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We would like to introduce you to a magazine called Biophotonics International. It is the world's leading magazine dealing with photonics solutions for the medical and biotechnology industries.

It contains the information you need to apply the latest in imaging, optics, lasers, microscopy and many other light-based techniques to your work.

Best part: It's Free. Simply go to the website: www.photonics.com/bio/WBIHS8/ and click on New Subscription. Complete the form and submit to start receiving your monthly copy of Biophotonics International.

BioPhotonics International is going to feature articles that present reviews on the latest technology in the next coming months. Make sure that you don't miss them.
Thank you for your time,The Staff of Biophotonics International

May Edition of Education News Parents Can Use

The May edition of Education News Parents Can Use will explore how effective teaching is at the core of America's long-term economic competitiveness; highlight progressive strategies to recruit, train, and reward effective teachers; and, feature award-winning educators from across the country who are dedicated to improving student achievement and ensuring student success in today's global economy. Educators, policymakers, and practitioners will discuss key questions such as:
What does "effective teaching" mean and what is the Department doing to promote it?
What is the link between effective teachers and student achievement?
What can we do to overhaul the recruitment, training, and compensation of teachers, especially those teaching critical subjects like math and science?
How can we populate America's high need schools with effective teachers?
What is the Teacher Ambassador Fellowship Program and how will it contribute to the field?
What questions should parents ask to ensure their child's teacher is high performing and effective in the classroom?
How would key programs and initiatives-like the Teacher Incentive Fund, student loan forgiveness programs and the Adjunct Teacher Corps-help to fill teaching shortages in high-need schools and subject areas critical to America's competitiveness and economic viability?
Ways to Watch: Education News is available on local education, government or public access channels; TLC (The Learning Channel); some PBS member stations; the Dish Network and DirecTV; BYU Television (DirecTV, Dish and via local cable providers); and Channel One. To learn more, please visit www.ed.gov/edtv.
Archived Webcasts: Education News is available via archived webcasts. To view and learn more, please visit www.connectlive.com/events/ednews.

May 5, 2008

Fred Jones Winner for 2008 Teachers Choice Awards

Learning Magazine's 2008 Teacher's Choice Award for the Family

The Tools for Teaching Parent Edition has been awarded Learning Magazine's 2008 Teacher's Choice Award for the Family. Here's what they have to say:

"In 1994, Learning Magazine introduced the first Teachers’ Choice Awards program. Over the years, the program has grown to become one of the most recognized and prestigious awards in the educational market. Learning Magazine launched the Family program to meet the needs of companies whose educational products work in the home environment. Teachers who are also parents evaluated more than 200 products--including books, games, electronics, software, and more--to choose the best tools for at-home learning."

Visit the Learning Magazine web site: http://www.theeducationcenter.com/

Tools for Teaching is a proven set of skills and strategies to successfully manage your classroom with a positive, practical, low stress approach. Wouldn't it be great if you could teach the parents of your class these same skills to use at home? Dr. Jones new 3 DVD set for parents does just that. Each disc centers on a theme that will help parents develop positive relationships with their kids, while better understanding what you are doing in the classroom. Parents and teachers can work together with a common language and set of skills to create the best environment possible for their kids.

2008 Teacher's Choice
Award for the Family

Learning doesn’t stop when students leave the school building! That’s why Learning Magazine hosts the Teachers’ Choice Award for the Family. Teachers who are also parents evaluated more than 250 products—including books, games, electronics, software, and more—to choose the best tools for at-home learning.

April 16, 2008

Literacy

With communication at our finger tips it is absolutely critical that a person be literate in these technologically advanced times. When I opened my email this morning, I thought about how important it is to be able to read and write. My business activities require this skill, as well as my personal life. Though I typically forget this isn’t something that comes by nature alone, this morning I realized this isn’t the case and wondered what the best way to obtain this skill is.

There are two components of literacy, the first is writing. I believe this is the harder part of literacy. One that I believed came from much practice. But as I researched how to learn to write, the number one thing I was guided to do was read. From reading you can obtain better skills at writing. It was not suggested to read one specific thing, but to read anything from comic books, to newspapers, to fiction. Reading alone helps the brain recognize how words and phrases should be placed.

The second part to literacy is reading. Reading is something I have learned to enjoy. And something I have learned to appreciate as the best way to increase knowledge in anything. I once heard that it takes reading 30 books to become an expert at something. And as I started to discuss this with people, those who I had looked up to for knowledge had been individuals who had followed this criteria for expertise.

Obviously you already know how to read, if you have gotten to this point. But the real point is to continue to work on your literacy so that you may better your communication. Since globally communication is becoming a larger part of everyday life, it is critical to continue to better your skills in this area. Reading is the best way to do this.

Doubleday Book Club
April 8, 2008

The Goji Berry of the Himalayas

In his book Goji: The Himalayan Health Secret, Dr. Earl Mindell reveals a longevity secret that redefines the meaning of "healthy aging." This secret has been the key to long life for thousands of years among the people in remote areas across Asia. Their energy, mental agility, and overall vitality in old age has confounded scientists for decades.
After spending years exploring the link between longevity and nutrition, Dr. Mindell discovered that many of the world's longest living people have something in common: "They consume regular daily helpings of a tiny red fruit that just happens to be the world's most powerful anti-aging food: the goji berry."

