Digital Learning Now! today released the “Blended Learning & The Teaching Profession.” The infographic shows how blended learning is not about replacing teachers with technology, but rather empowering them with new opportunities.  The infographic previews the next DLN Smart Series paper “Improving Conditions & Careers: How Blended Learning Will Improve the Teaching Profession” that will be released later this month.

Although tablets have been thoroughly embraced for personal and business uses, touch screen technology still has an element of magic to it. Recently, there has been an explosion in educational and kid-centric application development, leaving us questioning the tablet’s role in schools and in the hands of children. A video of a baby treating print magazines like touch screens went viral on Youtube. Children, even toddlers, can use iPads even before learning to talk, and schools are applying for grants to provide their students one tablet each.

There are about 2.7 million Boy Scouts in the United States, people between 7 and 21 years old. Since 1991, the Boy Scouts of America has barred openly gay individuals from participating in its program at any level.

Recently, though, the leadership of the Boy Scouts of America recommended to its governing board to cease banning gay young people from participating in Scouting. It may look like a turning point, but there comes the second part of the story. Boy Scouts’ ban on gay people should be dropped ONLY for young members, but NOT for adults. It means that a young person can be accepted in the organization if he/she’s openly gay, but they cannot become scout leaders when they grow up.

In the new version of Timbuktu Magazine (that we launched a few days ago) not only did we implement a subscription and a grown-ups zone for IAP purchases, but we also introduced an amazing group of characters to help children learn Common Core State Standards skills, with a twist.

The idea here is that children learn better if they feel involved in a great story they can relate to. This is why we created a set of characters who live together in the city of Timbuktu. Each of our characters is related to a particular subject, and the relationships between them become a way to break the walls between different subjects and create an engaging environment where kids can learn through the adventures of their favorite character!

Today, we want to introduce you to Betty, a girl wiener dog, passionate about skateboarding, who keeps a diary on Timbuktu Magazine. The only problem is that Betty’s grammar is pretty bad. Children have to help her correct the mistakes she does on her diary, and help her improve the quality of her writing. What’s revolutionary about this?

Well, that’s a tough question! Today, we posted on Playground Dad about the best 5 father and child scenes in movies or TV shows, so while you think about it, you can enjoy these incredibly emotional moments.

[You guessed it, keep tissues on hand.]

1. Meet Joe Black (1998)

It’s almost at the end of the movie, Bill Parrish is going to die soon and he talks to his daughter Susan telling her how important she’s been in his life.

Have you downloaded the new Timbuktu Magazine? If you haven’t (what are you waiting for?) here’s a quick recap of the main improvements you’ll find:

1) No social sharing

2) No Bubbles (a simple, very convenient subscription: $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year!)

3) A brand new Grown-ups zone to explain what the Timbuktu project is all about

4) A set of new amazing characters: each one of them is associated to a particular subject!

5) Common Core State Standards aligned activities

6) More interactive stories and games

7) Monthly issues, instead of daily updates (to give kids the possibility to go back to the stories they love, before publishing the new ones!)

8) A brighter, even more awesome design!

Take a look at this video for a sneak peek of the new issue!

Magazines for kids have a glorious history. There are a few periodical publications that can help children shape their idea of the world as well as practice their imagination: Highlights, Odyssey Magazine, Muse, NatGeo for kids, Il Corriere dei Piccoli, Topolino… We’re huge fans of these magazines for children. We love their periodicity, we love the fact that they become a constant presence in children’s life. We loved growing up with some of their characters, and when we started working on an iPad magazine for children, back in 2010, we basically began to study. What could a magazine for children look like ON AN IPAD?

Dear friends,

Last week we launched a competition to find a name to this red guy:

with your help, we found one! Let us introduce you to Oscar Forrester! The winner of the competition is Jennifer from Chicago. Congratulations, Jennifer!

Two centuries after it had been written, one of the first fairy-tales ever written by Hans Christian Andersen was discovered in a filing box in the National Archive of Funen by the Danish historian Esben Brage.

A couple of months ago, The Tallow Candle became an interactive app for iPhone and iPad by Timbuktu. The first mobile app ever made out of this jewel by Hans Christian Andersen. The app is usually sold for $1.99 on the App Store, but today and tomorrow we’re giving the app away for FREE!!! Hurry up and download it!

It’s an amazing interactive book for children 6 to 8 (and for grown-ups who love Andersen!) full of animations and great music. Discover it now.

How would you like receiving a unique gift from Timbuktu? Something only you will wear, with the unique design of the great Philip Giordano? And yes, there are vampires on them.

Something like this.