Excursions in Education

Lots of interesting stories about technology in education

2007-06-27T06:58:00.000-05:00

I have not fallen off the face of the Earth just yet--- I fell behind in reading and posting to the blog! I've been keeping up with pertinent news, by opening more and more tabs across my browser's window. Finally today I'm going through the articles and finding some pretty interesting stuff....

For instance-- for those in my local area-- I did not see this in the local news papers, but I did catch it on ASCD's SmartBrief (2/3 of the way down Successful Charter School...)-- KIPP's Harbor Academy in Annapolis will shut down next year. Not because they haven't been successful, but because they can't find space. This considering that Annapolis Middle School is half empty, but won't share space with the successful KIPP program.... very interesting. Honestly, I'm sad to see one of the 2 county charter schools close. It's definitely very, very difficult to be a charter school in AA County and in Maryland. With hopes of one day opening a school of some type, it's sad to see a successful model close its doors.

As for the rest of these links.... I'm closing out the browser windows and linking to articles that catch my attention!

Cool article about a technology camp in New Orleans. My favorite quote: "Our district puts the money and the technology into students' hands," Charles said. "That's what this camp is all about."

Another cool quote from an interesting article about SMART boards and Promethean boards (seems the term SMART dominates even when referring to other company's products!): "It is this integration of technology into classrooms that is "really changing the classroom culture and helping us to become better educators," Cleveland Stewart, superintendent of the Gateway School District, told a group of district board members and elected officials last Friday." Check that out again--- technology integration is changing classroom culture and making teachers better. It's SO true. Even better--- those words came from a Superintendent! A little further down, another good quote, "Much of what we have incorporated into the classrooms is nothing new to many of our students. They already use much of what we're now just bringing into the classroom," Ms. Teaters said."

Educators aren't the only ones trying to tap into our students' technology tendencies.... Doctors are now using technology to reach / teach kids also!
"Physicians and nurses at Cook Children's Medical Center are urging youngsters to try a shoot-'em-up computer game called Re-Mission that teaches them about their disease and pushes them to keep up with treatments.
Re-Mission is just one example of an emerging spate of so-called "serious games" that blend technology, entertainment and education to reach the so-called Xbox generation."

The article discusses other potential uses for these 'serious' video games, including awareness games related to healthy living and childhood obesity.
Another fascinating article about San Diego rolling out a 1-to-1 initiative using custom laptops running Linux.
It starts with a great goal: "Always-On is split into three phases, and SDUSD is in the middle of the first phase, which began in March. The project's goal is to give students access to laptop computers with software tools and resources to help prepare them to learn, live, and work in the 21st century."

Here's how it's working now: Phase I of the pilot, which began in March, used $300,000 to fund machines in nine elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. Each teacher has his or her own set of laptops; some have the same students all day long, and others rotate students, so the students who go to that specific teacher's classroom have access to the laptops."

Now if this article summary doesn't grab you, I'm not sure what will!
East Chicago, Michigan City, Switzerland County, and Tell City share more than a common Hoosier heritage: They--along with more than 70 other Indiana high schools--are using inexpensive computers and open-source software to reinvigorate teachers, engage learners, and ensure that Indiana's students are prepared for the world of tomorrow.
Great quote about kids today: "When asked if the Linux operating system and open-source software had hampered his productivity in any way, one student said, "It's mostly the same--the web is the same, the word processor is better than what I have used before, and Moodle is great. I have a Windows computer at home, and my friend has a Mac. I use Nintendos, Xboxes, and PlayStations, and I also use my cell phone, my sister's cell, and my friend's. They are all just a little different, but it is no big deal. It's just nice having access to computers in my classrooms." It's clear that today's students are routinely involved with multiple operating systems and software as a regular part of their lives.
The results?? It's working!
"I have never seen this degree of collaboration and excitement among teachers in all my years as a superintendent. The students are excited, too. It works," says John Williams, superintendent of the Rush County Schools.

"These are not computer labs. The technology is in my classroom. Every student has access [to a computer] every period of the day. The computers are available on demand," says Carla Beard, English department chair at Connersville High School. "Not only do we use a variety of software packages, we also have full access to the internet and all of its resources. inACCESS is making a positive difference in learning. Students are engaged and feel more comfortable with rigorous research on more complex topics. This is what they are used to and how they have learned to work."

I think that just about sums it up! If only we could get all schools and students to that point. Access to technology is critical. It's exciting to see progress in that direction and to read positive reports about successful programs!

Data, data, data

2007-06-12T11:11:00.000-05:00

(If you skim this post, make sure to catch the site links!)

I'm sitting in an intense presentation about using data to make instructional decisions. Today's full day session is an overview of the importance of data and an exploration of several methods of examining data. This is in preparation for our follow up training using our new technology tool that will give teachers/principals/the district access to incredible amounts of data that can be organized in a variety of ways. (I must admit that this tool seems to pack a whole lot of power.)

Tapping into my love for math and numbers and my past experiences in diving into data as a math department chairperson, this presentation is right up my alley. It's bringing back lots of memories--- not only the late nights of sorting through data and creating visual representations that made the data easy to understand quickly-- but also my passion for using data to improve student achievement.

We're focusing on 100% Stacked Graphs and Scatter Plots--- boy does this ever answer our students' questions of when will I ever use this math lesson. It's amazing to see the power of adding a line on these graphs and comparing student performance from year to year. I know I can't capture this in words...but trust me, it's amazing to look at one graph and end up with 4 conclusions --1) meeting standard and improved over last year, 2) meeting standard and decreased performance compared to last year, 3) not meeting standard, but showed improvement over last year, and finally 4) not meeting standard, and decreased performance compared to last year. While it's very exciting data to have access to, I can also remember the anxiety.... I'm not sure I would have handled knowing that I had students in category 2 or 4. That's harsh to feel like I've failed students. I know there are always other factors that come into play, but none the less.... No matter what, access to this data will have powerful implications.

This software will work with previous years' data as well as current formative and summative assessments. Another very cool feature of this software is the ability to click a button and get a matrix that will split your students into groups for re-teaching, enriching, etc... So cool! What a time saving feature.

Two websites have been mentioned that no one in the room was familiar with....

Just4kids.org -- go ahead, find a school you care about-- you'll see the basic info. Now take it to the next level.... do an opportunity gap analysis. This will compare your school to other schools that teach a similar population and provides an opportunity gap. This site is doing extensive research to identify the factors that make successful schools function-- check out the research section.

schoolmatters.com --provides more data and analysis features (I didn't explore this one as much so I'm not too familiar about the features!)

Understanding the power of these sites should compel all of us to dive into the data a little more so we are informed when the public starts asking questions.

My questions---

As this develops it's obvious that the next step will be using this data to compare/rank teachers (and even being able to factor in the varying levels of difficulty represented by each child).... how will this impact our teachers?
How long will it take to train teachers and school-based staff to use this data effectively so that it is integrated into all decision making?

Coming Soon.... New technologies

2007-05-31T09:20:00.000-05:00

So the articles and topics crossing my screen today are all about the new technologies coming down the pike in the very near future.

First, a co-worker emailed this link to Microsoft's Surface technology. The videos are short and very cool. Amazing to think that this will be available later this year. Even more amazing is to think of the many ways this will change our lives and interactions. And .... what about our classrooms???

The second article was shared with me by my dad. This article highlights the next new thing that Google is creating.... Google Gears. This is (somehow) going to provide access to web based stuff when you don't have access to the web (on a plane, somewhere where only dial-up is available, or even in remote parts of the world). While it's all still very vague to me, it sure sounds awesome! (Ready to take the plunge and be on the cutting edge of this one? Here's the beta version--- http://gears.google.com/)

Sure makes me wonder about the implications for our schools and classrooms. My newest questions are more global though--- what are the implications of these technologies on our lives and communities? Will everyone have access to these and will they truly transform how we do everything? Or will this be the next new geek toy only used by the super-geeks who are really on top of this whole technology shift? When will all this technology be mainstream?

Will these new platforms /services/ tools eliminate the need for computers as we know them with clunky mice? Will everything be touch screen in just a few years?? Will all the technology skills we're learning now be obsolete?

Technology sure keeps things very exciting!

1st graders blogging!

2007-05-30T09:48:00.001-05:00

My lack of blog posts has been due to a brief vacation in which I flew to Oklahoma to help move my sister's family to Atlanta, Georgia. (Yes we made a movie-- my nephew the movie star narrates his adventure and shows off his new house, but I can't post it on here... I'll keep playing with it or you can email me for a copy of it.) I always love to travel as it reminds me of how diverse our world (and even our country) is. We have really been enjoying Georgia--- everyone has been SO friendly. (That is until I got to the Atlanta airport. I am currently suggestion that everyone avoid this airport at all costs. :-( I've been to 3rd world countries that were able to better manage their airports). As I sit here on the floor waiting to board an overbooked plane I am catching up on a few articles.

Here's an excellent story about a teacher who is passionate about using 21st Century skills and tools to make learning meaningful and engaging for her students. It's well worth the read!

I am frequently asked to show examples of actual teachers and students using blogs and podcasting in the classroom and to tell why these tools should be used in instruction..... if the only reasons are a) students are engaged and excited by this method and b) students are exposed to and trained to become proficient in the tools/software/technology that will be needed for the rest of their life..... I personally think that's enough.

Hands-on learning = Meaningful learning

2007-05-22T08:08:00.000-05:00

I am a firm believer in the power and need for hands-on, real world learning experiences. I know that it's much more difficult to implement, that it requires a significant amount of work and planning on behalf of the teacher, and that it doesn't lend itself to much test prep--- but when it's all said and done, I believe that students truly learn when they are required to solve real problems, to create authentic products, and to connect all content areas in their thinking.

Therefore, I loved watching this video clip about Thomas Jefferson High School's unique project. Grant funded, long term, multi-disciplinary, hands-on, strong connections, partnering with experts, meaningful learning .... amazing learning!!

Our students need experiences like this!

