former News of the World editor. Both have pleaded not guilty.

    Amplify in Schools

    Murdoch is also gaining coverage for an initiative by News Corp’s education arm Amplify that is piloting use of tablets in schoolrooms. The company has invested hundreds of millions in the new venture and supporting educational games and technologies, including their own Amplify tablet.

    The investment, highlighted in a Mashable Spotlight report, is based on the increasing prominence of digital technologies in classrooms and considering the American school system’s country-wide move to Common Core, a set of K-12 curriculum standards, the new venture’s timing may pay off.

    Other forums will host the debate over this move toward tablet-lessons: Are they affordable for lower-income schools? How do schools protect against privacy and hacking? Do they improve students’ retention and learning? And so on. Meanwhile Amplify—whose CEO is a former New York City schools chancellor—is conducting pilot projects and focus groups in schools across the country.

    [Images via Amplify official website and Rupert Murdoch official Twitter.]

  • Microsoft Offering Excess Surfaces to Schools Through Bing

    As the price cuts for both the Surface RT and the Surface Pro indicate, the Surface hasn’t challenged the iPad in the way Microsoft hoped it would. In fact, Microsoft announced a $900 million inventory adjustment charge for the millions of Surface RT tablets it now has sitting around in warehouses. The company obviously overestimated the popularity of the Surface, and now third party manufacturing partners are beginning to abandon Windows RT altogether.

    So how will Microsoft get rid of $900 million worth of Surface RTs? Offer them to educators, evidently.

    Microsoft this week announced its new “Bing for Schools” initiative. The new program will offer free Surface RT tablets to schools that use the “Bing Rewards” program. Schools that earn 30,000 Bing Rewards credits can cash them in for a free Surface RT. The credits can come from anyone signed up for Bing Rewards, including parents, with credits being put toward the school of their choice.

    The Los Angeles Unified School District and Atlanta Public Schools are already signed up as partners for the Bing for Schools pilot program. These schools will be using a special version of Bing developed specifically for education. According to Microsoft, the modified Bing will have no advertisements in its search results and will have “strict” adult content filters in place. It will also have “augmented” privacy protections.

  • LinkedIn Opens Up to Young Students, Launches New University Pages

    LinkedIn Opens Up to Young Students, Launches New University Pages

    LinkedIn is hoping to get young students thinking about college and their eventual careers – and broaden their user base in the process. To that end, the company has just announced a brand new initiative to welcome in teens, one that involves dropping the age limit for new members and setting up special University Pages for students to use as new resource.

    “We believe University Pages will be especially valuable for students making their first, big decision about where to attend college. Therefore, beginning on September 12, we will be making LinkedIn available to high school students who can use LinkedIn to explore schools worldwide, greatly expand their understanding of the careers available, and get a head start on building a network of family and friends to help guide them at every milestone,” says LinkedIn’s Christina Allen.

    When LinkedIn says “high school students,” they mean kids entering their last leg of the educational system before college. This means that the age limits for each country will be different – for instance the new minimum age to join LinkedIn in the United States will be 14 (this applies to Canada, Germany, Spain, Australia, and South Korea as well). LinkedIn will open up to teens in the Netherlands when they turn 16, and Chinese students will have to wait until they’re 18. Every other country where LinkedIn is available will see their 13-year-old students joining the network.

    The new University Pages will allow prospective students to check out news, information, notable alumni, and more. Of course, it will also allow these younger students to make connections with people associated with any particular university.

    “Smart, ambitious students are already thinking about their futures when they step foot into high school – where they want to go to college, what they want to study, where they want to live and work. We want to encourage these students to leverage the insights and connections of the millions of successful professionals on LinkedIn, so they can make the most informed decisions and start their careers off right,” says LinkedIn’s Eric Heath.

    These younger members will be offered a few safeguards – including special customer service routing and new safety resources. All minors will have default privacy settings that are more strict than those for people 18 and over.

    LinkedIn has also made some general changes to their privacy policy:

    We have shortened the amount of time we store personal or location (IP address) data obtained through our off-site plug-ins (like the LinkedIn Share button) – and we now delete this information as soon as possible (as it comes into our system), and at the most, within seven days; We have updated the privacy policy to cover the data sharing that occurs when you choose to bind your SlideShare and LinkedIn accounts; We have updated the section of the privacy policy that allows what LinkedIn can suggest to you based on the data that you have chosen to upload from your email address books.

    All of this new privacy stuff will go into effect on September 12th. The new University Pages are already up and running, if you want to check them out.

  • Duolingo Finally Launches an iPad App

    Duolingo, the free language learning service with a wonderfully simply, but brilliant premise, has finally optimized their iOS app to be fully functional on the iPad. And they haven’t just made the previous iOS app bigger – they’ve added a new sidebar that makes learning languages on the iPad a more immersive experience.

    With the new iPad app, Duolingo says that “you’ll have more screen space to browse your skill tree, see friends, and type in answers.” Along with this update, you can now use Duolingo in landscape mode. The coolest new feature for the iPad comes in the form of a new sidebar, however. When accessed, the sidebar will show you all your stats – your points, words learned, and consecutive days used. It’ll also show you the social leaderboard where you can see how you stack up against others in terms of your language learning progress.

    After a lengthy beta period, Duolingo first opened to the public back in June of 2012. It’s a deceptively simple process – Duolingo feeds you words and phrases and lets you improve your language skills by translating them back and forth between the new language you’re trying to learn and your native language. Each time you use Duolingo, you are participating in a giant crowdsourced translation of the web.

    “Duolingo leverages the brain power of millions of people who are currently learning a new language to help translate the web,” said Luis von Ahn, co-founder of Duolingo at launch. “So much of the web is partitioned off by language barriers. With more than a billion people on the planet learning a new language, I knew this was the ultimate opportunity to not only provide accessible education resources, but also make the internet a truly world wide web.”

    Von Ahn told TechCrunch that Duolingo can now boast over 5 million active users and 20% of the app’s traffic came from people using the old iPhone-only app on their iPads – so it was high time that they developed a dedicated iPad app.

    You can grab the new app today over at the App Store.

  • Google Taps Donald And Daisy Duck For Cybersafety Education

    Google Taps Donald And Daisy Duck For Cybersafety Education

    Google teamed up with industry associations and public and private partners, including Disney, apparently, to produce 300,000 copies of a special edition of Donald Duck magazine in Norway.

    The issue focuses on cybersafety, and features Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, among other familiar Disney duck faces.

    Google ducks

    Google ducks

    Google ducks

    “Kids growing up in this digital age use the Internet for pretty much everything; entertainment, communication, education and when they get that far; new technologies will play an important role in their work,” says Martin Ruby for Google Public Policy, Copenhagen. “Never has a generation needed digital guidance as the one growing up now. And we were thinking: who would be a better digital guide for kids than Donald Duck?”

    “In the book, Donald gets himself into trouble,” explains Ruby. “He is guarding his uncle’s fortune with the help of a gigantic robot but trying as always to charm Daisy Duck – this time on the Internet. An unsuspecting Donald is lured into downloading a virus and giving away his password to Magica de Spell on ‘Duckbook’. No surprise: she takes control of the robot and the fortune.

    Good thing it’s realistically practical, acknowledging that far more ducks are using Duckbook than Duck+.

    Ruby notes that it all ends well, and Donald gets a prize for his digital skills.

    You can actually peruse the issue here (pdf).