Adel Najdowski, Ph.D., BCBA-D | 04/18/2012

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States, is characterized by impairments in communication and socialization and is often marked by repetitive behaviors such as rocking and head banging. ASD is more prevalent than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined and its rising prevalence poses an enormous economic challenge to both families and schools burdened by this epidemic. Due to the rising incidence of ASD, classrooms are faced with a new challenge of providing appropriate and individualized instruction to more students with the disorder, albeit with fewer resour... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Autism spectrum disorders, ASD, applied behavior analysis, ABA, classroom, teacher, board certified behavior analyst, BCBA, Center for Autism related disorders

| 04/20/2012

A cardiovascular disease is any disease that causes problems with the heart or blood vessels. Cardiovascular diseases, also known as CVDs, are the number-one cause of death in the world. The World Health Organization says that by 2030, 23 million people will die from CVDs. Most of these deaths will be due to heart attacks and strokes, both of which are CVDs. In 2000, some groups thought people needed to know more about these killer diseases. So World Heart Day was started that year. Read More...

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Stephen Murphy | 04/01/2012

We had a such positive response from our Technology issue (Winter 2011) that we decided to do a deeper dive in this issue, with a focus on “Virtual Classrooms.” Read More...

Relevant Tags: From the Editor, education, product, schools, reviewsvolume product, from editor, spring 2012, north carolina, editor spring, virtual classrooms, professional development

Dr. Mark Edwards with Tanae McLean | 04/01/2012

It started as a collective vision from parents, school leaders and community members. Not a vision to put a laptop in the hands of every student but to get back to the foundation of what our public education system was meant to be: A learning environment where every child, every day has the opportunity to reach his or her fullest potential. While working toward this goal, we understood the importance of giving students the necessary skills to survive in a world where global interaction, whether business, education, or personal, is the norm. We also understood by doing all of this, education would become relevant to students who use 21st centu... Read More...

Relevant Tags: GUEST COLUMNIST, students, education, mgsd, digital, digital conversion, graded school, school district

Larry Biddle | 04/01/2012

So observed the 20th century philosopher Yogi Berra, with his unusual prescience concerning societal forces. His assessment could be accurately applied to all of our schools and communities. Insight from a recent morning blog — Spout & Scout — from Seth Godin enables us to contemplate what technology has meant to the virtual classroom across our nation. His comments on social media alone have significant implications for our entire school communities. “Social media has amplified two basic human needs so much that they have been transformed into entirely new behaviors. Sites have encouraged and rewarded us to spout, to talk about what we’re u... Read More...

Relevant Tags: CELEBRATING IMPROVEMENT, education, learning, schools, technology, digital learning, jostens renaissance, reel kids, professional development, south carolina, technology schools

Dr. Ruth Herman Wells | 04/01/2012

Whether it’s a real or virtual yawn, you may have plenty of unmotivated, half-asleep students in your real or virtual classroom. Whether the student is sleeping at the desk right in front of you, or asleep in front of a screen half a continent away, an apathetic, uninvolved youngster isn’t going to benefit very much from your instruction. For all the differences between actual and virtual classrooms, motivation is the big common denominator that can overshadow any style of instruction. If students think your class is boring, irrelevant, or dumb, they will learn accordingly. If students think that education is a joke because they’re going to b... Read More...

Relevant Tags: PROBLEM SOLVED, education, virtual, classroom, product, real virtual, virtual classroom, herman wells

Stephen Murphy | 04/01/2012

Dr. Wanda Creel is the Superintendent of the Barrow County School System (BCSS) in Barrow County, GA, a suburb of Metro-Atlanta. BCSS is the 24th largest school system in Georgia and is comprised of 13,000 students across sixteen schools and a nine member Board of Education. BCSS recently implemented high definition videoconferencing in their schools – creating virtual classrooms for their students. The project implementation began with an infrastructure problem, but the school system was able to devise a solution that also impacted learning in the classroom. SEEN spoke with Dr. Creel about the genesis of the project, their challenges and so... Read More...

Relevant Tags: SEEN Interview, education, system, creel, barrow, video, barrow county, school system, video conferencing, wanda creel, creel superintendent, georgia institute

Ryan Kinser | 04/01/2012

“We dare you to hold our attention.” That’s the message I saw on the faces of my sixth graders on the first day of this school year. Soon enough I learned that, hooked on digital culture, these students were tech-savvier than ever. I knew from the previous year that talking about great books with my English classes was no longer enough. I couldn’t just place a row of Newbery winners on the desks and invite kids to peruse them or plow through the tried-and-true class novel. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Virtual Classrooms, app, virtual, education, project, virtual classrooms, virtual book, book club, virtual learning, club app, sixth graders

John Olsen | 04/01/2012

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System in Tennessee achieved a 90 percent-plus graduation rate for the past five years in its online credit recovery and summer intervention programs for at-risk high school students. In Virginia, Spotsylvania County Public Schools reported that in 2010, 92 percent of its students who took online courses passed — including students taking credit recovery courses. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Virtual Classrooms, online, education, learning, courses, online learning, online education, online courses, school districts, credit recovery, blended learning, intervention programs

CHEREE H. CAUSEY, Ed.D. | 04/01/2012

As more students engage in online learning, many colleges and universities are exploring ways to ensure student success. Online learning may provide the freedom to study on one’s schedule and engage a student in active technology, yet hurdles may develop if the student procrastinates or ignores course deadlines. Students may also experience a technological glitch that interferes with interactive technology and group discussions. Whether a student is 15 or 60 years old, educators can provide a variety of mechanisms to prepare students for success in an online learning community. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Virtual Classrooms, online, students, learning, college, engage, online learning, early college, online courses, online students, student success

Deyu Hu and Ken Potter | 04/01/2012

Online learning has experienced rapid growth over the past decade. While overall undergraduate enrollment has increased by two percent, there has been a 10 percent growth in online course enrollment. As a result, more than 70 percent of the 2012 graduating class has taken at least one online course. Some universities are starting to evaluate the potential of online teaching during the faculty recruitment process, and more and more higher education institutions stated that eLearning is part of their strategic plan. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Virtual Classrooms, environment, student, instructional, education, instructors, online learning, learning environment, learning outcomes, student learning, effective online, instructional design, instructional strategies, classroom based

ROD POWELL | 04/01/2012

Each morning, I walk from my home to the high school where I teach history. It’s a brief journey, but it gives me time to reflect. Last fall, as August turned to September, I found myself thinking, “This feels just like last year, and the year before.” Read More...

Relevant Tags: Virtual Classrooms, virtual, community, education, standards, virtual community, common core, core standards, virtual communities, community educators, professional development, center teaching, high school