Video/story found at this blog: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/rosenfeld/2007/05/canews_flash.html

Good Things Happening in Education

2007-05-21T11:06:00.000-05:00

The stories crossing my screen this morning have been very positive with regards to education in general. The first article is about an innovative principal who is making significant changes at her school for the good of teaching and learning. Her creativity with funds and schedules is increasing what can be done during the school day. Her passion is captivating her teachers and her parent community. That alone seems like a recipe for success.... when your stakeholders buy in to what you are doing, they will support and work along side to make sure it works.

The second, a local article, highlights an awesome Father's Club that was formed here at a school in Montgomery County Public Schools to connect African American dad's to the school.... the results are amazing! (to get to the article, scroll down to the bottom of page 1, the article is in blue called "Kingsview fathers make a difference for African American students" it is continued on page 8)

It's nice to read about things that are working in schools and about people who are willing to try something new to make a difference.

Enjoy!
Rachel

2007-05-17T08:05:00.000-05:00

It has been very disheartening to read about the recently reported failures of some school laptop initiatives. So as I was reading this article, I was fearful of the slant they would put on the whole 1:1 computing environment in schools.... until I read this sentence:

Computers can transform the way students learn only if instructors change the way they teach.

There it is in a nutshell. Instructors must change the way they teach. Connect that idea to this awesome graphic I saw on Miguel Guhlin's blog.
It's obvious that technology is not going to go away. It is the future. It impacts everything in the world. Including our classrooms and students. So, no, technology can not be optional for our schools, districts or classrooms. We simply must start adapting our classrooms and instructional models to include these technologies. But that doesn't mean that we toss the technologies into the classrooms and hope for the best. We must support our teachers as they learn these new technologies. We must re-write our curriculum to support new types of learning experiences. We must integrate technology seamlessly into instruction, not make it an add-on, not see it as optional.

More highlights from the article:

To productively use laptops in the classroom, teachers need to be willing to surrender their supremacy.
Students no longer need us for the facts because facts are instantly available on the Internet. Instead, they need us to help them figure out what to do with all that data. It's ironic that law school professors are leading the laptop backlash, since their discipline saw this trend coming decades ago when they stopped trying to teach the law and focused instead on teaching legal reasoning.
So what does a classroom look like when laptops have been successfully integrated?
- Students are working individually or in small teams to solve engaging problems or answer compelling questions.
- They are synthesizing their own experience, ideas from the professor, and sources that they can find on the Web.
- They are talking with classmates, but they are also collaborating with people outside the classroom walls by e-mailing experts, posting to blogs, or editing pages on wikis (websites that allow users to add, remove, or edit content).
- The teacher has come down from the lectern and is moving throughout the room, watching what students are doing, asking questions, posing challenges, and brushing shoulders with the student who just checked the scores on ESPN.com.
- Periodically the action is stopped. The teacher instructs the class to close their laptops, except perhaps one designated scribe. They talk. They share their insights, their solutions, and their obstacles. The Socratic exchange is fueled by the insights developed through electronic inquiry. The powerful face-to-face questioning isn't competing with the laptops; instead, it depends on it. When the dialogue ends, the teacher encourages students to reopen their notebook computers and summarize the important points of the conversation.
- Sometimes the instructor is delivering content, but more often the teacher is helping students learn how to learn.
Instructional changes in today's classrooms need to be as radical as the technological innovations that spark them, and university administrators must recognize that upgrading the network won't deliver results without upgrading the instruction.
Schools can't expect overburdened teachers to leap into the 21st century in their spare minutes, and faculty will need grants, time, and resources to advance their teaching.
The best method for infusing technology into the curriculum is to support a few innovative teachers in developing new courses that use computers to enhance the academic culture of the school.
In the long run, though, the strongest educational institutions won't be the ones that leave laptops out; they will be those that discover the most powerful ways to bring them in.

Wow! This article really gets it. And doesn't it make the future of learning in our classrooms sound so very exciting?!

24 Math Competition

2007-05-14T12:42:00.000-05:00

For 4 years, I have co-coordinated Anne Arundel County's Middle School 24 Competition. Every year after the event I sit back and process the event.... and ever year I am convinced that we need to find a way to spread the interest in this game.

If you haven't been to a competition, it's hard to imagine. If you walked in during the middle of a round, it would be nearly silent. You would see students sitting at tables with 4 competitors and 1 proctor. Once time is started, the proctor places a 24 card on the table and students race to solve it first, after it is solved another card is placed on the table. To solve a card, students may add, subtract, multiply and/or divide; they must use each number on the card and may only use each number once, their final answer must be 24. One other catch-- when students state their solution, they must state their last step first (ie 8x3=24) then proceed to explain their entire solution. After 10 minutes, time is called, student points are tallied, and students are re-seated at new tables. Play continues like this for four rounds. During the 4th round, the top scorers are seated at the competing table and they play the final round to determine the champion for the year.

Here's the catch.... when we started this competition 4 years ago we used a basic single digit 24 deck. Last year we increased the difficulty of the challenge and again this year we increased the difficulty, ending up with:

The Red Level -- alternating rounds of double digit cards and variable cards
The Gold Level -- alternating rounds of fraction/decimal cards and variable cards. Students must determine a variable that will solve both wheels and then state their solutions.

Involving over half of the county's middle schools, this competition draws approximately 60-70 competitors each year. Many schools have created after school clubs dedicated to preparing for this competition. When I was teaching, I had students come at lunch time every day to play. We always had so much fun. One of the benefits that I really, really value is the problem solving discussion-- one of my students used to grab my hand after we solved a card and I was able to replace it with a new card and say "Wait! Wait! Wait! I want to share how I solved this card." He was delighted to tell the group that he had a different way. His excitement was contagious... soon after, everyone had to share how they had solved the card. It's hard to generate that sort of discussion based around a text book problem.

Watching students play this game and/or compete is truly any math teacher's delight--- students willingly sitting at a table adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing double digit, fraction and decimal numbers in their heads at a very fast pace!

So now.... how do we get this to spread? .... Yes, we're working on this idea and hope to find a way!

Infuriating conclusions about student technology use

2007-05-07T07:35:00.000-05:00

Reading this article in the New York Times about how the Liverpool Central School District plans to phase out it's laptop initiative infuriates me!

Here are some of the key ideas:

... the Liverpool Central School District, just outside Syracuse, has decided to phase out laptops starting this fall, joining a handful of other schools around the country that adopted one-to-one computing programs and are now abandoning them as educationally empty —

“After seven years, there was literally no evidence it had any impact on student achievement — none,” said Mark Lawson, the school board president here in Liverpool, one of the first districts in New York State to experiment with putting technology directly into students’ hands. “The teachers were telling us when there’s a one-to-one relationship between the student and the laptop, the box gets in the way. It’s a distraction to the educational process.”

This sounds to me like there was a lack of planning and coordinating about the use of the technology in the classroom. You can't just give students laptops and think it's going to make them smarter! Yes, putting a laptop on each student's desk will cause the box to get in the way when that's all you do with the technology. However, when it's integrated in the curriculum, when lessons are modified to use the technologies and to take learning to new levels, when teachers are trained about how and when to use the laptops effectively, and when they are used appropriately 1:1 initiatives have tremendous power!

Yet school officials here and in several other places said laptops had been abused by students, did not fit into lesson plans, and showed little, if any, measurable effect on grades and test scores at a time of increased pressure to meet state standards. Districts have dropped laptop programs after resistance from teachers, logistical and technical problems, and escalating maintenance costs.

Don't fit into lesson plans? Perhaps the lesson plans need to be modified, more geared for 21st century learning and thinking. Abused by students? This comes as no surprise... kids abuse everything! Perhaps manufacturers need to work on creating something a little more durable and students need to be trained to value these technology tools. Think of their iPods and gaming devices... they don't intentionally break those. When it means something to them, they value it and take care of it.

Such disappointments are the latest example of how technology is often embraced by philanthropists and political leaders as a quick fix, only to leave teachers flummoxed about how best to integrate the new gadgets into curriculums. Last month, the United States Department of Education released a study showing no difference in academic achievement between students who used educational software programs for math and reading and those who did not.

Why do philanthropists and political leaders embrace technologies?? Because they use them daily; their lives have changed as a result of these technologies.... business isn't done as it used to be. But our classrooms haven't changed. They look just like they did way back when. These philanthropists and political leaders may actually be seeing that it's time to bring our schools into the 21st century and that it's time to prepare our kids for their future jobs using these tools.

Many school administrators and teachers say laptops in the classroom have motivated even reluctant students to learn, resulting in higher attendance and lower detention and dropout rates. But it is less clear whether one-to-one computing has improved academic performance — as measured through standardized test scores and grades — because the programs are still new, and most schools have lacked the money and resources to evaluate them rigorously.

So there is some good news in this article. Motivating reluctant students. Higher attendance. Lower detention rates. Lower dropout rates. Aren't these great things??? These are successes to be celebrated in their own accord. If students aren't in school, if they drop out, and even if they are there but don't get involved in their learning--their scores won't be so hot. The technology motivates them to try, motivates them to show up, and motivates them to stay in school. It connects to their world.

Take a look at that last sentence of the quote..... no money or resources to evaluate the initiatives rigorously. No wonder there's no good data out there to show the true gains that technology can make when it's planned for prior to dumping all these new tools on teachers and students and when it is used effectively.

Although 1:1 initiatives are expensive, the cost of implementing them half-heartedly and watching them fail is far more expensive. Let's face it: technology is not going to curl up and go away because our K-12 schools weren't about to find a way to embrace it. Technology is here to stay and it is changing every aspect of life.

But Mr. Warschauer, who supports laptop programs, said schools like Liverpool might be giving up too soon because it takes time to train teachers to use the new technology and integrate it into their classes. For instance, he pointed to students at a middle school in Yarmouth, Me., who used their laptops to create a Spanish book for poor children in Guatemala and debate Supreme Court cases found online.