For more info, go to: http://gojibook.com/NI01.html

The Disciplined Mind

(Author of Multiple Intelligences)

2000 Penguin Books, New York, USA

The best way to accumulate a lot of information is to learn to read and to love to read; to become curious about the world, to ask questions, and to experiment in an effort to find the answers; that is, to become a constructivist at an early age.

The New York Times Book Review
A must-read for every educator, parent or anyone who cares about our children's future. (Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence)

Book Description
In The Disciplined Mind, Howard Gardner argues that K-12 education should strive for a deep understanding of three classical principles: truth, beauty, and goodness.

Such an understanding requires mastery of the major disciplines that human beings have created over the centuries. As powerful examples of his approach, Gardner describes an education that illuminates the theory of evolution, the music of Mozart, and the lessons of the Holocaust. Far from the standardized test mentality that has gripped both policy makers and the public, Gardner envisions an education that preserves the strengths of a traditional humane education while preparing younger generations for the challenges of the future.


Education in the Future

1. Artificial Intelligence and virtual reality are two computer-related technologies that may cast a large shadow on education. Much of school planning may be done not by human agents but by programs created by human agents; and much of what was once accomplished by textbooks and occasional field trips will now be performed in virtual reality.

2. Acquisition of credentials from accredited institutions may become less important. Individuals will be able to educate themselves and to exhibit their mastery in a simulated setting. Why pay $120,000 to go to law school, if one can "read law" as in earlier times and then demonstrate one's legal skills via computer simulation? Or learn to fly a plane or conduct neurosurgery by similar means, for that matter?

3. More and more people work in the sectors of human services and human resources, and especially, in the creation, transformation, and communication of knowledge.

4. The media of communication will be a dominating agency of education throughout the world. Radio, television, movies, magazines, advertising materials will continue to proliferate and to convey powerful messages about roles and values around the world.

5. Important discoveries are now known all over the world within days, courtesy of the Internet.

6. Distance learning makes it possible to pursue even advanced coursework without moving to a college or university setting. Virtual environments may allow talented or determined individuals to demonstrate proficiency without lengthy and costly certification processes.

7. To function in hypermedia, to read and design Web pages and embark on computer-based projects, one must orchestrate a fresh amalgam of graphic, linguistic, and even auditory literacies.

Successful Families of Schools

1. Steiner "Waldorf" schools

2. Montessori schools

3. Comer schools

4. Networks like the International Baccalaureate and the Coalition of Essential Schools

5. Catholic and other sectarian schools

The Singapore Miracle

Forty years ago, Singaporeans were so poor that many children went to bed hungry each night. Singapore has virtually no natural resources, just the minds and energy of its three million citizens. Today, Singapore ranks among the top nations in the world in productivity and income, and students regularly occupy the number one slot in international comparisons.

Singaporean students follow a carefully prescribed curriculum in mathematics, science, and technology. Teaching occurs in English, which reflects not only the colonial history of the region but also the fact that English has become the lingua franca of commerce worldwide. As in Germany, education is tracked, with those in the academic tracks having to master more challenging curricula and also more languages. Students work assiduously, on the average doing four to five hours of homework each evening. Parents study with their children, as do tutors and special teachers, and there is little tolerance for sloth in this authoritarian society. It is assumed that graduates will work for the success of the society, in general subordinating individual goals to the wider good.

At least as successfully as the Japanese, the Singaporeans have succeeded in wedding Confucian practices and values to knowledge of how to succeed in a competitive international environment. Other "little tigers" (Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea) have also forged an effective blend of once rival traditions -- though the recent economic downturn may reveal limitations in the system. There is a strong belief in the efficacy of study, and high value is placed on devotion to learning, and on showing improvement each day; rather than being directed toward individual success (as in the case of the Protestant culture described so memorably by the German sociologist Max Weber), these virtues are yoked to the success of the society as a whole.

National Mathematics Advisory Panel

To compete in the 21st century global economy, knowledge of and proficiency in mathematics is critical. Today's high school graduates need to have solid mathematics skills-whether they are headed for college or the workforce. To help ensure our nation's future competitiveness and economic viability, President George W. Bush created the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (National Math Panel) in April 2006.

The panel was charged with providing recommendations to the President and U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings on the best use of scientifically based research to advance the teaching and learning of mathematics. Expert panelists, including a number of leading mathematicians, cognitive psychologists, and educators, reviewed numerous research studies before preparing a final report containing guidance on how to improve mathematics achievement for all students in the United States.

The National Math Panel's final report, issued on March 13, 2008, contains 45 findings and recommendations on numerous topics including instructional practices, materials, professional development, and assessments. Please visit http://www.ed.gov/MathPanel for the executive summary and full report.


U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Initiative
http://www.T2TWeb.us
March 20, 2008