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Site Seeks to Overhaul Academic Review

Internet startup Academia.edu is moving forward with plans to change the way scientists publish papers, thanks to a second round of funding the company has recieved.

Flush with just over $11 million in capital, Academia is inching closer to its goal of publishing all scientific papers while simultaneously changing the way the peer-review porcess works. Currently, researchers must submit their papers to any of a number of academic journals. The journals then hand the papers over to a different researcher to review before deciding if they have merit and are worthy of publication. Under the Academia.edu model, those same papers would be reviewed by peers on the site, similar to Facebook.

"The goal is to have every single science PDF ever written available for free on the Internet and to build a network of scientists interacting with those papers that will change the face of peer review," the San Francisco-based company told CNet of its mission.

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Technology: Parents-Inspect What You...

  1. Parenting is not easy in the age of instant access. Parents need help and teens need boundaries and supervision. Parents however cannot continue making excuses for their own limitations; the risks are too high for absentee parenting!
  2. An article by Bill Daley in the Tribune Newspapers makes this warning all to clear: "Sexting and Teens-increasing occurrence of risky behavior". The consequences for this...

Technology: Twitter Extension-...

  1. Technology is something we clearly want our students to know how to use extensively and responsibly. However~ I am discovering lately that more and more young students are unable to use social media wisely. In a recent conversation in my Constitutional Law class~ I realized that the most media savvy generation in the world may need teacher guidance on the use of Twitter. More than a social media for the exchange for personal opinions and silly gossip~ we as their teachers need to use...

Student in Trouble Over 'Madden...

Madden 12A teenage broadcaster is in trouble with his school after using a phrase borrowed from a popular video game while calling a middle-school football game. 

The Sandusky (Ohio) Register reports that the unnamed boy was serving as the play-by-play talent during the broadcast...

The Selective Consumer

Joe loves to take on an activity---if he knows he will be successful at it.

He devours books and racks up points by taking tests on the Accelerated Reader program. With a gift for gab~ he gets recognized for his work as the anchorman for the schools morning news. You definitely cant call Joe a lazy student.

However~ give Joe an assignment or task where success is not certain~ and it can be like slamming the brakes on a car. Complete stop. He grows anxious~ tries to...

Fun Facts about Islands to Wow Your...

Islands~ they can be big and small. They can be found in oceans~ lakes and rivers. Have your students learn some interesting facts about some of the islands of the world!
* The most populated island in the world is Java( part of the country of Indonesia).
* The largest island in the world is Greenland. Australia~ which is 3x the size of Greenland~ is considered a continent.
* The world's largest artificial...

Technology: Washington DC Lessons

  1. As a teacher of US Government and Constitutional Law~ I am not an expert on the realities of operational daily events in DC. I am however a professional who toils in the day-to-day ideals of democracy. Pivotal to this week's learnings was the concept of compromise after reading selected Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. The argumentsseem to be playing out in DC.

The famous Virginian who wrote the...

New York Public LIbrary releases its...

The New York Public Library has released its list of 100 Great Children's Books.
Check out the list at this link: http://www.nypl.org/childrens100
How many have your read? Can you think of a book that you would add to the list?
Classic Books that I would consider for the list:
Around the World in 80 Days
Swiss Family Robinson
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Heidi
Black...

Technology: Teachable Moments

  1. I am a teaching head of a high school. As such~ I seek opportunities to use the lessons I experience in class to serve as life lessons to the faculty. The hardest lessons these days are those resulting from social media. Students are indeed young~ make the foolish choices of youth~ and must again and again pay the price of public humiliation. Unfortunately~ the situation is exacerbated when parents attempt to rationalize bad behavior and poor choices by saying~ "But my child isn't alone...

It's that time of year to discuss...

Whether you are teaching ancient Egyptians and are discussing mummies or need some fun mummy information for around Halloween~ I have compiled lots of fun mummy facts. For example:

1. Some male and female mummies were buried with extra hair wigs!

2. The mummy of Pharoah Ramses 11 has a PASSPORT! When his mummy traveled to France from Egypt~ a passport was issued for his travels!

3. Licorice root and watermelon seeds were found in King Tut's tomb including a change of...

Gifted and R.T.I.--Is It Working?

Recently~ the school where I teach rolled out the Response to Intervention model (R.T.I.). My first thoughts were the same as they shared by advocacy groups such as the National Association for Gifted Children several years ago~ when R.T.I. went mainstream.

Where do gifted students fit into this model?

For those unfamiliar with the model~ R.T.I. involves using tiered-levels of support~ with the first and second tier using small-group interventions and...

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