Here it is: train teachers? Integrate it into classes? Imagine that. You don't throw computers into existing lessons and make it fit. Lessons have to change. Our goals need to be to have students use these technologies to create, to collaborate, to do things we can't even imagine---but most importantly to LEARN. Allow students to create meaningful products that culminate their work and can be share with others. Not only do they learn and deeply learn, but they help others. and make an impact.

“Where laptops and Internet use make a difference are in innovation, creativity, autonomy and independent research,” he said. “If the goal is to get kids up to basic standard levels, then maybe laptops are not the tool. But if the goal is to create the George Lucas and Steve Jobs of the future, then laptops are extremely useful.”

Great point... laptops are not a cure all. Technology can provide individualized learning opportunities. It can be used to re-teach, to fill gaps on an individual level, and to extend learning. But technology will not replace all modes learning. Teachers are still the best source of learning. However, when teachers embrace technology and are trained to use it effectively, amazing gains will be evident in learning.

Count down to 02:03:04 on 05/06/07

2007-05-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

For all my number geek friends.... :-)

This article from USA TODAY is re-posted here in it's entirety.

By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY

Numerologists: Your moment is about to arrive. Mathematicians and lottery players: You may want to pay attention, too.

On Sunday, at 02:03:04 a.m. on 05/06/07, time will align itself in a perfect pattern, 2-3-4-5-6-7.

For those who slept though last year's 1-2-3-4-5-6 moment at 1:02 a.m. and three seconds on April, 5, 2006, this is your second chance.

"There are numerical patterns in nature all around us," says Edward Burger, who teaches mathematics at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. "Some are more significant and some are more beautiful than others. And this one is a silly one."

Silly, yes. And a moment that will not come again for another century, in 2107. Of course, the times and dates will align sequentially once every year until 9:10 and 11 seconds on Dec. 13, 2014, or 9-10-11-12-13-14. After that, time will revert to its usual untidy mix of hours, minutes and seconds passing through the days of our lives.

Trying to Envision the 1:1 Classroom Environment

2007-05-02T08:22:00.000-05:00

The Maryland State Department of Education recently released The Maryland Technology Plan for the New Millennium: 2007-2012. A few summaries of this plan include:

A 1:1 student to computer ratio at the secondary level
A 1:3 student to computer ratio at the elementary level
Staffing of 1 instructional technology specialist for every 100 instructional and administrative staff members
Staffing of 1 technical support staff for every 300 computers, 1 local area network (LAN) administrator for every 40 servers and 1 wide area network (WAN) administrator for every 25 sites

While this plan excites me, it also makes me wonder! Logistically... how do you fund these initiatives? How do you fit this many computers into the classrooms we currently have? How do you train educators to use all this technology effectively? etc...

Truth be told, I am spending a fair amount of time right now trying to figure out what this 1:1 device really will be. Will it be a laptop? That seems unlikely, and I'm starting to think that it's not the best option. Are we really going to have elementary students lugging a laptop back and forth to school every day, and if we do.... will the laptops be safe?! Also, what does a classroom full of laptops look like? Frankly, the picture below does not excite me. (Image found embedded in this article about using laptops to increase student achievement.)

While the students have access to technology, the classroom looks so traditional that I'm not sure we've made much advancement towards 21st century learning. If students are quietly sitting in rows, clicking away at their own computer, are we making any progress towards teaching students to work collaboratively to learn? Are we encouraging students to use the technology to create like their generation is so apt to do?

I believe our vision for the future of educational technology has to encompass discussions that are more broad than "should we give the kids laptops, hand-helds or amazing cell phone?" Our discussions need to focus on the learning environment, the content, and the method of instruction.

In the meantime, I'm also asking myself the logistical questions.... currently I'm trying to explore the pros and cons of the options available now--- are hand-helds a viable option? Are laptops the way to go? What about some of these newer devices.... can cell phones (maybe Apple's) do the job, what about the $100 Laptop?

2012 is not far away! That means there's not a whole lot of time to get answers to all these questions! On the other hand, it means that we're going to see a lot of change in our classrooms in the near future... that's only 5 years. Although I can't even imagine a classroom with a 1:1 computing situation, it's exciting to try to picture it!

Building 21st Century Achievers by Kevin Honeycutt

2007-04-30T08:08:00.000-05:00

Although I did not get to attend the "Know the Child, Optimize Learning"
conference in Kansas last week, I was able to enjoy an incredible session that Wesley Fryer podcasted. This session, Building 21st Century Achievers, presented by Kevin Honeycutt, is engaging and extremely important for educators to hear.

He talks about how we initially try to stay one day ahead of the kids in terms of technology, but eventually we begin to recognize that the technology is their skill area.... if we focus on the content and teaching and make the technology available to our students, they will learn the technology much faster/better than we can teach them. We aren't teaching technology, we're teaching kids... kids who happen to learn best through technology. It's time we stop making them unplug themselves when they come into school. Let's tap into what they are using outside of school to teach them!

To hear the podcast, click here. It may take a minute to load.

Enjoy!

America COMPETES bill passes the Senate!

2007-04-27T13:05:00.000-05:00

Every since the STEM conference I attended last month (I blogged about it here and here), I have been closely following the America COMPETES act. While catching up on my BlogLines account this afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it passed in the Senate!!

Here are a few highlights from the story

"The bill would authorize a doubling of the National Science Foundation’s budget within five years and add an array of new programs intended to support risk-taking research."

Highlights from another article about it:

Drawing wide support from Democrats and Republicans, the Senate approved legislation dramatically increasing federal funding for research. The bill also seeks to jump start a revival of student interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs from elementary to graduate schools.
The 206-page bill passed on an 88-8 vote after more than three days of debate.
To attract more students and teachers to STEM studies, the bill would create programs, grants and scholarships, including expanding statewide specialty schools in math and science. Several other programs in the bill focus on improving the skills of STEM teachers.
The passage of the America Competes Act follows approval Tuesday afternoon in the U.S. House of two bills also aimed at improving America's competitiveness. The legislation envisions 25,000 new STEM teachers to prepare the U.S. workforce for a 21st Century economy. A second bill provides grants for young scientists to pursue high-risk research.
IA President George Scalise said the bills are an "important step toward advancing two important goals -- supporting basic scientific research at U.S. universities and preparing more American students to pursue careers in science and engineering."
Lezlee Westine, president and CEO of TechNet, added, "To maintain our status as the most competitive and innovation nation in the world, we must make strategic financial and intellectual investments that will guarantee our national and economic security for generations to come."

Highlights from another version of the story:

The House of Representatives is also debating legislation that would increase funding for teacher education, creation of magnet schools, and partnerships with federal agencies to enhance competitiveness.

A little more on that topic from this article:

Senate passage came a day after the House approved legislation intended to boost the number of highly qualified math and science teachers in U.S. schools. The bill, which passed 389-22, would authorize more than $600 million through 2012 for scholarships and stipends for college students studying math and science in preparation for teaching careers. They could receive annual scholarships of $10,000 if they commit to teaching elementary or secondary pupils upon graduation.

Oh boy, even more bills/acts to follow on these same topics:

Specifically, H.R. 362, the Science and Math Scholarship Act, and H.R. 363, the Sowing the Seeds through Science and Engineering Research Act, are designed to help eliminate the shortage of skilled workers in the U.S. (link to article)
H.R. 362, also known as the "10,000 Teachers" bill, would establish programs at universities to recruit strong students majoring in science, math, and engineering into careers in teaching, and provide those students with specialized education courses. Students would receive scholarships amounting to $10,000 per year.
The bill also would provide in-service training to math and science teachers to improve content knowledge and teaching skills through specially tailored master's degree programs and summer institutes.
Finally, the bill would strengthen existing programs at universities designed to expand the pool of undergraduate students who will become the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians.

One more tid-bit of info I hadn't seen in any of the other articles was reported here:

The measure is being called the America Competes Act and now
goes to the House. It would create science magnet schools, each of
which would be adopted by one of the Energy Department's national
laboratories.

This is all so very exciting to me. I'm so glad to see such an interest in STEM areas and to see the government coming together to support it. This is where I wish I knew how to be more involved. The School House Rocks song of How a Bill Becomes a Law is playing in my head now, but the formal process neglects to mention how the average-joe can get involved with all this political stuff! Any ideas on how to be more involved politically on topics like this???

Local students publish book on web!

2007-04-19T08:13:00.000-05:00

It's such a cool feeling to read Will Richardson's blog and realize he's talking about a class in my (new) school district!

In short, a 7th grade class at Silver Spring International Middle School in Montgomery County, Maryland wrote short essays, compiled them into a book, and have published it on Lulu.com! You can buy a paper copy of their book, Stories from the Past, or ... download it for free! Not to mention the fact that it will soon be available on Amazon, Borders and Barnes and Noble.

From a student perspective.... How cool is that! Their work is published and available for the world to read. Kudos, to Mr. Mayo's class and to Mr. Mayo!

"Pretty Good" Poem

2007-04-18T13:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I attended a morning conference and an afternoon meeting. Both of which have my brain working overtime to process... this is the easiest post I can get up quickly. Basically, I just want to share a poem that was presented to us at my morning conference (Maryland Council of Staff Developers). It ties in very well to the hot topics pertaining to things like Friedman's The World is Flat.

Something to seriously think about and to share with others.....

