Knowing What Schools to Consider for Your Children

Knowing What Schools to Consider for Your Children
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Stratton]Andrew Stratton

As a parent, you may be getting to the point where it is almost time to begin looking at schools for your children. Sometimes it will not be an easy choice because there is pressure coming from all directions. Everyone has an opinion about what school is best. Thankfully, it is ultimately the decision of the parents who know their children better than anyone.

It is true that some schools might not be a good fit for some children. A child who has a disability that will keep him or her from ever being even an average student might be better off in a school that helps kids with similar disabilities. Who is to say where to draw the line? A private school has the right to say what grade a student should be in based on academic testing. A public school would do the same.
An independent school might not feel that they could bring in someone with a learning disability because their goals are college prep. The parents can make the choice to try to enroll a child in a particular school, but then the parent must be willing to accept what academic testing says about his or her child.

The reality that all schools and parents must face every day is that no child is alike. People try every day to put children into a box so that they can say a child has this or that disorder or learning disability based on comparisons to other children. They can continue to do this and try to get their statistics, but no child is the same. No child can be put into a box.

It is true that a school does need to do these comparisons to some degree in order to place students in correct grades. It can go too far however, and it can often stereotype children into having a disorder and becoming something that they might never have become. As parents, it is your responsibility to keep your child from being stuffed in a box that contains children who are just different.

As you look at schools for your child, you will need to really look at your child with fresh eyes so that you can determine what is best. It is okay to ask for help, and it is okay to listen when doctors suggest that your child might end up with a learning disability or even a disorder like an autism spectrum disorder. Children with problems like this might need special attention, and ignoring it will not make it go away.

It is really up to you as the parent to make the final decision as to what schools will be the best fit for your child. You might realize in advance that because of the problems your child has, he or she will never be accepted into a certain type of school. It is okay to realize this and try to see what your child will be able to do.

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Social Media Bridging the Student-Teacher Communication Gap in Classes - How?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Reynold]Jonathan Reynold There was a time when students would get cold feet at the very thought of interacting with their teachers; even if that meant for discussing regular assignment related issues, or to simply wish them on special occasions. Now, teachers are no more the dreaded humans and students do not fret about meeting them even for a casual discussion. Teachers are more like friendly guides today; students can rely on them when faced with academic issues, career related or otherwise. This change is visible not only in online educational domains but in face-to-face classroom setups as well. This enhanced interaction has been made further possible by the increased popularity of social networks. Is social networking conducive to learning? Just like any application based practice or trend, social networking too has its own positive and negative effects. Judging from its usage, which is primarily social mingling, one, cannot simply tag it as harmful to learning. In fact, it depends essentially on the students and educators; whether it can be made conducive to learning or not. However, it is always better to put any new practice to the best use for society rather than chucking it as a mere waste of time. Social networking can surely benefit teaching-learning if it is made a part of the classroom activities; and it is already happening in classes where teachers and students are allowed to access social networking sites by institute authorities. How do social media foster student-teacher interaction? There are independent educators who simply maintain pages of their own on various social networking sites and allow their students to post queries and comments. They regularly check those posts and respond to the queries, or have chat sessions with the students when online to solve their problems. They even post class modules or reference study materials on these sites from time to time, or maintain educational blogs to be accessed and shared by the students easily. Many institutes use the class registration software to conduct classes online or to streamline administrative jobs of their onsite classes. Such institutes avail of the member management solutions to build and maintain private community networks where they ask their students to be a part of. These community networks are epicenters of activities where students and teachers interact freely. To provide a better communication platform, some institutes also purchase a Social Media Connector from the software provider at a minimal cost which facilitates easy downloading of social media profiles of members directly on to the community networks. Following are the ways in which teachers are trying to leverage the power of the social media to connect with their students: 1. They post questions or conduct live polls on various socially relevant subjects on the social networking sites in order to understand their students' view points on them. 2. They engage in discussions online either through a forum or through a chat session to explain a certain lesson to their learners. 3. They share various info-rich graphics and slide presentations on their profiles to make their traditional mode of learning even more interesting. 4. They post blogs and encourage their students to do the same that helps to improve their creative writing skills. Students who otherwise feel a bit awkward to open up in classes interact freely over social media. They even come to know of various issues that are rarely discussed in classes that add on to their knowledge. Jonathan is a professional trainer. He employs latest technology for [http://www.acteva.com/cms/social_media_and_third_party_integration.html]social media integration for class and [http://www.acteva.com/cms/social_media_and_third_party_integration.html]social media for training that results in more attendance and ROI. Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Social-Media-Bridging-the-Student-Teacher-Communication-Gap-in-Classes---How?&id=7385375] Social Media Bridging the Student-Teacher Communication Gap in Classes - How?

