B-Dag

It might surprise you to know that, now, children in the classroom can actually take courses that talk all about the importance of social media and how to start up your own Facebook or MySpace page. Back when I was in school, I think the most I learned was early introductions into HTML but, of course, back then technology was not as it is today and social media was not something you could just carry around on your smart phone – the internet was not quite so inextricably woven into our everyday lives as it is today.

Nowadays the technology and the way in which we use it have changed. The internet is no longer some separate portal to another world that we frequent whenever we want information, want to go shopping or just plain get away. Now the internet is used to find jobs, find family members and friends and, essentially, build a future – all things that social media has been instrumental in accomplishing. Businesses like Toyota or Best Buy or www.TexasElectricityProviders.com are all on the internet now. Companies can make Facebook pages or MySpace accounts to reach out to potential customers – it’s just the direction we are moving in as a high-tech society.

It’s important for the future generations know where we stand when it comes to technology and its impact on our lives. To do any less would be doing them, and us, a disservice and, since social media is the current future, they must learn as much as they can about it in the classrooms.

Since the invention of the telephone people have been able to speak to each other from time to time. Today there is a better way of communicating anytime, from anywhere as long as a computer is available. It-s called electronic pen-pals: a great way to connect cultures.

Becoming an electronic pen-pal means being able to communicate with someone anytime, day or night. You can go on the web and talk to them about any subject you wish for as long as you wish. This great invention called the Internet allows for (more…)

Parents can get children comfortable with using technology by exposing them to it. Children can learn how to use the computer very quickly. Their mind just absorbs new information and they learn through hands-on methods. Parents should show their children how to use technology and show them how to use it. Technology increases learning opportunities for children.

One way to get children comfortable with using technology is to have them play with technological toys. These toys function as computers, video games and readers so that the children not only learn the alphabet. phonics and numbers but also (more…)

Schools often consider the use of technology separate from curriculum. Students learn to keyboard, photoshop, use search engines in the computer lab, without practical application. Faced with stand alone lessons, often one or two days a week, sometimes over an entire marking period, many already skilled students find other uses for the online time. Telling point, many high schools now assign a staff member to monitor students real time use in the labs. Indeed, someone sits watching all the computer screens in the lab, ensuring that students do not-waste their time-viewing alternatives to what they already know. Depending (more…)

One of the biggest failure of the education system today is that it often neglects to teach children how to use their right brains. The right side of the brain controls a person’s creative and artistic side and it is just as important as the left. That is why it is important that children do activities that stimulate the right side of the brain. One of the activities that can do just that is creative writing. Creative writing is something that every young child should engage in. One of the best things about being a child is (more…)

Fun Ways To Learn How To Type

Learning to type is almost as important as learning to read today. Everything is computerized these day from going to the grocery store to helping your kids with their homework.

There are several very good ways to learn to type and have fun while doing so. The first of which is the virtual classroom. That’s right you can take lessons online in the comfort of your own home. The online courses will teach you which fingers to use with which keys and before you know it you’ll be typing up a (more…)

Television is often blamed for the decreased literacy and other problems with education, but watching the right educational shows with children deserves some credit as well. Educational children’s shows run the gammut from shows focused on pre-reading and self esteem skills, to shows that demonstrate interesting science lessons. Often, teachers play clips from these shows in their classrooms and incorporate them into their lesson plans.

Of course, many shows claim to be educational, while in reality they have very little educational value. This is why parents should not simply (more…)

Schools around the country have been taking advantage of new technology this year. Cloud-hosting and online communications offer students and teachers new ways to collaborate in an educational sphere. ePals, Inc. is working to establish itself as a leader in online educational communities, especially with the recent launch of its K-12 Solutions Partner Program.The program supports ePals’ already popular LearningSpace and SchoolMail applications. LearningSpace is a controlled online environment complete with social media and digital storage areas. Users are assigned roles (such as teacher and student), and teachers can moderate the information students are posting before it goes out over the web. LearningSpace is aimed at school districts seeking more communication between different sites, although smaller groups can be created within individual schools and classes. With blogging, wikis, content tagging, RSS, and web forums at their disposal, students learn to work with technology and integrate it into their other subjects. Users can also connect with other students and teachers in the more than 200 countries that use LearningSpace. (more…)

In earlier generations, home-schooling was seen as the most popular alternative to public school. This option was seen by some as isolating children from the traditional school experience, but it had its advantages for parents that wanted to keep their children close by during the day. A new trend is on the rise that also keeps children at home, but also makes them part of an online community. These communities are referred to as “virtual schools”.Recent statistics suggest that more than 2 million children between kindergarten and 12^th grade are enrolled in online schools, and that number has been growing by 20 percent in recent years. Online school programs may be supplemental to actual class-time experience, but more and more schools are offering full-time virtual options. (more…)

The McGraw-Hill logo and brand-name should be familiar to most people. The company has established itself as one of the premier textbook publishers from early childhood to high school, college, and the professional world. The company can trace its roots back to the turn of the 20^th century, when James McGraw began the McGraw Publishing Company, closely followed by John Hill‘s own publishing company. The two good friends merged in 1909, and the rest is history. Starting with a focus in business and management, the company continued to expand through the 1900s (and still does today), adding a major K-12 department in the 1950s.The MHE Online Catalog is the easiest place to search for any product in any age group, beginning with early childhood and Elementary school. Toddlers and preschoolers will be enthralled by Storyteller Lift the Flap Books like “Guess My Pet” and “Guess the Weather”. They will also be introduced to the basics of subjects like Reading, Math, Social Studies, and even technology skills like typing. (more…)