Lifelong Learning & Digital Literacy

David Warlick blogs about digital literacy as it applies to k-12 education, but how true for everyone at every age that fluency requires practice – not just a class or two!  The best way to “become fluent in the broader and equally critical information and technology skills of being literate in a networked, digital, and abundant contemporary information environment” is simply to spend a little time each day exploring the vast amount of information right at our fingertips.

2¢ Worth » Can Literacy be Taught?

Students who become fluent in reading, do so because they read, not because they were taught the basic reading skills. Of course, it wouldn’t have happened without having been taught the basic reading skills. But they become fluent because they are required to read for the rest of their formal education and beyond.

If we expect students to become fluent in the broader and equally critical information and technology skills of being literate in a networked, digital, and abundant contemporary information environment, then they should be required to use those skills in all of their formal education, just like reading.

Reading, for education, is a learning literacy. Reading, processing, and expressing knowledge in a networked, digital, and abundant information landscape are equally important learning skills — learning literacies.

Our stated goal, right now, in every school and school district, should be for every student to walk into their classrooms with a computer literacy machine, not a handheld under their arm.

It’s no long a matter of “if” — it’s “when.”..because literacy skills are meaningless until they become literacy habits.

via 2¢ Worth » Can Literacy be Taught?.

Internet use ‘good for the brain’

I have been an enthusiastic web proponent since my first webmaster job in 1996.   I had expected that the web would look like TV, and  it was a surprise to see that it was really just a lot of text files with just an occasional picture thrown in.  But what access to information!  I was hooked right away, and I have actively participated in weaving the web through the years  as it gets better and better.

Now BBC has a report that actively using the web seems to be good for the brain as well.  A fun hobby, a wonderful source of information, and a brain booster as well – What more could you want?

For middle-aged and older people at least, using the internet helps boost brain power, research suggests.

A University of California Los Angeles team found searching the web stimulated centres in the brain that controlled decision-making and complex reasoning.The researchers say this might even help to counteract the age-related physiological changes that cause the brain to slow down.  The study features in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

As the brain ages, a number of changes occur, including shrinkage and reductions in cell activity, which can affect performance.

It has long been thought that activities which keep the brain active, such as crossword puzzles, may help minimise that impact – and the latest study suggests that surfing the web can be added to the list.

Read complete article:  BBC NEWS | Health | Internet use ‘good for the brain’.

A Day’s Outing – Find Events, Family Activities, Festivals, Gardens, Museums, Travel Destinations

Looking for Outings in the Charlottesville area? A Day’s Outing may have just the information to help you plan a trip./

Virginia travel tale

Crabtree Falls is the most beautiful waterfall hike in Virginia, located in Nelson County and in the George Washington National Forest. It is also the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. It is a family favorite!
Cathy
via A Day’s Outing – Find Events, Family Activities, Festivals, Gardens, Museums, Travel Destinations.

Jackson-Via PTO News Flash – Outdoor Learning Centers

Outdoor Learning Centers at Jackson-Via Elementary School

On October 29th, from 12:00 – 1:00 at the Charlottesville Community
Design Center (CCDC) on the Downtown Mall, local designers Reed
Muehlman, Jessica Primm, Eugene Ryang, and Chris Woods, along with
Jackson-Via staff, will present a Master Plan for Jackson-Via
Elementary School’s Outdoor Learning Centers during a brown bag lunch
session.

This visionary Master Plan was created during the CCDC’s annual Design
Marathon held on October 2nd, with inspiration drawn from student,
staff, parent, and community input. The Master Plan, on display this
month at CCDC, weaves together student drawings and professional
design, and includes elements such as “The Giant’s Steps” and a
“Robin’s Nest”. The comprehensive plan includes elements for habitat
and ecology education, food production, and spaces for children’s
exploration, observation, and reflection on Jackson-Via’s expansive 20
acres.

The community is invited to join the brown bag lunch session to learn
more about this creative partnership’s vision to extend learning
outdoors at Jackson-Via.

For further information contact:
ElizaBeth McCay, Principal, 434-245-2416
Jessica Primm, Landscape Architect, 434-882-0520

via JABA FISH ~ Jackson-Via.

