How Toons

What it is: How Toons is like an Instructables site for kids. Kids learn through cartoons and videos how things work and how to make things. This is kind of a How It’s Made website for kids. Topics include science, space, nature, events, and a how to section. The cartoons illustrate a concept and accompanying videos expand on the concept.

Tips: How Toons would be a fun RSS feed to subscribe to as a class!

What and how are we teaching?

This is a poem, written by Scott McLeod on his blog 'Dangerously irrelevant - technology, leadership, and the future of schools' is a challenge to parents and teachers who are frightened of the way technology is being used in schools. I challenge you with it too!

Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please!

dear parent

teacher

administrator

board member

don't teach your kids to read

for the Web

to scan

RSS

aggregate

synthesize

don't teach your kids to write

online

pen and paper aren't going anywhere

since when do kids need an audience?

no need to hyperlink

make videos

audio

Flash

no connecting, now

no social networking

or online chat

or comments

or PLNs

blogs and twitter?

how self-absorbed

what a bunch of crap

and definitely, absolutely, resolutely, no cell phones

block it all

lock it down

keep it out

it's evil, you know

there's bad stuff out there

gotta keep your children safe

don't you know collaboration is just another word for cheating?

don't you know how much junk is out there?

haven't you ever heard of sexting?

of cyberbullying?

a computer 24-7? no thanks

I don't want them

creating

sharing

thinking

learning

you know they're just going to look at porn

and hook up with predators

we can't trust them

don't do any of it, please

really

'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids

can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two

can you?

ActivInspire hint 17 - tickertapes

I have just uploaded the newest AI hint about tickertapes to Google Docs (thanks Dave for the help overcoming the technical difficulties). It can be found here.