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Interactive Educational Tools for Children

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Hohn]Matthew Hohn

Even though the concept of education stays the same, the method is fleeting. Children, as young as they are, have brains that can be compared to as sponges -- they absorb everything they see and hear. With their creativity and curiosity, diligence on the part of teachers and parents can help in molding a brilliant child. Although children learn fast, it does not follow that the rate of learning is the same. The undeniable truth is that a child learns according to his own pace. Some may pick up lessons faster than the others. Teaching should never be used with a one size fits all technique.

Teachers have different approach to teaching. Their approach is based upon their character. Some have the passion to teach, while others simply do it for the job. In that regard, whether you are a passionate teacher or a teacher by heart, it is important to determine the learning needs of the children being taught. The help of educational tools can also go a long way. While there may be different teaching skills, there are also different learning tools that the children of the future can rely upon.

Some people have observed that as technology advances, the intelligence of children advances as well. If you have noticed, lessons that were once taught at 8 years old are now being introduced to 6-year-olds. With this great advancement in children's intelligence, the technology needs to keep up as well. So, here are some educational tools that can be a great help in molding the future intelligence of children:

CD's and DVD's

In the olden days, we have been used to looking at pictures of encyclopedias and other hardbound references. There are soft copies of these which have been burned in either CD's, DVD's and other forms. Indeed, these are much easier to handle, store, and see. With its alluring pictures, the features are really impressive. In fact, some of it comes with music, too.

Television

Television is a great learning tool that can broaden the knowledge of children. Unlike before when cartoon characters do nothing but fight, modern animated characters shown on television these days actually teach the child while giving them some fun.

Internet-based Tool

There are internet-based tool in the World Wide Web which are focused on giving children choices between learning, playing, and drawing. There are those which can teach math to a child as young as 4 years old. As a matter of fact, the variety of choices is practically endless -- from storytelling (reading), solving problems, art, there are so many subjects to choose from. Once you put all of these together, the child will become brighter.

Children learn according to their preferences. There is no saying whether a tool can work if it has not been tried. But, keep in mind that aside from the cognitive skills of children, they still need to learn how to interact with other people. Keeping the balance between learning, playing, and socializing should be noted especially if their brain is still developing.

Matthew Hohn enjoys writing for Ssidisplays which sells [http://www.ssidisplays.com/content/back-projection-screens]back projection screen and [http://www.ssidisplays.com/products/projection-films]projection on glass as well as a host of additional products.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Interactive-Educational-Tools-for-Children&id=5828767] Interactive Educational Tools for Children

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How A School In The Kingdom of Bahrain May Hold Keys To The Future

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=E._Alana_James]E. Alana James

As mentioned in a previous article, the world's education systems are challenged to transform themselves to meet the needs of the knowledge economy. For world economic growth their graduates need to be able to get jobs or start their own businesses. There may be validity in the idea that education needs to remain somewhat separate from the needs of business, otherwise we have schools becoming little more than factories that turn out that people required by industry. At the same time the products that education graduate are people, and people want to have jobs and employment as well as to enjoy not mere survival but also the luxuries that they see others enjoying. This is the second in a series of articles on the challenges and potential changes that face education in the 21st century.

