Smart Technology Moves to the Head of ClassAs she prepares for their lesson, Karla Rivera’s third-grade students sit silently tapping, working math problems on their iPads. An interactive whiteboard at the front of Rivera’s classroom at Westmark School in Encino allows her to add information by touch or from her computer, but she switches her students back to pencil and paper to take notes while she teaches.
Later, they’ll get to pick up the iPads again for math games to reinforce the lesson. “It takes you outside the classroom without stepping foot outside,” she says. About one in four 3-year-olds now go online daily, as do half of 5-year-olds and more than two-thirds of 8-year-olds, a study from The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop found in March 2011. Congress has promised funds to support digitized classrooms, and California schools – including Santa Ana’s Mater Dei High School and Washington Middle School in Long Beach – have lead the charge to bring iPads and other smart technology onto campus. Read More Document |
Spotting the Signs of Teen Dating AbuseYour 16-year old son sulks into the house, head bent down and eyes on the floor as he makes a beeline for his bedroom. Something’s not right, you think. He’s normally got the biggest smile on his face and can’t wait to share his day. Maybe he and his friends got into another fight. He says they’ve been having trouble adjusting to his new girlfriend and he doesn’t want to hang out with them anymore. He’s been skipping football practice, too. So you head toward his room to do damage control and as you swing open the door, you see the black eye and scratches on his arm. “Mom,” he says, “are relationships supposed to hurt this much?” Now the alarm bells go off.
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