Literacy Voices Roundup – December 5

Teacher video can help parents boost literacy

From The Augusta Chronicle: “Parents needing an example of good reading practices now have a hands-on tool that models real-life lessons. The Aiken County School District released this month a 20-minute video guide, Parents: A Child’s First Teacher, to encourage parents to build literacy skills from birth.”

Education evolution in technology

From MaryvilleDailyForum.com: “Times have definitely changed in this technology-driven world. Gone are the days that a child relied solely on encyclopedias, paper and pen to research for class assignments. Here are the days when an entire classroom full of students have the opportunity to use laptops at their desks. These are the very reasons that the Maryville R-II School District deems it fit to provide their teachers with additional technology training and equipment to keep up the pace with the rest of the world.”

Gates Urges U.S. to Be Educational Change Agent

From EdWeek.org: “Bill Gates, the co-founder of the world’s largest philanthropy, this week called on President-elect Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress to expand support for education and make the federal government ‘a dynamic agent of school reform,’ even as the nation struggles through grim economic times.”

New Study Shows Time Spent Online Important for Teen Development

From the MacArthur Foundation: “Results from the most extensive U.S. study on teens and their use of digital media show that America’s youth are developing important social and technical skills online — often in ways adults do not understand or value.”

Scientists ask: Is technology rewiring our brains?

From The Washington Post comes another article about technology and brain development.

America on the Sidelines: The Unites States and World Affairs, 1931-1941

Sunday is the anniversary of the bombings at Pearl Harbor. Learn (and teach) about the events leading up to the United States entering World War II with “this interactive timeline [that] highlights the major events in Europe and East Asia from 1931 to 1941. Major wars broke out in both regions during this period, but until the end of 1941 the United States was not directly involved in either one. The interactive is designed to illustrate the U.S. response to crises in Europe and East Asia.”