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GooglePlay Confuses Disney App for Adult Lit

Google MickeyParents and teachers who allow the children in their care to use Android devices are paying closer attention to content Google thinks they want. The cause for the scrutiny is a series of dubious recommendations when users search GooglePlay for the Disney app "Where's My Mickey." The results include the popular Disney app, and what are described as gay erotic literature.

With titles like "Boys Caught in the Act," "Pretty Boys and Roughnecks," and "Boys Will be Boys," the books are clearly not intended for younger eyes. The reason they appear as recommended reading for those searching for "Where's My Mickey" seems to come from the fact that their author's name is Mickey Erlach.

This isn't the first time GooglePlay has shot back questionable search results. When attempting to browse though the educational apps (a category generally accepted to mean intended for K-12 education) in the store, users often find apps to help truck drivers attain their CDL and other apps that technically educational, but decidedly not what the user wants.

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Happy 200th Birthday to the Star...

Happy 200th Birthday to The Star Spangled Banner! September 14, 2014, is the 200th anniversary of Francis Scott Key's writing of the poem which became our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.

 

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Hmmm, What Do You Think? Possible Bell...

Here is a possible bell-ringing activity:

Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." What do you think about his quote? Is it better to have a creative mind that thinks about possibilities or a mind full of information that can make possibilities into reality?

Have a GREAT SCHOOL YEAR!

Gail

Check out my resources at EdWorld Exchange:...

What the (Gifted) Experts Say...

This past summer, I had the opportunity to attend Confratute, a week-long gifted education training at the University of Connecticut. On the final day of the conference, a panel of experts formed to answer questions on how to implement all the great ideas that participants learned and how to change the culture of a school regarding enrichment and talent development.

I thought it would be helpful if I used this week’s blog to summarize what each expert said, thus sharing their...

Who Owns a Monkey Selfie? YOU Be the...

Selfies--everyone seems to be taking them these days…even monkeys. And, a big legal fight is going on over just WHO owns a particular monkey selfie.

A wildlife photographer taking pictures of black macaques on the island of Indonesia had his camera swiped by one of the monkeys he was photographing.The monkey took lots and lots of pictures, with its selfie being remarkably clear.  It went viral over the Internet and one site, Wikipedia, posted the photograph without the photographer’s...

Operation Houndstooth: Teaching...

I had an experience this past school year that really got me thinking about whether the curriculum I was using was adequate to teach my gifted students to grow into creative, productive and responsible adults. As part of a research project, one of my students decided to start a teacher recognition program at the school, which would involve students each month voting on their favorite teacher and providing that teacher with a goodie bag and certificate. The project sounded innocent enough,...

Kids Often Ask..."Why Do We Have...

Students have always asked me..."Why do we have to learn this stuff about ancient Greeks or the Middle Ages?" My answer: Much of what we have today was because of things developed by people who lived long ago.
 
I used to start the year by taking out of the attic a VERY sad-looking stuffed dog which I had as a girl and bringing it to class. Its button nose had been replaced several times over the years and it got run over when I dropped it in the street, so its stuffing was a bit...

Using the News in the Classroom: 3D...

Need a few minutes to collect homework, do attendance, etc.? Bell ringers are always a great use of time, especially when they involve topics in the news. Students at MIT have created a 3D printer that produces ice cream. Great opportunity to share facts about ice cream and if time, do some of the extension activities. Hope you find the information of value. It is also posted at my website for teachers: ...

Strength-Based Learning: What I Learned...

I’d like you to try the following exercise. Write these four words on a piece of paper:  Write   Draw   Perform   Build

Now, rank them in order of most favorite. For instance, if you love to write, then rank “write” as number one, or if you’re like me and can just about change a light bulb, rank “build” as four. Make sure to rank all four, then circle your number-one choice. What you have done is essentially identified your preferred style of working and learning—...

Ideas Are All Around Us...Historical...

Ideas are all around us waiting for us to notice them. I never thought when I took a photograph of a 1690 building in Lincoln's Inn Field, London, last month that it would spark me to want to learn more about the unusual shop. The shop with the unique shop sign was a jewelry store, A. Woodhouse & Son. It had a reputation in the 18th for its silver mousetraps! This caused me to stay up one night late into the wee hours because a woman named Mrs. Muriel Paddington was waiting for me to...

Free Webquests (U.S. Landmarks, World...

The school year is around the corner. I have found that students enjoy doing webquests. Perhaps you will find these of value. Grades 4 and up.

1.  http://gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?nationallandmarks1.html
U.S. LANDMARKS (Webquest)

2.  http://gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?worldlandmarks1.html  WORLD LANDMARKS (Webquest)...

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