Archive for August, 2009
Pittsburgh Public School Students First to Welcome Keyboard Town PALS to Their Curriculum
Jeffrey Primary School Educators and Shaler School Representatives Learn New Typing Method at Unique Presentation
Tuesday, August 25, 2009: The Jeffrey Primary School in Glenshaw, PA will be the first public school to integrate Keyboard Town PALS (KTP) into its curriculum. This coming September, the school’s second graders will be introduced to the educational and entertaining program that uses successful association and memory techniques, through stories told by fun and adorable live puppets. The KTP readiness program for younger learners will also be integrated into the Kindergarten curriculum. Jeffery Primary School’s extremely supportive Parent Teacher Organization is happy to cover the cost of implementing both programs in the school next year.
KTP was founded by Rita Herman, CEO and professional educator and Donna Katz, President and former private school administrator. They enlisted the help of several members of the Emmy-Award Winning teams behind “Misters Rogers’ Neighborhood”, as well as Warner Brothers’ “Looney Tunes” and Hanna Barbara cartoons.
At the end of last school year, the KTP method was introduced to the administration and teaching staff of Jeffrey Primary, along with other representatives from the Shaler Area School District. A unique and informative in-service presentation was given by the KTP creators using actual puppets featured in the KTP software, and beginning a weeklong series of presentations that will continue in California. The following week, Donna and Rita traveled to California for a presentation at the Lockwood Elementary School in Los Angeles. The presentation was filmed for the nationally syndicated television show, “Kurt the Cyber Guy.” The itinerary also included a presentation for children with special needs in conjunction with The Friendship Circle, a nationwide nonprofit organization.
“When I first listened to Donna speak about the program and what it could offer our students, I knew that it would be a perfect fit for the level of technology instruction we have available to us,” says Jeffrey Primary School Principal, Kara Eckert. “I quickly realized that this program could serve as a stepping stone to the other projects and programs that we will be unveiling over the course of the next year.”
Currently, Keyboard Town PALS is the only company that offers teaching material for typing by using the Purposeful Associative Learning System (PALS). The company claims that no parent or educator will ever want to return to the mindless drills and endless exercises used by other programs.
The KTP educational software is available by download or by order purchase at www.OnlyAnHour.com and www.Amazon.com. For all media inquiries, contact Daniel Ferszt at Global Point Public Relations 310.424.8290 or email dferszt@globalpointpr.com.
I’ve been happily married for five years, and my son just turned 4. I’m still relatively new to this whole parenting thing, but I’ve found that it helps to try to put myself in my son’s shoes – to think about the way I thought and acted at his age. My wife and I have been careful to limit our son’s exposure to television, which we view as more of a time-waster than a teaching tool.
On the other hand, I’ve been exploring the market for educational computer games; the number of choices these days is astounding. When I was young, I spent hours playing “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego.” Looking back, I realize that my own parents selected that game because it taught kids about geography without reminding them that they were actually learning something. I’m planning to do the same thing for my son.
You may have noticed lately that many people would do anything to avoid attempting a simple math problem. It’s astonishing how many adults are worried about experiencing embarrassment once their ignorance is revealed. The issue can be traced to a lack of math fundamentals, which should be learned early in life. Some people simply lack a solid foundation.
With this in mind, it’s important for parents to encourage their children to embrace math as a fun concept that deserves to be studied. Math games for kids can be thought of as a welcome change from rote memorization and other techniques that don’t appeal to young children. With any luck, your kids will grow up to take pride in their math skills and they won’t have anything to hide when the topic arises.