IEA Listserv for Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts’ weekly newsletter for September 5, 2007. The newsletter is published each Wednesday and is archived on the IEA blog at http://edartsinstitute.blogspot.com .

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REPORTS
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TEACHING 21ST CENTURY SKILLS
“Americans recognize the importance of technology in reforming the nation’s schools and making them relevant for the 21st century, a new survey suggests—but they disagree on how schools should impart key 21st century skills to their students. Zogby International conducted the survey of more than 7,000 Americans in May 2007. The report, titled Education Attitudes 2007, was released on July 26 by Cisco System, Inc.”
Read a summary of the survey results>>
View a video of the July 25 video discussion>>

NEW GLOBAL STUDY FROM MTV, NICKELODEON AND MICROSOFT CHALLENGES ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KIDS, YOUTH & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
PRNewswire, 7/24/07
“The average Chinese young person has 37 online friends he or she has never met, Indian youth are most likely to see mobile phones as a status symbol, while one in three UK and US teenagers say they can't live without their games console. Globally, the average young person connected to digital technology has 94 phone numbers in his or her mobile phone, 78 people on a messenger buddy list and 86 people in his or her social networking community. Yet despite their technological immersion, digi-kids are not geeks -- 59% of 8-14 year-old kids still prefer their TV to their PCs and only 20% of 14-24 year-old young people globally admitted to being "interested" in technology. They are, however, expert multi-taskers and able to filter different channels of information. These are just some of the findings from the largest-ever global study undertaken by MTV and Nickelodeon, in association with Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, into how kids and young people interact with digital technology. The Circuits of Cool/Digital Playground technology and lifestyle study challenges traditional assumptions about their relationships with digital technology, and examines the impact of culture, age and gender on technology use.”
Read a summary of the survey results>>

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SURVEYING ARTISTS IN THE BERKSHIRES
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SURVEY AIMS TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC STRUCTURES FOR LOCAL ARTISTS
Jen Thomas, iBerkshires.com, 8/17/07
“Thanks to a unique collaboration of local creative institutions, Berkshire County artists from all disciplines and backgrounds can now participate in shaping the economic future of the region. This month, the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center in North Adams, Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts unveiled a survey that they hope will shed some light on the needs of working artists. ‘What we’re collaborating on is a project where we really look at what artists need to succeed professionally,’ said Megan Whilden, the director of Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development. ‘We want to chart the landscape for what artists need.’ Defined as people who derive 10 percent or more of their total income from their art, working artists are an integral part of the Berkshires’ growing creative economy. In understanding the financial situation, housing preferences and professional development needs of local artists, the partners expect to better encourage the artists community, mostly in the economic sector.”
Read more>>

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A VOCABULARY SUPERHERO FOR KIDS
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A NEW HEROINE’S FIGHTING WORDS
Elizabeth Jensen, New York Times, 9/2/07
“THERE’S a new superhero on the block this fall, and she might just have the strength (or as she would most likely say, the ‘fortitude’) to render a big vocabulary cool among schoolchildren. The weapon of choice for PBS’s new ‘WordGirl’ is words: the more expressive, the better. When the fifth-grader Becky Botsford dons her red cape and spits out mouthfuls like ‘preposterous’ and ‘bicker’ and ‘cumbersome,’ her enemies — from the often-tongue-tied Chuck the Evil Sandwich-Making Guy (whose name is a chance for WordGirl to define ‘absurd’) to the Butcher, who mangles words while hoarding meat — capitulate. The half-hour program started last season as a series of shorts within PBS’s bilingual cartoon “Maya & Miguel,” and is designed for children aged 4 to 9. It will be shown in a preview at 4:30 p.m. Monday in PBS’s children’s block before moving to its regular slot, beginning Sept. 7.”
Read the New York Times article about WordGirl>>
View PBS Lesson Plans based on WordGirl>>
See Jim Lehrer’s interview of WordGirl on YouTube>>

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CELEBRATING TEACHERS
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CELEBRATE THE WEEK OF THE CLASSROOM TEACHER & WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY
“The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) recognizes how important teachers are for children around the world, and celebrates their hard work and dedication to inspire excellence in the classroom … Since 1995, ACEI has annually recognized the dedication and professionalism of classroom teachers. In 2005, ACEI joined over 100 countries in commemorating the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) signing of the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teacher by recognizing World Teachers' Day on October 5. ACEI annually designates the first full week of October as Week of the Classroom Teacher. ACEI encourages parents, principals, child care center directors, early childhood program directors, librarians, teacher associations, church groups, PTA and PTO associations, ACEI branches (student, local, and state/province/country), and all who are dedicated to the inherent rights, education, and well-being of all children to offer sincere thanks and appreciation for teachers' contributions in education and society. Start planning early to make your celebration a community event!"
Learn more and download planning resources here>>

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HELPING VISUALLY-IMPAIRED STUDENTS TO SEE
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LIGHTING THE WAY:
PICTURES HELP PEOPLE SEE FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW
Alexei Bien, Edutopia, 6/14/07
“What would children who are blind show us about the world if they learned to take pictures? The question first occurred to photographer Tony Deifell in 1991 … A year later, he sought an answer by setting up an experimental photography program, called Sound Shadows, at Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina … Sound Shadows was based there for five years, from 1992 to 1997, during which Deifell cotaught thirty-six students ages 12-19 with visual impairments. The kids not only learned how to point and shoot, they also were taught how to use a camera to re-create dreams and express personal vision. In April 2007, Chronicle Books published Seeing Beyond Sight, Deifell's richly illustrated record of his experience at the school. The book features about 150 images from the Sound Shadows program, accompanied by the words of their creators as well as updates on many of the student photographers … Deifell concedes that in 1992, taking Sound Shadows from concept to curriculum was no easy task. He had the examples of many visually impaired artists to inspire him, but it was still unheard of to actually teach photography, the least tactile of the arts, to blind students.”
Read more and view students’ photos>>

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ON THE AIR
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VISIONES: LATINO ART AND CULTURE: EPISODE ONE
PBS, 9/9/07 (check local listings)
Grade Range: 9-12
”The first episode features the Latino Mural Movement of the 1960s, Nuyorican spoken word and editorial cartoonist Lalo Lopez. Created in New York, the Nuyorican spoken word is a form of artistic expression that emerged from the tumultuous 1960s and continues to influence and inspire the American Puerto Rican community. The episode includes interviews with Nuyorican poets Pedro Pietri, Piri Thomas and Caridad (La Bruja).”

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GRANTS, FUNDING, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS
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LEARNING & LEADERSHIP GRANTS
NEA Foundation
Deadline: 10/15/07The NEA Foundation grants “support public school teachers, public education support
professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for one of the following two purposes: grants to individuals fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes or action research. Grants to groups fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment.:
Learn more>>

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