AAEYC Board Meeting (Austin Association for Education of Young Children)

Submitted by Robin Brandenburg on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 15:20
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Last night I attended the Austin Association for Education of Young Children (AAEYC) board meeting. It was a fantastic way to meet members of the board, hear about upcoming events, and become actively involved with AAEYC.

This NAEYC chapter has a lot going on including the following upcoming events:
4/1/10 – Nominations for AAEYC Awards Deadline http://www.austinaeyc.org/awards.htm
4/5/10 – AAEYC Board Meeting
4/10/10-4/17/10 – Week of the Young Child
4/10/10 -- AAEYC Spring Conference: Preparing Leaders for the Next 50 Years: ACC Eastview Campus

Primary Election Nite & Tx Bd of Ed: Bye-bye McLeroy?

Submitted by Mark Grayson on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 01:05
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As of 6:55 AM Central Time Wednesday 3 March...

Most of the action is in the Republican primaries:

Former Board Chairman Don "The Dentist" McLeroy is in a squeaker with his primary challenger, Tom Ratliff--at this point, Ratliff is holding a slender 700-vote lead in unofficial returns. If McLeroy goes down, it will be a huge blow to The Faction--they will need even more swing votes (which will be harder to find) to get their agenda passed.

Central Texas History Fair

Submitted by Robin Brandenburg on Mon, 02/22/2010 - 14:10
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I recently had the pleasure of volunteering at the Central Texas History Fair at the Austin, Texas LBJ Library and Museum. With the theme “Innovation in History: Impact and Change” students were encouraged to keep history and innovation in mind while doing their research. During the orientation for volunteers, I thought to myself how fortunate I was to have been assigned the role of a monitor instead of a judge.

Videatives - NAREA Conference

Submitted by Robin Brandenburg on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 21:26
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The night before the conference I spent a couple of hours reviewing descriptions of the NAREA lunchtime presentations. There were nine topics to choose from and I painstakingly narrowed my selection down to five. As groups were assembling for the lunchtime presentations, I found myself forced to make a decision.
The session I chose was about using rich video clips as documentation to better understand teaching and learning. As practiced in Reggio Emilia, and eloquently described by Project Zero, “documentation makes the ‘how’ as well as the ‘what’ of learning visible.”

Presentation by Lella Gandini & Amelia Gambetti – NAREA Conference

Submitted by Robin Brandenburg on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 20:51
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These two amazing educators, Lella Gandini and Amelia Gambetti, didn’t need an introduction. Conference participants literally held their breath not wanting to miss a word! Gambetti began by stating that her main goal has been to “create bridges to put together different experiences.” She referenced the Model Early Learning Center (MELC).

Opening Remarks – NAREA Conference

Submitted by Robin Brandenburg on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 19:39
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The NAREA conference kicked off with Co-Chairs, Margie Cooper & Jennifer Strange welcoming educators. They announced that the next study group to Reggio, Italy will be May 1st-May 8th. Since 1990, Angela Ferrario has been organizing study groups to Reggio Emilia and has worked with Reggio Children as the U.S. Liaison since 1994, when the organization was established. Angela is a U.S. reference point for the Reggio Children International Network and a founding board member of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA).

NAREA Reception

Submitted by Robin Brandenburg on Sat, 02/06/2010 - 00:11
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In the spirit of uniting educators and advocates who are passionate about inspiring changes in early childhood programs, the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA) board hosted a reception at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA. Amelia Gambetti, educator, Reggio Children International Network Coordinator and Liaison for Consultancy to Schools, and Lella Gandini, Ed.D, Reggio Children U.S.

The Apple iPad

Submitted by Marli Mesibov on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 11:53
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Amid all the jokes and insincere comments on the new Apple iPad, Jenny Williams has written a great analysis of how the iPad will affect the younger generation. Check out her column, GeekDad, on Wired:
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/01/how-will-the-apple-tablet-change-ou...

Once Upon a Pixel

Submitted by Marli Mesibov on Tue, 01/19/2010 - 14:54
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There's a new Alphabet Book out, and this one's based in the game Mega Man. Now, I've never heard of Mega Man before, but the illustrations are fantastic, and the review which led me to the video was well written and brought up many good points.

The review: http://www.destructoid.com/the-art-of-once-upon-a-pixel-mega-man-160168....

Once Upon a Pixel: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/mega-man-once-upon-a/60433

FETC -- Rethinking How We Teach Mathematics with Technology to Struggling Learners

Submitted by Robin Brandenburg on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 14:20
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In the featured session, Rethinking How We Teach Mathematics to Struggling Learners with Technology, Ted Hasselbring discussed how we can use technology to address the recommendations of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel for all students, including those with special needs and at-risk for school failure. The following are notes from his presentation: