Sun Current Aug. 10, 2017
Mobile phones in the classroom? C
ell phones are ubiquitous. Most people would admit that they’d rather leave home without their wallets than without their phones. According to statistics provider Smart Insights, 80 percent of internet users own a smartphone, while more than 50 percent of mobile phone users admit to reaching for their phones first thing when they wake up. Since more than 90 percent of today’s teenagers own a phone, schools are forced to find ways to include mobile phones in the classroom without having them overshadow lessons or distract students. A 2013 University of Nebraska-Lincoln study of 777 students at six American universities found that the average respondent used a digital device for nonclass purposes 10.93 times during a typical school day. Students’ activities included texting, social networking and emailing. Many respondents cited boredom and staying connected to the outside
world as motivating factors. Until recently, many schools implemented strict policies regarding mobile phones in school. Some forbade students from carrying them on campus or mandated that students left them in lockers. Many schools are now realizing the ways students can harness the technology of mobile phones in creative and innovative methods. Plus, as smartphone capabilities continue to evolve, educators are increasingly recognizing the potential of educational apps and how they can be used in the classroom. Using mobile phones in the classroom for educational purposes also may cut down on how much the phones are used for nonschool purposes, such as texting or checking social media. According to data published in the journal Computers & Education, 80 percent of students admit that mobile phones can hinder their ability to pay attention in school when phones are not being used in conjunction
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with their lessons. Schools vary in their rules regarding mobile phone usage in the classroom. Some schools let teachers decide, while others have more liberal policies. The following are some ideas for broaching the subject. •Research educational apps. A number of apps and websites are educational. Whether students are connecting via a phone, laptop or tablet, these applications can encourage class participation. Some apps can report students’ progress to teachers in real time. Remind101 is an app that can text reminders for assignments and tests to students. •Teachers can monitor diligently. The image of teachers standing in the front of the classroom lecturing is becoming more and more obsolete. It’s easier to guide students to stay on task while on mobile phones when the teacher roams the classroom to keep an eye on phone activity. It’s more difficult for students to
engage in negative behaviors when their phones are out in the open. •Cut down on tech expenses. Not every school can afford to give each student a laptop or have 20 to 30 tablets in the classroom. When students embrace BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology), teachers can maximize resources. Mobile phones are not going anywhere soon, and schools are trying to find ways to make them more useful and less distracting in the classroom. •
Did you know? T
eachers provide many things to their students. In addition to an education, support and guidance, many teachers also feel compelled to enhance their classrooms with supplies they’ve purchased out-of-pocket. According to a poll of 1,500 teachers conducted by the educational resource Edutopia, 93 percent of teachers feel obligated or somewhat obligated to buy school supplies for their classrooms with their own money. The Education Market Association says that virtually all teachers wind up paying out of pocket for supplies. The amounts spent annually can be upwards of $1,000 per teacher. In addition, not all of the teachers funding supplies work in low-income districts. A report published in early 2016 by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities found that many states now provide less financial support per student than they did before the recession took hold roughly nine years ago. Districts forced to work under tight budgets are increasingly outsourcing the costs of supplies to parents. When parents fail to provide supplies, teachers are bearing the brunt of the costs to avoid seeing their students go without necessary resources. •
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2017 Avoid back injuries - choose the right backpack F
inding the right backpack is an essential component of back-toschool shopping. Children may have their own ideas of what’s in style, but parents should look for backpacks that are functional before factoring in style. Marrying form and function together can be challenging, but it’s necessary to prevent students from developing back problems. But parents must give consideration to more than just the size of their children’s backpacks. Depending on school schedules, students may be carrying backpacks for up to 10 hours per day, five days per week. The tax on a student’s back varies; Where some students no longer have lockers and carry their wares from class to class, other schools have turned to e-learning and no longer require multiple textbooks. However, backpacks may be filled with several pounds of stuff, such as textbooks, binders, laptops, and other supplies, potentially leading to injury. Though heavy backpacks do not cause scoliosis or make any curvature worse,
according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, at least 14,000 children are treated for backpack-related injuries every year. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says that the weight of a backpack should not exceed 10 to 15 percent of a child’s body weight. But many students pack their bags with much more weight than that. Improperly sized, worn and overstuffed backpacks can injure joints and lead to neck, back and shoulder injuries. They also may affect children’s posture. To combat health issues: •Choose a streamlined model. Select a backpack that will get the job done without much added bulk. Many backpacks have been designed to hold technological devices as more and more schools integrate technology into the classroom. A less bulky bag might be lighter and easy to carry. •Consider shopping at a sporting goods store. Employees at camping and sporting goods retailers understand how to fit backpacks for hikers and outdoor
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adventurers. They can help measure a student and find a pack that will fit his or her body frame. Also, these retailers may have a wider selection of backpacks than some other stores, increasing the chances of finding the right fit. •Select a pack with a waist strap. According to the American Chiropractic Association, the body is not designed to carry items hanging from shoulders. By using the waist strap in conjunction with taut shoulder straps, students can distribute the weight in their backpacks over their hip bones instead of the shoulders. •Wear both straps. An article by Slate noted a change in backpack wearing habits starting in the mid-2000s on, stating that added take-home bulk and changing trends have made it more acceptable for students to loop both straps around the shoulders. The padded and adjustable shoulder straps should be at least two inches wide. All straps should be used each time the pack is worn. •Backpacks should be loaded properly. Heavy items should be near the center bottom to distribute the load, rather
than placed on top. Students should only carry what is necessary, visiting lockers or desks as needed to lighten their packs. Backpack fit and functionality is something parents should take seriously when shopping for school supplies. •
Back-to-school tax credit For many Minnesota families, it is time to start back to school shopping. The Minnesota Department of Revenue is reminding parents that most school supplies could qualify for valuable K-12 tax benefits on their 2017 Minnesota income tax return. Parents should remember to save the receipts for school supply purchases to claim the tax credit or subtraction. There are two tax benefits that help Minnesota families pay expenses related to their child’s education: the refundable K-12 education credit (income limits apply) and the K-12 education subtraction (no income limits). Both programs reduce the tax parents pay and could provide a larger refund when filing a 2017 Minnesota income tax return. To qualify, parents must have purchased educational services or required materials during 2017 to assist with their child’s education. Generally, most expenses paid for educational instruction or materials qualify, including paper, pens, notebooks, textbooks, equipment rental, computer hardware, educational software, afterschool tutoring and education camps
taught by a qualified instructor. K-12 education credit
To qualify for the K-12 education credit, households with one to two children must have an income of less than $37,500. For households with more than two children, the income limit increases by $2,000 for every child past the second. Taxpayers who are not required to file an income tax return should do so in order to claim a refund for the education credit, if eligible. K-12 education subtraction There are no income limits to qualify for the education subtraction. Most parents qualify for the education subtraction. Parents can claim the K-12 subtraction for tuition paid to private schools or college courses used to satisfy high school graduation requirements. Last year, more than 43,000 families received the K-12 education credit, saving them an average of $242. More than 199,000 families received the K-12 education subtraction.
2017 Strategies to improve teen driver safety A
llowing your child to drive themselves to school this year? Will your child be a passenger in a student carpool? Learning to drive and receiving a driver’s license makes for some exciting times for young drivers. Those first moments of freedom on the road open up many new possibilities for teenagers accustomed to relying on their parents to get them around town. Although being a new driver is exciting, it also carries with it very real risk. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, taking the lives of six teens a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Harvard Health Publications states that lack of experience behind the wheel is one factor behind high crash rates among teens, but other factors also may be in play. The prefrontal cortex, which contains the neural mechanisms of self-control, is one of the last parts of the brain to mature. As a result, teenagers are prone to taking risks, behaving impulsively and seeking sensation. These traits
can be dangerous behind the wheel of a car. Preventing teenage driving accidents requires some measure of dedication, awareness and education. •Improve driving skills. A driver’s license does not mean drivers have learned all there is to know about driving. In fact, newly licensed drivers still have a lot to learn. Experience only comes with time and practice, and every day presents teen drivers with a new opportunity to expand their skills. •Watch the speed limit. Speeding makes it more difficult to control a vehicle. Obey the speed limit, and recognize speed limits are suggestions during ideal driving conditions. When driving in inclement weather, reduce speed, even if that means driving below the speed limit. •Reduce distractions. When driving, reduce distractions inside of the car. This includes eating or talking on the phone while driving. It also means fiddling with the radio or checking social media. The CDC’s
The
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Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance -United States, 2015 states that 42 percent of high school students who drive report texting or emailing while driving. Texting while driving creates conditions similar to drinking or using drugs while behind the wheel. •Avoid peer passengers. Teens should avoid having other teens or younger children as passengers in their first year as licensed drivers. Other kids can be an added source of distraction inside of the vehicle and may goad drivers into behaviors they would otherwise avoid. Wait until you gain more experience behind the wheel before you start to hone your chauffeur skills. •Stick to daytime driving. Driving at night can make it much more difficult for drivers to see their surroundings and recognize potential hazards. Within the first few months of earning their licenses, teenagers should drive only during the daytime and log plenty of practice hours driving at night accompanied by an adult until they feel more confident. •
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or parents handing off the keys to a son or daughter, now may be the best time to lay down ground rules and expectations.