The obvious direct approach to preparing people of all ages for new work, is to teach them that work. This has led educators to see education in two tracks: one the academic that teaches students to think, process ideas, problem solve and to be scientific. The other, alternate track was vocationally driven. This often implied a somehow "less than" status to vocational work. Students were slotted to go one way or the other. The modern world is less compartmentalized than that, and seeing vocation or academics as two separate ways of being will no longer function. The modern employee or entrepreneur is required to maintain many of the same skills as the academic. Everyone needs to research information, organize it to meet the needs of their particular context, publish it in digital and non-digital formats, and be prepared to engage in active debate on the ideas they are working with. This is as true for a group of tradespeople as it is for professors, managers, business owners. The disconnect is that while some of these skills may develop during group work or project-based learning, most of the world still learns in classrooms with rows of desks, a teacher at the front, and students madly scribbling notes preparing themselves to regurgitate the content being handed to them when it comes time to take a test.

What would a school look like if we started over? The answer to that question is being addressed in the Kingdom of Bahrain by their new Polytechnic University. This article briefly discusses those ideas in the hopes that they are interesting to others and that they start a debate about new possibilities that are can be employed to transform education.

Bahrain Polytechnic University

All good action research starts with delving into current circumstances and understanding what is needed, perhaps that is the reason I like Bahrain Polytechnic so much. They started to design a program by conducting a series of interviews with human relations department to find out what they expected from the graduates they hired. Their findings demonstrated that the current perception of employers was that 49% of college graduates did not have the soft skills they needed (i.e. teamwork communication and problem-solving), 44% did not have the requisite language, math, or vocational skills that were needed, and 42% did not have an understanding of professional conduct or were not properly motivated to do good work. This puts a heavy burden on employers because their recruiting and training process is expensive and if almost 50% of the people they hire do not have the basics, they are inclined to go out of country for their recruiting.

Using the interview process the design team for Bahrain Polytechnic then decided that they needed a curriculum that embedded these skills in the curriculum not just as an add-on or byproduct of the educational process. They concluded that traditional context and knowledge-based education must change and rapidly. This is not easy, it has a lot of things pushing against it. For instance, when you're starting something new people don't have confidence that you know what you're doing, especially if what you're doing implies that what they are doing is not good enough. Also there is a difficulty in finding staff through who will carry through on your vision, because, after all, your vision is new and likely to be misinterpreted. Finally, the facilities that you inherit from other models are, by definition, outmoded and get in the way of what you were trying to accomplish.

In spite of these challenges Bahrain Polytechnic has come up with three sets of skills, or types of growth, that will be overlaid and worked on concurrently throughout the students tenure at the University. There will of course be the academic studies, but alongside direct instruction will be employ-ability skills, and a continuously developing self-knowledge profile. In other words, these students will be continuously evaluated on their attitude, their delivery, and the coherency between those and how they see themselves. Marvelous!

Educators will say things like, "that all sounds great but how are you can measure it?" Although this is still a work in progress, Bahrain Polytechnic has made great strides in answering that question. Still two years away from their first graduating class, they see their graduates having three transcripts that they will bring to future employers. The first provides an overview of the range of achievement levels on academic content, the same as provided by universities worldwide. The second is what they call an employ-ability profile in which the student has had to demonstrate and been continually assessed by staff on what are considered the soft skills of communication, teamwork, problem solving, initiative and enterprise, planning and organization, self-management, learning and technology. Those same skills are evaluated by the students themselves in their self-knowledge profile. Then all three are graphically laid over one another in order to give the employer a visual representation of the whole person who is applying for the job.

How is this done? Through a curriculum that builds on the foundation program of strong English skills, the ability to research, use of information technology and math. The degrees offered are bachelors or diplomas in: visual design, international logistics management, information and communications technology, business, office management, web media, and engineering technology. They are just starting the process of design for the new campus, where the architecture of the buildings they inhabit will help rather than hinder their mission through wide-open spaces, easy places to meet, an atmosphere that promotes project work 24/7 etc. It was my pleasure to be able to sit in on their discussion with the architect, and that alone should dramatically increase the ability to think creatively, as the students will no longer be contained in rows of boxes. Their campus fits with the lifestyle engendered by digital natives, who jump easily between social, organizational, and project design work.

