instaGrok | A new way to learn In Context - Opposing Viewpoints in Context Opposing Viewpoints in Context is the premier online resource covering today’s hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more. In addition to the engaging, streamlined interface and media-rich topic pages, the product's unprecedented collection of content and curriculum-focused tools that help students explore issues from all perspectives include: Opposing Viewpoints in Context contains more than 700 Greenhaven Press, Gale, Macmillan Reference USA™, Charles Scribner’s Sons® and U·X·L titles. New reference content is added on an ongoing basis, and new full-text periodical and newspaper articles are added every day.
IDEO | A Design and Innovation Consulting Firm Reimagining Recreation There was a child went forth every day, / And the first object he looked upon and received with wonder, pity, love, or dread, that object he became, / And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.—Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, 1856 Mid-1970s I’ll pin the blame on Robert Moses for this one. After all, it was one of his playgrounds, one of the safe, drab, battleship-gray ones whose WPA-era design had changed little since Moses assumed power as New York City’s parks commissioner in 1934 (during his twenty-six-year reign, 650 playgrounds were built). Satisfied customers at Richard Dattner’s West 67th Street adventure playground, 1966. Throughout my childhood, as I recall it, my parents would take my sister and me on periodic expeditions—every few months, it seemed—to check out the newest adventure playground to open. April 1956 For this, we can thank, in part, Jane Jacobs and the mothers of Manhattan’s West Side.
20 Most Exciting New Bands Of 2012 - The Big Picture - NME.COM - The world's fastest music news service, music videos, interviews, photos and free stuff to win There's very few things that make January worthwhile. Film season is one (Shame being the highlight so far - read the review here - and of course the Golden Globes). Erm, what else? Well, nothing, save for annual onslaught of new band lists and tips for the year ahead. With that in mind, we recently picked 100 names for you to check out, a massive list of new music that should see you through the next couple of months. Grimes Not actually grime at all, Claire Boucher is rethinking electro pop instead. Spector Fred Macpherson's latest project, a dapper arch indie collective. A$AP Rocky Harlem's new rap prodigy, just signed for big bucks. DZ Deathrays Australian noiseniks that call to mind The Scare. Howler 2012's answer to The Strokes - expect a very successful year from this lot. Wise Blood A gloriously chaotic mess of Led Zep beats and Outkast-style funk. Azealia Banks You must know Banksy by now - rap's potty-mouted protegee. Friends Angular indie thrills from the Brooklyn collective. Toy
How To Make Students Better Online Researchers I recently came across an article in Wired Magazine called “ Why Kids Can’t Search “. I’m always interested in this particular topic, because it’s something I struggle with in my middle and high school classes constantly, and I know I’m not alone in my frustrations. Getting kids to really focus on what exactly they are searching for, and then be able to further distill idea into a few key specific search terms is a skill that we must teach students, and we have to do it over and over again. In the past, we spent a lot of time in schools teaching kids how to do library research, and how to use a variety reference materials like dictionaries, encyclopedias, microfiche, card catalogs, public records, anthologies, and other sources too numerous to recall. However, when we made this switch to internet-based resources, we somehow left a gap in education and made no real focus on teaching kids how to find valid, credible, useful resources online. The real answer? 1. 2. 3. 4.
Welcome | Teaching Copyright d.school: Institute of Design at Stanford Abandoned Wal-Mart Transformed Into A Functioning Library The International Interior Design Association recently selected the McAllen Public Library as the winner of their 2012 Library Interior Design Competition. The city inherited the former Wal-Mart after the retailer closed the store and abandoned it. The decision was made to reuse the structure and create a new main library within. Before the renovation. MSR began by stripping out much of the old ceiling and walls left in the space. New Entry A laser-cut wood wall at the entry folds into a ceiling plane that runs the length of the building, visually dividing the library on the left from the computer lab,meeting rooms and staff areas on the right. Service Spine A centrally located area painted bright orange contains all the service amenities and separates adult’s and children’s collections. The design includes a number of ceiling elements wrapped in unique super-graphics to aid visitors in locating categories in the vast interior. Area 3918 Main Aisle Photos by Lara Swimmer
Five-Minute Film Festival: Teaching Digital Citizenship "Digital citizenship" is an umbrella term that covers a whole host of important issues. Broadly, it's the guidelines for responsible, appropriate behavior when one is using technology. But specifically, it can cover anything from "netiquette" to cyberbullying; technology access and the digital divide; online safety and privacy; copyright, plagiarism, and digital law, and more. In fact, some programs that teach digital citizenship have outlined no less than nine elements that intersect to inform a well-equipped digital citizen. But while there is much talk about the importance of teaching digital citizenship in this information society, not many are sure what that really looks like. Video Playlist: Teaching Digital Citizenship Watch the player below to see the whole playlist, or view it on YouTube. What is Digital Citizenship? More Resources for Learning About Digital Citizenship
The need for media literacy in the digital age Today’s students are not being equipped with the critical thinking and analysis skills they need to successfully navigate our media-saturated environment. Time spent consuming media, now up to nearly eight hours a day, continues to increase, but students often are poorly versed in analyzing and understanding different media messages and formats. They prefer to see the world of media messages as simple and straightforward, to be taken at face value, according to recent research in the field of media literacy. While students express confidence that media messages have clear primary meanings and sources that can be easily identified, media literacy demands nuanced thinking about message creators as well as their goals and values. TBR Research presents insights and excerpts from peer-reviewed scholarship. John Kelly In a Boise State classroom, educational technology lecturer Chris Haskell, left, discusses an assignment with a student. Further Reading Dyson, R. Ewen, S. (1996). Kubey, R.