2017 Dread the morning rush? Seven tips to help out M
any families find the rush is on to make it to school and work on time each morning. Feeling rushed in the morning is a recipe for added stress. Rushing through things is a poor way to begin a day, and those feelings of uneasiness can put a damper on the rest of the day ahead. Making mornings less hectic involves a few different strategies that parents and kids can easily incorporate into their daily routines. • Wake up slightly earlier. Getting up earlier than normal, even if it’s just 15 to 20 minutes before you’re accustomed to getting out of bed, can help reduce morning stress. Resist the temptation to hit the snooze button over and over again. A few extra minutes each morning can make you feel more relaxed and make for a smooth, stress-free start to the day. • Get some work done the night before. Prepare lunches the night before and have them ready in the refrigerator. In addition, lay your clothes for the following day out each night. This saves time and takes a couple more things off your morning to-do list. • Ease back into a routine. As a new school year dawns or a long vacation comes to an end, begin going to bed earlier and start waking up earlier as well. This can make the transition from carefree mornings to busy mornings go more smoothly. • Prep backpacks in the evening. Look through folders, sign paperwork, check assignments, and do whatever is you need to do the night before to save your family
from having to scramble in the morning. This ensures those permission slips get signed and items make it back into school bags. • Opt for school lunch a few times. Look ahead on the school lunch menu and speak with children about which meals they enjoy. Let kids purchase school lunch on those days to give your-
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self a day off from lunch detail. • Have quick breakfast foods available. Smoothies, cereal bars, oatmeal, and whole-grain cereals are fast and nutritious ways to start the day. • Carpool whenever possible. Busy families can save themselves extra work by proposing a neighborhood carpool. Sharing school dropoff detail frees time
up for parents once or twice a week, and kids may enjoy traveling to school with their friends. Mornings can be tricky when family members are getting ready for school and work at the same time. By practicing a few daily rituals, it’s possible to curb the rush and start the day happier and more relaxed. •
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2017 Navigating school tech choices T
echnology is essential in the daily lives of students. Whether it’s kids learning their ABC’s or graduate students pursuing advanced degrees, technology has transformed the way lessons are taught and learned. Statistics support the notion that technology in the classroom is irreplaceable. According to data from the tutoring resource PracTutor, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and various colleges, 98 percent of schools have one or more computers in the classroom. In addition, 77 percent of teachers use the internet for instruction, while 40 percent of teachers report students use computers during instructional time in the classroom. Many instructors now assign homework that must be completed online. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development looked at computer usage among 15-year-olds across 31 nations and regions. Many students in high-performing nations reported spending between one and two hours a
day on a computer outside of school. Because computers are so necessary in and out of the classroom, families and students may want to revisit their options before buying new devices. Deskt op computer Desktop computers used to be the goto for families and students, and there are still many reasons why desktops make sense. In addition to their relatively inexpensive sticker price, desktop computers allow students to customize their packages according to their needs and get a powerful operating system in the process. New and advanced processing speeds also mean that many desktop computers can be relied on for educational purposes while also being fast enough to handle recreational gaming. One of the main disadvantages of desktop computers is their lack of portability. Desktops are not easily moved, and if repairs are necessary, it can be a hassle to have them fixed.
Lapt op computers Over the last decade, laptop computers have become more popular than desktop computers, largely because of their portability. Laptops are designed to be taken from place to place, so students can use them for note-taking in the classroom and then studying at home. Although laptop processors have just about caught up to desktop processors, they may be lacking the processing pop unless consumers are willing to pay more for laptops with high performance. Another shortcoming of laptops is that they generally have smaller screens than desktop computers, which can make working on fine details more challenging. T ab lets Tablets offer the most in terms of portability. They’re lightweight and small and offer a wealth of access in a compact package. Today’s tablets offer much more than the first such devices to hit the market. Some can run apps and equivalent programs that were once exclusive to
desktop and laptop computers. Tablets also tend to be less expensive than desktops or laptops. Where tablets may fall short is in the peripherals. It’s difficult to connect backup drives and other accessories to tablets. However, with advancements in cloudbased storage, this may not be an issue. Also, note-taking on virtual keyboards may be more challenging, and working on tablets’ small screens can be tiresome over time. Convertible tablet/laptops are now emerging to bridge these gaps. Shopping for a new computer can be complicated, but basing purchases on need rather than want can help guide the process. •
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