Tag Archives: school

New iPad App Gets Children School-Ready

Parents are preparing to send their children off to school for the first time. An Australian Mother of two has developed a way to give children entering school in this technological age a head start by creating an educational iPad app.

Rebecca Monument said that she, like most parents were aware that basic literacy skills developed in the home long before a child starts school.

“I created the app because I wanted to give my children the best of every possible opportunity,” said Ms Monument. “I was worried as my kids weren’t learning the correct way to write the alphabet, that they would have to re-learn it when they started school.”

After the application was released in October this year Ms Monument approached a local teacher for feedback. Ms Tanya Burton from Whitehouse Primary School in Australia agrees that Writeforschool is a resourceful learning tool for young children, and that the app that will complement the introduction of iPads into the prep classrooms in 2013.

“The application combines many features that other similar writing applications fail to deliver, like a variety of accents and a choice of the writing fonts taught in Australian schools” Ms Burton notes. “The large number of fonts back up what is taught in the school curriculum; it not only includes letters and numbers but blends of letters.”

The idea came to Ms Monument and she began developing the iPad application Writeforschool after her children, aged five and six began taking great interest in playing the games on her iPad.

“I thought if I could make educational game for my children, they could begin to learn to write in the cursive they are taught at their school the correct way,” Ms Monument explained. “My children love the app and its exciting graphics that can be completely personalised.”

Ms Monument hopes that her application is able to help as many young children as possible get a head start for this school year.

Via EPR Network
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Teacher’s Pet makes the iPad a Teacher’s Best Friend in the Digital Classroom!

House of File, a mobile developer focused on a wide variety of applications, is excited today to announce the launch of Teacher’s Pet on the App Store. Created specifically for iPad and iPad Mini and is the ONLY App that Teachers need to make their iPad the ULTIMATE Teaching Assistant.

First, you can create your lesson plans by date, grade, or subject, and save it to your calendar, or email the lesson plan to your colleagues or supervisor. Then, to prepare your lesson, this app will allow you to prepare notes, use an interactive whiteboard that you can preload with a picture or graphic, import PDFs or PPT presentations, upload videos, pictures, or record lectures and create flash cards, and then save your lessons to your calendar by date and subject. You can create lessons for as many subjects as you need each day. Finally, after your lessons are saved to your calendar, you can easily retrieve them for presentation. The app lets you present any of your material through your overhead with a VGA connector, or wirelessly through an Apple TV. Your lessons can be emailed or shared over Bluetooth, or you can use the print function to prepare handouts for students.

A well rounded app, Teacher’s Pet features password protection options, as well as full iCloud backup support to ensure that your lessons and other data will never be lost. Setting up the app is as simple as inputting your name, school year, and classes that you teach. You’re free to set up appointments, reminders and other alerts within the calendar as well.

Teacher’s Pet is currently available for download on the App Store for $4.99 in the Education category.

Via EPR Network
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Fall Festival Brings Together Holly Springs School and Big Cat Wildlife Sanctuary

The New School Montessori Center is hosting its second annual festival Friday, October 26, at its location on Sunset Lake Road, Holly Springs. Scheduled from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., admission is $5 for adults over 18, or $12 for children ages 2 to 17. Admission is free for children two and under. Free parking is available.

The theme of this year’s festival is big cats. In light of the theme, the New School’s “To the Rescue” festival is partnering with the big cat rescue and wildlife sanctuary organization, Carolina Tiger Rescue. The annual fundraiser will donate a portion of the festival proceeds to Carolina Tiger Rescue. The festival will feature an exhibit by the rescue organization, with an emphasis on conservation of these charismatic and majestic animals.

Why big cats? Children of all ages are fascinated by them and big cats are among the world’s most endangered species. The New School’s Program Director, Julie Schroer, emphasizes how the festival theme connects with the school’s mission. “We strive to foster a love of nature and a sense of individual and global responsibility in our children. Teaching them about global issues such as endangered big cats and empowering children with the knowledge they need to have an impact is an essential part of their development,” she said.

