“MOOLAH
BEACH” TEACHES STUDENTS THE “VALUE” OF MONEY;
TeachNet’s MULTIMEDIA WEB-BASED CURRICULA SHOWCASES WORK OF EXEMPLARY
NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS
Real
World Financial Concerns Among Topics Addressed in New Online Classroom
Curricula From Teachers Network and AT&T Foundation
NEW YORK,
NY (April 16, 2003) -- When New York City public school students
hear about Mayor Bloomberg’s struggle to balance the massive city
budget, they can relate to his enormous task because they are grappling
with similar money management issues brought to life in a new curriculum
unit called “The Real Way To Moolah Beach!” This innovative
classroom program is available online as part of the TeachNet series
from Manhattan-based Teachers Network (www.teachersnetwork.org), a non-profit
education organization that identifies and connects exemplary teachers
across the country.
“Moolah Beach”
was created by Anthony Salcedo, a NYC public school teacher and the
laptop coordinator at Mott Hall Middle School in upper Manhattan, the
first inner city public school to start a laptop program.
As part of the continuing
TeachNet program, this web-based curriculum unit introduces middle school
teenagers to the concept of economics, and helps them become savvy consumers
by teaching practical life skills like balancing a checkbook, managing
their allowance and tracking household expenses on a spreadsheet. Sponsored
by a grant from the AT&T Foundation, “The Real Way To Moolah
Beach!” hits a chord with today’s teens who are captivated
by reality TV shows and continuously ask the age-old question, “What
does math have to do with real life?” The aim is to teach them
real world math skills via hands-on, engaging activities, so they can
better manage, invest and keep track of their money.
The TeachNet series
(which has been rigorously reviewed to meet high standards and incorporates
an important assessment component) showcases the outstanding work of
exemplary teachers in some of New York City’s most diverse public
schools. Other offerings include “Let’s Rock! Rocks and
Minerals,” a geology program developed for third graders in Brooklyn
which explores rock formations through web research, hands-on lab experiments,
animations, and other original teacher-developed materials. “Sculpting
a Modern Art Chair with van Gogh and Gauguin,” infuses a Staten
Island middle school art classroom with art history, video, literature,
and virtual museum visits, culminating in student-created 3-D chairs
in the style of Gauguin and Matisse and other modern artists—worthy
of a MOMA installation.
“The TeachNet series
provides FREE, web-based curriculum materials that any teacher can adapt
to their classroom,” said Ellen Dempsey, President and CEO of
Teachers Network. “These are not just text-based lesson plans
published on the Internet, they are thematic units of work with dynamic
technology components that are geared to specific disciplines, ages,
and curricula. So that teachers—whether they’re in New York,
Kansas, Texas, or anywhere in the world—can use them in their
own classroom. We want to help teachers become leaders in their educational
communities through professional development and by giving teachers
unlimited access to content so that they can bring it back to their
own schools. ”
A grant from the AT&T
Foundation makes it possible. “Teachers Network is one of the
leaders in exploring new models of technology-based education, and the
TeachNet program demonstrates the organization’s profound commitment
to professional development for teachers,” said Marilyn Reznick,
Vice President, Education Programs at the AT&T Foundation. “The
TeachNet program, which we are delighted to support, seeks to improve
student learning by helping teachers integrate new media into the classroom.
Our two organizations have very similar goals as we seek to revolutionize
the way teachers interact with each other and their students, through
multimedia delivered via the World Wide Web.”
About TeachNet
TeachNet (www.teachersnetwork.org/TeachNet) was launched in 1998 to
support a global network of teachers in designing web-based classroom
curriculum, disseminating successful projects, and enhancing their own
professional growth. TeachNet provides training, grants, networking,
and resource sharing to enthusiastic and dedicated teachers at seven
of the Teachers Network affiliate sites worldwide--New York City (NY),
Boston (MA), Miami (FL), Santa Barbara County (CA), Westchester BOCES
(NY), Wiscasset (ME), and the Republic of Ireland.
About AT&T
Foundation
The AT&T Foundation (http://att.com/foundation) invests globally in
projects that address a range of public concerns. Emphasis is placed
on programs that serve the needs of people in communities where AT&T
has a significant presence, initiatives that use technology in innovative
ways, and programs that AT&T employees are actively involved with
as contributors and/or volunteers. Support is focused on the following
program areas: Education, Civic and Community Service, and Arts &
Culture.
|