I am copying this straight from the book the speaker wrote (Quality Teaching in a Culture of Coaching, by Stephen Barkley, page 20)

" Rafe Esquith (2003) , winner of the American Teacher Award, inspires and challenges us to rethink the way we educate our children in his award winning book There Are No Shortcuts. He cites a poem given to hum by Charles Osgood of CBS News. It goes like this:

There once was a pretty good student,
Who sat in a pretty good class
And was taught by a pretty good teacher,
Who always let pretty good pass.
He wasn't terrific at reading;
He wasn't a whiz-bang at math;
But for him education was leading
Straight down a pretty good path.
He didn't find school too exciting,
But he wanted to do pretty well,
And he did have some trouble with writing,
And nobody had taught him to spell.
When doing arithmetic problems,
Pretty good was regarded as fine;
Five and five needn't always add up to be ten,
A pretty good answer was nine.
The pretty good student was happy
With the standards that were in effect,
And nobody thought it was sappy
If his answers were not quite correct.
The pretty good class that he sat in
Was part of a pretty good school,
And the student was not an exception;
On the contrary, he was the rule.
The pretty good school that he went to
Was right there in a pretty good town.
And nobody there ever noticed
He could not tell a verb from a noun.
The pretty good student, in fact,
was part of a pretty good mob,
And the first time he knew what he lacked was
When he looked for a pretty good job.
It was then, when he sought a position,
He discovered that a life can be tough,
And he soon had a sneaky suspicion
Pretty good might not be good enough.
The pretty good town in our story
Was part of a pretty good state
Which had pretty good aspirations
And prayed for a pretty good fate.
There was once a pretty good nation,
Pretty proud of the greatness it had,
But which learned much too late,
If you want to be great,
Pretty good is, in fact, pretty bad.

Definitely something to think about! Pretty good just won't cut it.

Microsoft's K-20 Innovation Tour

2007-04-18T08:45:00.000-05:00

Wow! On Monday I had the opportunity to attend the Microsoft K-20 Innovation Tour at George Washington University in Washington, DC. I just love going to these things!!

Basically, we were able to view the World Premier of School of the Future Documentary and then hear from and interact with a panel group about the project. The movie was interesting--- it served it's basic function of providing background information about the project. This is another one of those instances where I wonder where I've been and how I missed out on knowing that this was going on--so for those of you who are not familiar with the School of the Future let me catch you up to speed.

For over 2 years, the City of Philadelphia and Microsoft have been collaborating to create a model high school (FYI Microsoft did not pay for this school, the city funded it---Microsoft paid 100K to have it's name on the auditorium I think). This school opened in the Fall of 2006 with it's freshman class. For the next 3 years a new group of freshmen will enter until the school reaches it's maximum capacity of 750 students. You read that right--- it's a very small school. Not only is it a small school, it's a very unique and special school. When they started, the ditched the model of what all the other schools look like (because our schools are outdated!). They dreamed, planned and designed a building, curriculum, and environment based on the needs of today's students. Here are a few of the highlights, in completely random order:

Entirely digital--- there are no textbooks; all assignments are submitted digitally
Mentors-- every student has a mentor from a local college
"hosted solution" -- Drexel University hosts and supports their network
Hiring Practices of teachers--- teachers were interviewed and then some were advanced to the next level... in that level they were given a puzzle (ie Sudoko) and required to work on it collaboratively; they were also asked to create a lesson plan as a group--- the key things the hiring team were looking for in candidates were their willingness to say "I don't know" and also the fact that they were able to be highly self-critical (notice--tech skills were not on that list, no was being the best of the best)
Culture of PD-- Professional Development are not one time experiences at this school--- it's constantly happening; teachers collaborate with each other and leadership provides the time and necessary resources to do that
Curriculum---teachers develop it as it goes using an inquire based model. Standards are kept in mind, but do not drive content. Inquiry Based. Real World. Relevant. Engaging.
Scheduling --very flexible, there no is set schedule (ie 6 55 minute classes a day), if students need 2 hours to do something the time is there, need a trip to the zoo---go!
Parent Community-- the community is encouraged to use the building, it's open till 10pm with 80% of the first floor available to them including a fitness center, a performing arts center and an interactive learning area. Also, parents are given refurbished computers and can get wireless internet for $4/month. The school has a portal for parents to tap into that allows them to see students grades/assignments and to connect to teachers.

Overall, I am very impressed with what they've done. When you think of all the red-tape involved in trying to do something like this, it's amazing to see that they were able to make it happen. I have a few concerns about how likely it is that this model can be replicated (a mentor for every child, a school that cost $64 million to build for only 750 students, etc..)....but it's a start to say 'We need to re-examine our systems and create schools that cater to today's students AND communities.'

Links:
Microsoft's Partners in Education page focused on Building the School of the Future, with links to more info.

News Coverage of The School of the Future (video)

CBS Article

Professional Leadership Education Competency Wheel -- designed by educators, for educators to be incorporated into professional development and hiring practices to build school system personnel

Distracted!

2007-04-13T13:31:00.000-05:00

Between Spring Break, a quick flu-like bug, discovering my dog's paranoia of all things related to thunderstorms, and my recent movie making project I feel like I haven't blogged or read my BlogLines account in almost 2 weeks! I feel so lost. :-( But I'm back now! There have been so many blog topics rolling around my head that I've wanted to blog about. Don't worry, those are on the way.

I've started a new book and it's giving me lots to think about. The book, Wikinomics, was mentioned at one of the conferences I attended a few weeks ago. Seems like a natural progression-- Tipping Point, The World is Flat, Freakonomics, and now Wikinomics. I have an entire post brewing in my brain about a few of the topics I've read so far about how the new focus on mass peer collaboration will impact education.... very interesting stuff!

Then there's been the MCPS Student Media Festival. I volunteered to help in any way that I could... and was asked if I could make movies of all of the 2D entries. This has been a lot of fun (although a little tedious--- every individual entry (500 or so) was on it's original disk and had to be pulled to my computer, then renamed, then sorted to determine who won, compiled into a Photostory for each category, student creator name and title of entry added, then all the photo stories were tossed into movie maker which resulted in two movies--one for middle school, one for high school.) In the process... I got to see amazing student work. I am so impressed by the talent.

Well, it's quittin' time... and Friday! I'm off to battle Rockville traffic and then relax! Rest assured, good blog entries are coming next week. :-)

Combating students' lack of technology skills

2007-03-29T10:33:00.000-05:00

I recently read an article that summarizes my concerns with regards to the lack of technology instruction in our schools.

Highlights of the article:

"Starting next February, federal law requires every school district nationwide to grade the technological literacy of its eighth-graders."

I feel like this is news to me! But also like it's something I should have known about.... how did I not realize this??

Unlike No Child Left Behind’s academic expectations — a cornerstone of the accountability movement that penalizes shortfalls with sanctions — falling short on technology will not have consequences.

Ahhh, this may explain why I didn't realize the federal mandate for technology skills--- it's not being enforced. I know that Maryland has been hard at work on defining the technology standards for students, teachers and administrators. I'm excited to see the goals they have established... and curious to see how they will be implemented in schools.

"This may be the millennial generation that texts, IMs and blogs with ease. Yet teaching today’s tech-savvy kids to search and scrutinize information in an academic way — skills they will need to survive in an increasingly technical work force — is another matter entirely, experts said."

BINGO! Kids know how to use technology socially. That's extremely different than using it to do research, being able to evaluate sources, and to create documents/presentations/products.

With such a strong emphasis on testing and achievement in math and reading, technology just doesn't seem to rank high enough to warrant a class of it's own. However, in a previous post, I mentioned that students are REQUESTING these classes--- they want to learn how to use the internet correctly (and safely), how to create good presentations, how to work with multimedia, etc.... Furthermore, our students NEED these skills. Once they enter college they will be required to create presentations, to sift through knowledge and determine what's valid and what's false, etc.... Technology is a significant part of our student's lives, so we need to train them while they are with us in school how to use it appropriately and effectively.

One local school system has started to do just this. At the e-Communities Summit I attended this week, I sat in on a session called Impacting Student Achievement and learned of a course that Prince George's County has been implementing with their middle school students. Get this... they teach them how to type, the course is a hybrid that exposes them to Blackboard and online learning, students learn word processing and Power Point in the context of content! I was so impressed by this initiative that I emailed Barbara Liedahl, the presenter, and requested e-copies of the documents she shared in her workshop so you could see them too (but you'll have to email me if you want to see them because my free blogger account doesn't seem to let me upload docs)! In our email exchanges, I was fascinated to learn that this is step one... they plan to continue with a Year 2 and even 3 Course where they hope to touch on more advanced topics like wikis, blogs and podcasting!!! How exciting! Hopefully other school systems are developing similar courses so that this education becomes part of the expected educational experience for every American student.

Way to go PGCPS and Barbara Liedahl for paving this path of technology education for students!!

Stem Conference thoughts continuted

2007-03-29T09:37:00.000-05:00

Amazing how when you attend a conference or have topic brought to your attention how you hear all sorts of things about that topic in the days and weeks that follow. That's what's happened with STEM lately. Seems that everywhere I turn I am reading something else about STEM initiatives and activities ..... some of those links will be in the next post. Today I want to wrap up my thoughts about the conference.

One of the most memorable speakers from the conference was Emma Call. A senior at Baltimore's Polytechnic High School. Initially, it might be surprising to hear that a 12th grade student stands out as a superior presenter at a conference with esteemed professionals presenting. It's not that they weren't good--- as I noted in my previous blog-- but she was really good and she embodied the purpose of our gathering. It was almost a as if she was living proof that if we focus intently on STEM initiatives all students could experience similar successes.

So a little about Ms. Emma Call. Identified as GT and nurtured throughout her middle school career, Ms. Call felt that teachers had really helped foster her growth early on and steer her educationally starting in middle school. Soon after arriving at Poly, Emma started working at "her" lab with a JHU professor as her official mentor (special emphasis on "her" as one of the professors at my lunch table chuckled about how a high school student claimed ownership of the lab--but keep reading--she deserves to feel like she's a vital part of this lab). Her mentoring relationship allowed her to be working directly in the field she was interested in. She mentioned how she would attend the professor's advanced college classes, with only a background in high school biology, but her that brought up more questions and inspired her to learn more (content technically way beyond her high school level). Since then, she has posed her own research questions, written papers and been published in the professional community. Additionally, she has had the opportunity to compete nationally in things like the Intel Talent Search and many others.

She placed 10th in the Intel Talent Search:

Emma Call - Tenth place, $20,000 scholarship
Emma's project focused on the fabrication of 3-D microcubes, which have potential use as novel drug-delivery devices. She plans to move on to Case Western Reserve or Johns Hopkins after graduating from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.
(Also check out the news post on her school's website) She's the 3rd Poly Intel top 10 winner in 3 years, first female-- go Emma!

