Featured Story Archives: September 2009

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9/29/09

By Ben Wolff

Parenting Our Tech Savvy Students

Joe Battle, a parent of a high school student, talks about the importance of advocating for technology in our children’s schools.
 
 

9/29/09

By Ben Wolff

Digital Media and the Classroom from a Teacher’s Perspective

Yumi Matsui, a teacher from Oakland, Calif., discusses integrating digital tools into her classroom.

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9/29/09

By Ben Wolff

A Student on the Importance of Access to the Digital Generation

Spotlight talks with Terrence Thompson, a Chicago high school student and filmmaker.

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9/29/09

By Ben Wolff

Challenges of Working with New Media in Schools

“How we bring new ideas about learning together with a pretty tightly focused assessment and standards condition for a lot of schools. I would say that’s one of the biggest challenges ahead of us.” Spotlight talks with the National Writing Project’s Elyse Eidman-Aadahl.

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9/29/09

By Ben Wolff

Digital Media and Learning Goes to Washington

What role should digital media play in educating youth today? On Sept. 21, the Consortium on School Networking (CoSN), Common Sense Media, and the National Writing Project, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, briefed members of Congress and their staff on that very question.

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9/18/09

By Cindy Richards

Classroom Quest: Virtual Space Brings Academic Content to Life

“I can tell them this stuff and it means nothing,” a teacher says, but let them become a scientist in a virtual world and the content sticks.
 
 

9/18/09

By Ben Wolff

Grasping Math and Science, Literally

A Wii-like space helps kids grasp math and science in a hands-on way. Designers talk about their goals in designing this “lab,” in this video produced by Ben Wolff.
 
 

9/18/09

By Sarah Jackson

Tips for Teachers Using Quest Atlantis

Teachers are integral to Quest Atlantis’ success.
 
 

9/18/09

By Heather Chaplin

How Games Foster Learning

Renowned media scholar James Gee talks with Heather Chaplin, author of Smartbomb, about how games influence learning.
 
 

9/18/09

By Ben Wolff

Why a Former Teacher Now Designs Games

“What makes games so powerful,” says “Quest Atlantis” designer Sasha Barab, “is this form of transformational play where I’m taking up a role and doing things that are transforming the environment…I’m playing out a self I wouldn’t see myself doing.”
 
 

9/18/09

By Sarah Jackson

Video Game Designers on “What Is a Game?”

When people talk of video games today, they often think first of “World of Warcraft” or similar games. Yet games take on many forms and purposes. Game designers themselves often debate what is and isn’t a game. So we asked two leaders in the field how they define a game.

Filed in: Games, Virtual Worlds

 
 

9/08/09

By Barbara Ray

Anywhere, Anytime Learning

“What happens in here is creativity,” says Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey. Read about the exciting results of YOUmedia’s first month, and the thinking behind its design.
 
 

9/08/09

By Sarah Jackson

Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out

Dig deeper into the research behind “hanging out, messing around, and geeking out.”
 
 

9/08/09

By Barbara Ray

Libraries’ Role in Promoting 21st Century Skills

Read more about where libraries fit in this digital world and how they can promote 21st-century skills.
 
 

9/08/09

By Ben Wolff

Remixing Libraries—New Teen Space Integrates Digital with Books

“YOUmedia could be the beginning of rethinking young people’s use of digital media in libraries,” says MacArthur Foundation’s Connie Yowell.