District Administration - February 2012 - (Page 14)

NewsUpdate Health Experts Warn Against Students Consuming Caffeinated Energy Drinks red bull, rockstar and Monster are multibillion-dollar leaders in the energy drink industry. touting empowering names and containing nearly 80 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounces, these drinks have become staples in the diets of young, active and stressedout students. national health associations, however, warn that these drinks can be hazardous, particularly among student athletes. The national Federation of state High school associations released a statement in oct. 2011 that energy drinks should not be consumed before, during or after physical activity because they raise the risk of dehydration and increase the risk of heat illnesses. In 2010, four high school football players from orange county (calif.) were hospitalized with persistent tachycardia, or rapid heartbeat, after consuming heavily caffeinated drinks Br iefings before a game. “There is pressure on kids coming from multiple directions,” says cheryl richardson, senior manager for programs at the national association for sport and Physical education (nasPe). “The level of expectation to be a successful athlete is much higher. There’s pressure to specialize and participate in your sport all year round if you want to be a varsity athlete.” richardson also warns that because the u.s. Food and drug administration (Fda) does not regulate these drinks— they are considered herbal supplements—there is limited research on their ingredients and effects. “The composition of each bottle could be different,” says richardson. “[They’re] stimulants, and if you have an undetected heart condition or are taking stimulant medications for adHd, we don’t know what the implications could be if they partner up with energy drinks.” richardson suggests that administrators educate coaches, staff and parents on the dangers of these drinks or advocate for a policy to ban them. “The american academy of Pediatrics says that ‘energy drinks have no place in the diets of children and adolescents,’” says richardson. “[nasPe] supports that statement.” Senseye Activates Mobile Devices With Just One Look end, an intensive boot camp for entrepreneurs. They have since won four technology awards and founded Senseye, a technology startup company based in Copenhagen. Consumers who read e-books on their mobile devices will be able to flip through digital pages without lifting a finger. Gamers will be able to attack virtual enemies with one swift glance. For educators, however, Senseye founders predict the technology will track what students are engaging in when reading and working on mobile device activities. “It will know if the student is looking at the right answer, or the wrong answer. It will know if the student has difficulty reading a specific passage of text and instantly provide help for the student to understand a difficult word,” says Sune Alstrup Johansen, CEO and co-founder of Senseye. “With students being taught remotely, the teachers will even be able to track if the students are paying attention to the screen or not while they teach.” Stay tuned, as Senseye says it will launch its eye tracking software for Android devices in the summer of 2012 and expects to have the first mobile devices with fully integrated Senseye technology in 2013. District Administration since the lAunch oF the iphone 4s in oct. 2011, siri, A voice-activated response system, has been considered all the rage. Voice activation may take a back seat, however, as new technology that uses one’s eyes to activate the screen, scroll through Web pages and play games makes its debut. Four doctorate students at the IT University of Copenhagen presented their new software last June at Startup Week14 February 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - February 2012

District Administration - February 2012
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
Product Focus
What Can U.S. Schools Learn From Foreign Counterparts?
A New Prescription for Fighting Drug Abuse
The Game Changer
The Legal Implications of Surveillance Cameras
CIO News
Mobile Devices Drive Creative Instruction
Products
Crisis Response
Professional Opinion
Problem/Solution
New Directions

District Administration - February 2012