This article looked into an innovative solution to the problems addressed in previous writing about the apparent disconnect between education graduates and the needs of the employers who will hire them. Even as a start-up, this university has good management and solid backing from the Kingdom of Bahrain. At this points it looks as thought there is every likelihood that it will fulfill its mission. I said elsewhere, it is easier to start fresh in some instances such as when you are making dramatic change, then to refit existing structures. Future articles in this series will look into the ways and means in which action research can help when education and policy are faced with a "refit" rather than start over is good process.

If you are a student, a parent, an educator or any other type of concerned party who is interested in the future of education, you may want to look into the range resources available on: [http://www.futureofeducationproject.net]http://www.futureofeducationproject.net. Register and we will keep you in touch with new ideas as they develop. Dr. E. Alana James, writes on and facilitates participatory action research studies where people research their own particular dilemma is an effective way to address complex issues that otherwise can cause despair. Through PAR, local adaptations can be implemented and evaluated simultaneously. This strategy allows for a world of individuals to work together through the net to re-design education.

Other works on action research for personal and professional innovation can be found on Alana's personal site at http://www.reinventinglife.org

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-A-School-In-The-Kingdom-of-Bahrain-May-Hold-Keys-To-The-Future&id=5198725] How A School In The Kingdom of Bahrain May Hold Keys To The Future

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Using Action Research To Change The Future Of Education

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=E._Alana_James]E. Alana James

Learning in online environments is no longer a new idea. Around the world, in classrooms and in homes children and adults of all ages are learning in both structured and non-structured environments online. People from three to 73 are successful online learners. People who predict disruptive innovations have said that by the year 2025 over 50% of all the education in the world will be done through computers.

Changes present problems. If you change too early the new idea may prove to be a bust and there you are, having invested in an idea that quickly deteriorated. I remember the man in charge of technology at Columbia telling my class in the early 90's that online learning was not paying off - putting the content materials up online was too costly and too quickly out of date to ever be profitable. Of course you know now that these challenges were overcome. Universities with online platforms are the fastest growing anywhere in the world, and online schools for younger children are quickly gaining in importance, especially for children who live in remote areas, speak a language different from the country in which they live or who have difficulties socially with other students.

This article discusses how action research might be used to help parents, educators or concerned citizens design the successful integration of "new paradigms" of educational ideas (online or other), materials and content with traditional schooling- making the ideas of change within education less of a trauma and more of a seamless, integrated process. As I have written in other articles, it often seems challenging to average people to take on ideas that come from research, nonetheless the three steps in action research of discovery, action and reflection will seem familiar as indeed they are. What may be new will the unique blend of how they interact in the process to make seemingly difficult things become simple. This allows us to move ahead and make changes in your educational design that may not have previously been considered.

Discovery

During the discovery phase you learn about the attributes of both the paradigm or model that you are currently using and the one that you are considering for adoption. To use the redesign of schools as an example you might ask the following questions then go to the web, other people, professional journals and books, etc to find a range of ideas as answers. Notice that in the following list you look for both the positive and the remaining outliers who still may not be served by the known models.


What type of student learns best online? In the classroom? In a blended environment?
What type of student is not likely to learn in any of these?
What are the implementation costs of each model? Who pays?
How do these costs amortize over time? How does that compare to how the content becomes outdated?


Armed with answers to these and other questions that you feel are important for schools in your community, you set up a graphic organizer to help guide your decisions as to what changes you want to make to improve your schools. Across the top of your table you put the styles of education (both those that you are doing and those that you are considering). Down the left edge you list the attributes you are looking for in your ideal educational type. The end result will look like many lists that you may come across comparing the features on a product - and just like when shopping you chose the model that best suits your needs.

Measurable Action

As you were listing the attributes of your current schools against the ideals you were interested in striving for you were also establishing a baseline of what you currently do and don't have. Armed, with solid ideas of what is working elsewhere that you want for your own community you are now ready to take the first actions toward making change. Remember three things are almost always true about change: it takes longer, costs more and is more frustrating to implement that we think will be true when we start - that is where the second two steps take of action research help.