In addition to the Carolina Tiger Rescue exhibit, each class will present the results of its research into their selected big cat at the school’s booth at the festival. But at its heart, the festival is a celebration of the wonder and beauty of our natural world. “While big cat conservation is an important topic,” said Ms. Schroer, “It’s important to have a positive message to encourage interest in these beautiful creatures, so we want to celebrate big cats as part of our fall festival.” Indeed, the event will have a carnival atmosphere with live music, a magician, vendor booths, monster slides, a festival dinner, a bake sale and raffle.

Besides admission fees to help their worthy cause, the school has enjoyed sponsorship from local businesses. “The festival is a great opportunity for local businesses to show that they care not only about our community, but about the wider world as well,” Ms. Schroer said. “We are so excited by this partnership with Carolina Tiger Rescue. Every one can play their part, this is not just about the school, but about our community and its role in making a difference to create a world that is better for our children and for the wild animals that excite and inspire them.”

Via EPR Network
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The Learning Genome Project unveils a new solution to personalized education through crowd sourcing

Educator Kelly Tenkely invites educators, parents and investors around the world to join in personalizing education.

Due to an increased disenfranchisement with the education system, Colorado educator, Kelly Tenkely, recognized the need for a product that would honor the uniqueness of children by personalizing learning. Kelly created the Learning Genome Project to fulfill this need.

“Every child deserves to be met right where they are in learning, rather than expected to fit a one-size-fits-all solution. In our society, we have managed to customize everything from ringtones to coffee, why should learning be different?” Said the Learning Genome Project creator, Kelly Tenkely.

The Learning Genome makes personalized learning available to children around the world by:
* Gathering information about an individual child including: their unique interests/passions, learning style preferences, multiple intelligence strengths, brain dominance, and maturation level.
* Crowdsourcing the tagging of both free, as well as premium, education resources and curriculum with hundreds of learning attributes (the ‘genes’ of learning).
* Matching resources and curriculum to students, recommending the materials that best meet their needs and creating a custom learning map for each child.
* Utilizing an open API so that schools, parents, and districts can build additional functionality to meet their specific needs.

This is the Learning Genome Project’s free “hub” that makes personalized learning available to every child.

Said Kelly, “Every child, regardless of their economic situation, deserves an education that is tailored to them. Society benefits when we help kids learn how to best utilize their unique gifts and passions.”

Premium features of the Learning Genome Project will include:
* A student information system
* An e-portfolio
* A teacher and student planner
* Blogging tools
* An e-learning center
* An individual learning map for each child

The premium features will work seamlessly with the Learning Genome hub giving students, teachers, and parents a complete solution to personalized learning.

The Learning Genome Project is seeking crowd-sourced funding through Indiegogo and will use the $85,000 raised to begin programming. The project has 45 days to raise the funds and can be found here: http://www.indiegogo.com/thelearninggenomeproject?c=home&a=1232629

In addition to her work on the Learning Genome Project, Kelly Tenkely is an educator, a prolific education blogger, and created a new educational model. This model is put into practice at Anastasis Academy, a school that Kelly co-founded that is just beginning its 2nd year in operation.

Via EPR Network
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How School Prepares You for Success

Many intelligent and well-educated women make the mistake of assuming that they are not prepared for success. They think they do not how to succeed because they do not realize how school prepares you for success.

If you have successfully completed your high school and college education you are well prepared for success. It is not just the knowledge that school gives, it also gives you valuable experience.

The most important thing we learn in school is hard work. The most successful students in school are often not the brightest girls but the hardest working. In many cases average people who work and study hard are the best students. The same thing occurs in real life, the most successful women in many offices are those who work hard not the smartest or most capable professionals.