JABA Community Tag Sale & Volunteer Opportunities – Can you help?

Come shop for some great items while supporting a worthwhile cause!

JABA is having a Community Tag Sale on Sunday, October 25th, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at 674 Hillsdale Drive, Charlottesville.  All proceeds go towards programs and services at JABA’s Community Centers and Adult Care Center.  You can find clothes, jewelry, household items, baked goods, seasonal gifts and much more, so we hope to see you there.

We are looking for volunteers for the following positions.

Please contact me at 434-817-5245 or mwilliams@jabacares.org if you are interested in any of these positions:

• Lonely gentleman in Fluvanna County needs an occasional Friendly Visitor
• Home Delivered Meals Driver needed for Charlottesville client
• Front desk receptionist on Saturdays from 9-3 at JABA, 674 Hillsdale Drive, Charlottesville
• Front desk assistant any days during the week for the YMCA in Charlottesville
• Thrift shop helpers at Twice Is Nice
• Helping pack grocery bags on the third Monday of every month for JABA’s Food Bag Program

I hope you are enjoying the glorious fall foliage and, as always, thank you for all you do to brighten the lives of those in need in our community.

Martha

Martha Williams, Manager
JABA Volunteer Services
674 Hillsdale Drive, Suite 9
Charlottesville, VA  22901
434-817-5245 (p)  434-817-5230 (f)
mwilliams@jabacares.org

For information on volunteer opportunities at JABA go to
www.jabacares.org/page/full/volunteer-opportunities/

JABA’s mission is to promote, establish and preserve sustainable communities for healthy aging that benefit individuals and families of all ages.

Beyond the Bars- new website and blog from Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail Inmate Programs

Phyllis Back, Director of Programs, Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail has launched a new website and blog.

This jail-programs blog is sure to be another “first” for us in Charlottesville!  Some recordings from the Music and Poetry Class are already available, and more will be coming soon.  Stay tuned for announcements of events as well as information about the activities that 300+ volunteers make available to the inmates.   Perhaps you would like to volunteer some of your time?

For more information contact Ms. Back at backp@acrj.org.

Beyond the Bars Art Show

Posted on October 8th, 2009 by Phyllis Back

Show runs from October 2 – 29, 2009.

– an outsider art show featuring acrylic, watercolor, oil and abstract art made by inmates from the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail

Presented by the Gallery at 5th & Water and the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail

The show contains work from McGuffey Art Classes that are offered to inmates through the Programs Department at the jail.

via Beyond the Bars.

Another first – Charlottesville Tomorrow-Daily Progress partnership

What a great idea! It is exciting to live in a city on the leading edge of innovation. Here is another example of a partnership that may become the industry standard in years to come:

Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University assesses the Charlottesville Tomorrow-Daily Progress partnership
-Post By Brian Wheeler, Charlottesville Tomorrow, Thursday, October 8, 2009In a story today, the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University shares an early assessment of the Charlottesville Tomorrow-Daily Progress partnership which began in August 2009.

In my interview with Mac Slocum, he confirmed what I have heard from other experts around the country, that this partnership is unique. Unique in the nature of reporting being provided by an independent non-profit organization to a daily newspaper, but also in Charlottesville Tomorrow’s longevity four years as a hyperlocal “new media” organization. Nieman staff also gave our partnership some much appreciated national attention when they mentioned it in a September interview for a New York Times article related to the PBS show Frontline.

via Charlottesville Tomorrow News Center: Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University assesses the Charlottesville Tomorrow-Daily Progress partnership.

Lifelong learning at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail – Can you help with the volunteer appreciation reception?

It is so hard to define “lifelong learning” because it means so many different things to different people and at different times of life.  The classes and activities at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail (ACRJ) are simply another facet of the lifelong-learning jewel!  Here is an opportunity to support the outreach effort at the ACRJ, a valuable educational program that helps others improve the quality of their lives while strengthening our community.

