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Category: Dear Students

Parlez-vous français?: Benefits of Multilingualism

Sometimes it’s required for school, sometimes your parents make you– regardless, the idea of learning a whole new language is often not appealing. It takes a lot of work, and what good does it really do in the long run? A lot, actually. It makes you think differently and works out your brain.Speaking another language…

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Astrophysicists vs. Athletes

The average American boy or girl grows up idolizing their favorite, athlete, singer, or movie star (usually a fictional character, not the actual actor). Dean Karmen, the inventor of the Segway, argues, why not astrophysicists, biological chemists, and programmers?  At SXSW, Karmen motioned that, “as professionals, as parents, as citizens, the technical community has to…

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Young Authors

We learn to write around the age of six, and we’re expected to continue writing throughout the rest of our lives– throughout school and as we continue into the workforce. Because of this, many people forget somewhere along the way that writing used to be an enjoyable activity. However, some people do not let go…

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Learning vs. Teaching

We’ve been posting EdTech blogs each Wednesday for the past two months now.  PVA has detailed M.O.O.C, big data, TED Talks, mobile connectivity to the classroom and much more. Today, we decided to see what other blogs were saying about education technology, or EdTech as many refer to it.  We came across this incredible blog…

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Excite Your Snow Day

The first snow day of the winter is always so exciting; you can kick back and do all of the things that you usually can only dream of during the school day. But by the end of the winter, you’ve done it all. Here are some ways to excite your snow day that you may…

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Philadelphia’s Favorite Sons, Daughters and Pastimes

We’ll start with maybe the most famous Philadelphian of all-time, Mr. Benjamin Franklin. One of the most innovative men in history, Ben Franklin developed the printing press, discovered electricity, and created the bifocals to name a few of his abundant accomplishments. Betsy Ross She designed the original American flag and you can still take a…

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Windows XP to Cease Product Support April 8th

Businesses, nonprofits, and school districts using Windows XP are preparing for April 8th when Windows ceases product support on their XP software.  Some of these organizations have already pre-ordered modern Windows software, others are moving onto Mac OS systems and others are simply relying on their malware software, continuing their use of XP until an…

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Creating a Productive Study Space

Ever sit down to do homework and end up scrolling through Facebook for an hour instead? Nowadays, the solution isn’t as simple as turning off technology, as its use is frequently required for homework. If you find yourself easily distracted by your surroundings, try these seven tips on how to create a more productive study…

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Discovery’s Curiosity.com

An already prevalent figure in educational content, Discovery has adopted a new website configured specifically for those using M.O.O.C.s and those learning independently. With the tagline, “Never Stop Learning”, Discovery wants you to “Explore and be inspired. Discover thousands of the web’s best learning content here.” It offers everything from arts & crafts tips, to…

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The Virtual Academy Super Bowl

As you may already know by seeing it on our Weekly Update and Facebook page, PVA joined BVA to compete in the annual Virtual Academy Super Bowl.  It took place the week of the real Super Bowl, which may or may not have been overshadowed by the Virtual Academy Super Bowl, a much more exciting,…

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