MercuryEd.com

The Best Ideas For Fixing K-12 Education

mercuryadmin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:15:55 +0000

The Best Ideas For Fixing K-12 Education
Forbes Staff, 09.21.11, 12:00 PM ET

More than 1.2 million students drop out of school every year in the U.S. American children rank 31st in math among 65 industrialized countries. Sixty-eight percent of eighth graders can’t read at grade level, and most will never catch up. Forbes asked billionaires on The Forbes 400 list, as well as contributors, for their best ideas for fixing K-12 education in the U.S.

GEORGE LUCAS, FORBES 400 MEMBER

It’s project-based learning. In today’s world students need three fundamental skills: They need to know how to find information, how to assess the quality of information and how to creatively and effectively use information to accomplish a goal. With project-based learning students learn by designing and constructing actual solutions to real-life problems. Other important learning strategies include social and emotional learning, where kids learn how to cooperate, to lead and to work well with different types of people. And, of course, digital technology is having an enormous impact as students collaborate using social media and benefit from advances such as simulations.

Great discussion! What are your thoughts for fixing K-12 Education? More to come.

Students come to Mercury Online Education for various reasons.

mercuryadmin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:38:25 +0000

Students come to Mercury Online Education for various reasons, but they all share one thing in common: a local school that for some reason is not meeting their needs. Students come to Mercury that are highly gifted and work three to four grade levels ahead of where they are chronologically. There are students with special needs. We get a lot of homeschool students who are socially conservative. The values taught in the public schools do not match their family’s values. We have students that have to travel with their family. They are participating in our program because their schedules are so demanding.

The obvious question that comes to mind is whether the technology is effective. When you become a student, you take an assessment test, and we deliver a Personal Student Assessment Plan to meet your needs as a student.

If teachers all across America (and the world) can be motivated to use technologies such as those offered by Mercury Online Education, the entire K-12 education problem will become measurable and solvable. The model takes off a lot of the pressure on teachers in terms of lesson plan design and content delivery. If they act as classroom supervisors rather than domain experts, allowing technology to play the latter role, the likelihood of children learning better even from teachers who do not have the appropriate background is considerably higher.

Individual courses are also available for students across the globe. SAT, ACT, TOEFL and IELTS test prep courses make it easier for international students to enter US colleges.

Digital Natives by Homeschool.com

mercuryadmin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:38:01 +0000

Our children are Digital Natives. They were born into a world of digital technology. They’ve navigated and utilized the Internet, cell phones and other digital gadgets their entire lives. Because of this immersion, they actually learn differently than students of previous generations.

Teachers (parents) must recognize and respond to this shift and utilize materials that enhance learning opportunities for digital learners. These include the use of presentation software, educational gaming, laptops, tablets, phones, and exciting, research based, interactive, digitally-enriched curriculums. Homeschool.com

Mercury Online Education and the Phoenix Zoo!

admin — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:51:23 +0000

Prowl & Play at the Phoenix Zoo!

Mercury Online Education, Radio Disney and Arizona Milk Producers is helping to sponsor Prowl & Play at the Phoenix Zoo!

Saturday August 13, 6 – 9:30 p.m.

As the sun sets over the Valley, Prowl & Play will give visitors the opportunity
to spend a fun, unique and memorable evening at the Phoenix Zoo.

Enjoy animal meet & greets, cool off at Yakulla Caverns and Leapin’ Lagoon water
play areas, or get soaked at the Squirt Gun Water Wars! You can also let your
musical side come out at Music Mayhem on one of the many available drums.

Not all Zoo trails will be open because many of our animals will be resting in the
evenings, but some of your favorites will be waiting for your visit including
the squirrel monkeys at Monkey Village, giraffes, zebras, flamingos, otters,
and the elephants. The animals on our Arizona Trail will stay up late as well!

Come and join us for a fun time at the Phoenix Zoo!