Today, Apple unveiled the latest apps for iPads that hope to revolutionize the textbook. One app, iBook Author, will allow authors to create and publish textbooks on an iPad, the other app, iBooks 2, will allow students to access their textbook on their iPad, as well as take notes, view 3D models, videos, and images, make flashcards, and look up words in the dictionary, according to The Huffington Post.
The economy has done more than take away jobs. It’s forced families from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds to be homeless, hungry, and lose the comfort of  having other basic needs. Nearly three-quarters of all U.S. households with income below the federal poverty line spend over 50 percent of monthly household income on rent (Endhomelessness.org.)
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Many parents and educators equate a student’s high self-esteem with high achievement. However, according in the article “In schools, self-esteem boosting is losing favor to rigor, finer-tuned praise,” empty praise is out, and a new vocabulary that supports challenge is in. So, how can we work with students to hold them accountable to high expectations while helping them to believe in themselves to risk, to try, to grow, and to deliver quality work?
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Collaboration. Teamwork. Brainstorm.
Anyone whose been in school or the workforce in the last few years knows these words are often attached to positive outcomes for companies and institutions, like increased productivity, creativity, and achievement. However, research shows that these group practices may be overlooking the value of solitude, according to The New York Times opinion piece, “The Rise of the New Groupthink.“
As a leader during the modern American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. accomplished more toward racial equality in his 13 years of leadership than had happened over the previous 350 years, according to The Martin Luther King Jr. Center. His nonviolent movement was inspired in part by his Christian faith and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. While others saw violence as a way to be heard, King used peaceful protests to bring attention to poverty, international conflicts, and equality. There is a wealth of information on King’s amazing social accomplishments on the website www.thekingcenter.org.
If you or someone you know is in debt, has a foreclosed home, or is struggling to pay the bills due to unemployment, you may have wondered how life would be different had lessons in financial literacy been handed out instead of endless lines of credit.
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The world of work is changing, and whether it scares or excites you, one thing is for certain: you shouldn’t be surprised if your job doesn’t exist in two decades. Many people are fearful of the changing workforce because it means uncertainty, foreign technology, and possible unemployment. However, the recent Fast Company article “The Career of the Future Doesn’t Include A 20-Year Plan. It’s More Like Four,” shows change can be positive, and something you should expect more of in your career.
Emotionally intelligent people are aware of what they do and who they are. Many issues young people have can be alleviated with the knowledge of the people around them and the feelings of others. This awareness makes for successful students, professionals, and members of society and it can thwart or redirect bullying or other inappropriate behaviors. In the recent article “10 Ways to Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence,” Dr. Norman Rosenthal explains there are two schools of thought surrounding emotional intelligence: your EI is an inborn characteristic or you can improve your EI with guidance and practice. Dr. Rosenthal is a believer of the latter, and offered the following tips to “enhance your emotional intelligence” in his article:
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Walter Dean Myers, the author of the best-selling young adult novel Monster and hundreds of other titles, is being sworn in today as the 3rd US ambassador for young people’s literature. In an interview this morning on NPR’s Morning Edition, Myers said the theme of his 2-year ambassadorship will be “Reading Is Not Optional,” in an effort to get more youth interested in reading and prepared to have a career in the changing world-of-work, especially those from urban and oppressed areas such as Harlem where he was raised.
A new report shows unemployment rates are lower for recent college graduates than those with less education, according to a recent article by The Chronicle. The study also found, generally, the careers with the highest employment rates are going to graduates with an industry-oriented degree and those pursuing technical fields.