_______________
News
YouthLearn is Partner in New ITEST Learning Resource Center
Through a grant from the National Science Foundation, Education
Development Center, Inc. will now be serving as national technical
assistance
provider for the NSF Information Technology Experiences for
Students and
Teachers (ITEST) program. As a part of EDC's Center for
Education
Employment and Community, YouthLearn is serving as a
program partner to
bring practical resources to ITEST grantees.
Representing a broad range of
cultural and educational settings, the
ITEST projects will collectively
demonstrate innovative approaches in
the development of IT skills through
STEM (science, technology,
engineering and math) learning.
http://www.youthlearn.org/news.htm
Research Sheds Light on Factors Undermining Student Success
A new report released by the National Research Council documents that
many students lose interest and motivation for learning by the time they
enter high school. While many students experience this lack of connection
to their schoolwork and their school, disadvantaged students are more
adversely affected. To learn more, see John Gehring's article on Engaging
Schools: Fostering High School Students' Motivation to Learn in EdWeek.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=15HighSchool.h23
The book itself is available for free online.
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309084350/html/
In other recent research on factors contributing to academic achievement,
the nonprofit agency WestEd found "a strong connection between high
school students' academic achievement and their overall health and well-
being." Their longitudinal research showed that school populations less
impacted by factors such as substance abuse, school climate and safety
concerns had better gains in standardized test scores. [PEN]
http://www.wested.org/cs/wew/view/rs_press/22
January is National Mentoring Month
For the third year running, the Harvard Mentoring Project and the National
Mentoring Partnership have brought national attention to their cause with
National Mentoring Month. This website features ideas for celebrating and
promoting mentoring during this special month, as well as resources and
training on becoming a better mentor, running a mentoring program, finding
a mentor or mentee, and taking action as an advocate.
http://www.mentoring.org/mentoring_month/index.adp
_______________
Grants and Awards
GTECH Computer Labs for Afterschool
The GTECH After School Advantage Program provides computer hardware
and software and volunteer support to establish computer centers in
community agencies that serve urban youth. Only organizations located in
communities where the company has offices (including 21 states and the
District of Columbia) are eligible. Applications are accepted year-round.
[Innovation Network GrantStation Insider]
http://www.gtech.com/public/asa_guidelines.htm
NEC Foundation Grants for Assistive Technology
The NEC Foundation of America awards grants ranging from $1,500 to
$75,000 to support "the development, application and use of technology by
and for people with disabilities." Projects must have "national reach and
impact." One-page preliminary proposals are welcomed. Deadlines for full
proposals: March 1 and September 1, annually. [Foundation Center]
http://www.necfoundation.org/toapply/toapply.htm
Mini-grants for Youth Service Projects
Young people have a variety of opportunities to gain support and recognition
for community service this spring. In advance of National and Global Youth
Service Day, April 16-18 this year, grantmakers are offering awards to
young people and/or organizations to use in implementing service projects.
The Clay Aiken ABLE to SERVE Awards--grants of up to $1,000 each--will be
made to youth with disabilities in the U.S. and beyond. The deadline is
February 9. The AT&T Cares Youth Service Action Fund will make awards of
$500 to support Service Day projects. Apply by February 13.
http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm
In addition, Join Hands Day (May 1) is another occasion this spring inviting
youth to set aside time for community service. The Points of Light
Foundation is offering up to 75 mini-grants in the amounts of $250-$500 for
youth-led projects. Deadline is February 2. [Promising Practices]
http://www.joinhandsday.org/scripts/minigrants_index.cfm
Grants for Aquatic Environment Projects
The Project AWARE Foundation funds projects around the world that "have a
direct benefit to the aquatic environment," including education and
awareness initiatives, conservation efforts, research, and activism. Micro
grants are limited to $1,000; Macro Grants range from $1,000 to $10,000.
Deadlines are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15, annually.
[Innovation Network GrantStation Insider]
http://www.projectaware.org/americas/english/grants.asp
_______________
Info
Roundtable Report on Engaging Youth through Technology
The Teens and Technology Roundtable, in which YouthLearn Director Tony
Streit participated, convened educators, researchers, philanthropists, and
government officials from the U.S. and Europe in November 2002.
