Motion Math co-founder Jacob Klein is coming to Pittsburgh to speak at Carnegie Mellon’s Career Fair. On Tuesday, February 7th at 2:30pm, Jacob will share his story with education technology students and practitioners at Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center.

This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning how new ideas develop into promising new ventures. Please RSVP to Mary Catherine Dieterle at ude.umc.werdnanull@f8bm.

About Motion Math

Motion Math creates fun learning games that let kids play with numbers. Their first product, conceived at the Stanford School of Education, leveraged the iDevice accelerometer to make fraction estimation fun and physical and won a Serious Play Gold Medal. A rigorous efficacy study (the first for an iPad educational app) found the game improved test scores 15% and attitudes towards fractions by 10% – watch this video to learn more.

Their second and third games have received rave reviews, promotion by Apple, and #5 rankings in the Education category. Motion Math is backed by a world-class group of angel investors, including Mitch Kapor, Dave McClure, and Mike Wood (the founder of LeapFrog), and the team has been featured in TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Wired, WSJ, Forbes, and the NYT.

Most importantly: kids, parents, and teachers love Motion Math products.

Today, February 1, 2012, is Digital Learning Day, a nationwide effort led by the Alliance for Excellent Education to “celebrate innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology.”

On Digital Learning Day, a majority of states, hundreds of school districts, thousands of teachers, and nearly 2 million students will encourage the innovative use of technology by trying something new, showcasing success, kicking off project-based learning, or focusing on how digital tools can help improve student outcomes.”

You can catch ongoing stream from the Digital Learning Webcast until 6pm at the Digital Learning Day website. Digital Learning Day participants include Barbara Treacy, director, EdTech Leaders Online and former Governor of West Virginia Bob Wise of the Alliance for Excellent Education.

See how Pittsburgh is getting in on the action this afternoon at the Hazelwood branch of the Carnegie Library where they are hosting an iPad 2 Gadget Lab for ages 10 and up. From photography, to movie and music creation, we’ve got a bunch of fun and easy-to-use apps you’re going to love! Visit the Hazelwood branch this afternoon from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.

Author and Duke University academic Cathy Davidson wants to add one more ‘R’ to the traditional education formula of reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. That fourth ‘R’ is algoRithms, the step-by-step reasoning method used in mathematics and computer science that Davidson sees as an essential model for thinking and doing in our digital world.

Davidson identifies algorithmic thinking as one of the new literacies that will enable today’s students to become more active and engaged contributors in the world of “Webcraft.” Read more in Davidson’s Why We Need a 4th R: Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic, algoRithms essay published at DML Central.

You can take part in a virtual “fireside chat” with Cathy Davidson tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb 1st at 12pm EST.

Sign up to take part in this Lanyrd confernece

[The exhibit] features artists who are engaged in non-disciplinary inquiry; they aren’t allied to the customs of any single field, and therefore have license to reach beyond conventions. This kind of practice hinges on up-close observation, experiential learning, and inventing new ways for the public to participate in the process.

Among exhibitors is the Center for PostNatural History, led by Pittsburgh’s Rich Pell, which investigates, catalogs, and exhibits plant and animal specimens that have been altered through human intervention.

Along with the gallery show, curator Andrea Grover and co-contributors have published New Art/Science Affinities, a book examining sixty contemporary artists who work at the intersection of art, science, and technology.

The book includes meditations, interviews, diagrams, letters and manifestos on maker culture, hacking, artist research, distributed creativity, and technological and speculative design. Chapters include Program Art or Be Programmed, Subvert!, Citizen Science, Artists in White Coats and Latex Gloves, The Maker Moment and The Overview Effect.

Intimate Science is great opportunity to experience the unexpected when art and science speak together. Don’t miss it!

Event Details

Location:
Regina Gouger Miller Gallery
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Map It

Duration: Intimate Science runs January 21 thru March 4, 2012.

Among the chosen few were Robin Shoop and the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy. Fresh off their Stage One win in the Badges for Life Long Learning Competition, Shoop and the Robotics Academy team have also earned recognition for their Computer Science Student Network Teacher Badge System to enhance the abilities of educators to teach Computer Science, Engineering, and other CS-STEM subjects.

Designed to build knowledge, proficiency, and professional development, the Teacher Badge System is a multi-stage learning program that awards Badges to teachers in increments including:

• Small Badges that provide recognition and motivation to teachers learning new CS-STEM subjects
• Knowledge Badges to certify teacher’s mastery of new content
• Teaching Badges to certify their pedagogical proficiency in a new subject
• Industry Badges to recognize teachers who have attained a professional level of proficiency

Teacher Badge Progression

The Teacher Badge System also includes Recognition Badges awarded those instructors who make a lasting impact on their students. Recognition Badges are awarded to teachers based on the merits of their students’ performance statistics, and by individual students who wish to recognize their teacher’s impact on their learning.

Learn more about the Computer Science Student Network Badge System that has now earned two Stage One wins in the DML Competition. Congratulations to Robin and everyone at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy for their win and good luck!