In the measurable action step you keep good records and twice a week you jot down what you have done and what the results were. As an example for a school reform project you likely need more partners to help you succeed. The first actions may include going to see important people, discussing your ideas and the discoveries you made in the discovery section. Before you leave you will ask for their help. Twice a week (often enough you won't forget the details) you make note of what you did and the outcomes. Pretty soon you will see patterns in the responses you get and you will refine what it is you are doing, also increasing the likelihood of success.

Your bi-weekly notes give you some advantages: First they keep you on track, making it hard for a week to go by and nothing happens. Second, you find success faster because your note-taking ensures you notice the details that help. Third, you lose your fear of trying new strategies as they all become just more data about what worked and what didn't. Finally, and without necessarily noticing it your notes will give you a sense of satisfaction that you have really tackled this hard problem and are making progress.

Reflection

It is likely that your ideas will not completely change education as you know it in your area. Our systems are doggedly conservative because all the people involved come with their own history of how things were done before now, defaulting to that easily. The more complex the system, and education is one of the most complex and the harder for sweeping change to take hold in a sustainable fashion. That doesn't mean your reform steps won't make a great impact, only that but both your new ideas and those that you want to replace will live side by side.

What is required is for leaders to be able to do this type of analysis in order to bring new ideas to their organizations without losing the stability created by the more familiar ones.

Would you like to learn more about how your voice can make a difference to the future of education? If you are a student, a parent, an educator or any other type of concerned party who may want to pursue the conversation or host strategy meetings with others, join the network by registering with http://www.futureofeducationproject.net and we will keep you in touch with the group as it grows. Dr. E. Alana James, writes on and facilitates participatory action research studies where people research their own particular dilemma is an effective way to address complex issues that otherwise can cause despair. Through PAR, local adaptations can be implemented and evaluated simultaneously. This strategy allows for a world of individuals to work together through the net to re-design education.

Other works on action research for personal and professional innovation can be found on Alana's personal site at [http://www.reinventinglife.org]http://www.reinventinglife.org.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Using-Action-Research-To-Change-The-Future-Of-Education&id=5160217] Using Action Research To Change The Future Of Education

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Education For the 21st Century AKA The Hub Proposal

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Phil_Wagner]Phil Wagner and Patrick Yurick

Creating a Hybrid Learning Community

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

What might a 21st-century community look in which students direct their own education? In this world, the following scenario could take place: a student, engrossed in his favorite video game, puts down his gaming console and decides that he has an innovative idea for a new game of his own. From the convenience of his home computer he signs on to his profile at his school website and posts a bulletin within the "projects" section of the school's online network. His bulletin states the reasons why his video game idea is innovative and what kind of people he needs to help him bring his idea to fruition. After a few hours, seven other students have shown an interest in his idea and want to join him in the endeavor. The intended critical mass of interested parties having been reached, they must now seek out the relevant information and processes to make the project happen.

The group is assigned a teacher/mentor that will aid them in facilitating the achievement of their goal. A meeting time is set and the interested parties meet up in a conference room located at the online school's Hub complex. The Hub Complex is a state of the art building that acts as a meeting ground for the physical aspects of project based learning. In some rooms there are students working on massive science projects while in other rooms students are studying the fine arts related to current cultural topics. The video game designing student has contacted fellow classmates in the carpool list, but due to no one traveling to the Hub at the time he had to travel via public transit.

With notes scribbled on whiteboards and paper, the student's initial idea is fleshed out. It is determined that computer programming, graphic design, and physics are crucial aspects of the forthcoming project and, while the students have some experience in graphic design, their first challenge is that they lack the requisite programming skills. The group decides to sign up for a programming session where other groups are learning the tools necessary to write video game code. A student with a strong interest in the visual aspect of the project works with a student from another group to walk through an online tutorial in game graphic design. The project continues with the mentor acting as consultant, ensuring that the students are not getting overwhelmed and are finding the resources they need. When the video game is completed, the students reflect with the mentor on what was the most difficult part of the project. It may be determined that the project would have gone much more smoothly if a tutorial on some particular facet of the process had been made available to them. This would have saved some time on trial and error and unnecessary difficulties. The group works to publish documentation wherein their reflections won't just benefit their own future project endeavors, but will also serve as an available resource to future student projects and other users around the world.

