Students Use iPads to Study Shakespeare

Students at a New York high school are taking advantage of an iPad pilot program to study Shakespeare in the classroom. In one English class, they used the devices to read and recite scenes from "Romeo and Juliet," and were able to look up definitions, bookmark passages as well as take notes. A related application offered students animated versions of the story and character maps to better understand the tale.

CSM's Digital citizenship curriculum targets fourth and fifth graders

eSchool News reports: Common Sense Media has launched a new version of its free digital citizenship curriculum, Digital Literacy and Citizenship in a Connected Culture. The new version adds student, teacher, and parent resources, including comprehensive lessons on cyber bullying, for fourth and fifth graders. The program, which empowers students to think critically and make informed choices about how they live and treat others in today’s digital world, covers topics from internet safety and security to privacy, with a deep focus on cyber bullying and responsible digital behavior.

Study Examines Impact of Digital Media on Youth Civic Participation

Youth who pursue their interests on the Internet are more likely to be engaged in civic and political issues, according to a new study of student Internet usage by a group of civic learning scholars. Youth who use the Internet are also more likely to be exposed to diverse political viewpoints.

From 'Gatsby' to Dante, Great Literature Gets the Video Game Treatment

Atlantic Magazine online reviews some of the current videogames that are based on popular literature texts.

Technology and Schools: Should We Add More or Pull the Plug?

from HuffPost: This is the moment, according to the authors, to pause and consider whether we want to sacrifice our kids' last remaining hours of non-screen time by incorporating Facebook, iPads, and other devices into the curriculum.

Archive of ASCD February 9 Media Literacy Webinar

The February 9 hour-long webinar is available here.

Report: Game-based learning 2-3 years to mainstream adoption

Thursday,February 10, the New Media Consortium (NMC) and EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) jointly released the 2011 Horizon Report. This eighth edition conveys annual findings from the NMC’s Horizon Project, an ongoing research project designed to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have an impact on learning, teaching and creative inquiry in higher education. Six emerging technologies are recognized across three adoption horizons over the next one to five years, giving campus leaders and practitioners a valuable guide for discussion and planning.

DVD Set Pulls Back The Curtain on The Making of A Classic Shakespeare Production

"Discovering Hamlet" is a one-hour documentary (included in a 2 DVD set from Athena Learning) about the 1988 production of the classic Shakespeare play, starring Kenneth Branagh and directed by Derek Jacobi, with Patrick Stewart narrating. The filmmakers follow four weeks of rehearsal with an up-close look at how the cast members tackle their iconic parts. The DVD includes three hours of extras, including an in-depth interview with Jacobi and background details about the Danish prince.

National Research Indicates Lack of Technology Infrastructure in Classrooms

Research released Wednesday February 2, on teacher’s media usage, entitled "Deepening Commitment: Teachers Increasingly Rely on Media and Technology," indicates an insufficient capacity of computing devices and technology infrastructure to handle teachers’ Internet-dependent instructional activity. The national study also found that more than half of K-12 teachers report continued cuts in their school media budgets, increasing their reliance on free, quality content. Teachers spend 60 percent of their time using educational resources in the classroom that are either free or paid for by teachers themselves. Details in this press release, with link to the study.

Meet BiblioBouts, an online sourcing game for academia that offers lessons on media literacy

Karen Markey had a fairly straightforward idea: Teach students to steer clear of unreliable sources of information through the use of a game. What the University of Michigan professor wants her students to focus on navigating is academic research. But instead of citing credible references on the rise of the Medici family, what if we could apply a similar game to distinguishing the credibility of news sources? “The problem is today’s students still don’t know where to go for authoritative, good information that is trustworthy,” said Markey. “But they sure do know how to go to the web.” If we swapped out “students” for “readers,” you’d have the basis of an argument for media literacy and the importance of finding a way for readers (and journalists themselves) to find good information. The game Markey created, BiblioBouts, could potentially be an example to educators, j-schools or nonprofits on how to teach media literacy. Details here.

Growing Up Digital: Do Teens Pay A Price for Texting?

From the school- based Scholastic/Upfront magazine: Wired to their cellphones and computers, students are having more trouble focusing on other things. Will a generation of teens end up with brains that work differently?

Apps Alter Reading on the Web

The New York Times reports: applications like Readability and Read It Later are changing how people read on the Web, putting articles and blog posts into cleaner or more attractive visual displays.