Stay tuned to hear more on the DML Competition as we near the third annual Digital Media & Learning Conference in San Francisco on March 1-3, 2012.

Educational innovators are constantly uncovering new ways to learn and teach. By sharing best practices and collaborating to create new ideas, they improve the field of Digital Media & Learning every day. We saw some pretty impressive advances in the past year, from iPad-based curricula to robotic autism therapies and everything in between. 2012 promises to be just as revolutionary.

Check out some of the events to look forward to in the upcoming year. With experts from all over the world coming together to collaborate, who knows what advances will be made!

Emerging Media Conference – January 23-26, 2012

Thousands of the most influential movers and shakers in the mobile, social, and gaming industries will unite to educate and inspire. For three days, these experts will lead presentations, moderate discussions, and demonstrate cutting-edge applications for emerging technologies. Topics range from internet censorship in China to best practices of social media marketing. The event will take place at Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco, CA.

Learning without Frontiers Jan 25-26, 2012

Learning Without Frontiers (LWF) will host its annual conference in London centered around the future of learning in the digital age. From renowned linguist and political writer Noam Chomsky to education and creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson, the event will bring together some of the world’s foremost thinkers. LWF calls out to innovators and educators “seeking to positively disrupt entrenched thinking” to attend the conference and join in the discussion. Truly one of the most impactful annual conferences, this event really does change the way we look at learning year after year.

DML2012 – Mar 1-3, 2012

Supported by the MacArthur Foundation and organized by the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub of the University of California, Irvine, the third annual Digital Media and Learning Conference will focus on the theme “Beyond Educational Technology: Learning Innovations in a Connected World.” The event will bring together leading thinkers and practitioners in the field of Digital Media and Learning and will create debate “focused on fostering interdisciplinary and participatory dialog and linking theory, empirical study, policy, and practice.” The conference is still accepting proposals, so if you’re an innovator in your field with an idea for a presentation or panel, there’s still time to make your voice heard.

International Society for Technology in Education – Jun 24-27, 2012

ISTE’s thirty-third annual conference will showcase and share the digital tools and techniques educators use to expand their students’ horizons. The event takes place in San Diego, California and will unite ed tech experts and corporate professionals for five days of collaboration and creativity. The expansive event offers the following features:

• 300 model lessons, BYOD (bring your own device) sessions, lectures, and panels
• 135 hands-on and seminar-demo workshops (additional fee)
• 500 exhibiting companies, agencies, and organizations
• 400 informal and interactive learning activities

The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, with funding from the Grable Foundation and support from The Sprout Fund and The Pittsburgh Foundation, will provide “Maker” micro grants to organizations who work with children and youth.

Micro Grants of up to $5,000 are available to support programs that engage Youth Makers, children aged 7 to 17, in the hands-on design and production of objects that respond to two themes: Wearables and Rideables. Youth Makers will be encouraged to think broadly about the themes and create items as diverse as a wearable gaming system or cupcakes on wheels.

Download a Micro Grant Application and get started on your MakeShop idea today!

Applications are due by Friday, March 16 for Wearables and by Friday, April 20 for Rideables.
For more information, contact Adam Nye, MakeShop Manager at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.

Micro Grants will be awarded through public selection using an online voting process developed by The Pittsburgh Foundation. The general public will have the chance to vote on their favorite projects and thereby select the final Youth Makers for grants.

If you follow the Spark blog, you already know about our weekly news roundups. Every week, we gather up articles and blogs that discuss digital education and culture and bring them to you. Throughout the year, many of the most innovative ideas we’ve found on the web have come from Edutopia — the education-centered website of The George Lucas Educational Foundation. The organization just published a list entitled “10 Big (and Simple) Ideas for 2011.” The articles that are featured examine revolutionary learning practices implemented by teachers in 2011. Since Spark is dedicated to technological innovations that improve the education of children, we can’t think of a better way to end the year. Click on the titles below to read the  full articles. Who knows, maybe what you learn will help you begin the new year with some brainstorming of your own!

1. Empowering Teachers with Do-It-Yourself Culture

The DIY movement brings educators and innovators together. Edutopia editor Betty Ray explains how Maker Faires, “unconferences,” and TEDx are changing the face of education.

2. Making the Case for Open-Source (Read: Free!) Textbooks

Guest blogger David Thornburg explains how the open-source movement is transforming the textbook industry. With a lower cost, higher quality, and the ability for endless revisions, digital textbooks will (and should) eclipse their paper partners.

3. The Video Game Model as a Learning Tool

Blogger and neurologist Judy Willis MD explains the system of goals and rewards commonly found in video gaming. Understanding how dopamine fuels this process can help us apply the system to best teaching practices.

4. An Instructional Model to Close the Achievement Gap in Urban Classrooms

Algebra teacher Kadhir Rajagopal explains his strategy for capturing the attention of at-risk youth. He credits his instructional model “CREATE” for his success in closing the achievement gap in his urban classroom.

