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For a kindergarten teacher trying to find a new way to help his/her students learn about shapes and patterns or a high school science teacher hoping to bring ecology alive, there is a tool that could be just right for them. This article presents five learning tools that have the potential to transform lessons: (1) Lego Education's WeDo Robotics Construction Set; (2) Smart Table; (3) AVer Pen; (4) New Multiuser Virtual Environments (MUVEs); and (5) Google apps Education Community.

For educators looking for new ways to engage their students, multiuser virtual environments (MUVEs) offer a great opportunity for creative teaching and learning. MUVEs teach students social, technical, and practical life skills in a setting that is engaging and playful. One might be surprised how much these virtual environments teach students about global awareness. One of the most successful efforts to engage students in virtual worlds is Global Kids, an organization whose mission is "to educate and inspire urban youth to become successful students and global and community leaders by engaging them in socially dynamic, content-rich learning experiences." Global Kids has a variety of projects that engage students in worthy efforts to promote global understanding. What is great about the Global Kids projects is that they mix virtual-world technologies with real-world challenges, engaging young students in socially responsible efforts that can have a real impact on the world they live in at the same time that they improve their chances for a promising future. By facilitating virtual world projects, educators would prepare their students to interact and collaborate in a setting that will be increasingly available and attractive to them.

Teachers know that a constructivist approach involving project-based, student-centered activities can result in students taking an active role in their own learning and engaging in thought-provoking challenges. When accomplished with collaborative activities, students develop skills that will serve them well in the future in any group project. Critical to this approach is the articulation of the challenge, often one or more questions and scenarios. This article provides a context, and then proceeds to demonstrate how teachers can modify an already good curriculum to create engaging and motivating challenges for their students. Exciting results occur when existing technologies and the emerging Web 2.0 applications are integral aspects of information gathering, data analysis, and presentation possibilities. WebQuests, originated by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, exemplify electronic constructivism and incorporate scenarios and tasks that go far beyond fact finding and reporting. When tackling WebQuest challenges, students engage in transformative thinking, combining their innate creativity and curiosity with the vast array of resources on the Internet, to create an original product to demonstrate their new knowledge. This article presents some examples that serve as models for practice and inspiration for practitioners to write the "Introduction" and "Task" portions of WebQuests. (Contains 1 online resource.)

Objective: This study examined associations between diet quality and disease activity in adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Perceived stress was also compared to diet and disease activity. Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 50 adults with RA were recruited. The Arizona Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to measure dietary intake (four weeks) and diet quality scores were calculated with the Healthy Eating Index – 2015. Perceived stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Scale. Disease activity was measured with the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index and Pain Scale, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and Disease Activity Score Including 28 Joints-ESR. Results: Diet quality (56; SD ± 12) in participants was lower than the national mean (59). Age (p = 0.015) and gender (p = 0.003) were associated with higher diet quality. The belief that diet affects RA disease activity was reported by 44% of the participants, and these participants were significantly more likely to report dietary changes (p < 0.0001). Higher educational level (at least some college) was associated with this belief (B = −1.535, p = 0.023). Participants with lower diet quality also had significantly higher pain (B = −0.396, p = 0.022) and ESR scores (p = 0.019). Women were more likely to have higher HAQ-DI scores (B = 0.570, p = 0.001). Perceived stress was significantly associated with HAQ-DI and pain scores (B = 0.445, p = 0.001 and B = 0.289, p = 0.042, respectively). Medical cannabis was reportedly used by 8% of participants. Conclusion: In RA patients, lower diet quality may be associated with more pain and inflammation, and perceived stress may be associated with higher disability and disease activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents seven strategies to assist educators in providing students with a high quality online communication experience: begin with curriculum; spend time planning; encourage a positive social climate; understand the unique nature of online communication; encourage good reading and writing skills; deal with inappropriate behavior and attitudes; use effective facilitation skills to the larger goal of enhancing student learning. (AEF)

Museum studies will certainly reinforce students' appreciation of art history and art production. A student's understanding of a museum's function will deepen with each museum visit. Students will recognize that a museum can be organized around materials and kinds of art, periods of art history and cultures, and the works of an individual artist. The best part is that students can experience the value of preserving and celebrating art at a local level. In this article, the authors describe the potential of enhancing the experience of the elementary students at Muhlenberg Elementary Center and secondary students at Muhlenberg High School by using the district's high-school art majors and art-history students as docents. The elementary students could anticipate art activities at the secondary level, while the high-school students would get to apply their research in a professional capacity. This internship of sorts could present possible career directions for art and art-history students in teaching, gallery and museum settings.