Beyond Child Development: Understanding the Kids We Serve

Understanding child development is vital to developing high quality learning experiences. However, its only one piece of the puzzle. We also need to make sure that experiences are individually appropriate and culturally appropriate. It is the aspect of cultural appropriateness that this piece is focused on. Each generation has its own unique culture. Their experiences

Pop Culture Literacy

Pop culture’s got a weird reputation in America. Most people like it (by definition), but those same people also seem to be a little guilty about it: TV rots your brain, video games make you violent and nerdy, pop music all sounds the same, comedians are foul-mouthed, and…you get the picture. But we here in

The Contemporary Music Centre

New Music Alive is an amazing introductory music resource from Dublin. I particularly like the lesson on Graphic Scores and the singing shapes game. This is great for music educators but also for classroom teachers looking for arts integration experiences.

The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact on Popular Culture

Join the Smithsonian, and comic book industry legend Stan Lee, to explore the history of the comic book and the rise of superheroes. The ancient gods of Egyptian, Greek and Roman myths still exist, but today, they have superpowers, human foibles and secret identities. They come from comic books and graphic novels, and have taken

Axosoft #itwasneveradress

This weekend Scottsdale based Axosoft hosted its first #itwasneveradress conference for middle and high school girls. It was so popular they had to start a list to host another one. Below is the blog post from their corporate event written by Sarah Breeding. Coding, Capes, & Creativity by Sarah Breeding Capable young women from across

Center for Independent Thought: Stossel in the Classroom

by KellyAnn Bonnell Recently I ran across a new resource that I think some of you might really like. Stossel in the Classroom provides a DVD and Teachers Guide of segments John Stossel has done that address a variety of topics related to economics. This is a free resource that over 150,000 teachers have taken

Forbes: How Video Games in the Classroom Will Make Students Smarter

by Jordan Shapiro Around a billion and a half people all play video games of some sort. That’s more than 20% of the world’s population. Video games have become a part of life. They are now more than just leisure and entertainment. They are mainstream media, an everyday method of storytelling and representation. Games have become

Edudemic: 3 Ways Film Can Enhance the Classroom Experience

Do you remember the joy that you felt as a student when you saw the teacher roll the TV into the classroom? Your students can experience the same joy when you show a film in your own classroom – and it won’t be because it’s a perceived distraction. In her recent Guardian.com blog post, Sarah

CJR: News Literacy vs. Media Literacy

By Jihii Jolly Three years ago, pioneer media literacy scholar Renee Hobbs published a short critique of what she viewed as troubling trends emerging in news literacy education. She argued on the site Nieman Reports against teaching news literacy in a way that romanticizes the industry or merely transforms a Journalism 101 class into a

Vulture: Inside Out Nails the Science of How our Memories Function

by Alicia Robb Ever since Pixar began showing previews of Inside Out, critics have been raving about its stunning animation, beautiful soundtrack, and creative portrayal of protagonist Riley’s inner world. Daphna Shohamy, a researcher at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, appreciates Pixar’s latest movie for a different reason: She believes it has potential