Her future is bright ---she has excellent choices for her college education and already has a real idea of what college will be like. She has not only been adequately prepared for college, she's lived the experience. Add to that, she's networked across the country with professionals in her field of interest. She's already learned how to write professionally, how to give and take constructive criticism, and how to learn what she needed to know when a gap in knowledge may have existed.

Needless to say, I was very impressed with Emma. Sure it's easy to say she was a gifted student and received lots of extras that most kids don't/won't/ can't get.... but why?? We need a lot to make it happen.... things like:

Professionals supporting our schools and students. Take these kids out of the classrooms occasionally to show them how what they are learning will prepare them for their future.
Early identification procedures for GT, interest/propensity for success in STEM fields or others---so we can hook them early and inspire them (to be curious perhaps!).
Access for all students to interesting, challenging opportunities (some in STEM Fields, some not).

Sometimes I think it's not possible.... but I know that's not true. The more we talk about it, the more we hear from the Emma Call's out there, the more we force the issue with policy leaders and funders ... the more likely we are to make it happen.

Interesting Article: U.S. no longer 'technology king'

2007-03-28T13:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, so between the STEM Conference on Friday, the e-Communities Summit yesterday and a few random topics taking shape in my mind, I have tons of posts I could be writing now..instead... an internet search took me on a tangent and I read this article in the BBC News. And my disclaimer, this article is definitely outside of my education realm as it focuses on global business/technology issues.

The first two paragraphs do a good job of summarizing the idea:

"The US has lost its position as the world's primary engine of technology innovation, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.

The US is now ranked seventh in the body's league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations."

Interestingly enough:

"Despite losing its top position, the US still maintained a strong focus on innovation, driven by one of the world's best tertiary education systems and its high degree of co-operation with industry"

The US is always credited for innovation. It is said that our schools do a good job of teaching kids to think outside the box and to be creative. This seems to agree. But how is that?? I don't feel like the schooling I went through in my K-12 years or at the college level OR the curriculum that I taught to 5th, 6th and 8th graders inspired innovation or thinking outside of the box.

"Denmark is now regarded as the world leader in technological innovation and application"

Loosely connected to this idea (since I didn't make it to Denmark), Iceland is ranked 8th (previously 4th). I remember their strength in technology being explained to me during my visit to Iceland last year. Something about a result of several factors..... one being that since they waited in the initial wave of wiring the country, the wiring is top-notch and allows for faster, more wide-spread connection. Then there was also a strong emphasis on education in the country. Not sure how it all relates to innovation and technology application, but I'm sure it does! Education always leads to success. :-)

Factors cited in Denmark's success: "The country's efficient market environment, conducive to the availability of venture capital, and the sophistication of financial markets, was also given recognition."

Is the converse of this true? Does this imply that the US has a less efficient market environment and is less conducive to the availability of venture capital, etc....

"China was knocked to 59th place, nine positions down, with information technology uptake in Chinese firms lagging."

This surprises me... I guess as much as I hear about China and all that's happening there I would expect them to be higher on the list and to see that more innovation is happening there. Apparently I'm wrong!

So this is all entirely over my head. I don't understand the factors involved in these matters. But I do find it interesting. Especially in light of the focus on STEM topics in recent years (and the conference I attended last week).

Perhaps I'm Curiously Hopeless...or Hopelessly Curious

2007-03-26T14:45:00.000-05:00

I came across this quote earlier this week and had to stop and think....

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."
I've always been curious. This means I'm always asking questions. And, one rabbit trail leads to another and another. It also means that I'm frequently sharing tid-bits of information with friends and asking more and more questions to learn things from as many perspectives as possible. And then wondering even more.... it's a vicious cycle :-)

One of my passions as a teacher was to determine ways to make my students more curious. Curiosity leads to questioning, to action, to a quest for knowledge. During my first year of teaching, I read a book called Developing More Curious Minds. (I highly recommend it!) Great book--lots of neat ideas. While curiosity isn't one of those traits that you can learn about in a book, this book does have many great ideas about how we can infuse curiosity into our classrooms and curriculum. We don't need to dump information into students' heads... we need to make them wonder, to spark questions in their minds, to ignite their own passions.

I'm still stumped with regards to curiosity. I think I agree that there's no cure for it, for to cure curiosity is to kill inquiry and passion. But I'm not so sure that there's a way to make someone curious either. I was always convinced that teachers had the power to do so.... but not all kids are inspired to curiosity. However, those who come to us curious or who develop a deep sense of curiousness while with us are empowered to greatness!

Excellent STEM Conference..ponderings, resources and links

2007-03-26T07:20:00.000-05:00

On Friday I had the opportunity to attend the STEM Education in Maryland Conference at Mt Washington Conference Center in Baltimore, MD. Jointly sponsored by The Maryland State Department of Education, Johns Hopkins University (my alma mater) and Morgan State University, the conference aimed to spotlight exemplar STEM programs and to assist counties that are in the start-up phase. I stumbled upon this conference while looking for a new post-grad program. Long story short, I kind of invited myself, but was warmly welcomed to attend! Am I ever glad I did!

The welcoming remarks were offered by an inspiring compilation of renowned leaders including, Dr. Ralph Fessler (Dean of the School of Education at JHU), Dr. William Brody (President of JHU), Dr. Nancy Grasmick (Maryland State Superintendent of Schools), and Dr. Patricia Welch (Dean, School of Education, Morgan State University). On a side note, when he was introduced, Dr. Brody's hobbies, among others, were listed as piloting and learning Mandarin Chinese. This information alone set my mind a-wondering..... in addition to leading one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and being a noted engineer and doctor, this man takes the time to learn a new language and to pursue other hobbies! I was inspired. :-) (Along those lines...go ahead and take a minute to read the bio's of each of those listed here--- talk about success!)

Dr. Brody's mantra, entitled the Calculus of Innovation:

Knowledge drives Innovation. Innovation drives Productivity. Productivity drives Economic Growth.

Dr. Grasmick's remarks were also thought provoking. She discussed the impending BRAC initiative set to greatly impact Maryland with over 45,000 new jobs (most paying over 70K annually) -- (this affects my county with a significant influx of students). I also learned that Dr. Grasmick was the only voice representing K-12 in the recent report Rising Above the Gathering Storm. On a very promising note, Dr. Grasmick unveiled the fact that STEM funding, while technically still pending in the State Legislature, has been awarded for next year. This funding will provide financial assistance for counties in the start up phase as well as larger grants for counties in the implementation phase. --- I always love to see it when money is supplied to help schools reach the goals set before us.

After being warmly welcomed, we were introduced to several phenomenal proponents of STEM education--mostly professionals with careers that require these skills. Marc Donohue, Associate Dean of Engineering at JHU, launched this 'panel discussion' (although it was not a panel discussion) by defining STEM as a meta-discipline, not 4 separate silos, and stated that today's problems are trans-disciplinary. While they started as individual content areas (math and science), they quickly grew to multiple areas (math, chemistry, physics and biology). However as time passed, new disciplines began to develop within and between these... such as organic chemistry. We are now at a place where these disciplines do not stand alone. Problems are no longer simply related to biology or math, but encompass aspects of each of these disciplines. For example, he discussed the IED Detection problems in the war in Iraqi and also the field of Nano-Bio Technology. (Unfortunately, we still teach them as separate units in elementary/secondary school). He had a neat graphic to show this....

By the completion of Dr. Donohue's explanation I was able to clearly see the difference between inter-disciplinary (aka multi-disciplinary) as we know it in education--- and this concept of trans-disciplinary.

I'll have to save the rest of my notes/thoughts for another post as I'm out of time today. Up next--Emma Call, senior at Baltimore's Poly Tech HS. Wow--- was she ever impressive!

Enormus Pride at the Student Play

2007-03-26T06:50:00.000-05:00

On Friday, I had the privilege of attending the Severna Park Middle School play 'Schoolhouse Rocks LIVE.' Now I may be a little biased in my rendition of this experience since I taught there...but I think that SPMS puts on the most incredible middle school play in the country. The talent represented by both students and staff is extremely impressive. Take Mr. Cheezum and Mr. Cummiskey.... they work tirelessly for months on this production. And it's evident that they are very, very talented. Then toss in the talents of Mrs. White (math teacher) who helps choreograph the play and Mrs. Fowler (math teacher) who played the violin in the orchestra. (Go Math Department!)

But of course, it's really all about the students. The sheer amount of students involved is amazing. While I don't have an exact number, I do know that it's a significant percent of the 1400 students who attend the school. The vocals, the dancing, the acting, it's all superb. Throughout the play, I sit back and remind myself that 'it's a middle school play.'

Perhaps this is the last year that I will experience such an enormous sense of pride at a school play, since this is the last year that I will have taught any of the students in the play.

On a funny side note, Liz and I were enjoying the songs from our past--although I really don't remember watching much of School House Rocks on TV as a child. However, I do own the collectors addition DVD and did use it in my teaching years. So at one point, during a grammar song, I looked at Liz and said "I think I just learned something" and she quickly replied "I was just thinking the same thing!" While I don't remember the fact that I learned it had something to do with the part of speech that question words are. Amazing the power of multimedia -- lessons can be taught/learned through songs-- even teachers can learn something new in a middle school play!

For every teacher who has ever worked with a challenging student...

2007-03-21T13:41:00.000-05:00

My new position with Montgomery County Public Schools has introduced me to something I've not had since I was in college-- a long commute (and for the record, the long part doesn't bother me as much as the stop and go congestion). Being proactive, I decided to finally jump into the deep end with podcasts by subscribing to lots of interesting shows so I could pass my time in an enjoyable and educational way. This has really been working for me.

