"Weather Wimps"

Since we are in the midst of a nasty winter weather month, I was interested to see this article from Cleveland about how they have created "weather winps" compared to other 'cold' cities. Check out Minneapolis, which sent their children to school in 22 below zero temperatures...

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/cleveland_schools_lag_other_co.html

Technology and Critical Thinking

Technology has been touted by some as a cure-all for learners across all spectrums of society. However, recent studies have shown that technology can actually hurt critical thinking skills. As you know, Calvert is heavily invested in the integration of technology into the middle school curriculum. One of the benefits of Calvert is that the students are able to leverage their fundamentals from lower school with the technology of the middle school. The article link below, from Science Daily, discusses recent research that questions the value of technology in a learning environment.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128092341.htm

An important adjunct to any technology discussion are the ethical implications that come with increased use of technology. At Calvert, we hope to infuse the principles of the Honor Code into all aspects of a student's life, including technology. To that end, I have been working with the technology department to develop year long lesson plans, messages, and activities concerning the ethical use of technology. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.