The iPad is a Perfect Learning Companion

    The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., which runs Apple's iOS operating system. The first iPad was released on April 3,2010; while the most recent iPad models, the fourth-generation and the iPad mini, were released November 2,2012.

The iPad serves more purpose than just gaming, taking photos, and playing music, the iPad is changing the classroom.

An iPad can shoot video, take photos, play music, and perform Internet functions such as web-browsing and emailing. Other functions such as gaming, reference, GPS navigation, social networking, and even buying and writing books by downloading and installing apps. The Apple App Store has more than 800K apps available to users.

Focusing on the growing use of the iPad in the classroom, it inspires creativity and hands-on learning with features you will not find in any other educational tool. Powerful Apps from the App Store such as  iTunes U and iBooks Author let students engage with content in interactive ways, find information in an instant, and access an entire library wherever they go.

iBooks Author is everything you need to create a book right on a handheld tablet. iBooks Author is available for free on the App Store and it is an amazing app that allows users to generate multi-touch textbooks. The features in the app makes it easy to add text, graphics, movies, etc. iBook Author allows you to create books that even people with disabilities can read and experience. Now with iBooks Author, educators can create context that is specific to their classroom needs.

Textbooks are old school. The iPad is the New Age. 
During the late 90's and early 2000's some teachers used webquest as a tool to teach a topic to their students by having students research online resources that have been provided to them from their teacher. The webquests usually ends in the students creating a report, video, or presentation. Now with iBooks Author students can take their video, report, and presentation and create a beautifully crafted lesson on any topic while honing their digital content creation skills. iBooks Author's easy to use templates allow students to focus more on the content they are learning and creating and less on learning a program to create content that has a steep learning curve.

Teachers can create and iBook of the course materials that can easily be updated and distributed to students. While this can be done a myriad of ways, lets say you are a teacher of a face-to-face classroom of students on have to regularly miss class (i.e., student athletes), you could place much of the class material in an iBook that is uploaded to your iTunes U collection. Students would need internet connection for one moment while downloading the book or chapter, but they have constant access without internet connection after it has been downloaded. In this instance, the student does not have to miss so much work. The iBook is so much more than just a PDF file that a student could download. It is better than having students downloading multiple documents and having to remember which to read. The iBook could also suffice for a guide on course material throughout the week(s). iBooks Author is very similar to a textbook, but it is so much more tech-savvy and advanced. A table of contents can be created showing everything in order for students to review. iBooks even provides a self-check section to help students realize what information is seeking in and what information still needs to be reviewed.

As for a course like ours, JOUR150, since we are required to put together a final portfolio, iBooks Author provides an easy packaging system where students can quickly drag and drop their projects from the semester in a neat, clean and fun iBook that can easily be presented on the iPad. So, if our final project was slightly different, and we composed more than one blog post, we could incorporate them all into an iBook for a full presentation instead of presenting only one final post on blogger.

Why More Kids Are "Tipping the Scale"

Childhood obesity is a serious condition that is greatly effecting children and adolescents today. 

While some confuse overweight and obesity, there is a significant difference. Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination, while obesity is defined as having excess body fat. Childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term effects on health and well being. Youth suffering from obesity are at risk for many other chronic health diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and are prone to many heart complications. Not only are children and adolescents more than likely to suffer from other health conditions, but there are also psychological effects: obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression.

Childhood obesity is growing at an alarming rate, it has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years.

• In 1980 obesity occurred in 6.5% of children 6-11 years
• In 2008 obesity occurred in 19.6% of children 6-11 years
• In 1980 obesity occurred in 5% of young adults 12-19 years
• In 2008 obesity occurred in 18.1% of young adults 12-19 years

According to data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese.

Parents are responsible for what foods children consume, the amount of exercise a child gets, and ultimately responsible for childhood obesity overall. 

