KaDeWo - The Joy Advocate

Salutations to all, The rumor mill is a buzz, and has been, in the discussion about the success of international education systems. Finland in particular is a major topic, because of their well-respected status on the list of ranked countries to determine the consistent achievements of each one's education system. Below are three articles that explain the elements that lead to Finland's progress. Each article provides new details, which i found interesting. An emphasis on socialization skills, less concern with grades at the elementary level, and the commencement of school at the age of seven were a few practices which caught my attention. The US has many success stories in various states, cities, and school districts on student excellence, due to innovative methods teachers implement with the support of administrators AND parents (i.e. the Harlem Children's Zone http://www.hcz.org/ ).  Perhaps the reading material will inspire more/future educators to apply new techni...

Salutations! I am absolutely excited to share an innovative resource with you... Brace yourself. YouTube (aka Google) is taking over the world!! Today I discovered YouTube for Schools / YouTube Teachers and YouTube Edu . I realize that I a little late as these branches of the original site were launched in December 2011; however, I will still share my thoughts about the tools you may potentially utilize in your classroom(s). Using audio and visual instruments assists all students in furthering their understanding. This demonstration of universal design in academic settings lends itself to, students with, all learning styles. Today’s classrooms have to function on a global level as well; these tools are another avenue for educators to expose students to experiences beyond the classroom. YouTube for Schools/Teachers targets children and adolescents. Elementary, middle, and high school instructors can find media clips for math, language arts, science, and social studies. A range ...

The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture provides a useful website for parents and educators to present a truthful account, to their students, of African American history. There are several images with captions and passages for parents, teachers, and students to select for study. The Family Life and Social Development and Expressive Culture sections are must reads! Assignments may include: Research family or culture history project Link can be used for a scavenger hunt of facts (use with a Webquest) Compare and contrast writing assignment (use scenes from a film such as Amistad, or another text that speaks to the history of the slave trade, to compare the Transatlantic Slave Trade section of this site)  *The only thing this site is lacking is audio, however there are assistive programs for computers/laptops, such as a screen reader. Check it out: Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery Below you may post your comments on the L...

Greetings Readers, It has been too long since I have last blogged. The reason I return at this moment is to vent about what various forms of media are teaching the youth. Last weekend a found myself disturbed by a group of children that were acting scenes from a reality television show. I have never seen the show, but many have referenced and recanted scenes which include extreme levels of profanity, violence, bullying and other foolishness! The moment left me flabbergasted and upset. As a future educator of secondary students, I will be working with adolescents who are/will be greatly influenced by what they see in their homes, neighborhoods, and unfortunately on fake television programs and their boorish, fabricated "celebrities". What positive messages are portrayed in the media these days? There is a wealth of negativity highlighted and thrust at the public every second. I am not just speaking of "reality" programs, nor am I stating that all "reality...

  Check it out! Where can you aid humanity and learn simultaneously? There are many features on FREERICE.COM - in five different languages. The greatest, in my opinion, is the different subjects one can select at http://freerice.com/category   to practice and/or build one's foreign language, math, science, SAT, and vocabulary skills. I introduce the website in most tutorial sessions with new learners.  Parents, tutors, educators, and students can use the site for constructively fun competition to earn more rice to fight malnutrition and gain essential knowledge for higher education. Play individually or gather a group of players.   According to the "About" section, Freerice has two goals: Provide education to everyone for free. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. I cannot guarantee that the organization feeds starving people in the US or in other countries; however the idea is a noble one....