How do we achieve this vision while working to simultaneously ensure that our students are well educated and allowed to pursue their passions? Perhaps the Internet is the answer public education has been looking for. Over the past decade, online schools and universities have opened at radically increasing rates while many colleges are adopting some form of hybrid online/traditional classrooms to facilitate learning. In the traditional classroom, students interact with other students and teachers, an interaction which creates a relationship that can be treasured for a lifetime. Online lectures and textbooks are still lectures and textbooks, which can be very difficult and confusing. Without another person to help us and without challenging projects that require human interaction the online classroom will be devoid of the life naturally attained within the traditional classroom. Lectures and textbook based learning is why the current form of "online schooling" will never be completely successful. Project based learning with a human face to face component must be included in this new online paradigm in order to facilitate personal and meaningful engagement of students.

One of the principles that our public education system is founded on is the idea that a well-informed citizenry remain strong, free, constantly interactive and capable of diverse thinking. Educating to diverse communication standards (both new and old) is vital to strengthening the community of a multi-cultural society. It is becoming increasingly apparent as we move further into the twenty-first century that education should dovetail with rapidly evolving practices in contemporary communications. In fact, institutional policies are reacting to this demand across the United States. (1) Public education must be flexible enough to follow communities within its structure no matter where they exist. Online education becomes inevitable in this scenario because, as it has become the popular means of mass communication, it has also begun to supplant and augment the traditional loci of communities world-wide. The modern classroom has become the Internet, and vice-versa. Because of the limitless potential of human interaction made possible by the numerous technologies we find at our disposal in the twenty-first century, communities based on instantaneous communication have formed within a new frontier that exists worldwide. Public education, if it is to stay relevant to the needs of the modern community, needs to find its place at the forefront of this frontier.

Online communities have replaced geographical ones. While many are unable to name one of their neighbors, they connect daily with hundreds or thousands of like-minded people for various reasons. These communities are in place, yet education has not effectively found a way to harness these connections for meaningful learning-even while meaningful learning is taking place within them all along! As public educators work to discern and define the function of the K-12 classroom in this new era of communication, they must strive to meet the demands brought forth by new and ever-emerging technologies while still working to create a school that will-above and beyond all things-facilitate learning for the K-12 student. But moving towards a methodology which no longer focuses strictly on the "traditional" means of communication does not mean that teachers need to abandon their basic instinct, viz. to learn we need to interact physically with one another. The traditional concept of a school as being a place where students come together to learn in the same physical environment is not a concept that should be abandoned. Rather, public educators need to change their preconceptions of how and when students come together to learn so that their education can support this new type of technology driven classroom.

Since very early in American history, educators have worked to ensure that all students are prepared and well rounded. Every year more and more people are choosing to enter a college or university; choosing to go beyond their required education in order to receive training in areas about which they are passionate. Yet, in the last couple of decades we have seen technology explode onto the scene, permanently changing the way we live, interact, and learn. While schools have worked hard to ensure that students are equipped with the tools needed in today's society, we can always ask: is technology being used its fullest extent? The above scenario, in which students utilize available technologies to the fullest extent in order to complete a complex project, outlines a possible situation in which students, rather than simply making use of technology to absorb disjointed and only marginally useful facts, employ such technology to learn and develop within a tightly-knit community.

Is it possible to envision a world where an online student body is able to complete a project that they are interested in while still obtaining the skills and facts necessary to fall in line with the National Standards of Education? How can schools stay in touch with the world if they are not part of the mainstream student communities of the 21st century? All humans have a natural inclination towards learning; whether learning to walk, read a book, or to take a car apart and put it back together again. It is the responsibility of public educational institutions to mentor these natural motivations and to encourage a productive and collaborative society. Can this be successfully achieved and supported within the confines of a hybrid school? If public educators are to rise to the challenges of our times, the answer must invariably be, "yes."

