Blog Posts by Amy, KnowledgeEssentials.com

CBS News 9 education specialist Amy James from Knowledge Essentials shares some fun ideas for crafts that your kids can make for your home!
Related: Christmas Decorations and Gifts Kids Can Make

Need a centerpiece and an hour of peace and quiet? These activities may be perfect for both! Amy James from KnowledgeEssentials.com came to the CBS NEWS 9 studio to share some Thanksgiving craft ideas that families can do together.

Here's a clip from SXSW 2009 on YouTube where Henry Jenkins is interviewed by The Guardian UK about learning from video games. He says in the clip that every game has an online community and it's there where people start to trade information and learn from each other.

Dr. Jenkins also argues that there is a learning ecology that takes place outside of the classroom and that schools cut themselves off from this learning by blocking games and YouTube - leaving students disconnected with the best ways of learning. This hinders students from becoming technically literate and be prepared for the future. [via]

What do you think? Is there a place for video games in education and learning?

Related Resources

• Pew Internet Research on Video Games & Gen Y
• Microsoft Wants to Help Families Get Video Game Safe
• Give Girl Gamers Some Props!
• Amy James > Video Games, Learning & Critical Thinking

Read More »from Media + Tech Essentials: How Kids Learn From Video Games

Last spring, at the outset of the H1N1 virus (aka "swine flu") outbreak, the primary response was to close a school and have it scrubbed down. But as school approaches, the Washington Post is reporting that school officials around the country are reconsidering their approach to combating the H1N1 flu virus.

Under the new guidelines, still under development, closures would "only happen only under 'extenuating circumstances,' such as if a campus has many children with underlying medical conditions."

One of the best ways to protect yourself from the H1N1 virus is to wash your hands and stay informed about possible outbreaks in your area. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as well as most school districts, post updated flu information on their websites and Twitter.

The CDC also maintains several Twitter streams (see 'Related Links') with the latest information on the seasonal and H1N1 flu virus outbreaks.

Perhaps the easiest way to stay up-to-date about swine flu is

Read More »from Health Essentials: Get H1N1 Updates on Your Cell Phone & Twitter

Let's have some fun and save some money at the same time! Check out these easy to make decorations and try them or your own ideas!!

Recent studies have shown that exposure to television increases a child's tendency to be obese, violent, and withdrawn. Additionally, television is often blamed for such ills as a decline in reading scores and even the breakdown of moral values. So why would we ever want our children to watch television?

Perhaps the problem is not television itself, or even television programming. Perhaps the problem is too much unsupervised, unregulated viewing. Instead of simply turning the television off, we can use television as a teaching tool. Judicious, supervised viewing can help children develop their critical thinking skills.

1. Never forget that programming is there simply to help advertisers sell their products. No matter how good a show is, if people don't tune in and if advertisers aren't willing to sponsor it, it will be taken off the air. So in a real way, we can measure a successful program by how many people are buying the products advertised during its air time. For that reason…

Read More »from Parent Essentials: Teaching Your Kids Media Literacy

Josh Shipp, the popular youth speaker and dispenser of wisdom to teens, has launched a new project called Hey Josh for Grown-ups (uhm, yeah. That's YOU! The grown-up!)!

Josh has put together a really good, high quality program for parents, teachers, scout leaders, youth pastors---just about anyone who works with teens. Oh, and it's free.

Here's the scoop from Josh:

Maybe you're a parent of a teen, maybe you're a teacher, a coach, a boy scout leader, or guidance counselor. Maybe you volunteer at a summer camp, or maybe you're the grandparent of a teenager. Regardless of your specific role, I believe you want to see the best in that teenager.

You want to help them reach their full potential. That's what I want, too.

So, welcome to Hey Josh for Grown-ups. I'm laying out all my strategies, secrets, and techniques--all of the stuff I use to effectively reach and communicate with teenagers--for you to use with the teenagers in your life.

Now Josh

Read More »from Parent Essentials: Hey Josh for Grown-Ups

Amy James from Knowledge Essentials shares some learning activities you can do with your pumpkins before you carve them into Jack-O-Lanterns!