Inspiring New Futures

Inside Educity Iskandar: a university partnership in Malaysia | Higher Education Network | Guardian Professional : Transnational education is booming and the forms in which it is delivered are proliferating all the time. Ever increasing numbers of UK universities are setting up franchising arrangements, 2+1 models, or even full-blown overseas campuses. The 350-acre campus at  Educity Iskandar  will be shared by no fewer than eight  international  universities, including three from the UK. Newcastle ,  Southampton  and  Reading  universities will take their place alongside the Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology and the Singaporean private university Raffles. Australia's Monash and a Californian cinematic art school associated with Pinewood Studios are in talks with Iskandar's management, leaving just one spot left for another, as yet unknown, international institution. Students from all of the universities will live together in one ...

Education: The Single Most Important Job | Edutopia By George Lucas 5/8/12 George Lucas is a filmmaker and founder of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, publisher of Edutopia. He shares his thoughts on the benefits of education today in honor of Teacher Appreciation Day. I was bored in school. It's true. I didn’t feel like the school system was designed for my learning style. It wasn't until college where I could pursue my passion, making films, that I found my way. Recently on Edutopia.org, we published observations from 8th graders about what they believe creates an engaging learning experience. Their answers were straight-forward and definitive: project-based learning, technology, and an enthusiastic teacher. I couldn’t agree more. Today, with the power of the Internet, we are experiencing a force that is revolutionizing education and offering opportunities to reach and engage diverse learners like me. When technology is deployed ...

Garry Kasparov Promoting Chess in Estonian Schools | Education | News | ERR : Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov is visiting Estonia this week to introduce the EU-endorsed Chess in School program, which aims to promote the game among children aged eight to 16. The long-term goal of the project is to make chess a part of grade school curricula in all 27 EU member states. During his stay, the 49-year-old chess legend and political activist will meet with Minister of Education Jaak Aaviksoo and Minister of Culture Rein Lang. On Wednesday, Kasparov will be holding a tournament for 20 young Estonian players at Tallinn's Nordic Hotel Forum. A speed chess tournament for both professionals and amateurs will take place at the city's Wabaduse cafe on Friday.  The same day, Kasparov, along with President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, will be taking part in an innovation-themed debate at the Pärnu Finance Conference. Kasparov became the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion in 1985 ...

How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School | Edutopia : Get the seven steps (and a roundup of valuable resources) you need to help bring social media in your classroom. BY STEVEN ANDERSON Produced in collaboration with  Facebook . Social media is fast becoming as ubiquitous as the air we breathe. In recent months, many schools and districts around the country have taken steps to create social media policies and guidelines for their students and staff. In my work with several districts to draft these documents, I have seen many approaches that work well, and some that don't. That said, there is no silver bullet for administrators; every school, district, and state has a different set of circumstances. With that in mind, here are some steps that will help you determine the best approach for your own community.

Education Week: Galleries on Education : GALLERIES ON EDUCATION Interviews and video stories on education news and issues from preschool through the 12th grade. Blended Learning, Real Teaching March 9, 2012  Students and teachers at Mott Hall V Middle School in New York City discuss blended learning environments, which combine online learning and face-to-face instruction. Related Story:  Blended Learning Sports Variety of Approaches

Mozambicans to reduce illiteracy by teaching 1 million a year - Xinhua | English.news.cn : The Mozambican government is to reduce illiteracy by teaching a million youth and adults per year, state radio said Wednesday. Radio Mozambique said the number of illiterate people in the country stands at 9 million and the great number of people to be covered in the literacy program is in the rural areas, The radio said under the program, the illiterate rate will be reduced to 30 percent from 48.1 percent by 2015. Deputy Minister of Education Augusto Jone told the state radio on Wednesday that the Maputo administration is pulling its sox up to reduce the number of people who do not know how to read and write, mainly women. Jone presided in the capital, Maputo, a ceremony to launch a project on an inclusive literacy in Mozambique. The project will be implemented by Handicap International, the Mozambican Handicap Association and by the Mozambican Ministry of Education. According to the mini...

Learning music improves reading skills | AsianPacificPost.com | Chinese newspaper, Filipino newspaper, Philippines newspaper. : Children tutored in music involving progressively complex rhythmic, tonal and practical skills display superior reading skills to their peers, according to a new study. Joseph M. Piro and Camilo Ortiz from Long Island University said data from the study will help clarify the role of music study on cognition, and shed light on the question of the potential of music to enhance performance in language and literacy. Piro and Ortiz investigated the hypothesis that children (in two elementary schools) who have received keyboard instruction as part of a music curriculum that becomes progressively difficult over the years, would demonstrate significantly better performance on vocabulary and verbal sequencing than students who did not receive keyboard instruction. Several studies have reported positive associations between music education and increased abilities ...