About
The Learn Differently site will be undergoing some changes soon.
These will be focused on making the site more accessible, and secure. The Elgg site is also so very sluggish so the changes will make things a but more usable.Your privacy is our primary concern.
In order to reduce the amount of group spamming we are forced to endure on the site, a change has been made to the site registration policy. Registration now requires a new account to be verified by a site administrator before access is granted. Users without valid profile information will be contacted in order to verify identity information. Users who do not respond to validation requests will not be granted access. These steps are necessary in order to protect our users from Terms of Service abuses and group spamming.
Taken from my blog at open4life.wordpress.com
New site to support GATE & TAG parents.
November 10, 2010
New discussion site:
Last night, my wife Debbie and I spent a few hours at the Poway School District building. We listening to a great presentation on how to engage and support our TAG (Talented and Gifted) child.
I want to thank the school district for allowing that time of education and support even in our states extreme budget crunch.
At the end of the meeting, much to my surprise, almost half the room of 100 plus (by my estimation) parents still remained for a Q & A session. They were expressing issues and challenges that my wife and I both have shared from the beginning of the year. This quickly turned into a cry for help, from the parents, on how we can support efforts at our schools. How can we bolster and enrich our Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs in the Poway area.
One of the great things about TAG kids is that they usually have TAG parents. We are inclined to over-achieve and create solutions that aren't just out-of-the-box. We tend to ANNIHILATE the box.
One of our biggest issues seems to be the lack of discussion going on at the district and site (school) levels. No one seems to be asking "how to we go forward from here". There are resources in the parents and the community of which we can take advantage. There are ideas on parent led programs, volunteering to assist teachers, fund-raising and so much more we could be sharing and working together as a group of GATE/TAG parents. (John Donne wrote: No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind...)
Our first step towards a solution is to become VERY involved in our children's education process and then share what works. To this end we need resources, support and a forum for sharing.
As an aside: I would like to point out one of my observations, I am not a MD, this is MY observation. Some TAG/GATE kids (and some adults) may be diagnosed with ADD (ADHD). I don't know if this is a side effect of being over-sensitive to stimulus, or that we aren't challenged enough. However keep that in mind when dealing with what I call "High Energy" kids and adults. The "High-Energy" may be difficult, but they might surprise you in other ways like creativity, passion and conviction.
To support this project I am utilizing resources from the Computer Gurus hosting group. We will be activating the following web addresses for ease of use and location:
As a commentary on the TAG / ADD relation. I am also adding the following (no-pun intended):These addresses will all take you to the same Elgg community site. If you wish to be a part of this exploration into the GATE/TAG programs, both in our area and beyond, please join us. I would appreciate any assistance in moderation of group discussions. We are intelligent human beings, so please lets keep things civil.
I am calling the site "Learn Differently"
Our mission statement is to "Promote discussion on meeting the educational and emotional needs of our exceptional children.
Thank you all for participating.. It will be up as soon as the name servers propagate... usually about 4 hours but it can be up 72 hours max...
- Be Yourself, Be Well, and Be Loved,
Gary Cartagena is Director of Product and Partner Development at Acuhire, and is a Programmer and Developer for his own Travel Agency: DigiWorld Travel.
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