Another lesson you can learn from school is dedication. Persons who dedicate themselves to class work and study often succeed even if they have hard time understanding the lessons. Women who dedicate themselves to their professions and work and study hard will often succeed even if they lack knowledge.

School also teaches you how to find the knowledge that you need. The study skills you learned in school can help you in the office. In school you learned how to find knowledge and apply it to your studies. In the office you can find knowledge and apply it to your job. The most successful professionals in today’s world are often not the smartest but the best informed. Anybody who studies can be well informed about almost any subject.

The final way how school prepares you for success is through socialization and networking. The most successful students are those who are most involved in the school community – the people who participate in the clubs and the sports. The most successful professionals in the real world are those who participate in their communities and professions.

Persons who are willing to network are more likely to succeed. That means you need to be involved just as you were when you were in school. There are many organizations such as the National Association of Professional Women or NAPW that can provide you with networking opportunities. Getting out and getting involved will lead to friendships and contacts that can advance your career.

Those who can remember how school prepares you for success are prepared to succeed in the professional world. Those who do not will fail and spend their days feeling sorry for themselves.

Via EPR Network
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SafetyShops.com Has Recently Launched A Competition To Find A Great New School Safety Sign

SAFETYSHOP.COM has recently launched a competition to find a great new school safety sign from the very people who will see it, the school children of the UK!

The prize list for the winning design is very impressive including:
• The winning entry will have their safety sign produced and manufactured in Safetyshop’s sign making facility

• £150 worth of Safetyshop vouchers

• Tour around Safetyshop’s 34,000 square foot manufacturing facility

• Borders gift vouchers

• Art material gift bag

• Plus a mystery prize

The competition is to find safety signs that are aimed at school children (7 years to 16 years old) to raise awareness of the importance of health and safety practices. “At SafetyShop, we believe anyone who gets involved in health and safety practice is safer than those who don’t.”

“That is why we have launched a competition specifically for schools to design a safety sign which they can use on their premises”. Entries are now being taken either in hand drawn or computer generated form and requires the pupil’s name and age along with their teacher’s name and school address and telephone or email address. (Full terms and details are included below)

Since launching its new line of School and Education safety supplies, Online Safety Equipment retailer SAFETYSHOP.COM have been able to provide vital health and safety measures to educational institutions up and down the country.

From Fire Extinguishers to first aid kits SafetyShop.com is able to cover any requirement that businesses and schools need legally to be fully health and safety law compliant. The wide ranges of products that schools and educational establishments could need are all covered on SafetyShop.com including vital winter weather and cleaning supplies.

Via EPR Network
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Npower Events ‘Enthuse’ A Local School

Npower volunteers have returned Greendown Community School, one of the first schools selected to pilot npower’s ‘enthuse’ programme in 2007, the third consecutive year the event has taken place at the school.

During the recent two day educational experience over 260 Year 9 students participated in a range of 

interactive activities designed to help them think about the impact science and engineering has on their daily lives. South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove also visited the school to find out more about the programme.

Enthuse, which is part of npower’s Brighter Futures Programme, is a five year scheme designed to inspire and engage students aged 12-14 years old in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

The students were encouraged to think of ways to improve existing products or design a completely new concept, before considering the very real problem of how we can meet and reduce the UK’s future demand for energy. These activities were followed by a ‘facts and fiction’ session where the students were given the opportunity to meet with engineering staff f r o m npower’s Swindon offices. Throughout the day, the students took part in a series of hands-on activities relating to the power industry.

The day ended when the school’s Director of Specialism, Gill Sarjent was presented with an award, which recognised the continued support and efforts of the school towards the highly successful enthuse programme.

Gill Sarjent said: “The school is very proud to be involved with the ‘enthuse’ programme since day one and continued participation during the last few years. The students have been given an excellent insight into what it would feel like to be an engineer. Also, the opportunity to strengthen our relationships with staff f r o m npower helps bring the activities to life and gives the students a great introduction into the world of work.”

