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Microsoft Enters Tablet Market

SurfaceNo, that image to the left is not an iPad surrounded by SmartCovers. That is the Microsoft Surface. Not to be confused with the giant table-sized computer the company released a while ago, the Surface is Microsoft’s entry into the tablet market.

Attempting to take a page out of Apple’s playbook on several levels, Microsoft revealed the Surface during a mystery press event in California. What those in attendance saw was an iPad knock-off that is heavier, boasts shorter batter life and an inferior chip. To be fair, the Surface does have an impressive cover that contains a fully functioning keyboard, but that is an accessory that must be purchased.

Microsoft has two versions of the Surface in the works, each for a very different audience. There’s a “consumer version” that will run Windows RT and a “business version” that will run Windows 8.

Microsoft isn’t saying exactly when the Surface will be available for purchase, or how much it will cost, but experts are predicting the “consumer version” to fall in the $500 price range with the “business version” to come in at over $1,000. The pricier version does have better overall tech specs than its cheaper brother, but that improved performance comes at the cost of weight and, of course, cost.

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Setting Up a Preschool Classroom

Preschool classroom layouts tend to be much different than traditional elementary school desk arrangements. Spaces are needed, of course, for teacher-led time. But, children of this age are not developmentally ready to sit for long periods of time. They learn through play and interacting with other children. For...

Internet Doomsday is Here

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This morning at 12:01 the FBI shut down...

Source of All Mass Found

CernDecades after it was first theorized, scientists have proven the existence of the Higgs boson, or “God Particle” that is responsible for creating mass. The achievement confirms the standard model of physics and can potentially lead to explanations as to how mass in the Universe came to be.

The discovery was made by experiments running through the giant Large Hadron...

Speedy Service!

I am going to share with you the best advice I can give for creating good rapport with the parents of your students. It comes down to five simple words.

GET BACK TO THEM QUICKLY.

Thats right. If they call you, do everything you can to return their phone call that business day, even if it means calling them in the car on the way home, in between bites of your sandwich or during your planning period. If they send you an e-mail asking a question about their child, reply...

A Few Good Book Teaching Ideas

Alexander and the Terrible~ Horrible~ No Good~ Very Bad Day~ written by Judith Viorst~ is a story about Alexander who wakes up with gum in his hair and trips on his skateboard. His mom forgets to put dessert in his lunch box~ and his dentist finds a cavity! Anyone who's ever had a day they'd rather forget will love this cleverly illustrated~ laugh-out-loud account of one boy's day of misfortune. Alexander and the Terrible~ Horrible~ No Good~ Very Bad Day is...

Play the Game

"To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence: supreme excellence consists in...

Show Them The Money!

I made it all the way through high school without ever learning to balance a checkbook.

In fact~ it wasnt until my early twenties~ when I started my own business~ that I began to learn the all-important skills of tracking and saving money. If there is one place where our educational system falls short~ it is in the area of teaching young people to handle their finances. Its very possible for students to pass tests~ earn honor roll~ and receive diplomas without...

Tracking Student Growth

Assessment of students is a hot topic today in the field of public education. How do we know the students are making adequate yearly progress? Are they learning an entire year's worth of material? Can we fit all that material in and still have retention of the new ideas and formulas?

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Hawking's Brain to be 'Hacked...

HawkingA team of neuroscientists is working on a device they say has the ability to “hack” a person’s brain. They are so confident in their work that they will be testing the so-called iBrain on none other than the smartest man alive, Stephen Hawking.

Hawking, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, is agreeing to test the iBrain in a effort to improve his...

Middle Schools Students and "...

Bullying is a serious thing. And when it happens in schools~ officials must react and act to show that it will not be tolerated. But is it working? Is this effective at all? Can punishment stop the bullying culture that is tainting schools today?
Karen Klein is a bus monitor. She rides school buses with students to ensure that the bus ride is safe and everyone gets where they are going. But on a recent day~ the bus ride turned emotionally painful as a group of boys bullied her....

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