Note From Us First: This article gives a glimpse into why I Inspire’s unique approach to using iPads in our program has long term practical benefit for children. In most cases we are the first to introduce reading on a tablet device to a child which will help them as they continue in their educational development.
The Article
At Burlington High in suburban Boston, principal Patrick Larkin calls the $500 iPads a better long-term investment than textbooks, though he said the school will still use traditional texts in some courses if suitable electronic programs aren’t yet available.
“I don’t want to generalize because I don’t want to insult people who are working hard to make those resources,” Larkin said of textbooks, “but they’re pretty much outdated the minute they’re printed and certainly by the time they’re delivered. The bottom line is that the iPads will give our kids a chance to use much more relevant materials.” Read The Full Article Here
We are pleased to announce that I Inspire, inc. “We Read Bedtime Stories To Sick Kids” has formed a local level partnership with Starbucks Coffee. Starbucks will help build awareness of I Inspire’s pediatric bedtime stories program where volunteers go into hospitals and read stories to patients in the pediatric ward using iPads. Starbucks will promote volunteer opportunities in stores for both customers and their own baristas. In addition I Inspire will be promoted as a local nonprofit that Starbucks supports through store signage, information tables and via in-kind donations to the organization. Lastly I Inspire is working with Starbucks on bringing volunteers into the store for possible readings on iPad devices for customers which not only shows the work I Inspire does but also provides a benefit to customers.
Courtesy of Mind/Shift
Article by Audrey Watters
Booksurfers is a new e-book adventure series aimed at children age 9 to 12. In a lot of ways, it fits squarely within the long tradition of children’s adventure stories: a group of kids is thrust into a strange scenario where they must use their wits to solve a problem, where they travel to strange and exotic locations to battle evil forces. But Booksurfers takes these generic conventions and gives them a very contemporary twist.
The four kid characters in Booksurfers — Ryan, Jake, Becca and Harriet — use a digital gadget called The Nautilus in order to”jump into” classic adventure stories in order to steal fictional artifacts. The evil Dr. Crookshanks compels them to do so, and he’s taken their parents hostage in order to force the kids’ cooperation. Read More Here
Update:
Thanks to all that attended the United For Change event this past weekend in Washington, D.C. In addition to having a booth at the event we also had two storytime sessions for children aged 2-11 where we read The Cat in the Hat, Fox in Socks, Princess and The Frog, Toy Story and Pop Out Peter Rabbit all on our iPad devices connected to HDTV’s. The children were very excited, very much engaged, and participated in group reading themselves! It is this type of value we plan to bring to sick children in hospitals. Please support the program by donating via the link in the navigation menu on our homepage.
September 10th, 2011 (Washington, D.C.) I Inspire will have a booth at the United For Change conference at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. In its 3rd year the United For Change conference brings together authors, scholars, intellectuals, and people of faith for a one day series of talks aimed to build unity across communities. Please visit the I Inspire booth to find out how you can help in our mission to inspire hearts and minds through arts activism. The conference starts at 10am and runs until 10pm. Please tweet and facebook this post.
David C. Ayers, MD, said orthopedic surgeons may be able to improve postoperative function of patients with low emotional health by enrolling them in different postoperative recovery pathways. Image: Rob Carlin Photography
“The link between patients’ emotional status and outcomes has been highlighted in orthopedic areas such as spine, trauma, sports medicine, joint reconstruction and upper extremity surgery. “Patients with lower emotional health have a greater risk of less functional improvement after surgery,” [David C. Ayers, MD]. This is a great article that discusses in part the positive effect of improving a patient’s emotional health. I Inspire seeks to help improve, in our case a pediatric patient’s emotional health, through visitation. Although the article focuses on orthopedic surgery patients we feel it is applicable to the work we do at I Inspire. Read the full article here.
Parents are the biggest inspiration. That’s what the results say. In a recent poll on the I Inspire Facebook page we asked the question. Who inspired you? 75% of respondents picked one of their parents. The results were almost evenly split with “Mother” just nudging out Father. We tend to think that celebrities, peers, historical figures or even a spiritual advisor holds more sway over a child but the overwhelming majority of respondents picked a parent. Other choices included other relatives and two respondents even added “people with disablilites” commenting that the way they overcome obstacles are an inspiration.
Contrary to popular opinion parents can and do have more of a influence on a child’s behavior than we think. At I Inspire we seek to be a part of inspiring children by being present and interacting with them at vulnerable times in their lives such as when they are sick in the hospital. I Inspire organizes community volunteers to go into hospitals, usually in economically disadvantaged areas, and reads to them using Apple’s iPad tablet. In addition to ebooks I Inspire also takes advantage of the various arts & education tools the device provides which is especially beneficial to older children. To donate or volunteer please visit www.iinspireinc.org.
I Inspire To Read Bedtime Stories To Sick Kids in Newark
(Newark, NJ) June, 2011
I Inspire, inc., a Somerset County based nonprofits arts & education organization, will begin reading bedtime stories to sick patients at Newark, NJ based University Hospital beginning in September 2011. The innovative program will see community volunteers visit children and adolescents in the pediatric ward of the hospital and read a wide variety of ebooks via Apple’s iPad. Working with the volunteer department at the hospital along with the director of children’s services I Inspire will recruit, train, manage and supply volunteers to the hospital for this reading program. With over 30 beds sometimes at full capacity, severe budget cuts and a challenging urban environment there was a pressing need for volunteers to come in on a consistent basis to spend time with the children. Using tablet devices reduces the cost of replacing heavily worn books and provides greater interactivity for the patients. In addition older children can use the devices on their own including Apple’s thousands of educational and artist apps.
Often times there are simply not enough volunteers to interact with the children who derive comfort and security from personal contact with caring community members. Numerous studies show the positive effect consistent visits with those who are sick has on the patient including improving the patients physical and mental condition. I Inspire provides a way for the community to connect with sick children who are perhaps the most in need of personal contact. For more information on the program, how to donate or get involved visit www.iinspireinc.org