5. Three Ways Student Data Can Inform Your Teaching

Teachers rely on more than just end of the year test scores to assess student need and teaching systems. Rebecca Alber explains the tools educators utilize throughout the school year to gauge their student’s comprehension and identify best practices.

6. Flipped Classrooms

Ramsey Musallam details the pros and cons of the flipped classroom and offers steps for reflection to help educators determine if they should rethink the way they use class time.

7. Using Digital Badges to Reward Self-Directed Learning

Deputy director of the Learning First Alliance  Anne O’Brien explains how digital badges can be used to make out-of-classroom learning “count” and capture a more accurate picture of each student’s skill set.

8. Using a Website to Save Classroom Time

Nick Provenzano shows how the addition of a classroom website can help students stay on track, optimize class time, and boost student involvement.

9. Creating Classroom Rules with a Bill of Student Rights

Social Studies and English teacher Nick Provenzano shares how he makes the most of legislature and history lessons by forming a curriculum around the creation of classroom “laws.”

10.  A Model for District-Wide Collaboration

Andrew Marcinek covers the collaborations of the Massachusetts Digital Publication Collaborative and explains how they moved from brainstorming e-publications to forming a new system for curriculum creation.

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!

National Wildlife Federation Introduces Game Apps for Kids

With apps for the iPad, iPod, and iPhone, the National Wildlife Federation hopes to encourage children to explore the great outdoors by capturing their curiosity at home. (prweb.com)

Give Kids The Gift Of Gaming. Seriously.

The “gamification” of society means that children might be learning even more through gaming than we give them credit for. Maybe a holiday wish list stacked with games isn’t such a bad thing after all. (adage.com)

Children at a Manhattan Public School Learn Techniques to Relax

In one school, exercises in “contemplative education” help children decompress and de-stress. Some educators believe the practice could aid in everything from learning disorders to bullying. (huffingtonpost.com)

Midlandia Press Goes Digital with Release of First iPad App

Midlandia Press, a Pittsburgh publishing company that specializes in juvenile fiction, announces the release of their first digital book application — The Pirate Koostoe. (midlandiapress.com)

The Facebook Resisters

Facebook is so popular that some parents even help their children lie to sign up. Yet not everyone wants to jump in. Some people, even young people, are holding strong and refusing to join the social network. (nytimes.com)

With Cyber Charter Competition, School Districts Start to Advertise

As the numbers of cyber chart school options increase, many have turned to advertising to draw new students and retain tuition. (edweek.org )

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!

How Disney’s Club Penguin Became the Biggest Social Network for Kids

A Disney site that blends education with gaming and networking has over 150 million profiles, making it the most surprisingly successful kids’s social networking site of all time. (mashable.com)

Facebook Aims to Prevent Suicide

A new feature on Facebook allows users who express suicidal thoughts to instantly connect to a crisis counselor. The innovative service could save the lives of cyber-bullied children and troubled adults alike. (techland.time.com)

Why Are the Rich So Interested in Public-School Reform?

The quality of our nation’s public schools has long been a point of interest and involvement for the financial elite. With the Occupy movement challenging the way we look at the economic gap, will the 1% change their tune and adapt their strategies for education reform? (ideas.time.com)

College Kid’s Initiative Inspires Students To Go Paperless, Catches Google’s Eye

One student’s paperless learning strategy has turned him into the poster-boy of digital learning. Dubbed the “iSchool Initiative” some are saying that college student Travis Allen’s learning strategy will redefine the way we look at traditional classroom tools. (forbes.com)

Go Go Kiddo Launches Mobile App for Kindle Fire

A new mobile app for Kindle Fire and other Android devices provides a digital playground for kids 2-5. The app enables learning through play by teaching kids about letters, numbers and music through digital gaming. (sfgate.com)

Which Tech Toys Do Kids Want for the Holidays? [VIDEO]

What digital toys are children asking for most this holiday season? The answers have parents clutching their wallets in dismay. (mashable.com)

These young Makers will have a section dedicated to their work and creations at the 2012 Maker Faire, so if you’re involved with kids, please keep it in mind. The Children’s Museum is also inviting schools, youth organizations, and after school programs to consider how they can use MakeShop to energize the creativity of their own children.

To learn more about YouthALIVE, Contact JuWanda Thurmond, Youth Programs Manager at The Children’s Museum by emailing gro.sdikhgrubsttipnull@evilahtuoy.

For more on DIY activities at The Children’s Museum, visit MakeShop online!

For some students, online learning can be the key to educational success. With targeted plans that work at the student’s pace, one-on-one attention from instructors, and a safe haven from in-school bullying and disputes, some families are calling digital education a saving grace. Unfortunately, not all students who choose online schooling make the grade. Last year, a higher percentage of students dropped out of online schools than of brick and mortar institutions. Minnesota’s cyber schools are working to do something about it.