On my way in to work very early this morning, I was listening to This American Life. The episode is called By Proxy. While the entire show is interesting, he last segment really hit me. This is not an educational technology, or even general education, podcast. However, the third segment part of this podcast, Redemption by Proxy, is about a teacher and a challenging student she once taught. If you've ever taught a challenging student---the kind that you pour your heart and soul into, the one you hope will listen to you and actually hear you, the one you pray will find his/her way and be successful, --- the one that occasionally makes you want to rip each and every hair from your head-- then you will want to listen to this chunk of the podcast.

If you want to hear just this section about the teacher, let the show fully load, then fast forward approximated 3/4 of the way through the show.... (unfortunately, I'm listening to it streaming right now and can't cite the specific time stamp) ... Here are a few auditory cues--- it's after the Iraqi Translator's story, then there's a song, then a brief transition talking about reputation.

Hope you enjoy!

Excellent Article: Recalculating k-12 Math

2007-03-13T14:36:00.000-05:00

eSchool News recently published an excellent article entitled Recalculating K-12 Math documenting the controversy and reform discussions occurring regarding math instruction in the US.

To point out the urgency of this topic.... Did you know that nearly 7,000 students drop out of school every day?? I knew the number was significant, but I didn't realize it involved that many students. Hearing the statistic on a 'per day' basis really drives home how huge the problem is becoming. The article claims that many of these students cite their struggles in math as a major reason for dropping out. I'm struggling with this idea because there are SO many other factors that influence the decision to drop out that I'd be leery of linking drop out rates to math. However.... it does raise an interesting concern. .... Math courses are required. If a student lacks the skills necessary to pass more advanced courses like Algebra and beyond.... perhaps a serious math deficit could cause a student to seriously contemplate dropping out. So what's happening in our classrooms that is causing students to feel (or actually be) unsuccessful in mathematics? Math has always had a bad rap in our society--- perceived as one a content that you were either skilled in or not skilled in. Instead of that blanket statement of "I'm not good at math," could it be something bigger? Could it be the curriculum? A fundamental flaw in our approach to teaching math?

"One of the reasons kids fail in algebra is they haven't mastered the skills they need--the basic fractions, decimals, percents, proportional reasoning," says Doug MacGregor, manager of instructional design for AutoSkill, a Canadian provider of math and reading software. "Without that, they can't succeed."

To address this critical issue of math instruction, President Bush created the U.S. Department of Education's National Mathematics Advisory Panel to advise "U.S. policy makers and educators on the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching mathematics." " Although the group's preliminary reports on Jan. 10-11 did not include any specific recommendations--those are expected with the panel's final report, due out in February 2008--it was clear from these early reports that panel members aim to achieve a healthy balance between computational fluency and conceptual understanding of mathematics, an area that underpins much of the current debate."

Other interesting quotes from the article:

"teachers often are not taught, themselves, how to teach math"

Oh how true! I vividly remember suffering through the 'how to teach reading' course in college, but the 'how to teach math' wasn't quite the same. We didn't really learn methods. We learned how to use manipulatives, but we never really learned HOW to teach math. Those of us who enjoyed math found our own way, but many of my peers in the cohort resorted to the old standby line of "I never liked math and never did well with it" and ultimately concluded " I don't want to teach math, especially above 2nd grade." Hopefully, this is changing in teacher prep courses across the country. Pre-service teachers need LOTS of experience in how to teach math and they also need to understand how students learn math.

"The advent of technology, too, is an important development in math instruction--not only because it can help teachers teach math, but because it has changed what students need to learn."

Technology will be a key piece. Computers have the ability to watch what each individual student is doing and to modify instruction accordingly, instantaneously. The potential exists for these programs to motivate students to want to learn and to push themselves further (using the gaming theory of getting to the next level).

The key point that I am walking away from this article with is that this panel is dedicated to finding a balanced approach that incorporates both computation and basic skills as well as a focus on real-world problems that provide motivating learning experiences. Also, they clearly understand that technology can and must play an important role in any suggested reforms. What an exciting time for math instruction!

Happy Pi Day!! (a little early!)

2007-03-12T15:45:00.000-05:00

As only true math geeks can appreciate, March 14th is Pi Day! After a few years of teaching middle school math, I am used to a full blown celebration for this holiday, complete with pies and all sorts of other goodies. In addition to all the fun and food, we also used the day to truly explore and celebrate Pi. While there are several great video clips available that pertain to Pi, but there are also many other fun sites that celebrate this fun number. In the spirit on the holiday, I'd like to share a few links I've received lately.

Please post a comment if you know of any others that math teachers can use with their students or math geeks can use to celebrate the festive day!

http://pi.ytmnd.com/ --- make sure your speakers are on! (Thanks, Joy!!)

Washington Post article about Pi Day. (Thanks, Dad!)

Korea Launching Digital Texbooks Nation Wide

2007-03-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

This looks pretty cool! Korea has been developing a digital textbook that will replace traditional paper textbooks. This new technology, which has already been piloted with several hundred elementary students, will allow students to have access to the most up-to-date content, in an electronic, interactive format.

Some of the really cool features:

"Students will be able to interact with teachers regardless of time and space and study according to their ability through computers as the nation plans to adopt the digital textbook."
"... this new form of medium that provides the multi-functionality of textbook, workbook, exercise book and dictionary"
"It can go beyond conventional paper textbooks by using such features as video clips, animation and virtual reality."
"The digital textbook contents will be updated whenever needed. The textbook will also allow network connection to databases of organizations in society, enabling students to use much more information than just textbooks."

I'm impressed! Recognizing that, "In this rapidly changing society and massive flood of information, the government needs to revise textbook contents as the occasion demands," the Korean government has proactively developed a plan to tap into the power of technology to solve several problems at once (providing the most up-to-date information to students, differentiating instruction, connecting students with teachers, the ability for sick students to learn the same content they would have missed in a traditional classroom, technology infusion in instruction, etc....). Most importantly, they have backed their plan with lots of money (66 billion won).

My Concerns about the Future of Books

2007-03-07T08:03:00.000-05:00

As technology permeates nearly every aspect of our lives, what is the future of books? This question has been on my mind for many years....however, this morning I started a new book that ignited this question anew. The book entitled The Book that Changed My Life is a compilation of short essays written by authors/writers describing the books that matter to them most.

I haven't even made it to the first essay. The introduction fired up my mind with questions relating to reading instruction, the emphasis on novels/reading, how technology is changing reading habits, and what the world would be like without novels as we know them.

In the introduction, Roxanne Coady (bookstore owner and editor/inventor of this book) discussed how she came to love reading and how her own deep passion for reading, cultivated when she was very young and sustained throughout her life. She says:

"I was excited to talk with friends about the books I was reading, always eager to hear about what they were reading, and inevitably lending my books out all the time. Reading was my passion. "

How many students today would say this? I would venture to say that the number has fallen dramatically in recent years/decades. I do know students who enjoy reading, but I know far more who are passionate about their computer games, IM, cell phones, etc... who rarely ever touch a book voluntarily. These technologies, or new passions, that our students are pursuing don't necessarily replace books however. While they will fill time, and perhaps teach new skills, they don't create the same experience. I love this quote from Roxane Coady (in the introduction):

Reading is a way to live more lives, to experience more worlds, to understand others and develop a compassion for what they confront and endure. It is a way to learn how to knit or build a house or solve an equation, a way to be moved to laughter and wonder and to learn how to live.

She goes on to describe her motivation for compiling the essays for this book and delves into the issue of childhood literacy (including mention of the foundation she started). For those of us who grew up surrounded by books, lived in families who modeled excellent reading habits and inspired us to pick up a good book just because, and attended schools that carefully selected novels that would capture our attention, captivate our imaginations and teach us valuable literacy skills and life lessons, it can be easy to assume that all children had/have this same experience. However, this assumption would be dramatically incorrect. There are many, many children who do not have this experience at all. So.... perhaps (hopefully) America's schools are ensuring that student's are exposed to great books and encouraged to develop a passion for reading. I'd like to think that too. But I know this wasn't the case when I was teaching. We moved totally away from novels at the elementary level when we adopted a very prescriptive reading program. That's not to say that we didn't find ways around this-- read-alouds right after recess to re-focus everyone, reading incentive programs to reward reading, family reading nights, etc.---- But when it was all said and done, our students weren't reading very many books. And schools aren't --and can't be-- held accountable for inspiring students to read, only ensuring that students can read. Schools have enough on their plate as it is. Families, communities, organizations, high profile celebrities, politicians, and everyone else involved in the lives of children need to rally behind early literacy initiatives and passionately persuade children to develop a passion for reading using all possible methods!

Concluding her introduction, Roxane Coady leads her readers into the essays by saying:

Apart from the sheer beauty of the essays, they are a dramatic reminder that everywhere, every day, someone is changed, perhaps even saved by words and stories.

How true is that! Somehow, for me, it's different when these words and stories are complied into a tangible book format. My reading habits on the internet are typically very different than when I am holding a book, lost in its narrative. Is this the same for our students? Or do digital natives process internet reading differently?

I'd love to hear your thoughts about students' reading habits, technology's impact on reading habits, and what books matter the most to you.

Think Tank --"Schools are failing students and putting nation's cometitiveness at risk"

2007-03-05T19:02:00.000-05:00

Today's Washington Post has an article stating the opinions of 2 non-education groups "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation, and the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank" were "at loggerheads on a number of other issues, said they came together" regarding concerns with the US education system.

Their conclusions: "U.S. schools are failing children and putting the nation's competitiveness in the global economy at risk."

Their recommendations:

"Among the document's most controversial proposals is a call for states and school systems to "fairly and efficiently remove ineffective teachers."

I think they are on to something here. When I taught, we earned our tenure after just two years of successful teaching. Once you were tenured, you were set for life. Job security is a wonderful thing, but it also breeds mediocrity, if not worse. I don't think the majority of teachers need any more demands placed on them, however, those ineffective teachers need to know that their employment can be terminated if they don't meet expectations. It works in the business world-- you don't do your job to the satisfaction of your employer, you are dismissed. Why aren't schools similar?

The platform also urged the development of statewide data systems to help track student achievement and teacher effectiveness.

Using data is great. However, it should never be used as the only measure of achievement for students or teachers.

