Mentor Interactive

Some parents out there may be skeptical about letting their children blog, especially if those children are young.  But blogging is an exciting–and even educational–way to introduce kids to the world of technology.  In addition to being the perfect outlet for creative expression, blogging can help children improve literacy and motivate them to research things they’re interested in.  Feedback from others (in the form of blog comments) also gives them a reason to research more and create better, more refined blog posts. Continue reading →

Teachers and parents today are under a great deal of pressure to keep up with an ever-increasing list of demands when it comes to education.  Among these demands is the need for our children to be technologically proficient.  With the prevalence of the internet, cell phones and even video games in our daily lives, it’s no wonder that technological literacy has become a requirement in almost every state’s educational standards.  But how can we effectively incorporate technology into the lives of our children in a meaningful way, both inside and outside the classroom?

Research.  Learning how to navigate the internet is a vitally important skill for students to learn.  Most of the fastest-growing jobs in America are internet-related to some degree; however, even people that don’t have jobs in these sectors still use the internet for practical purposes on a near-daily basis.  The possibilities for projects incorporating internet research (both at school and at home) are virtually unlimited.  Researching instructions for building a kite, a recipe for a favorite food, or just general information on a topic of interest are all great ways to utilize the internet for both educational and practical purposes.  Writing a paper based on internet research is also a great way to teach older kids how to do a proper internet citation. Continue reading →