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6/02/11
By Josh Karp
Students Use Virtual Tools to Collaborate Across the Globe on Real World Environmental Conservation
With the help of the Field Museum, students in Chicago and Fiji work together to dive on coral reefs, examine living species, and learn about biodiversity and conservation.4/19/11
Digital Media in the Classroom Case Study: Gamestar Mechanic
Gamestar Mechanic is a video game that teaches kids how to design video games. With the first school year wrapping up in which Gamestar Mechanic was used, Spotlight takes a look at how teachers—and students—made progress with it in the classroom.4/06/11
Can Digital Technologies Help Low-Income Preschoolers Catch Up to Their Peers?
One study shows promising evidence that technology can improve young children’s literacy skills.3/24/11
Learning, Digital Media and Creative Play in Early Childhood
Can new media technologies be a valid learning tool during the preschool years? Spotlight talks with education and childhood development experts about what is known and what isn’t—and what teachers and parents can do about it.3/02/11
By Josh Karp
Digital Media in the Classroom Case Study: Voices on the Gulf
Voices on the Gulf is an online community that encourages teacher and student discussion about the aftermath of the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Students from all across the nation learn firsthand what happened—and is still happening—to residents and wildlife affected by the spill.2/17/11
Teens At FabLab San Diego Experiment with Creative Computing
In 2010, San Diego teens learned how to code in an open source programming language called Processing. Watch them demonstrate their interactive designs in these videos from Fab Lab San Diego in partnership with UCSD Extension.2/17/11
By Matt Haber
At Hackasaurus Jam, Mozilla Encourages Young Programmers to Change the Web
A new tool set and curriculum aims to open up the web so that young people can see how it works, change it and make it their own.1/04/11
Prototyping Our Way to Reforming Education
With ARIS, a new application for creating place-based mobile games, developers experiment with new models to get digital tools into educators hands more quickly - rapid prototyping of an idea and tons of user testing.12/20/10
By Josh Karp
Digital Youth Network Program Expands to Underserved Areas in Chicago
The Digital Youth Network, a program that teaches kids to be meaningful producer of digital media is expanding.11/23/10
The Future of Reading and Writing is Collaborative
A vanguard of educators, technologists, intellectuals and writers are reimagining the very meaning of writing and reading.11/11/10
Making a (Social) Impact: Gaming Companies Encourage Kids to Design Games With a Purpose
Spotlight talks with game developers about their plans to help kids design video games based on important social issues such as energy, nutrition and eco systems.11/10/10
Novel Public/Private Partnership Brings “Gamestar Mechanic” Video Game to Classrooms
After five years in the making “Gamestar Mechanic” is now available to educators via E-Line Media. Spotlight tells the story of how unique game-based learning platform came to be.10/25/10
By Josh Karp
What Is This Buzz Word “Transliteracy”? A Q&A with Ryan Nadel
If you Google “transliteracy,” the definition is nearly unanimous from Wikipedia on down: the ability to read, write and interact on a range of platforms, tools and media. But, behind the definition, according to Ryan Nadel is a simpler concept that’s as old as the theory of evolution.10/21/10
By Josh Karp
Filmmakers Create a “Discovery Channel” for Heiltsuk First Nations Youth
Although they lived surrounded by nature, Heiltsuk youth in northern Canada seemed more interested in their iPods. A novel project brought the bears and wildlife their ancestors revered into their classrooms and empowered them to use technology to connect with their surroundings—all through the simple act of discovery.9/30/10
By Ben Wolff
