Afternoon Announcements: January 30, 2012

Happy Monday! Break out of your sluggishness by grabbing  a cup of caffeine and make use of the afternoon announcements as your newspaper, with insight into the latest in education news.

Michigan is taking a big step in recognizing the importance of early childhood education. In September, public schools in the state of Michigan must offer all-day kindergarten to receive full funding for each kindergarten pupil. According to the Huffington Post, the new rules were approved last year by the  state legislature.

With Digital Learning Day only two days away, technology in education continues to be the focus of the Alliance for Excellent Education as well as for educational reform across the country.  The initiative is also building stem internationally. As the New York Times reports, experts gathered to explore the pros and cons of computer gaming as a learning tool at the Learning Without Frontiers conference in London.

CNN also looked into the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing technology and digital resources in the classroom but takes a step further to discuss virtual learning and its effectiveness for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.  Through the eyes of seventh-grader Katerina Christhilf, CNN analyzes  learning entirely online with teachers who are sometimes miles away.