One of the reasons for increased truancy in online schools is the fact that student activity is more difficult to monitor. “It is very easy to become truant online,” Stacy Bender, dean of students at Minnesota Virtual High School recently told Education Week. “Unmotivated students can just stop logging in and then lie about it to their parents and within two weeks, they are truant.”

Local laws only worsen the problem, as they haven’t been updated to account for online attendance. Most states define a habitual truant as a student with a exorbitant amount of unexcused absences. Given the growth of online classes and other programs following non-traditional schedules, truancy laws may need to catch up with the times.

The answer to solving the online truancy problem could come from revising existing laws. Obviously, educators and officials can’t monitor learning from home in the same way that they monitor in-school learning. Assessing time spent with digital learning is doubly difficult as students learn at different paces, making a process based on simply tracking hours insufficient. Bender and other online educators in Minnesota are currently at work on a mathematical algorithm that, if put into use, could properly identify students who are in danger of dropping out. The next step is signing that algorithm into law so that cyber truants can be properly identified and helped. The process will take some time, but educators are hopeful that the results could mean higher graduation rates for cyber students everywhere.

In the meantime, the biggest determining factor will be parent and teacher involvement. Parents should be even more attentive of their children’s online work. Unless they’re actively involved in their child’s learning process, parents might believe everything is fine, when in reality their child is slowly slipping through the cracks.

We’d like to hear from cyber-schooling parents: How do you ensure your child stays on track?

When you were in high school, did you ever write an essay with the hopes of securing a college scholarship? If you did, you probably felt an ambivalent mix of emotions. On one hand, you felt a kind of frightening hope that your words could have the power to determine your future. On the other hand you were thinking, “Two thousand words? Surely I don’t need to go to college that badly…” In the end, whether you were awarded your scholarship or not, you benefited (even if it didn’t feel that way at the time) from sharpening your writing skills and learning how to distill your thoughts into something that translated to paper — something that could make others want to invest in you. Would your experience have been the same if instead of writing two pages, you only needed to write a sentence? What’s more — do the sponsors of these scholarships really care?

On December 1st, KFC announced that they’ll be awarding a scholarship based on a Tweet (a Twitter post of under 140 characters) for the second year in a row. The title of their scholarship’s contest page says it all: “Forget 1,000 Words: a Photo Could Now Be Worth a $20,000 Scholarship from KFC.” Last year, the company awarded a similar scholarship for a sentence. The winning tweet from high school senior Amanda Russell read, “#KFCScholar Hey Colonel! Your scholarship’s the secret ingredient missing from my recipe for success! Got the grades, drive, just need cash!”

This year’s contest asks students to tweet a photo. No words necessary. KFC explains the aim and award of the contest in a manner almost as concise as their requested entries:

“KFC is asking college hopefuls to tweet a photo that illustrates why they exemplify Colonel Sanders’ commitment to education and enriching their communities, and why they are deserving of a college scholarship. The scholarship winner, announced on December 15, will receive up to $5,000 per year for the next four years to pursue a bachelor’s degree at an accredited public university within his or her home state.”

Since KFC introduced the concept last year, companies and universities alike have jumped on board with scholarship contests of their own. The University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business ran a contest that rewarded the winning tweet’s author with a $37,000 scholarship to its MBA program. Jodi Schafer, the University of Iowa’s director of MBA admissions and financial aid, told USA TODAY that the impetus behind judging tweets instead of essays was to do away with the repetitive, unoriginal content of the average entry. Judges are charged with reading hundreds, even thousands of essays for scholarship contests and by the time essays make it into a judge’s hands, they’ve been so edited that all traces of the student’s creativity and personality are obscured. In Jodi’s words: ”We’re hoping that incorporating social media in the process will help bring back some of that creativity.”

It’s questionable whether the tweeting trend is more beneficial to students or companies. The advantages to a company or institution are obvious — swapping essays only judges see for thousands of tweets with that companies name? It’s basically free marketing and branding. Not only does the sponsor get free advertising from every entry but with each tweet, that sponsor brands itself as a business that cares about bettering the education of students.

Is the switch as beneficial to students? It’s hard to say. Although the social media platform may allow for a wider breadth of engagement and the concise entries may call for a deeper level of innovation, the skill set needed is inherently different. In the real word, students will need to write cover letters, letters of intent, grant proposals, and other documents that are much more similar to a scholarship essay than a 140 character tweet. It’s great to see sponsors using social media technology to make students’ higher education dreams a reality, but wouldn’t it be ever better if they could find a way to provide those students with life-long skills in the process? The concept is still new. Hopefully as the years progress, sponsors will find a way to meld the old with the new and to sharpen real world skill sets in a digital setting.

If you’ve ever had to pass a CPR class, the idea of saving the life of a distressed rubber mannequin isn’t new to you. Imagine if that life-size model was capable of teaching even more than just chest compressions. With a tech suite of medical equipment and monitors, that rubber model stops looking like a lifeless victim and starts looking like something else entirely — a ticket to med school. A program at the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland is hoping to provide that ticket to local African American students.

