Sharing Web Resources

• Provide the name and link for the organization you selected, and a brief description of the organization’s focus,

Early Learning News is a part of NAEYC web site. I read several articles in the early news. Below is some of the excerpt that caught my eye.

http://www.naeyc.org/newsroom/inthenews

“Despite a clear trajectory downward, our priorities are still elsewhere. The Federal Government currently spends $7.00 on the elderly for every $1.00 we spend on children. We dole out more than $900 billion a year on the military compared to $300 million on all kids programs, including education. We spend 5 percent of the federal budget serving debt, and only 4 percent more than that serving children.”- The child first movement.


“According to the American Association for the Child's Right to Play (and, yes, it seems we do need such an organization), approximately 40 percent of the elementary schools in the U.S. have eliminated recess from the children's day. The primary reason, of course, is the need to focus on academics. With all of the standards to be met and tests to be taken, there simply isn't time for something as "frivolous" as recess.” -Children’s right to play.

Yet another major long-term study, this one published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has conclusively demonstrated the link between weight gain and junk food. The study showed that soda is "the number one problem related to weight gain," Dr. Walter Willett, chair of the Nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, told MSNBC. But that is not the story that major food companies like PepsiCo, Coca-Cola or Mars Co. want you to believe. A new report by ABC suggests that these companies are willing to pay scientists to help produce evidence refuting the link between bad health and a bad diet. The terms of the payments, of course, do not explicitly require the scientists to fudge study results. But scientists who receive big grants from major food companies have been known to testify in favor of junk food in court and in front of Congress. Some have compared such scientists to those who obfuscated the link between smoking and cancer before it became incontrovertible—which casts "big sugar" in the same role as "big tobacco." -Junk Food Producers Pay Scientists To Fudge Link Between Health And Nutrition

• Provide the name and link for the international website you selected, and a brief description of the organization’s focus,

UNICEF home page http://www.unicef.org/index.php
UNICEF home page for videos, radio, and the podcasts        http://www.unicef.org/videoaudio/index.html
I learnt a lot from these two resources. They both are about what is going on in the world regarding children. I have known about the wonderful programs done by UNICEF in Sri Lanka but I feel that now I am much more aware of them and much more curious about them. One common topic in podcasts was the financial struggles children and families face with all over the developing world. Beyond the school books is a very inspirational series on resilience of young children as well as young adults.

• Identify one current issue/trend from the newsletter and/or from the website that caught your attention June, 2011 the early learning news on NAEYC.

NAEYC early learning news has given attention to obesity and food choices that adults put in front of the children. Power that unhealthy food makers have on the political and research arenas. It worries me to learn how these industries are working for the better of themselves and worst for the young children.

Another topic that I was able to find in several related articles is the improvement of early childhood education in the nation and what other countries are doing successfully.  Finland, Norway, and Singapore are few of the countries that have the best early childhood education programs. They encourage teacher education to improve the teaching and practices in the classroom.

There were several articles regarding Autism, ADD, and ADHD. Parental depression and its effects on children were also discussed.  

• Share if there was anything else you learned from studying these resources related to the topic of this week

Please watch these video on UNESCO web site. I am a person who is fascinated about the brain development. There are few YouTube videos on brain development among the other video that really caught my attention.

Here is the link to UNESCO videos http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/all-videos/

While I was watching these videos there was one specific video on migration. It is discussing one major reason behind the immigration as environmental factors. Climate change is also a reason behind the migration, not only the economic factors there are other factors behind migration. There is no choice for the people other than leaving where they are to find food and water to live. I spent long time watching all these videos and learning from them and I hope my colleagues will be able to do the same.