“Fun & Games on FBI.gov” plus 2 more |
- Fun & Games on FBI.gov
- Should School Kids Rely on Computers?- What Parents Should Know About Laptops
- Winter break programs offer kids activity, variety
| Posted: 22 Dec 2010 06:25 AM PST Never, ever, did I think that I would find something so bizarre as the December 20th FBI press release that touts "Fun & Games on FBI.gov." After clicking through the pages of this new FBI content, I couldn't figure out if I've finally become an old fuddy-duddy. It's not the playing with toy guns thing or even pretending to be Cops-And-Robbers. I'm a child of the '50s — been there, done that. But this FBI website has taken things to an Nth degree that's so far out there as to make me wonder if some hidden foreign intelligence operative didn't design the whole mess. Please visit this link http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games, but before you click, note that the link ends with "fun-games." Cool FBI Pictures When you land on the FBI's Fun-and-Games page, you'll likely note the curious invitation under "Wallpapers": Want a cool FBI picture on your computer or other device? . . Now, look around at the exciting choices you have for those really "cool" FBI wallpapers at http://www.fbi.gov/news/photos. Let me call your attention to a few images that I'm sure every pre-teen is dying to add to the old computer or other device:
You're right, eight-year-old Billy Singer probably would have found the Bomb Containment Vessel or the Mine Resistant Ambush Vehicle "cool" – but, c'mon, pictures of Clarence M. Kelly or the Washington Field Office? And how many of the kiddies are going to turn their computer wallpaper into a tribute to Louis Freeh? That reminds me of the time when I got the Warren Giles Bobby Bureau's Blown Cover Moving on, we find the FBI's "Teen and Kids" page at http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids . Get a load of the two comments on this webpage:
Hold on, cause this really gets even more laughable. Under "Kindergarten – 5th Grade" we can click on http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-games and play "Special Agent Undercover." Now, keeping in mind that this page is supposedly for kids about 4 years of age to ten, how does this language strike you? Special Agent Bobby Bureau is about to go on an undercover assignment. Your job is to create an effective disguise to help him complete his mission. Use your mouse to add new hair, eyebrows, mustaches, or any other features you think will help keep Bobby Bureau from 'blowing his cover.' What the hell ever happened to M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E??? Now it's, hey kids, lets help the FBI man avoid blowing his cover. Can you spell U-N-D-E-R-C-O-V-E-R? Age-Appropriate — Or Just Inappropriate? For slightly older kids, we can opt to visit the "FBI Adventure" page at http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-adventure. Here middle schoolers through 12th grade play one of four "adventures." I wish that I was making this up, but on the screen the kiddies get to pick from one of the following four files:
Okay, look, lemme stop here before I blow a gasket. I understand the desire for the FBI to want to reach out to the kiddies. However, some things are just not the stuff of fun and games. We're not on some school trip to the museum where the government should be leading a rousing chorus of 100 IEDs on the Wall, 100 IEDS, If one of the IEDs should fall, 99 IEDs on the Wall . . . In this age of the War on Terror, the men and women on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan who are daily engaged in protecting our nation are not having adventures or playing make-believe. Similarly, the folks at the FBI and Homeland Security should be focused on fighting crime and terror, not handing out milk and cookies at recess. The recent mid-term elections sent a clear signal that the electorate demands more fiscal accountability (and responsibility) from our federal government. We are moving towards pay-as-you-go and making due with what we have. I mean, for godsakes, Congress just dragged its heels about funding the Zadroga Bill, which is designed to assist the true heroes of 9/11. Given the Congressional fight over coming up with the dollars to provide medical treatment of the first responders, how the hell did the FBI manage to find the bucks to design, build, and maintain a website for junior G-men? Seriously, how much time and taxpayer dollars were spent on helping Bobby Bureau keep his cyber-cover? This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Should School Kids Rely on Computers?