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Google Science Fair 2012

Have you heard about the Google Science Fair? It's an online science competition seeking curious minds from the four corners of the globe. Anybody and everybody between 13 and 18 can enter. All you need is an idea.

In fact last year, over 10,000 students from 91 countries submitted their amazing ideas and it was narrowed down to 3 top winners – all young women. The judges said what set their ideas apart was their intellectual curiosity, their tenaciousness and their ambition to use science to find solutions to big problems. Just read about their winning experiments:

  • Lauren Hodge in the 13-14 age group. Lauren studied the effect of different marinades on the level of potentially harmful carcinogens in grilled chicken.
  • Naomi Shah in the 15-16 age group. Naomi endeavored to prove that making changes to indoor environments that improve indoor air quality can reduce people’s reliance on asthma medications.
  • Shree Bose in the 17-18 age group. Shree discovered a way to improve ovarian cancer treatment for patients when they have built up a resistance to certain chemotherapy drugs.
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K12 Kids are Amazing: California Virtual Academy student, Allison H.

Whenever I talk to people about online education, I usually start off by explaining that there is no such thing as a typical student or one common reason families choose it as their educational solution. The reasons families choose online education is as varied as there are days in a year, which is  why I share so many of our students' stories -- so you can see for yourself how diverse they are and how having the online education option available can help kids reach their goals. 

Meet Allison H., a California Virtual Academy (CAVA) high school student and erhu artist. An erhu is an ancient Chinese instrument known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". 

At 16 years old, she is the only non-Chinese player in the Strings and Bamboo Orchestra.

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Try Something New: Digital Learning Day 2.1.12

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Digital Learning Day and how it's a day to celebrate innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology to engage students and provide them with a enriching, personalized educational experience.  

Well Digital Learning Day is TODAY and it's time for all of us -- parents, teachers, and students -- to spend some time exploring how technology can help improve student outcomes. Spend time today using digital tools and experiencing how they can enhance teaching and learning. Try something new! Use a new learning method you have read about or explore a learning game -- the sky's the limit. 

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K12 Kids are Amazing: Chicago Virtual Charter School student Asante G.

I love sharing stories of our Amazing K12 Kids! Meet Asante...

Asante G. is an 8th grade student who has been enrolled at Chicago Virtual Charter School since 2008.  Due to his driven attitude to excel academically, his high test scores, and his teachers speaking highly of him, he was recommended to be part of CVCS’s Advance Learner Program.  Asante dove right into the challenge.  In fact, he is currently taking two high school courses as an 8th grader.  Asante has proven himself to be an important asset to the program and to the school community. 

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CNN Video: From PCs in school to online schooling

CNN highlighted Virginia Virtual Academy (VAVA) and K12 over the weekend. 

CNN's Athena Jones reports on the growing trend of online education for K-12 students.

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Snapshots of Success: Young Gigi LeMaire is taking her TV and music career to new heights

Welcome to this special series on the thinktanK12 blog, where you can meet students, parents, and educators who are discovering the power of learning with K12.

Gigi LeMaire is a very talented—and very busy—teenager. For over two years, she’s been one of the stars of the hit TV show “The Wannabes.” And since she was seven years old, she’s been a member of teen pop group Savvy. Starting last February, Gigi has also been enrolled in online private schooling via K12 International Academy. This month, she graduated to ninth grade.

Prior to K12, Gigi’s family tried other approaches to balancing her education and budding career, including traditional public school as well as homeschooling through a regional university program. We recently spoke with Gigi and her mother Christine—who founded and manages Savvy—about why they changed to K12, and how their first year has been going.

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It's School Choice Week!

National School Choice Week is a national effort backed by a collaboration of more than 200 partner organizations to shine a spotlight on the need for effective education options for all children. It's a week to encourage parents to explore the many options available for their children and take an active role in choosing the one that best suits the needs of their children. 

K¹² was founded on the idea that every child deserves a chance to achieve his or her full potential. The alternatives we offer – most often in partnership with public schools, at no cost to families – provide a different path, one proven to work better for many thousands of students. But we also know it may not be the right way for every student. Finding out about  the variety of school choice options -- from encouraging increased access to great public schools, to public charter schools, magnet schools, online schools, private schools, homeschooling and more -- is one of the most important first steps a parent can take to help their children thrive during their educational journey. 

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Announcing the 2011-2012 K12 Art Competition Winner!

For 6 years in a row, we have held an art competition to showcase the breadth of creative talent flowing through our student community. This art competition is something I look forward to every year because it really showcases what students can do when given a broad theme to pull from.

This year the theme was to showcase creative expressions of innovation and 1200 students stepped up to the task.  I invite you to sit down with your kids and take a look and celebrate our students' creative spirit! 

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Transforming the Way We Learn – Will 3D Technology Change the Way We Teach Science?

In a series of thinktanK12 blog posts,  we look at some trends we can expect to see in education in the near future, as well as introducing you to some of the influential people helping revolutionize education.

Could using 3D technology in schools help engage kids? That’s what the results of a recent study in Europe of 740 10-11 year olds suggest. The study focused on classes who studied science using traditional methods, and those who did the same lesson but included 3D images.

The students whose lessons included 3D animations remembered and understood concepts better, and their test scores improved twice as much as the traditional students. One teacher involved with the study attributed the success of 3D learning to “the wow” factor, saying the students were more interested and focused thanks to the technology and gave more “elaborate” answers, showing a deeper understanding of concepts.

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Online High School: A Student's Perspective

I came across this blog post written by one of our students, Angie S., sharing her experience attending high school at Minnesota Virtual Academy. 

What really captured my attention was the following excerpt  where she shares how the program works for her and other students she knows--

I was really happy to find out how flexible this school was. I didn’t have to sit bored at school for the rest of the day when I finished my work. Also I only had to work until I finished my work and have the rest of the day to do what I want. Not only did I have the option to work during the day now I could do my home work at night at my own pace. If I had something going on two days out of the week I could make up that work during the weekend or do it ahead of time. There have been many students in my classes who wanted more time for sports which they now have with this school and others have moved alot or gone on vacations all the time and are happy because they can take their work with them. It’s just like a regular school except my schedule is up to me.

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