It also called on schools to expand student learning time -- which encompasses classroom time, tutoring and after-school and experiential programs --

Sounds good to me. Imagine what could be done with all the extra time! More time for the arts, more time to teach students about technology, perhaps more interdisciplinary learning adventures. .... The possibilities go on and on, but are bound to be rather expensive. Teachers are already working 40 hours a week, so this means we need additional staff and programs...which cost money.

and called for states to adopt a common definition of graduation rates.

Makes sense. We may as well all be aiming for the same goal and be compared based on the same criteria.
---------------------------------------

This is all very interesting... especially in light of a recent article that I read stating (again) that more and more high school students are bored with school and many seriously contemplate dropping out. We're missing the mark somewhere. Learning should be FUN. Learning should be COMPELLING. Learning should be ENGAGING and MEANINGFUL. Most importantly, students should be LEARNING-- as documented by gains in local, national and international tests.

I fear that we are still in the understanding the problem phase of this crisis when we need to be acting on some of the more reasonable theories of school improvement.

ISTE's Technology Integration Lead Teacher Initative

2007-03-03T13:05:00.000-05:00

I saw this over at A Flowing River by Miguel Guhlin. Technology Integration Lead Teacher or TILT, sponsored by ISTE, is an awesome program that is definitely worth mentioning to any innovative teachers you know who teach in grades 4-10, in a core content area and use technology.

Actually, it's worth re-posting Miguel's blog here:

Source: ISTE NET Refresh Powerpoint

Are you a classroom, core-content teacher in grades 4-10? If yes, then you are eligible to participate in the Technology Integration Lead Teacher (TILT) Initiative. The purpose of TILT is to support classroom, core-content teachers as they develop technology applications skills. To facilitate this, the eighteen teachers accepted to the program will participate in ISTE-based NETS Certification program. NETS is described as:

The primary goal of the ISTE NETS Project is to enable stakeholders in PreK-12 education to develop national standards for educational uses of technology that facilitate school improvement in the United States. The NETS Project will work to define standards for students, integrating curriculum technology, technology support, and standards for student assessment and evaluation of technology use.

The NETS are changing to reflect a changing world...watch this classroom video to get an idea of how much. The TILT Initiative is intended to help teachers refine their classroom practice to reflect that changing world. To that end, TILT teachers will receive the following incentives:

$1300 Dell Computer Laptop*
$1400 wireless digital projector*
ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Certification (Note: graduate credit is available at participant's expense)
Necessary software (e.g. Photostory, Moviemaker, Skype)
Workshop Projects' Stipends (pending funding availability)

Expectations for Participants:

1. Letter of Commitment

2. Complete a Pre- and Post-TILT Assessment Survey

3. Complete all PBS TeacherLine classes with the intent of earning an ISTE NETS Certificate^. More information regarding expectations will be forthcoming.

4. Provide two campus staff references (e.g. one being your campus administrator) expressing support for your participation in the program.

5. Maintain a learning web log that includes projects, lessons, photos and reflect on practice and engages others in dialogue about what you are learning and teaching for two years after online courses end.

6. Help add links to your created content to the TILT web site (workshop outlines, lesson plans, resources, etc.).

7. Provide 1 staff development session for your campus per 9 weeks; Instructional Technology will provide a project stipend as funds permits.

8. Publish copies of your workshop outlines, student lesson plans, and workshop feedback forms for sessions you facilitate via ePath.

^Note' that professional learning sessions may count towards graduate credit hours. Participants will have to pay for this credit on their own.

Finally, a Renewed Focus on Math

2007-02-27T09:47:00.000-05:00

It's great to see an article like this highlighting the importance of math education, emphasizing the need to prepare students for challenging, 21st century jobs with a strong foundation in math skills. With a title of Technology helps ratchet up math instruction: Combined with real-world approaches, tech helps turn kids on to math, I would expect to learn of many new and unique ways that technology is being used in instruction. However, it concerns me to see so few math focused technology initiatives discussed. Regardless, the article is full of excellent quotes and provokes much thought.

A few highlights from the article:

"K-12 institutions are looking for ways to help students understand--and even appreciate--tough math concepts. And it's technology, not textbooks, many experts say, that will make much of this transformation possible--along with a shift in teaching strategies and an emphasis on professional development.
"Used well, technology can open the door to mathematics for more students than it ever has in the past," said Cathy Seeley, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)."

I couldn't agree more that technology needs to be used to reach and teach students. And, that the only want to make this transition is to prepare teachers with effective professional development that allows them to experience this new way of learning first hand, while learning how to create lessons using these technologies. My concern is that I have not seen a lot of really great technologies specifically focusing on math. I've seen/used a few great software programs---but teachers are limited in how they use these because they require a computer lab. Realistically, what technology can we put in every math classroom that is going to be used to teach the majority of math concepts?

The article highlights two: the show NUMB3RS and the awesome educational materials created that support teaching math concepts and Carnegie Learning's math related technology programs. While I'd love to see more technologies highlighted, these are a start.

(Relating to NUMB3RS)
"The idea, according to TI's Linda Beheler, is to take what students often see as abstract mathematical concepts and make them more relevant to their daily lives. The television show, she said, serves as an example of how math is used every day to solve real-world problems."

This is exactly what we need more of: tools teachers can use to make the abstract concepts tangible for students.

"Looking to the future, experts agree a majority of the jobs that will be in high demand are likely to have a strong technical focus. From computer engineering, to science, to design, Seeley said, math plays an increasingly central role in all facets of the modern workforce. But while educators in foreign nations have been aggressively pursing curricula with a focus on higher-level, 21st-century-type math skills such as calculus and engineering, U.S. institutions, by and large, have been slow to adapt, she said."

I'm not sure that there was ever a time when math wasn't important or a foundation for good careers..... but it is definitely hugely important now. Excellent time to plug the book The World is Flat. Why is it that the US has been "slow to adapt"???

"Seeley expanded on that point, saying that if America is going to remain a leader in the global economy, it's imperative that educators find effective ways to reach even the most reluctant students. And more and more, this involves the use of technology tools."

These are the kids I worry about most: the reluctant learners. Math is not beyond their reason. However, we must cater our instruction to their learning styles and needs. Math needs to be real and applied to their lives, it can't be boring at all, it has to be living and breathing. Students need to be challenged with real-world problems. Students need to be taught to question and wonder. Most importantly, they must be willing to take a risk, then if it didn't work, try something else. Teaching students these 'soft skills' comes from the classroom environment, not textbooks or technology.

"Teachers are going to need to change the way that they teach...to use technology well," she said. "We need to use the tools that will allow us to teach better, smarter."

Enough said! ..... but this requires a lot of training and very effective training at that.

(Relating to Carnegie Technology software) "Born in 1992 out of a research lab at Carnegie Mellon University, the technology-centered educational services provider operates under the philosophy that students learn best not simply by memorizing methods of operation, but by understanding the process through which answers to mathematical problems are achieved."

Excellent philosophy. However, memorizing basic facts and rules in math still has a place. The most frustrating experience for me is to see a student on a roll with a problem who gets stuck when he/she doesn't know basic math facts and then forgets what he/she was doing to solve the complex problem after finally getting the basic problem solved. Students must be held accountable for memorizing their basic math facts in the early grades so they can rely on them as the construct a thorough understanding of mathematical processes.

"The biggest challenge in mathematics is getting to the deeper understanding of how and why do I want to solve a particular problem," Ritter said. "Why is a particular operation the right thing to do?"

Again, couldn't agree more. I think this comes from effective questioning strategies in the classroom. Again something that is not taught to pre-service teachers--- in the context of math instruction. Math classrooms are often very focused on answers. Kids are happy to just get an answer.... they don't want to take the time to think too much about it. We have to slow them down, make reasoning part of the think-alouds that kids observe teachers doing when the solve problems.

"For teachers, he said, the key is to identify the difficulties faced by each individual student--and then teach to those weaknesses. And that's where technology can help, he said--by differentiating instruction."

BINGO! I've seen a product that helps do this for science. I worked with one for math, but it was dependent on every student having access to a computer. Unfortunately, our schools are not at this point yet. At least we are thinking about the right ways to use technology effectively for math instruction...we still have a long way to go though.

Where's the Math?

2007-02-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

A very interesting uprising of parents, educators and community members is happening in Washington state. According to this recent article, "A group of students, teachers and parents rallied at the Capitol Monday to draw attention to what they say is the state's failing math education system."

Where's the Math?, a non-partisan advocacy group in Washington, has committed to taking a stand and demanding change. (Their site is definitely worth checking out) Residents in Washington are so outraged that legislators are supporting bills that would create an over-site committee to review the state's math standards.

What caused this uprising?? -- "Nearly half of the state's juniors failed the math portion of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning last year." While this is significant, unfortunately, it's not uncommon. Math scores on state, national and international tests have become quite a concern in recent years. Not only are scores falling, things become even more complicated knowing that finding qualified math teachers is becoming increasingly difficult.

In local news, the Baltimore Sun published an article in January mentioning the discussions surrounding the idea of shifting the scope and sequence of mathematics curriculum to allow students to explore fewer topics more deeply each year, hoping that they will gain a solid foundation in the necessary skills before advancing to the next grade level. This would be dramatically different from the curriculum currently in place in this country that teaches (and reteaches) concepts every year.

Personally, I like this idea a lot. When each year has it's own focus that builds on the knowledge gained previously (and has supports in place to help remediate as necesary), math is new and interesting and students have time to master skills. When I was teaching 6th grade math, I would have given anything if the incoming 5th graders would arrive with certain skills solid (ie basic number operations or fractions), so that I could advance their skills and teach them something new. Instead, students arrive with a wide range of skills, with the majority struggling with basic math concepts (multiplication and division, adding fractions, etc). They feel that they've seen almost everything before --- and they have (that's where it was helpful to have taught 5th grade math for a few years prior to 6th!). While there are some brand new skills in 6th grade and some skills that we would take to the next level (ie dividing by fractions for the first time), the majority of the year is a comprehensive review of basic math concepts. Students begin to lose interest in math when they feel like it's a repeat of that they learned last year. Not only do they lose interest, they never truly have time to master all of the skills we are requiring they know.

