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YouthLearn Updates

Using Blended Learning for the Professional Development of
Youth Workers
In early 2005, YouthLearn conducted an online survey of youth workers
on Blended Learning with the National Collaboration for Youth (NCY).
Check out this publication, which includes the findings of the survey and
promising practices on professional development efforts using Blended
Learning methods.
URL: http://news.youthlearn.org/archives/000201.html

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News

Teens spurn e-mail for messaging
"US teenagers prefer instant messaging rather than e-mail to stay in touch
with each other, research shows. A Pew Internet and American Life Project
study found online teens are increasingly tech-savvy. Nearly nine out of 10
teenagers say they use the net, up from 74 percent in 2000, according to
the Pew study. While e-mail is seen as a tool for communicating with adults,
instant messaging was proving the most popular way to chat with friends."
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4719083.stm

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Funding

Mattel Children's Foundation Seeks Applications for Second Round
"Deadline: September 30, 2005. The Mattel Children's Foundation, a
philanthropic program of Mattel, Inc., has announced the recipients of its
first round of domestic grants... Applications for the second round of
grants are now being accepted. Charitable organizations in the U.S. that
directly serve children in need are eligible for grants ranging between
$5,000 and $25,000."
URL: http://www.mattel.com/About_Us/Philanthropy/ci_mcf_philanthropy_grantmaking.asp
Referred by: Foundation Center RFP Bulletin

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Resources

Media Smarts
"Most students spend more time each day watching TV, listening to music,
and playing video games than they do attending class. Experts say it's
time to give kids the tools they need to think critically about the media
they continually absorb...Most American students remain poorly equipped
to think critically about, and express themselves through, the media that
defines them...Cue the herald trumpets, and enter the Alliance for a Media
Literate America (AMLA), an organization that promotes media literacy as
an essential life skill...Media literacy means various things to different
people, encompassing everything from the basics of graphic design to
critical analysis of advertising images and news broadcasts."
URL: http://www.edutopia.org/php/article.php?id=Art_1321

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Research

Students With Disabilities Making Great Strides, New Study Finds
"Students with disabilities have made significant progress in their transition
to adulthood during the past 25 years with lower dropout rates, an
increase in postsecondary enrollment and a higher rate of gainful
employment after leaving high school, according to a new report released
today by the U.S. Department of Education... The National Longitudinal
Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) documents the experiences of a national
sample of students over several years as they moved from secondary
school into adult roles."
URL: http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2005/07/07282005.html
Referred by: ENC Education Headlines

Afterschool and Reading Achievement Report
"A study published in the July/August issue of Child Development found
that over time, children from low-income families who were enrolled in
afterschool programs were reading at a higher level than their peers in any
other kinds of afterschool care (being in the care of relatives, spending
time alone, etc). The abstract of the report, titled 'An Ecological Analysis
of After-School Program Participation on the Development of Academic
Performance and Motivational Attributes for Disadvantaged Children,' is
online." [The full text is available for a fee.]
URL: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/cdev/76/4
Referred by: Promising Practices

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Activities

We welcome your feedback!

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YouthLearn
http://www.youthlearn.org

This newsletter is produced by the YouthLearn Initiative at EDC especially for
members of the YouthLearn discussion group. Every two weeks, the newsletter is
compiled from the entries in the YouthLearn News Blog, including summaries
from various sources that YouthLearn staff periodically review.

Past newsletters are archived at http://www.youthlearn.org/resources/newsletter/index.html.

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.

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Copyright 2005 Education Development Center, Inc. All rights reserved.
YouthLearn was created by the Morino Institute.