The African American population in the US is 13% but in the medical field only 4% of doctors are black. As a hub of medical research and innovation, the city of Pittsburgh takes an active interest in correcting this disparity. How? By using the same cutting edge resources and knowledge that make Pittsburgh hospitals some of the best facilities in the nation and using those resources to teach local minority students about medicine. The program, Journey to Medicine, focuses specifically on the education and proliferation of black men into the medical industry.  Funded through Heinz Endowments in collaboration with Heinz’s African-American Men and Boys Task Force, the program includes 27 boys in the seventh and eighth grades and 15 more students will be added in January.

Students meet twice a month for workshops and simulations. Using medical equipment and simulation technology, the students have a change to practice what they’ve learned by acting out medical scenarios. They also receive tutoring in the areas of science, math, and English to create a holistic learning experience.  ”Not only do we try to encourage and engage, but we’re also trying to make sure they have all the tools and training they need to get into medical schools,” Dr. Anita Edwards, the program’s director, recently told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

So often, the discussion of digital learning begins and ends with classroom tools. The Journey to Medicine program shows how a digital boost outside of the classroom can augment learning and even change career outlooks for students. It’s just one more example of organizations, funders and educators working together to invest in Pittsburgh’s future.

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!

Gaming with young kids? Here’s where to start

Gaming with your kids can be a great way to bond while (secretly) teaching them valuable skills like team work and puzzle solving. If you’re curious about how and when to start introducing your child to digital gaming, this guide is a great help. (msnbc.msn.com)

Fingerprint Digital aims at kid-apps market with ‘Mom-Comm’ feature

A new children’s learning app includes a messaging feature that lets kids correspond with parents and keep mom and dad in the digital learning loop. (guardian.co.uk)

University of Louisiana Uses Breakthrough Program to Help Younger Kids Excel in Algebra

A unique teaching program using a strategy called Hands-On Equations is being used by the University of Louisiana to boost early algebra skills using tangible objects that students can physically grasp. (marketwatch.com)

Why Schools Need to Get Social, Local and Mobile

Tech startups have a ripe opportunity to tap into the education space. See why there has never been a better time than now for tech innovation in the classroom. (mashable.com)

Schools add Internet etiquette, safety to coursework

With students spending more and more time online, schools across the nation are beginning to offer specific courses to teach internet etiquette and safety. (usatoday.com)

Digital Learning Enrollment Triples: U.S. Department of Education

According to a new survey by the National Center for Education Statistics, three quarters of US schools plan to expand their digital offerings in the coming year. (huffingtonpost.com)

December 5 brought good news to some 60 institutions and organizations all dedicated to developing new opportunities for children to learn anytime and anywhere. These museums, research centers, and innovation companies were all named Stage One winners of the Badges for Lifelong Learning Competition.

A Pittsburgh Connection

Among the 60 Stage One winners was Pittsburgh’s own Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy, in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research and Development Center, DARPA, LEGO, National Instruments, Robomatter Inc., Autodesk and other partners.

Led by Director Robin Shoop, the Robotics Academy proposal hopes “to significantly increase the number of students pursuing Computer Science, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CS-STEM) careers.” The Robotics Academy team proposes to do this through the Computer Science Student Network (CS2N), a new learning environment that tracks student progress on lessons and activities that combine online tutoring and in-class tasks. As students achieve goals in developing their understanding and abilities, they earn incremental approval badges that can add up to badges recognizing subject mastery.

As students’ gain greater aptitude in CS-STEM concepts, they can begin developing  job-ready skills by using industry standard software to complete projects in CS2N. Instructors, too, can achieve badges demonstrating their pedagogical proficiency in teaching CS-STEM Subjects.

Read more about the Robotics Academy entry on their DML Competition project page.

About the Competition

Supported by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, administered by HASTAC, the online consortium of new media creatives, and held in collaboration with the Mozilla Foundation, Badges for Lifelong Learning is part of the 4th Digital Media and Learning (DML) Competition.

The Badges competitions “is designed to encourage the creation of digital badges and badge systems that support, identify, recognize, measure, and account for new skills, competencies, knowledge, and achievements for 21st century learners wherever and whenever learning takes place.”

While Stage One focused on developing learning opportunities that could use the Badges approach to measuring achievement, Stage Two will seek proposals for designing systems to deploy Stage One program ideas. Stage Two opens for submission on December 12, 2011 with a deadline of January 12, 2012.

Stay up to date on these and other exciting initiatives online at dmlcompetition.net

The idea of using a rewards system to encourage reluctant readers is nothing new. When trying to foster excitement over reading, parents and teachers will offer everything from gold stickers to free pizza. Read.Share.Give. is a program that puts a new twist on an old idea. By integrating technology, philanthropy, and education, Read.Share.Give. is making a big impact on early literacy learning across the nation.