The leading causes of childhood obesity are as follows, but not subject to: unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, genetic factors, and environmental factors. As for an unhealthy diet, parents are more than likely responsible for this factor. Think about grocery shopping, shelves are packed with the latest "healthy" gummy chews, breakfast snacks, and many other rather unhealthy snacks. Of course the labels advertise "100% vitamin C", but what about the other ingredients? Many include 25g+ of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans fat and more. Instead of such a snack, a child should have a fresh fruit. Parents should shop for healthy food choices for children; try staying away from fried foods, and fat or sugar loaded snacks.

On any given day, according to CBS News, 1/3 of children ages 4 to 19 consume a fast food meal. Many fast food chains are offering healthier alternatives, but they have to be purchased in a lieu of less healthy choices to do any good. While an occasional stop at McDonald's probably will not lead to obesity, it is the children who are consuming fast food on a regular basis that are at such a high risk. While many parents may have daily hectic schedules, the option of a well-balanced healthy meal may not often be considered, but rather parents are turning to fast food for a quick fix at mealtime. This becomes a habit in most cases and what contributes to childhood obesity. If a child eats fast food 2-3 times a week on average, this can result in an extra six pounds, sometimes more, per year which quickly adds up. Parents need to remember that obesity is serious and can lead to a variety of health problems, both as a child and an adult.

Mr.Johnson from Nutrition and Food Sciences speaks on choosing the right food for children

Children on the playground is not as popular as it used to be, electronics has topped the charts.

Today, most children dwell on game systems , computers, and television for entertainment, whereas "back in the day", kids played on playgrounds, and played outdoor activities. Obviously, it is not as healthy to "play games in front of a television screen while sitting on the couch" than it is to "run around outside". In this instance, much less fat or calories are being burned; this is where the weight piles on. Parents again can help prevent this by encouraging children to participate in outdoor activities and extra curriculum activities. In addition, while most children watch television, they consume fatty snacks which contributes to risk of childhood obesity. Advising kids to play "exergames" or active video games does not suffice for the recommended physical activity children should participate in. Active Healthy Kids Canada has released its official position on active video games after convening an international panel of researchers to look at the latest evidence on the subject. The organization says "exergames" are a good way to break up the time kids spend being sedentary. However, they're not as good as having kids play real active games or sports.

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education suggests that children get a  minimum of 60 minutes of exercise every day. This activity includes anything moderate or high intensity from jump-rope to playing tag. Physical education and general activities during school time decreased by 14 percent from 1991 to 2003. On top of that, only 28 percent of high school students get the suggested daily amounts of physical exercise. Therefore, it is imperative for parents to also encourage children and adolescents to participate in extra curriculum activities outside of school.

Mr.Johnson insists that parents restrict children from certain foods, and encourage physical activity.



Obese parents play a part in risk for obese children.

While a lot of parents generally blame genetic factors as the leading cause of childhood obesity, it is not the main culprit. In fact, genetic factors are rarely the cause of childhood obesity. Only in specific cases are genetic factors solely responsible for childhood weight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes a valid point that "the genetic characteristics of the human population has not changed in the last three decades, but the prevalence of obesity has tripled among school-aged children during that time". CDC also stated that parental obesity represented the most potent risk factor, a finding that confirms previous observations, and the connection between overweight parents and overweight children is likely due to a combination of genetics and family environmental influences. Also, it is noted that a child's temperament altered the effect of a parent's obesity; 46 percent of children with a sensitive disposition and an overweight parent became overweight, compared with 19 percent of children without this disposition.

Parents are still responsible for what children eat outside of home. 

 The people outside of home that are in connection with children on a daily basis also have an impact on children's health and weight to a certain extent. Children's food intake at day care, school, or community centers should not be overlooked, parents should enforce that their child follows the same healthy eating habits as home or parents could simply pack their child's lunch and snack to regulate the same eating habits. Schools have been increasingly trying to add implemented programs that provide improved nutrition for students, but not every school lunch is 100% healthy, it is imperative for parents to take action and start the trend at home.