It's time to re-evaluate how we teach math in this country. More accurately, it's time to re-evaluate what math we teach and when we teach it. Will it require legislative intervention to require an inspection of our courses, standards and teaching practices??

Finally... some clear thinking about internet safety

2007-02-20T13:56:00.000-05:00

I was thrilled to see Steve Dembo mention a proposed law in Illinois regarding the Internet Safety Education Act. It's about time that we proactively address this serious issue instead of reactively ban sites (while inadvertently blocking really good content in the process) in public access location (schools, libraries, etc...).

Proposed by Senator Dan Kotowski, this legislation:

Creates the Internet Safety Education Act to inform and protect students from inappropriate or illegal communications and solicitation and to require school districts to provide education about Internet threats and risks. Creates the Internet Safety Education Alliance under the authority of the Office of the Attorney General. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Internet Safety Education Fund. Amends the School Code to mandate the provision by every public school of instruction and discussion on effective methods by which students may recognize and report inappropriate, illegal, or threatening communications on the Internet on or before the start of the 2008-2009 school year.

Not only good thinking, but also financial backing! I love it. Hopefully, we'll see legislation like this proposed, (funded and approved) around the country in the very near future. It's time we educate kids about the dangers on the internet instead of pretending that they don't exist by removing them from sight in schools and libraries.

When digging deeper into the legalize of the proposed act, I discovered they intent to:

examine and certify Internet safety curriculum
consult with regional and national experts
recommend additional topics for Internet safety instruction
provide training for local law enforcement and educators on effective preparation of you for existing and emerging Internet threats

Here's one final excerpt identifying what should be covered in the curriculum:

Each public school shall adopt a curriculum f0r:

Internet safety instruction of students grades kindergarten through 12. The curriculum must be age appropriate and providefor a minimum of 2.5 hours of instruction on each of the class following subjects:
(1) Safe and responsible navigation and communication on social networking websites, chat rooms, electronic mail, bulletin boards, instant messenger, and other means of communication on the Internet.
(2) Recognizing and reporting solicitations by sexualpredators online.
(3) Dangers of transmitting personal information on the Internet.
(4) Recognizing and avoiding unsolicited or deceptive communications received online.
(5) Recognizing and reporting -bullying.

Way to go, Senator Kotowski. I sincerely hope this act passes and starts a national trend for educating our children about the dangers of the internet without trying to solve the problem with ineffective band-aid solutions that limit the effective use of instructional technology available to educators and students.

Just Around the Corner --Educational Technologies to Watch

2007-02-19T22:49:00.000-05:00

Over the past year I've had the opportunity to explore emerging technologies from an outside-the-classroom perspective. I feel that my mindset is still close enough to that of a classroom teacher that I evaluate each new technology in the same eyes of one on the front lines (wondering where I'll find time to implement it, how it fits with the standards and state assessments, devising a plan to conquer the computer lab far enough in advance to be guaranteed enough time to complete the activity, etc...). As I've watched blogs, wikis, and podcasts jump into the scene, I've waited to see how far schools and teachers will take these technologies, while wondering what 'new' technologies are just around the corner for students.

Today while scanning the eSchool Newsletter for this week, I saw a headline that caught my eye: Report identifies ed-tech trends to watch. To summarize, these are the 6 identified trends are:

•User-created content;

•Social networking;

•Mobile phones;

•Virtual worlds;

•New scholarship and emerging forms of publication; and

•Massively multiplayer educational gaming.

With these technologies just around the corner, the potential for changing what happens in the classroom is exciting! I am curious to know how long we will have to wait to see these fully implemented into instruction. Personally, I think we have a long way to go before these trends become a reality.

The questions still looming for me:
~ What are the technological needs necessary to implement these emerging technologies into instruction? Will we need to move to a 1:1 computer to student ratio? Are hand-helds a possibility? Will computer labs disappear?
~ How long will it take to get clear, universal guidelines in place that will allow such technologies in schools? As it stands, many districts have blocked all social networking sites, etc...
~ What about staff development?! While many of these technologies are nothing new for students, many teachers will struggle to learn and implement these without strong, effective staff development.

These issues aside ...... the possibilities are exciting!!

Students Request More Technology Classes

2007-02-16T17:07:00.000-05:00

Our new superintendent here in Anne Arundel County recently met with middle school students at Severna Park Middle School (the last school I taught at while with the county). I recently caught part of the recorded discussion while scanning cable channels.... I was very impressed with the entire event: the format was well planned, the student questions were thoughtfully crafted and pointed, the confidence of the students in understanding the importance of expressing their concerns and desires. I was further impressed that Dr. Maxwell carved so much time out of his schedule to meet with these students.

While the students' topics varied widely a few were more passionately discussed or mentioned multiple times including more interesting teaching methods (pleading for less 90 minute lecture courses), more choices in elective courses, and the elimination of semesterized social studies and science classes. However, I was most persuaded by their plea for more technology courses. Among other things, they want to know how to type and how to make PowerPoints. I couldn't agree more with their plea. In the technology era that we live in, we are providing a major disservice to students if we don't train them in basic technology concepts... and frankly, I think they deserve far more complex skills.

Our students need to know the basics of internet safety very early in their academic career as well as continuously throughout their schooling. In addition, every student should learn strong research skills and habits -- citing and saving their sources, evaluating and verifying the content they find, etc... I also firmly believe that young students should constantly be creating presentations using technology effectively and learning to present to their peers and school community.

Ultimately, it's a question of when and how? What do you take out of the current school day to accommodate such a course? How is it possible to provide students access to the technology resources they need? (For the students at this discussion, the 2.5 computer labs servicing 1400 students simply won't cut it.) Not to mention, who would teach these classes and what is the sequence of skills they need--- personally I think those two questions would be resolved quickly.

While I think this class should be a stand-alone course, I feel that it should tie into the grade appropriate curriculum, to be an extension of their learning experiences in their core classes. Wouldn't it be great if the teachers could plan together to collaborate on projects so that the students could apply their skills to a project that they would present in their core class?

Does anyone know of a school or district that has implemented a course like this?? I'd love to see examples of effective models.

KUDOS to the students at Severna Park Middle for expressing their concerns, to the staff for listening and arranging the meeting with the superintendent and to Dr. Maxwell for making time to meeting with them. I look forward to seeing what steps are taken to address their concerns.

Claiming my Blog

2007-02-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Technorati Profile

PSP's in the classroom

2007-02-08T17:51:00.000-05:00

While catching up on my Bloglines account, I saw that my friend Steve Dembo had recently posted that "Teachers at Maplesden Noakes School in the UK are using the Sony PSP in the classroom for a variety of educational purposes." His post reminded me of an article I read in January about a PE teacher who had secured a grant to get PSP's into her classroom. What a great idea.... get the kids sweating without them realizing that they exercising. Here's the link to the article.

This is all very timely given the near national crisis we are beginning to hear a lot about: childhood obesity. Poor eating habits combined with inactivity are leading to an epidemic of negative health consequences. It's all over the news these days (did anyone else see Richard Simmons on The Today Show this morning talking about this very issue?). Doctors are talking about it, parents are talking about it, schools are talking about it.... how do we get kids more active and how do we train them to make better food choices? Here's a great example of thinking outside of the box. With only a $550 grant, this teacher was able to bring new life into her class by reaching the kids through a game they play in their free time and view positively, as something FUN to do.

I think this is the new challenge in education. We don't need to change the fundamentals that need to be taught. We need to change the context in which are teaching those fundamentals. When I was teaching, my favorite lessons were those that took on a life of their own... the energy in the classroom would build and build, the kids were excited, they started asking questions about the concept (not about how it would be graded, etc)... they truly WANTED to know more about the concept (ie... to learn), but didn't realize they were learning because they were having so much FUN.

Kudos to Sandy Hopkins, PE Teacher at Delaware Trail Elementary School and to the teachers of Maplesden Noakes in the UK for making learning fun by bringing PSP's into instruction! It's so exciting to see these creative, innovative approaches to learning.

Inagural Blog~~ Welcome!

2007-02-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Excursions in Education!

So I'm finally here... I'm entering the 'blogosphere'. I'm not sure I have a good reason for delaying my entry into the blogging world, but my honest hang up was finding the right name. After reading, seeing and discovering many neat education related stories and issues this week, I really wanted to blog about them.... which propelled me to come up with a name for my blog. After enlisting the help of a few friends (thanks Aaron and Dawn!) and a handy online dictionary/thesaurus, I've finally settled on Excursions in Education.

A little bit about the name..... I started with words like ponder, muse, reflect and moved to words like journey, travel, meander (great word, Aaron!), and ended up with excursion. [ ik-skur-zhuhn: -noun- a short trip or outing to some place, usually for a special purpose and with the intention of a prompt return ] Excursion seemed to fit well for for two reasons... a) I love to travel and b) my intention for the blog entries here is that each will 'journey' to a different part of education (more on that in a minute) and then promptly return to the general topic of its impact on education.

A little bit about the theme/topics to be covered here..... As an educator with experience teaching in grades 5-8, having served as a Mathematics Department Chairperson at the middle school level, then moving into the professional development side of things (with a focus on instructional technology), I am passionate about all things education. The purpose of this blog is summarized here:

Excursions in Education highlights current events, innovative ideas, or otherwise noteworthy topics in the ever-changing world of education. Journey around the block, around the world and into cyberspace with special emphasis on instructional technology and mathematics education.

I intend to post (frequently) about the follow topics (and many others):

education in general -- new initiatives, interesting things happening, noteworthy news
mathematics education
instructional technologies and emerging technologies
global education issues
local education
.... and anything else that captures my attention!

Well, that about summarizes my introduction to this blog! As we all know, people thrive on comments.... so drop by and share a comment! And, keep checking back frequently for more Excursions in Education!