How it works

Read.Share.Give. isn’t your typical reading reward program. While most programs ask children to read a book and reward them with an object or acknowledgment upon completion, Read.Share.Give. has created a more innovative system. Children begin by selecting a title and reading it alone or with an adult. They then locate the book’s Read.Share.Give. label, and enter its tracking number. Parents can even create a new label by visiting the program’s website. They then pass on the title to a friend, classmate, or family member who does the same. For each book that is read, a donation is made to early literacy programs. It’s a cyclical process that uses reading to boost literacy. Pretty neat, right?

Jonathan Liu, senior editor for wired.com’s popular blog GeekDad, recently interviewed David Roy, the director of community partnerships at Knowledge Universe, the organization responsible for the creation of Read.Share.Give. When asked if he thought the rising popularity of digital books would create a “challenge getting books into the hands of kids,” Roy shared some interesting thoughts on digital books and the future of children’s literature:

“Digital books can be a great way to learn – they’re interactive. Although digital books are becoming more and more prevalent, I think they’re unlikely to reach critical mass in children’s books. Such a large part of the experience of reading for children is their tactile development and fine motor skills. Even a baby chewing on a board book is part of the learning process. The challenge is that digital books make it more complicated to reach every child. Digital books are logistically easy, assuming kids have an e-reader. What about the kids who don’t have books at home? We know that in some of the lowest-income neighborhoods in the country, there’s only one book available for every 300 children and roughly 31 million children live in a home where there isn’t enough income to cover basic needs, including access to books. While digital books present a challenge as far as ensuring kids have access to books, we’re undaunted and will continue our partnerships with various organizations to get books into children’s hands.”

Roy brings up an interesting point in discussing the relevancy of income disparity. So many current discussions over e-readers and digital books seem to ignore a very basic fact — that many children lack access to regular paper books, let alone their digital incarnations. Although many organizations are aimed at closing that gap, the work being done by Read.Share.Give. is an innovative system for working through income disparities to use technology to boost the literacy of children everywhere. If you’re interested in getting in on the action, grab a book and head over to kindercare.com for more information.

The young programmer didn’t receive formal training in programming, but instead taught himself from home and developed his apps using the iPhone software development kit. Not stopping there, he used what he learned to begin an app club at his school which teaches kids to program their own apps.

Watch the video below to see Suarez explain his experiences and share his insights on teaching with technology.

PBS KIDS recently released its first augmented reality app for iPhone and iPod touch. The app is titled, “FETCH! Lunch Rush” and is available for free download. The app is a fun and educational game for teaching kids ages six to eight math skills like addition and subtraction.

Lunch Rush uses augmented reality to make the game even more interactive. What exactly is augmented reality? Put simply, it’s a way of combining the real world with the digital world. Using the built-in cameras on iPhones and iPods, the app integrates photos of a child’s surroundings with computer generated graphics. In this game, that also means using print outs called “markers” that the app can recognize when photographed.

In this multiplayer game, children have to collect lunch orders for a Hollywood studio crew. The goal is to determine how many pieces of sushi everyone wants by using the markers that prompt actions within the app. The use of  3-D imagery reinforces early algebraic concepts and helps children to understand the connection between real world objects and the numbers that represent them.

“The FETCH! Lunch Rush App is designed as a 3-D game, which helps kids visualize the math problems they are trying to solve,” Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President of Children’s Media at PBS said in a recent press release. “At PBS KIDS our goal is to use media to nurture kids’ natural curiosity and inspire them to explore the world around them; we can’t wait to see what this new app will mean for furthering that exploration.”

Combining entertainment and education, the app appeals to children through play while at the same time building essential skills at an early age.

The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that a social networking website for children agreed to settle charges that it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The site collected the first and last names, the dates of birth, and the cities of origin of its 5,600 underage users. All of this is illegal under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA. The law requires websites to attain parental consent before collection personal information from children under 13.

The website, Skid-e-kids, calls itself a “Facebook alternative” for children ages 7 to 14. The website’s homepage says, “It is very safe, fun and educational. It is strictly designed to give your children the excitement of being on Facebook, without exposing them to all the negative things that comes with an open social network like Facebook and others. On Skid-e-kids, the parents are in charge, they have special features that allow them to instantly view all the friends and activities of their child.” The FTC claims that these proclamations of safety are irrelevant if the site is collecting kids’ info without parental consent.

Although protecting children online is important, a recent article on the New York Times Bits Blog points out that the law may be particularly hard to enforce. “Case in point: Despite Facebook’s official policy barring children under 13 from creating accounts, independent studies have repeatedly shown that millions of children lie about their age in order to register for Facebook, and some do it with help from their parents.”

It seems that age restrictions do little to deter children from registering with websites. Many are able to easily circumvent the rules themselves, and those who aren’t often receive help from a parent. In light of this, what can be done to ensure the privacy of children is protected online? Clearly the honor system isn’t working. Join the discussion by commenting below and letting us know what steps you think should be taken to ensure children are safe online.

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!