The Internet has become the unofficial 21st century method for learning. Almost anything can be learned by simply watching a YouTube video or following along on someone else's blog. News is transmitted instantaneously throughout the world creating an almost unlimited supply of information for almost any need. However, when we look in the classroom, we find information continuing to be disseminated in the same way it has been for centuries. Where information comes out of the Internet like a waterfall, students are asked to sit for eight hours a day and move through information at a trickle. This is why public education needs to follow the community, especially when the community is obviously shouting that it knows where it wants to be.

So how do we tap into those communities? If there is one thing that has truly kept the fire of learning alive, it has been the library. Imagine a super-library, a kind of K-12 learning center that has been built to be alive and able to act a resource for an online community. A place that would support a kind of project-based learning that could be facilitated anywhere there was an Internet connection. This online school Hub would be filled with teachers and experts who could be present both physically present and virtually for students to interact with no matter where they are. This place would also serve as an easy meeting place for the physically interactive parts of project-based learning that are required of its online student body.

We propose that this Hub be the school that actively engages with the 21st century community structures. This high tech Hub facility will be a place where teachers no longer become the gatekeepers of a rigid grading system, but rather start acting as mentors and facilitators within a complex hive of student activity. Why this hub would be successful as a base for an online/virtual school is because it would enable what public education has been seeking to accomplish all along - it would allow students to naturally gravitate to the school out of the want for learning. The basic idea is that human beings learn while uncomfortable, i.e. in new situations where they are forced to be alert. If students were able to first engage with a school from a comfortable place it is our theory that these students would in turn be not only motivated to come to school they will be drawn to it. A "Hey, what's going on here?" attitude will be fostered when a student is able to observe the classroom before entering it.

It is of our opinion that if a High School were to utilize new technologies to expand the classroom and support its communication between all parties involved the result would be a class that is no longer confined by the walls of one room. The classroom could then become earth and the world we live in would become the teacher. This "free from physical constraints" classroom would be populated with students who are able to communicate anywhere that they can receive Internet bandwidth. Projects could take place in the African bush or in a coffee shop in Bern, Switzerland.

As we move into the future of learning the question of how to combine truly personalized education and online learning becomes self-evident. There are many more conversations that must come up to answer this, but none can arise until we have a core understanding as a community of what we are trying to achieve and what we are trying to teach as educators.

1) For a detailed elaboration of this phenomenon, see John Watson, Butch Gemin, and Jennifer Ryan. "Keeping the Pace with K-12 Online learning: A Review of State-Level Policy and Practice." Rev. of K-12 Online Learning. Nov. 2008: 1-163.

Phil Wagner - Math/Physics/Robotics Teacher

Patrick Yurick - Graphic Design Teacher and Founder of the Graphic Novel Project.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Education-For-the-21st-Century-AKA-The-Hub-Proposal&id=4904802] Education For the 21st Century AKA The Hub Proposal

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Father, give me back the hands of Dita.. .... ...

Create all of which have become parents or expectant parents and .... Remember .... Upset of any kind, let us not overreact ... As parents, we ought to look after each other we act specifically on the problem child is still small because they still do not understand.

Here is the true story called "Father, give me back the hands of Dita ... ... ..."

A husband and wife - like other couples in big cities leave their children cared for while working housemaid. This couples only child, a beautiful woman aged three and a half years. He was alone at home and often left assistants for busy working in the kitchen.
Play him with swing-top cradle swing in which his father purchased, or pick flowers and others in his yard.

One day he saw a nail rust. And he crossed the floor where her father's car was parked, but since the floor is made of marble, the streaks are not visible. She tried again on a new car his father. Yes ... because the car was dark colored, so his writing is clear. Moreover, these children were scribbled in accordance with his creativity.

