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Education: Gershwin and Mission Read
It’s hard to remember life without it…I, like many of you, am a part of a generation of students who grew up without the Internet – or even computers. While in elementary school in New Jersey, our teachers and librarians taught us to use the Dewey Decimal system to locate books. Remember those — the actual (paper index) cards with numbers and stamped dates! One assignment in particular stands out – we had to read a biography of a person we found interesting and then write a book report. My Lifetime Love Affair with George Gershwin: I went to a small elementary school and the set of biographies…
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The iPad: Tool or Toy?
Where does the iPad fit in the life of today’s child? Is it a tool or toy? Is it really an either/or proposition? Do you ever feel like you have to justify (to yourself, family, friends) letting your child get engrossed with the iPad? Do thoughts such as these crowd your mind? Reading is important! Digging in the dirt is important! Building gas stations is important! Pretending to be a pirate is important! The iPad is just a toy!! Actually, it’s much more than a toy. Really? “Prove it,” the guilty mind-invading thoughts challenge us. Some apps, such as Penelope the Purple Pirate and Gerry the Giraffe make it really…