STEAM: Experts Make Case for Adding Arts to STEM

Education experts agree STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning gets a holistic boost with the addition of the arts. (edweek.org)

PBS KIDS’ Top Tips for Hand-Me-Down Tech Gifts This Holiday Season

PBS KIDS surveyed parents and found that most children would be delighted to receive their parents’ early-generation devices. (businesswire.com)

The Protégé Effect

A program that charges middle school children with the task of teaching a virtual student finds them mastering the material much more readily themselves. Annie Murphy Paul explains why teaching someone else is often the best way to learn. (ideas.time.com)

Why Google Is The Most Important Learning Tool Ever Invented

Tom Vander Ark, chair of the International Association for K-12 Online talks about the importance of “just-in-time learning” and the “plummeting” value of traditional education. (fastcompany.com)

Kids Fueling iPad Sales This Season

About 61% of iPad buyers are parents and the popular tablet is number one on many holiday wish lists for the second year in a row. (business.financialpost.com)

Consultants Eat Up Pittsburgh Schools’ Gift From Gates Foundation

Pittsburgh Public Schools received $40 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Two years later, nearly a third of the funds have been allocated or spent, mostly on out-of-state contractors. (pittsburghlive.com)

If you follow the Spark blog, you’re probably already familiar with YOUmedia — a digital media center for teens in the heart of Chicago. We profiled this center in the past and showed you the impact it has had on students in the area. YOUmedia and the work being done by cultural anthrologist Mimi Ito are changing the way researchers and educators look at the way children learn. The success of the YOUmedia center and President Obama’s Educate to Innovate campaign are the two driving forces behind this competition. The presidential campaign is aimed at placing American students at the forefront of science and math learning. YOUmedia has proven that one of the best ways to do this is to create a digital environment where students feel involved, in control, and inspired to create something new.

When the competition began, there were 98 applicants from 32 states. These candidates were whittled down to 12 winners. The locations for the 12 new learning labs include: San Francisco, CA; Thornton, CO; Columbia, MD; St. Paul, MN; Kansas City, MO; New York, NY; Columbus, OH; Portland, OR; Allentown, PA; Philadelphia, PA; Nashville, TN; Houston, TX.

Each location will receive funding to create a digital learning space for kids and teens. Overseeing the projects, the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) and the Association of Science-Technology Centers will ensure that centers use best practices to meld traditional and technological learning in a way that equips students with STEM skills and a positive learning environment.

Susan Hildreth, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, explained why the competition placed its focus on libraries and museums in an article on the MacArthur Foundation’s website.

“Libraries and museums are part of re-envisioning learning in the 21st century,” says Hildreth, “they are trusted community institutions where teens can follow their passions and imagine exciting futures.”

By immersing teens in digital technology, students are more likely to take an active role in learning. Robert Gallucci, President of the MacArthur Foundation, explained why digital learning and libraries and museums make the perfect combination for spurring innovation and involvement in teens:

“Digital media are profoundly influencing young people’s lives, their behavior, their civic participation, and where and how they learn. These innovative new teen labs are designed to provide young people with engaging and diverse opportunities for learning and exploration beyond the classroom. The nation’s libraries and museums play an important role in leveling the playing field by providing greater access to learning experiences that equip our young people with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the 21st Century.”

With so many of our nation’s libraries and museums facing budget cut-backs and funding difficulties, it’s exciting to see a new program actively investing in the welfare of these essential institutions. The face of learning is changing, and we need more innovative ideas like this if we’re to recapture the attention of 21st century learners.

The addition of 12 digital media learning centers across the country is definitely a start. We can’t wait to see the the impact these centers will have not only on the students they serve, but on the way we understand and value learning as a whole.

The chief technology officer of eBay and employees of Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard all send their children to the same school. If this statement conjured up images of high-tech classroom equipment, corporate sponsored computer rooms, and digitally driven assignments, you may be surprised to learn just how familiar many of these schools are. As a recent New York Times article revealed, many Silicon Valley parents are choosing traditional schooling for their children.

The Waldorf School of the Peninsula, seated in the heart of Silicon Valley, is one of around 160 Waldorf schools that share an educational philosophy that rejects the idea of technology as a necessary component of education and focuses instead on traditional teaching. In place of high-tech tools, the school uses traditional chalkboards, pens and pencils, and even knitting needles and yarn. But why are parents who make a living from tech innovation rejecting it when it comes to schooling their own children?

“I fundamentally reject the notion you need technology aids in grammar school,” Alan Eagle, whose daughter is one of the 196 children at the Waldorf elementary school, told the Times. “The idea that an app on an iPad can better teach my kids to read or do arithmetic, that’s ridiculous.” Eagle sees no contradiction between his profession and his parenting choices. “If I worked at Miramax and made good, artsy, rated R movies,” he says, “I wouldn’t want my kids to see them until they were 17.”

But is the Waldorf method actually a better model, or is the trend described above a reaction to recent focus on educational technology? The answer is hard to determine. The school itself is private and as such, administers no standardized tests in elementary grades.