- What Parents Should Know About Laptops Posted: 21 Dec 2010 01:14 PM PST As you consider whether to arm your child with a laptop computer or iPad this Christmas, consider also which battle line to stand behind, as the fighting grows over the increasing reliance on digital devices in the classroom. Grad schools, colleges, and even grade schools are relying more and more on Apple iPads and laptops for instruction -- and increasingly handing out computers for students to use. Learning should be interactive, of course -- but should it be digital? That's a question the Hillbrook School in Los Gatos, Calif., answered recently, deciding to give iPads to every student for use in the classroom. Several other grade schools and universities, such as the Stanford University School of Medicine, are also giving out iPads and laptops to every student. Some schools districts, such as the one in Fergus Falls, Minn., are experimenting with classes where students only tap in from home over the Internet. Many parents are worried if all of this screen time is healthy, however. They're concerned about possible negative side-effects of kids using computers all day at school, and fear issues with blurred vision when students get older -- or back problems from leaning over an iPad all day long. Jill Mikols Etesse, who makes educational apps for kids, insists that her own children (a kindergartner and a third grader) do not use a computer all day at school. She says computers can cause neck strain and other physical problems and suggests that kids use computers only for set periods. Jacqueline Linder, who owns a company that makes lunchboxes for kids, argues that computers shouldn't be used in the classroom at all. She says they should only be available in a computer lab. "Kids sit in the classroom and play video games and chat online while the teacher is talking. There is no reason they can't take notes by hand," she told FoxNews.com. "Not a single teacher at my son's school made use of computers that they were required to purchase and carry around in an already too-heavy backpack." Linder, like a growing number of parents, feels very strongly that computers aren't helping out in classrooms. "This is like the emperor's new clothes and nobody is willing to admit the real truth!" she said. Some educators favor a more collaborative teaching method and agree that computer time should be part of a set curriculum. They argue that a dedicated laptop for every child is not needed. Ryan G. Van Cleave, a professor at The Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, wrote a book on how much access kids should have to technology. He told FoxNews.com that laptops and iPads offer a way for students to complete assignments on time, rather than fighting over computer lab access. Yet Cleave is concerned about having kids stare at computer screens for too long. There is no definitive educational reason, he said, for giving every child their own laptop for use in the classroom. "The social dynamic of a face-to-face interaction between students in pairs, small groups, or an entire class is extremely hard to replicate well in a virtual environment," Cleave said. "Classroom computer situations seem to work best when there's a clearly delineated computer use time -- and when that's over, computers are closed up and put away for the rest of the period." Of course, those strongly in favor of laptop and iPad use all day -- for every student -- argue that a computer is the best educational device ever invented. Thomas Gaffey, a teacher at the School of the Future in New York, where every student gets a laptop to use, told FoxNews.com that "having access to the Internet is equivalent to having access to good instruction," and technology should be used as a teaching tool and not just a part of the curriculum -- e.g., just another class. "The trend is absolutely moving towards a more wired educational system. Facebook and YouTube are examples of the current trend that tells us where young people are. The exciting thing is the potential to use these 'time-wasters' or 'over-stimulators' to our advantage in the classroom," he said. "The main advantages to every student having a laptop or iPad would be to provide equal access to technology to every student," adds Raena Janes, a superintendent for two Phoenix-area charter schools. Janes says every student gets a laptop in the charter school and uses it as a primary educational tool. "Schools with a 1:1 student to computer ratio outperform non-1:1 schools," said Anthony Salcito, vice president for Microsoft Education, which provides lesson plans, tutorials and guides on how to use tech in classrooms. He suggested that teachers in schools that can't provide a laptop to every child can still make use of classroom computers. Salcito said kids are now "digital natives" and are now growing up surrounded by all kinds of technology. Of course, some parents agree that every student should have their own laptop. "I'm a mother of two kids, and I love computers in the classroom," said Jessica Gottlieb, a writer and blogger. "Computers are a tool that our kids will use in the workplace much the way our parents trained on (and then used) typewriters. I recognize that not all teachers are comfortable using computers, and I wonder if that isn't the real reason they're resistant to it." Parents who worry about kids using computers should learn to trust the educational system, which already knows about the dangers of too much screen time, especially for younger kids, said another expert who worked to initiate a laptop program in Maine schools. "Schools are in the business of telling kids what to do, where to go, what to eat. They can determine, definitively, how much time a student should spend. These should be concentrated bursts of time that students spend and that time should be unlocking more information about things they are interacting with in class. They shouldn't be feeding cows on Farmville or texting their friends," said Tom Davidson, CEO of curriculum company EverFi and a former Maine legislator. One answer might be to provide a mix of technology, even if that does not mean every child has their own laptop at all times, said Amit Raman, CEO of educational management software company Raman InfoTech. Raman says a good compromise is to make sure kids are exposed to a wide variety of technology, including e-mail and word processing, but the gadget they carry could be a textbook replacement device, such as an Amazon Kindle -- with coursework pre-installed, of course. