LaLa Goes BaBye :(

This is not related to education but to creativity. The only reasonable alternative to itunes has pulled its plug. This may be old news to those in the online industry but LaLa has notified customers it is shutting down as of May 31st. Makes me sad because I relied on it find new artists through my friends using its facebook integration. On the service you could listen to a CD one time through without purchase. Here are the deets:

Remaining wallet balances and unredeemed gift cards will be converted to iTunes Store credit (or can be refunded upon request). Gift cards can be redeemed on Lala until May 31st.

Good bye to a pioneer. I hate to see an innovator that provides a worthwhile service fail becuase of a business plan that doesn't account for corporate takeover. ByeBye LaLa, it appears the Apple may have eaten you.

Olympics 2.0 Pre-K-Style

In my last post I mentioned interacting with Olympic athletes like Michael Phelps in the classroom using Skype. I haven't gotten his address yet, although he does have email, but I did find this great resource for the Olympics. My beautiful wife tipped me off to this awesome website, Voices of the Olympic Games, that is hosting blogs by athletes from all over the world.
This is Margaux Isaksen, a 17-year-old from Arkansas.
Who knew you could and talk to and read about Olympic athletes in a preschool classroom?
I heard a story yesterday about the democratizing affects of the internet. Some think it only helps the loud and aggressive have a voice, I have to disagree. Helping a kid talk to an Olympic athlete could be a powerful experience especially for a 4-year-old who has never heard of the Olympics much less a pentathlete. What a cool way to teach the number five and Latin root words. Penta is five whether it is a shape or a competition.

Riding photo by Gerry Maceda from last week's riding camp.