Discussions centered around sharing "research-based strategies to address
the digital literacy needs of underserved youth" and to prepare them for the
IT workforce. The resulting report, "Preparing Disadvantaged Youth for the
Workforce of Tomorrow," was published in the fall and may be read online in
English or German.
http://www.digitale-chancen.de/transfer/downloads/MD552.pdf
Raising Minority Students' Interest and Achievement in Math
"Unlocking Mathematics for Minority Students" appears in the current issue
of Curriculum Update, a regular publication of the Association of Supervision
and Curriculum Development (ASCD). John Franklin reports that educators
must strive against the effects on minority students of cultural prejudices,
inadequate resources, and low expectations to recover and invigorate their
interest in mathematics. In order to improve minority student achievement
in math, experts advise that it may be necessary to change teachers',
parents', and even the students' own perceptions about what they can
accomplish in math class and in their future careers. [PEN]
http://tinyurl.com/3yov5
The Debate on Afterschool Content and Accountability
"Inside the Black Box: Exploring the Content of After-School" is a recent
Out-of-School Time Policy Commentary published by The Forum for Youth
Investment. Incorporating interviews with U.S. Dept. of Education official
Bob Stonehill and Public/Private Ventures Vice President Karen Walker, as
well as program profiles, this concise paper seeks to address important
questions in this debate, including "How do effective programs deliver
academic content?"; "Can after-school programs help students master a
broader base of content?"; and "What is realistic to expect of programs?"
http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org/whatsnew.htm#ostpc5
IRE Research Report on Family Involvement in Afterschool
The Institute for Responsive Education is performing a study on family
engagement in afterschool programs, funded by the Charles Stewart Mott
Foundation. Their report, "High School Family Centers: Transformative
Spaces Linking Schools, Families, and Communities in Support of Students,"
looks at factors such as program goals for family involvement,
accommodation of families' needs, and degree of family participation at
select 21st Century Community Learning Centers across the country.
[Promising Practices]
http://www.responsiveeducation.org/current.html#After-school
"The Maine Event”: A Success Story of Laptops for Students
The state of Maine introduced laptops to each teacher and student in
seventh and eighth grades, a decision which is lauded by teachers, students,
parents, evaluators, and communities at large. Benefits cited include:
providing access
to resources in remote districts, increased efficiency,
organization and
motivation (of both teachers and students), display of
knowledge in creative
ways, more individual attention on students, and use
of the most up-to-date
information.
http://www.glef.org/php/article.php?id=Art_1119&key=137
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
The Learn and Serve America National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
(NSLC) provides news and information, referrals, and other tools and
resources to support service-learning in higher education, K-12, tribal, and
community settings. In addition to NSLC staff, Senior Program Advisors
representing these sectors contribute their expertise in the development of
materials and delivery of technical assistance. NSLC is a project of ETR
Associates, funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
http://www.servicelearning.org
Consortium for School Networking Conference
CoSN's 9th Annual K-12 School Networking Conference will take place March
2-4 in Arlington, Virginia. The theme this year is Personalization &
Empowerment: No Child Left Behind and Technology. In conjunction with
the conference, CoSN also hosts the Annual International Research-
Symposium and the ISTE/CoSN Advocacy Day on March 4. Discounted early
registration ends January 24. [eSchool News]
http://www.k12schoolnetworking.org
_______________
Ideas
Explore space
Try out these classroom-ready lessons from the NASA/MSU-Bozeman CERES
project as they are or adapt them according to the needs and interests of
your group of learners. Developed by a team of educators and NASA
researchers, this collection of varied lessons is coded by grade level, time
needed, and theme, including evolution of the universe, exploration of the
solar system, the search for origins, and sun-earth connections.
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/EdActivities.html
Make a movie
This streamlined lesson in film-making offers guidance that is simple and to
the point for fledgling producers. Moving through the steps from planning to
presentation to evaluation, this website features tips and tools including
software recommendations and a sample assessment rubric. Use this guide
on your own or with your students to experiment with video production and
ultimately make your own movie.
http://www.sfettpro.net/dvuniversity/main.html
Evaluate your sources
Always an important exercise, this tutorial from the U.C. Berkeley Library
clearly explains why it is necessary to critically evaluate information found
on the Web and provides related exercises to further student understanding.
It's one of the best resources that we've found for teaching and learning
about evaluating Web sites.
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
We welcome your feedback!
_______________
YouthLearn
http://www.youthlearn.org
This newsletter is produced by the YouthLearn Initiative at EDC especially for
members of the YouthLearn discussion group.
YouthLearn is a project of the nonprofit Education
Development Center, Inc.
Designed for youth-development professionals, teachers, educators, and other
caring adults, YouthLearn provides resources and tools for developing effective
learning programs enhanced with technology, particularly in out-of-school settings.
To subscribe or unsubscribe:
Go to http://www.youthlearn.org/join/subscribe.html
To send a message to the YouthLearn discussion
group:
Send an email to youthlearn@mailman.edc.org
To write to us:
To receive future issues of this newsletter in plain text format or to write us
with other comments or questions, send an email to info@youthlearn.org
Copyright 2004 Education Development
Center, Inc. All rights reserved.
YouthLearn was created by the Morino
Institute.