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Winter break programs offer kids activity, variety Posted: 22 Dec 2010 03:08 AM PST Winter break begins this week, and some families are searching for activities for kids that involve more than television and video games. Last winter break, Susan Foresman of West Lafayette registered her 12-year-old grandson, Cole Patterson, for the Purdue youth baseball and indoor games camp as a Christmas present. Cole, now a sixth-grader at Happy Hollow Elementary, has played baseball since he was 4. Foresman thought Cole would enjoy the camp as much as a toy or game that she could buy for him. "Everyone has a Wii or an Xbox," she said. "But I decided to give my grandkids something that would get them engaged and would be a learning experience." When Cole found out about the present, he was excited. "I thought it was a great idea," he said. Cole enjoyed the camp so much, Foresman signed him up again this year. "He said, 'That's what I want for Christmas again next year,' " she said. "It makes (buying gifts) easy, especially when they're happy with it." Here is a look at some of the Lafayette area's winter break offerings: McAllister Center McAllister Recreation Center, 2351 N. 20th St., will offer seasonal arts and crafts and field trips during its holiday camp for boys and girls ages 6 to 12. The hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning Monday and running through Dec. 31. The cost is $70 per student. Families wanting before- and after-care services may register for extended hours for an additional $15 per family. The times are from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 5:30 p.m. To find out more, or to register, call (765) 807-1360. Purdue baseball Purdue will host indoor youth baseball camps at the Mollenkopf Athletic Center during winter break. They are open to all youth interested in learning about baseball, regardless of experience. Players should bring their own baseball gloves. The winter prospect camp, open to ages 13 to 19, is scheduled Dec. 29 and 30. The hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with an hour for lunch. The cost for one day is $195, or $275 for both days. The Purdue youth baseball and indoor games camp for youth ages 6 to 12 is set for Monday and Tuesday. (2 of 2) The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a lunch hour. One-day registration is $135; both days is $200. An additional free clinic is being offered to youth coaches from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Monday. Register at www.blackandgoldbaseball.com. To learn more, contact Tristan McIntyre at (765) 496-7301 or tmcintyr@purdue.edu YMCA Kids age kindergarten through sixth grade are invited to the YMCA's Kids Holiday Fun Days today and Thursday, and again Dec. 27-30 and Jan. 3-4. A different activity will be offered every day, each for $25. Events planned include field trips, crafts, aerobic activities, a carnival and more. Kids should arrive by 9 a.m., although they may be dropped off as early as 6 a.m. for no additional cost. Pickup is anytime up to 6 p.m. Registration forms may be picked up at 1950 S. 18th St. To learn more, call (765) 474-3448 or visit www.lafayettefamilyymca.org YWCA The registration deadline is 5 p.m. today for YWCA's winter break camp, which runs Monday through Dec. 30 at 605 N. Sixth St. For ages preschool through age 12, the camp will be in session from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with supervised play available from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. The cost is $15 per day or $48 for the week for members and $25 per day or $88 for the week for nonmembers. Snacks will be provided, but children should bring a sack lunch and drink and dress in outdoor-appropriate clothing. For more information, call (765) 742-0075. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
, National League Baseball President card in my pack of bubble gum. To this day I can remember my shock as I sat there chewing a huge wad of gum and trying to figure out who the hell this Giles guy was and why he had a baseball card. I mean, geez, he wasn't exactly the Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle card that I was hoping for — and certainly, he wasn't Rocky Colavito or even Ted Kluszewski (The "Big Klu" never seemed to wear shirtsleeves and always held at least three baseball bats — not to be confused with the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski). Frankly, Warren Giles was about as welcome a card as I would imagine a Louis Freeh or Clarence Kelly would be — and those two FBI Directors couldn't go to their left and were not known as clutch hitters. Apparently the FBI's sense of what's cool to a kid these days seems to have a Warren Giles sensibility to it.| You are subscribed to email updates from kids games - Yahoo! News Search Results To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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