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UW-Madison School of Education Online News - March 2004
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IN THIS ISSUE - MARCH 2004

• Exploring the Link Between Video Games & Literacy
• Examining the Impact of Child Care Programs
• Conference on Inclusive School Reform - March 29-30
• Wisconsin Film Festival - April 1-4
• 2004 Summer Session Directories Are Online
• Tandem Press - A Treasure Trove of Fine Art Prints
• Info for Incoming Freshmen about Placement Tests
• Research: WCER Working Papers
• Campus: Wiley Speaks Out on Higher Education
• Web Gem: American Journeys
• Calendar of Events

Welcome to the UW-Madison School of Education Online News, an e-mail newsletter about School/campus news and resources that's sent once a month to subscribers. If you would like join this listserv, directions for subscribing are given at the end of the following news items.

EXPLORING THE LINK BETWEEN VIDEO GAMES & LITERACY
Get an in-depth look at the implications of research done by education professor James Paul Gee in an interview reproduced from Campus Connections, the redesigned School of Education newsletter. According to Gee, today's video games use some of the best learning principles around and offer models for innovative classroom teaching. You can read the article at:
http://www.education.wisc.edu/news/details.asp?fldIdNews=64

For a related story on the "education arcade," see:
http://www.news.wisc.edu/9333.html

EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF CHILD CARE PROGRAMS
Generally speaking, children in higher-quality child care programs perform better on measures of social, language, and cognitive development than children who attend poorer-quality settings. A recent study by UW-Madison education professor Deborah Vandell and colleagues provides support for policies that establish higher standards for caregiver training and child-staff ratios. Vandell's study is this month's feature article on the Web site of the School's Wisconsin Center for Education Research at:
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/

CONFERENCE ON INCLUSIVE SCHOOL REFORM - MARCH 29-30
"Structuring Schools and Classrooms for the Success of All Learners" is the focus of the second annual Conference on Differentiation and Inclusive School Reform, to be held March 29-30 at the Pyle Center in Madison. Norman Kunc, noted disability rights advocate, will provide the keynote speech on "Rediscovering Our Right to Belong." The conference is sponsored by the School's Office of Education Outreach. A brochure and registration form are available online. For more information, see:
http://www.education.wisc.edu/outreach/differentiation04.html

WISCONSIN FILM FESTIVAL - APRIL 1-4
This just keeps getting bigger and better every year. Festival director Mary Carbine anticipates more than 21,000 people at this year's celebration, which will showcase more than 100 independent feature films, documentaries, world cinema, experimental films, and shorts. The festival is a public program of the Arts Institute, which is co-sponsored by the School of Education. Advance ticket sales began March 4. Check the Web site for a full schedule, downloadable ticket order form, and much more at:
http://www.wifilmfest.org/index.asp?&go2=1

2004 SUMMER SESSION DIRECTORIES ARE ONLINE
Here's one way to keep those little gray cells working over the summer. The UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies has just posted online its 2004 directory of Summer Sessions for Teachers. The directory provides information about more than 125 credit and noncredit courses and workshops for PreK-12 teachers. For details, see:
http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/summer/teachdir.htm

For a directory of all courses being offered by UW-Madison this summer, check the online Summer Timetable at:
http://registrar.wisc.edu/timetable/summer/

TANDEM PRESS - A TREASURE TROVE OF FINE ART PRINTS
Whether you're a buyer or a window shopper, you can enjoy the display of fine art prints on the Tandem Press Web site. Tandem is a self-supporting printmaking studio affiliated with the Department of Art in the School of Education. It produces top-quality prints by nationally recognized artists, and was created to foster research, collaboration, and innovation in the field of printmaking. In addition to serving its artists, Tandem is also an invaluable resource for art students, who can gain first-hand experience in a professional printmaking studio. Visit the site at:
http://www.tandempress.wisc.edu/tandem/index.htm

INFO FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN ABOUT PLACEMENT TESTS
If you're the parent or friend of a high school senior who's planning to attend UW-Madison (or any UW System university) this fall, you'll want to share this site with them. The School of Education's Testing and Evaluation Services Office provides information about UW System placement tests, required for all UW-Madison students. The helpful site includes test dates and sites, FAQs, and sample test questions. Registration is done online. (Note: UW-Madison incoming freshman may elect to take the tests during SOAR). Visit the site at:
http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/exams/

RESEARCH: WCER WORKING PAPERS
In an effort to get research into the hands of practitioners, the School's Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) has developed a Working Papers Web site. The site provides findings from some of the most recent research conducted at the center, with papers available in both abstract and full-text form. Among the 17 papers currently posted are "Creating a Research Community in Mathematics Education," and "Promoting Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology." You can read them online at:
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/publications/workingpaper/workingpapers.asp

CAMPUS: WILEY SPEAKS OUT ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Chancellor Wiley sent a wake-up call to Wisconsin citizens in a Madison Magazine article, "Higher Education at the Crossroads." Chock full of statistics on Wisconsin, the University, and higher-education institutions nationwide, the article is required reading for anyone passionate about the future of UW-Madison and the UW System. You can read the article at:
http://www.madisonmagazine.com/index.php?
section_id=918&xstate=view_story&story_id=155312

WEB GEM: AMERICAN JOURNEYS
Created by the Wisconsin Historical Society, the American Journeys site contains more than 18,000 pages of eyewitness accounts of North American exploration, from the sagas of Vikings in Canada in AD1000 to the diaries of mountain men in the Rockies 800 years later. The site features more than 150 rare books, original manuscripts, and classic travel narratives from the Historical Society's library and archives. You can begin the journey at:
http://www.americanjourneys.org/

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION WEB CALENDAR
There's always more going on at the School than we can report in the online news. For a full listing of upcoming performances, workshops, forums, conferences, etc., check out the online calendar at:
http://www.education.wisc.edu/calendar/index.asp

HAVE YOU MOVED OR CHANGED YOUR NAME?
You can easily update that information via the School's Web site. And we'll make sure that your University records are updated as well as ours. See "Staying in Touch" on the School's alumni page at:
http://www.education.wisc.edu/alumni/index.asp

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