Hot Stuff: Media for Educators
An interactive reading system; free, federal, online classroom materials; a provocative film comparing global high schools; and a school-supply donor site for classrooms in need.
by Edutopia Staff
Credit: William Duke
Tag School Reading System
$275 (4-pack) and up
An easy and entertaining way to jump-start young readers, the Tag School Reading System comes with a pocket-size combination pen/stylus (it looks like an oversized pen) that interacts with the specially printed words in the Tag stories. Students can follow along individually or as a class, listening to the characters talk and then responding to questions they pose. The reader is connected to the teacher's computer, allowing for individualized monitoring of progress.
Credit: William Duke
Federal Resources for Education Excellence
Free
With budgets so tight, it's nice to see the feds providing a whole wealth of free (yes, free) and useful material for the classroom. More than 1,500 federally supported teaching and learning resources are packed into this site, ranging in scope from Arctic explorers and data analysis to algebra, geology, exercise, and visual arts. Resources are categorized by sections, with many options to help create learning activities designed to spark invigorating classroom discussions.
Credit: William Duke
Two Million Minutes
$25 and up
An interesting, if somewhat clichéd, look at high schools here and overseas. The film ostensibly compares educational standards in the United States with those in India and China by following high school seniors from each of these countries. The title refers to the amount of time the students spend in high school -- a critical period in which to build their intellectual foundation and prepare for college and career. All the standard characters are here: the bubbleheaded American teens, the fretful hard-studying Chinese and Indian youth. And the message is an important one: If we don't get our act together, educationally speaking, we're in a world of hurt. Still, it leaves you wanting more. For instance: Where does creativity come from? What propels some students (and populations) to become entrepreneurs, while others lag? Nonetheless, it's a provocative film sure to start important discussions.
Credit: William Duke
EZ School Supplies
Free to register; product prices vary
It's a new school year, which means teachers digging into their own pockets to pay for even the most basic classroom accessories. Here's a way to help: Like DonorsChoose.org, EZ School Supplies allows teachers to make detailed supply want lists that others in the community can in turn beneficently purchase. The site also offers discounted prices on a number of essential school products. In addition, organizations that enroll with EZSchoolSupplies.com can receive a 10 percent credit of total sales returned in dollars or site credit.
Beyond Two Million Minutes
Submitted by Bob Compton (not verified) on August 23, 2008 - 07:52.
Thank you for mentioning my documentary film, Two Million Minutes.
I'm glad the film left you wanting more because I am producing more!
First, you can take the Third World Challenge (http://www.2mminutes.com/third-world-challenge.html). This is a sample of the 10th grade proficiency exam Indian students must pass to go to 11th grade.
You'll note it has World History, Geography and English - at a high standard of rigor - as part of the 21 hours of exams they must take. Indian kids are much more than the math and science nerds of popular imagination.
While the actual exam is mostly ESSAY questions, we converted the Challenge to multiple choice for easy grading. Nearly 5,000 Americans have taken the TWC - no one has been able to pass. Try the test yourself.
Next, you can go to our YouTube site and see more video about the Indian and Chinese students - they are NOT the cliches you think they are. www.youtube.com/user/2millionminutes
Finally, we are about to release two more videos in the 2MM Series - A Deeper Look At Indian Education and A Deeper Look At Chinese Education. More info available at www.2mminutes.com.
As to where creativity comes from - all I can say is that it is not formally taught in high schools in any of the three countries. And I know from first hand experience with my companies in India and China that the US does NOT have a genetic or cultural lock on creativity and entrepreneurship.
I just returned from China where I attended the Olympics and visited the Entrepreneurship & Innovation faculty at Tsinghua University - the MIT of China. China has moved from the Cultural Revolution to the Entrepreneurial Revolution in a mere 30 years.
According to the most recent Global Entrepreneurship Monitor published by the London School and Babson - China is the most entrepreneurially active country on Earth.
Just because Americans are not aware of the explosion of new ventures in China, high-tech and low-tech, does not mean they aren't occurring (it helps if you are fluent in Mandarin to keep track of their progress). Watch for my upcoming documentary on the largest, most lucrative business plan competition in the world - the title is Win in China (available Dec 08).
Bob Compton
Executive Producer
Two Million Minutes
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