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iPad Tools For Education

Hot news from Yury Mintskovsky:

Computer giant Apple is announcing today that they’ll be providing wider variety of learning materials for students, specifically for those from kindergarten to grade 12. The unveiling is set to take place in New York at a scheduled media event later this morning, by Eddy Cue, the chief of Apple Internet Software.

The move is an attempt to make the iPad a lighter, more compact and less expensive alternative to textbooks. (As a side note, the textbook industry rakes in $10 billion annually!)

A single iPad has the ability to replace all of the textbooks in a student’s lifetime, since new materials may simply be downloaded via the internet. The new software tools will enable educators to publish learning materials more easily than ever before, whether they’re a single teacher or a multinational publishing house. Apple hopes that by introducing these new easy-to-use tools, even self-publishers will be able to take advantage of them.

Not Just For Teachers, Though
The new software will also be aimed at historians, linguists, and other scholars who hope to release their own works to the public, without being restricted by the rules of a hired book publisher. Self-publishing their works is surely to have a great impact on our collective knowledge!

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Spending Cuts Urged

Arkansas, like the rest of America, is dealing with tightening drawstrings, and the first place it seems like they’re trying to save money on is in education, much to the Education chief’s chagrin.

Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell has protested the proposed spending cuts on the public education system by stating that it would be a “step back from Arkansas’ commitment to students”. He made the statement today before the legislative Joint Budget Committee.

Although Gov. Mike Beebe proposed an increase of $56.6 million for public school funding the next fiscal year, it appears that public schools have still been negatively affected by restrictive budgeting. In 2010, nearly $80 million was cut from the budget for public schools. That was a huge drawback for education in the State. However, it looks like funding has increased in an effort to foster the competitiveness of young people in Arkansas in the global marketplace.

Just recently, Education Week magazine released the statistics of their annual Quality Counts report, giving Arkansas a low mark in “Student achievement” and “the chance for a successful career with an Arkansas education”. Ouch. Overall, Arkansas placed 5th in the country.

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Judging A School By Its Cover

Are you looking for a school for your child? You’ll probably be visiting many, many institutions in your pursuit for the best school for your child. You’ll probably see some that are beautifully maintained with the latest equipment and technologies for the students to take advantage of, while others may not be as nicely kept and have fewer amenities at their fingertips. It’s only human nature to pick the best for your child, but sometimes the best doesn’t mean those schools that are the prettiest.

Go Deeper
The outside of a school isn’t always an accurate representation of what’s on the inside. You’ll need to delve deeper by speaking directly with the teachers, talking to parents of students who are currently enrolled at that school, and even chatting with the administrative staff who may have a different perspective on things. The student body may also be examined. Sometimes, searching online can uncover the personal accounts of students at that school, so you can get a first hand look at their experiences.

Take these things into consideration before determining if that school is suitable for your child, and never, ever just judge a school by how nice it looks. Your child deserves more consideration than that!

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School: Learn To Love It

school kid

Is there a child in your life who hates going to school? Day in and day out, they complain about having to go as well as complete the homework they’ve been assigned when they come home. As a parent, you may even feel guilty for sending your child to school, as it’s a place that they just have to attend.

Teach your child to love school by finding out first the reason why they hate it.

Classmates, Friends and Other Social Problems
School isn’t just for education. One of the most important aspects of school is socialization, and spending several hours of the day with the same people for most of the week. Some children who fail to forge relationships are don’t know how to navigate social constructs may become unhappy and isolated.

To improve this area, the child must learn to improve their social experiences. You can help your child do this by signing them up for an after school activity in a subject that is of interest to them. An arts class, gymnastics, martial arts or something like that can boost self confidence by nourishing a talent that has been neglected. By boosting self confidence, your child may have a better ability to make friends at their school.

Problems with the teacher
Although teachers are trained to teach all sorts of kids, sometimes, they can’t get through to some. There may also be a personality conflict between the teacher and child. As a parent, find out if this is the reason why your child doesn’t like school, then talk to the teacher directly about the situation. Don’t place blame! Remember, the most important thing to do is to resolve the situation rather than place blame or foster negativity.

Learning Disability
It can be frustrating for a child who doesn’t understand what’s being taught. When a child can’t understand the topics taught, fails at schoolwork and consistently gets low grades, there may be a problem that is more than just misbehaviour. It may mean that your child has a learning disability. Dyslexia and hearing problems can seriously impede the learning process, and it’s vital that you find out if this is the source of frustration for your child.

By addressing this problems, your child will soon be able to enjoy school again!