That day my father and mother motor into the workplace because he wanted to avoid the jams. Having the right car is full strokes so he switched to the left of the car. Made a picture of mother and father, their own image, painting chickens, cats and others to follow his imagination. The incident took place without fully realizing the maid of the house.

When I got home late, troubled couples that year saw a new car purchased with installment payments that are still the old hull. The father who had not yet entered into this house continues to scream, "who's this job!" ....
Housemaid who was struck by a scream and it ran out. He also beristighfar. Flushed face scared after seeing the face of ruthless master. Once again the hard questions submitted to him, he kept saying 'I do not know .. sir. "" You're home all day, what pot are you doing? "Snapped the wife again.

The child who hears his father's voice, suddenly ran out of room. With full pampered she said "Dita's father who makes the picture .. beautiful ... is not it! "she said as she hugged her father with spoiled as usual. The father who had lost patience took a small twig from a tree in front of his house, struck again to keep her child's palm. The child who does not understand what what crying in pain, pain and fear. Satisfied hitting the palm of the hand, dad is also hitting the back of his hand. While the mother was just silence, as though blessing and is satisfied with the punishment imposed.

Housemaid during free, have no notion what hrs do for a long time ... The father pounded his right hand and then replace his left hand. After the father went into the house followed by the mother, the maid holding the little boy, took him to the room.

He was shocked at the palm of the hand and back hand of the little boy who hurt and bleed. Maid was bathing the child. While douse it with water, she began to cry. The boy was also arrested painful screaming when the wound was exposed to water. Then the maid to sleep little boy. The father had left the child sleeping with a maid. The next day, the child's hands were swollen. Maid complained to her employer. "Apply the medication alone!" Answered the father of the child.

Home from work, she did not notice the little boy who spent time in the maid's room. The father is reportedly willing to give lessons to his son. Three days passed, the father has never visited his son while the mother was too, although every day asked the maid. "Dita fever, ma'am" ... aides said succinctly. "Love Panadol drink it," replied the mother. Before the mother entered the bedroom he visited the room attendants. As seen in the arms of his son Dita housemaid, she closed the back door of the room attendants. Sign fourth day, housemaid tells her master that Dita's body temperature is too hot. "This afternoon we'll take it to the clinic. 5:00 am ready "said his employer was. Until the time the child is already weak brought to the clinic. The doctor directed that he be brought to the hospital because the situation is serious trouble. After several days of inpatient care doctor called the father and the mother of the child. "There are no options .." said the doctor who suggested that the boy's hands cut off because the pain was too severe. "It's been festering, for the sake of saving his life, both hands should be cut from the elbow down" said the doctor. The father and mother were hit by lightning like to hear those words. It seemed the world stopped spinning, but what can be said anymore.

Wailed the mother embracing the child. With a heavy heart and tears melted his wife, the father shook his hand signed letter of approval from the surgery. Exit from the surgery, after the drug was injected up, the child crying in pain. He was also surprised to see his hands wrapped in white gauze. He looked at her mother and father face. Then to the maid's face. He frowned at them all cry. In the torment of pain, the child's voice in tears. "Daddy .. ... Dita's mother would not do it anymore .... Dita o'clock father did not want anymore. Dita would not mean more ... Dita dear father .. dear mother. ", he said repeatedly failed to make the mother hold grief. "Dita is also Mbok Narti dear .." he looked at the faces housemaid, while making the woman screamed hysterically.

"Daddy .. Dita hand it back. For what is taken .. Dita promise ill will repeat it again! Dita how to eat later? ... How Dita want to play later? ... Dita promise ill be writing in the car again, "he said repeatedly.
Seemed to come off the heart of the mother heard her son's words. She cried as hard as the strong but the fate that had occurred no man can resist. Rice has become porridge. In the end it was a beautiful child to continue his life without both hands and he still does not understand why his remains should be cut even have to apologize.


The story above is a reflection and learning to become successful parents. The story above dikutif of Facebook friends a message delivery "1000 GRANTS ARTICLES Sympathetic Islami Corps Ajengan Ubed Galmasi"

READ MORE - Father, give me back the hands of Dita.. .... ...