Education

Your source for youth perspectives on trends, policies and innovation in education.

Digital DJing Looks Good On Paper – And It Works

March 22, 2013 by Kenny Foster

Kate Stone has advanced some futuristic technology, turning simple construction paper into turntables that actually play music.

Youth Radio and Turnstyle had the honor of hosting this inventor who wants to change the way we think about electronics. It’s awe-inspiring to watch Stone’s as-yet-unnamed creation in action: you touch your simulated turntables on a piece of paper, and you’re controlling the DJ app on the iPad sitting five feet away from you. Every function that’s available on an analog turntable, including blending songs and scratching records, is also possible with Stone’s technology.

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Drones, Drones Everywhere… Including Youth Radio

March 20, 2013 by Donta Jackson

I met my first drone playing Call Of Duty: Black Ops. In the game, you can control one of these unmanned flying vehicles to hover and fire missiles to destroy enemy territory. In real life we also associate drones with death from above. The news constantly reminds us of their destructive power, but at a recent Brains and Beakers, Youth Radio’s science-speaker series, Chris Anderson demonstrated how drones can be constructive too.

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Ethan Zuckerman On Civic Engagement

March 15, 2013 by Lissa Soep

It’s easy to find alarming evidence that we’ve lost our way when it comes to civics in the US. But longtime global activist and MIT prof Ethan Zuckerman says there’s a lot to get excited about too, if we’re willing to think in new ways about what it even means to be civically engaged in the digital age.

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Photo Credit: Steppenwolf Theater

Chicago Play Features Real Stories Of Youth Violence

March 11, 2013 by Donisha Dansby

“How Long Will I Cry: Voices of Youth Violence” is a new play at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. The play depicts young people who were involved with gangs, and participated in or were victims of street violence. It follows the true stories of young people in Chicago.

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Mr. President: Break the Silence on Problems Beyond Guns

February 14, 2013 by Dallas Donnell

It is truly heartbreaking to post article after article chronicling the decimation of an entire generation – my generation – to gun violence. As a blogger in Chicago, I’ve written headlines like “Shirley Chambers Loses Fourth Child to Gun Violence,” “19 Shot Overnight; 13 Wounded in Just 30 Minutes,” and “Hadiya Pendleton, Teen Who Performed At Obama Inauguration, Shot and Killed on South Side.”

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Students Give Water Conservation A New Beat

February 13, 2013 by Nick Miller

Students from Redwood High School in Redwood City, Calif. collaborated with teacher/musician Tom McFadden to make a rap music video that teaches a science lesson.

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Chess Changed My Life

January 31, 2013 by Chris Alsobrook

Archie, he had a lot of wisdom. I met him at a time when I needed guidance, and I recognized…

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Photo Credit: Brett Myers

Here’s The Drill: Inside A School Lockdown

January 25, 2013 by Robyn Gee

As recently as a year ago, schools across the country, including the middle school in San Francisco where I used to teach, were toning down security. But since the school shooting in Newtown, school districts across the San Francisco Bay Area are ramping up safety measures.

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(Gideo Tsang)

American Youth Are Far Too Familiar With Gun Violence

December 20, 2012 by Davina La'Shay

I was sad when I heard about the 26 innocent people who were killed at the school last Friday, but I wasn’t shocked. Shootings happen every day, especially where I’m from.

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