Anne Snelgrove MP commented: “It was fantastic to see the students having such a good time while they were learning. This scheme brings science and technology to life and makes it real.”

Connor Wood, a year 9 student, added: “I think the whole day was good as I liked learning about different careers and I really liked all the “hands on” activities. My favourite workshop was ‘Bright Ideas’ as I liked designing a new product, which was completely different. I think we should run this event every day for year 9 students!”

In 2008 alone, npower ‘enthuse’ days reached out to over 3400 students across the UK.

To find out more about npower’s education programme and free resources for schools and community groups, visit www.npower.com/education.

 

About npower:
npower is one of the UK’s largest electricity suppliers and draws on 50 years experience in supplying electricity and gas. npower offers a range of essential home and business services to 6.6 million customers across the UK.

RWE npower has been awarded the prestigious CommunityMark f r o m Business in the Community (BITC). npower is the only utility business, amongst 21 other companies in the UK, to receive this accolade. The CommunityMark is a new BITC standard which has been created to recognise companies that are good investors in local communities and who have brought about real and positive changes.

The aim of the npower Brighter Futures programme is to inspire young people f r o m their first day at school to their first day at work. This is achieved by helping them to develop their skills and knowledge to make their own choices and empowering them to achieve their vision of a ‘brighter future’ for themselves and for the environment. npower Brighter Futures also includes our apprenticeship and graduate recruitment schemes.

Via EPR Network
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Climate Cops Programme In Worcester Hosted By Npower

npower, one of the UKs largest energy providers, has been hosting the ‘Climate Cops’ programme, which visited Worcester’s Powick C.E Primary School in an effort to help the school become greener and more sustainable.

Over 52 pupils in years 4 and 5 were involved in the Climate Cops Academy which helps children learn how to become greener at home and in school in a fun and engaging way. The highly interactive day was filled with activities, including generating electricity with body movement, working with miniature examples of renewable energy sources and using thermal imaging cameras to see how much heat is emitted from human body and the effects of insulation.

Worcestershire County Council has been working closely with npower for over 12 months on the Climate Cops programme, helping schools throughout the local area. The scheme follows the Government’s National Framework for Sustainable Schools and forms a key part of npower’s Brighter Futures Programme which aims to inspire young people from the first day of school to the first day of work and brings npower’s education programmes under one umbrella.

The Climate Cops programme can also provide schools with ‘green makeovers’, including free energy audits, helping to implement tailor-made energy efficiency measures to reduce a school’s carbon footprint.

Head teacher at Powick C.E Primary School, Mr Richard Drewett, said: “The Climate Cops Academy has taught the children about climate change and saving energy in a really fun way. They’ve learnt some simple ways to conserve energy that will make a big difference to the school, their homes and the environment.”

Rupert Brakspear, Learning for Sustainability Officer at Worcestershire County Council added: “It’s great to see a class of children so excited, exploring ideas around energy and climate change. I’m certain the experiences they have had during the Climate Cops Academy day will give them plenty to think about over the coming weeks ahead. It is the small things we can all do that add up to making a big difference and we hope this programme will work with other schools in the city to help reduce the overall amount of energy used.”

This year, six other schools and over 375 children in Worcester will experience Climate Cop Academies, including; Cherry Orchard Primary, Turves Green Primary, Fairfield Community Primary, Upton upon Severn Primary and Great Witley Primary School. Lyppard Grange Primary School has already benefitted from the initiative at the start of the year.

Teachers and children can go to the Climate Cops website at www.climatecops.com for interactive games and downloadable activities. Teachers can also visit www.npowerbrighterfutures.com to order their copy of the Climate Cops teaching resources that bring education for sustainable development, science, geography and citizenship to life.

About npower:
npower is one of the UKs largest electricity supplier and draws on 50 years experience in supplying electricity and gas. npower offers a range of essential home and business services to 6.6 million customers across the UK.

Via EPR Network
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