“When asked for evidence of the schools’ effectiveness, the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America points to research by an affiliated group showing that 94 percent of students graduating from Waldorf high schools in the United States between 1994 and 2004 attended college, with many heading to prestigious institutions like Oberlin, Berkeley and Vassar.”

This evidence is hardly comparable to the rest of our nation’s schools. It’s easy to believe that children of Silicon Valley employed parents attending a private school would have these college attendance rates. The numbers say more about the socio-economic education gap than they do about the efficacy of traditional chalk boards.

As the Times states, “The Waldorf experience does not come cheap: annual tuition at the Silicon Valley schools is $17,750 for kindergarten through eighth grade and $24,400 for high school.” The tuition brings with it smaller class sizes, highly-qualified teachers, and highly (at least monetarily) invested parents.  These children must also have a wealth of tech tools available to them at home. For less fortunate children, the only computer they have access to might be the one in their classroom. There seem to be many more issues at play here than whether or not the classrooms are wired.

What do you think? Can traditional classrooms provide an educational advantage over instructional technology? What do traditional education philosophies like Waldorf’s say about the role of technology in the classroom?

Whether you’re a parent, a grandparent, an uncle, or just a family friend, chances are you have some children on your holiday shopping list. If the kids on your list are anywhere near as overzealous as I was at their age, you probably already have at least one itemized holiday wish list in your possession. With all of the digital toys out there, it can be hard weeding through the trendy tech products to choose gifts with real staying power.

Luckily, Unplggd recently shared a guide for gift-givers. Check out the suggestions below on how to choose tech gifts that won’t become obsolete before the New Year.

Quality vs. Quantity
You know what they say about getting what you pay for. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. When it doubt, opt for a slightly pricier item and a warranty. Be especially wary of display items and open boxes. You might regret saving a few dollars if you end up with an inoperable (and nonreturnable) piece of equipment three months down the road.

Thinking Ahead
Buying your child an older model of a product might save some money immediately, but you’ll pay more in the long-run. The landscape of technology changes fast and even brand-new tech toys will become out-dated eventually. Buying up-to-date tech now ensures a longer lifespan for your child’s device.

No toy-ish devices
Kids grow up quickly, and though a kid-friendly version of an iPhone, iPad, or other popular device might seem like a fun idea, it won’t be long before that child is old enough for the real thing. Before purchasing a toy version of an adult electronic, ask yourself if the cost is worth it. Depending on the child’s age, it might make more sense to hold out for the real thing.

Know when to introduce your child to technology
Don’t spring a warehouse of tech toys on you child all at once. Introduce digital toys gradually and as with all toys, use these objects as a teaching tool for learning skills like sharing and responsibility. If your child seems like he’s not ready to handle more high-tech toys, there’s no rush.

Keep this advice in mind as you head into the holiday season. Spark is always on the look out for new ways to integrate play and learning through interactive technology. Sometimes digital toys can be a great way to do that!

We’d like to hear from you: Share your thoughts and experiences with hi tech toys for kids.

Carey Harris, executive director of A+ Schools

Despite cutbacks in education budgets, Pittsburgh public schools might just be having their best year yet. The Hill District based non-profit, A+ Schools, released a report this week examining the progress of Pittsburgh public schools. The Seventh Annual Report to the Community on Public School Progress in Pittsburgh details in its 125 pages the achievements of individual students and analyzes emerging trends. We’re happy to report that the data uncovered by the study is promising.

According to the research, not only is the racial achievement gap narrowing, but the city is also producing more “promise-ready” students than ever before. The Pittsburgh City Paper highlighted these other positive details from the 2010-2011 report:

• All but one district grade level made gains in reading and math greater than the state’s academic gains in those two subjects. The exception was 11th-grade math, which declined for the second year in a row.
• 59 percent of district seniors earned grade point averages that qualified them for the Promise scholarship, an increase of 4 percentage points from the previous year.
• The district’s graduation rate in 2011 (89.2 percent) increased by 6.8 percentage points from 2010.
• Nearly 65 percent of the district’s seniors took the SAT exam, an increase of 4.2 percent points.

“We are seeing a lot of progress,” Carey Harris, executive director of A+ Schools said of the report’s findings. “There’s plenty to be proud of in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.”

Although it’s assuring to see these increases in acheivement and equality for Pittsburgh students, we’re not completely out of the woods yet. Take this for example: in all eight of Pittsburgh’s public high schools, 60% of white seniors were elegible for the Pittsburgh Promise academic college scholarship. This percentage was only matched by two schools in the district when it came to black students. Although the gap is narrowing, it’s still substantial.

Pittsburgh public schools also need to face these ongoing issues while battling budget cutbacks totaling $38 million and a proposed elimination of 300 teaching positions in the upcoming year. The task ahead is daunting, but if there’s anything we know about Pittsburghers it’s this: we’re resourceful and resilient. We’re excited to see our fellow educators and organizations rise to the challenge in this coming year.