Category Archives: In the News

Check out this recent Wall Street Journal article: Using the iPad to Connect: Parents, Therapists Use Apple Tablet to Communicate With Special Needs Kids The iPad is quickly being utilized for kids with speech and communication issues and can have real breakthrough effects for this population. Apple CEO Steve Jobs says that these therapeutic uses weren’t something Apple engineers could have foreseen. Mr. Jobs said that emails he gets from parents resonate with him. “Our intention is to say something…

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS received notification today of a Ready to Learn grant for nearly $72 million from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement. CPB and PBS submitted a joint application in June in response to an RFP designed to fund research, development and deployment of transmedia content to improve the math and literacy skills of children ages 2-8, especially those living in poverty. The grant, which provides the organizations nearly $15…

On Wednesday, the White House announced the winners of the Apps for Healthy Kids competition ― part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign. Our Executive Director, Michael H. Levine, was honored to be involved, as one of the judges. Congrats to all the winners and runner-ups! Earlier this month, White House CTO Aneesh Chopra also launched Challenge.gov, a one-stop-shop where entrepreneurs and innovators can follow in the footsteps of the Apps for Healthy Kids winners to compete for prizes…

Today, E-Line Media and the Institute of Play are launching Gamestar Mechanic, a game-based learning platform that teaches the principles of game design as a form of 21st Century skill building in a highly engaging and creative environment. Gamestar Mechanic was created through a unique public private partnership that includes leading foundations, non-profits, academia and the game industry. Development of the game was initially funded through a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to the Institute…

This Sunday, games based learning will be New York Times Magazine cover worthy (we semi-scooped them.) Learning by Playing, by Sara Corbett, is a thorough overview of game play in the classroom, highlighting some successful  and revolutionary programs that are helping kids learn in school, most notably, Quest to Learn, a New York based school for digital kids. The school’s founder/director, Katie Salen, says she is “less apt to refer to a school as ‘school’ but rather as a ‘learning…

It’s all about TV this week: who’s going to win big with internet TV — Google or Apple, as well as the big 3D changeover. The recent New York Times article, Hey, Dad, Get With the (3-D) Program, addresses the next generation gap. Like previous generations who saw the switch from Black and White to Color, this new group of kids are going to expect more — namely, things popping out of their screens. Also, read Cooney Center Fellow, Dr.…

Last month’s Time Magazine cover story on “The Case Against Summer Vacation” sparked quite a debate online, addressing the learning loss that occurs during summer (the “summer slump”), a loss that puts disadvantaged children at a lifetime risk for significantly lower achievement. During the school year, children from all socio-economic groups progress at similar rates, but when that last bell rings, the summer slide begins. More than 40 studies have provided compelling evidence for this pattern. According to a major…

39 Clues, Book 10 will be released on August 31, 2010, and kids can converge for a live Q&A with the series’ authors from all 10 books. This highly interactive series includes online and mobile games and is a good model for inspiring kids to enjoy reading.  Tune in today — August 31, 2010 at 4pm EST for the live Q&A Download related classroom resources 

M2 Research and partner KidSay recently rleased the first in a semi-annually report series. Their first publication, Kids and Games: What Boys and Girls are Playing Today, shows a significant increase in kids’ online gaming and social media usage. 90 Percent of tweens are playing games online, with mobile and social media use on the rise, as well. The report includes over 80 gaming charts and outlines key trends and companies. Survey data was collected from over 5,000 kids across…

Public Media’s Impact on Young Readers Time for a Fresh Look Reprinted from EdWeek with permission from Susan B. Neuman For the average middle-class American, it might be hard to comprehend just how devastating the effects of poverty are on children’s early literacy development. But the social and educational deficits poor children must overcome to learn to read are all too clear from numerous research studies. Download the full article