Here is the information about our Volunteer Reception & Tour at Ashlawn-Highland –

For the past four years during the month of May the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail (ACRJ) recognizes our wonderful team of volunteer facilitators, instructors and teachers as part of the National Volunteer Appreciation Week by hosting an annual reception and banquet. Due to the budget cuts that everyone has been subjected to in the last two years we did not have the funds to continue our tradition.

However, our team of volunteers from the Albemarle/Charlottesville area not only remain steadfast in their commitment to providing/sharing their many talents, skills and knowledge with our client/offenders, but also this team continues to grow. These are volunteers who participate in this community outreach here at ACRJ on a weekly basis without expectation of recognition but rather with the hope of helping others in their community who are in need of reestablishing and improving the quality of their lives.

To date, we have over 300 volunteers here at ACRJ. That in and of itself, speaks volumes about this community.

This year, as a result of the relationship that has developed between the Administrations of Ashlawn-Highland and Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, Ashlawn-Highland has graciously offered to host a Volunteer Appreciation Reception & Tour on Sunday October 25, 2009 from 2-4:00 p.m. for all of our volunteers and their families.

We are in need of donations for food and beverages for this event. We will need items such as cakes, pies, cupcakes, donuts, cookies, nuts, chips, crackers, cheeses, fruit/vegetables trays, meat trays, salsa, dipping breads, dipping oils, coffee, cider, soda, and wine.

If you are interested in donating any of these items (large or small) to help us make this a memorable event for our volunteers here at ACRJ or would like more information, please contact Phyllis Back, Director of Programs at 434-977-6981 ext. 288 or via email at backp@acrj.org.

Live in Charlottesville? Learn as you become involved in your community!

Serving on City of Charlottesville Boards and Commissions is an excellent way to learn more about how government works.

You might be interested in some of the opportunities listed below.

The City of Charlottesville provides a wide variety of Boards and Commissions that encourages its members to participate in discussions that affect and shape the future of our City.

We believe it is not only the right, but the responsibility of interested and capable citizens to become engaged in local government policy by advising the Mayor and City Council on important community-related issues.

Serving on a Board or Commission is an excellent way to make a personal contribution to Charlottesville’s growth and can be a rewarding experience for everyone!

BECOME INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Applications are being accepted for the following boards and commissions appointed by City Council:

• Board of Architectural Review (licensed architect)
• Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority (joint City-County appointee who also serves on the Airport Commission)
• Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Commission (1 City representative and 1 joint City-County appointee who also serves on the Airport Authority)
• Community Development Block Grant Task Force (Rose Hill
  Neighborhood representative)
• Dialogue on Race Steering Committee
• Housing Advisory Committee (banker or citizen at large)
• JAUNT
• Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee
• Personnel Appeals Board
• Police Advisory Panel
• Rivanna Solid Waste Advisory Committee

For an application call 970-3113 or e-mail coxj@charlottesville.org. Preference is given to residents of the City of Charlottesville or may be required. The deadline for receipt of applications is Thursday, October 29. Preference is given to residents of the City of Charlottesville or may be required.

via Charlottesville : Boards and Commissions A-J.

New daily Amtrak service to Washington, DC

This is going to be a great opportunity for us in the Charlottesville area to visit DC and come back the same day. Union Station is just a short distance from the museums and art galleries, so this new Amtrak service should make lifelong-learning field trips to our nation’s capital especially easy.

New daily Amtrak service to Washington, DC – starts Thursday, October 1st, 8:49 AM

Inaugural Run Event in Charlottesville at 2:15 PM on Wednesday, September 30th (Amtrak Station on W Main St)

Starting October 1st, there will be a new regular Amtrak service from Lynchburg that departs Charlottesville at 8:49 AM and enters Union Station at 11:20 AM.  The train is on the Northeast Regional Line, which means you can travel all the way to New York or Boston without every changing trains!

The day before, there is an inaugural run event that stops in Charlottesville at 2:15 PM to pick up Gov. Tim Kaine who will ride to Lynchburg.  Visit amtrak.com for more information on train schedules and fairs.

Via Vince Caristo, info@transportationchoice.org
Executive Director, Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation (ACCT)
www.transportationchoice.org