After 3 Months, Mayor Replaces Schools Leader

NY TIMES As we have all heard NYC Department Of Education has replaced Cathi Black with a new chancellor of New York City Schools. There has been alot of debate about education being a buisness. What is your opinion? Do you think is better; having a educator run the DOE or a buisness woman/man? What would be a positives and negatives of both? Give it a few months and we'll see if allowing an educator to run to DOE is a better idea.

Mac vs PC

http://albanylawtech.wordpress.com/2008/03/12/mac-vs-pc/ In this month’s ABA Journal, two lawyers re-visit the MAC vs PC debate. Here at the law school, we find that more 1Ls have MACs than previous years. We do not provide technical support for MAC users other than setting up their wireless Internet access. We are this semester for the first time allowing students to use MACs for their final exams if they own an Intel MAC (MACbook or MACbook Pro) running Windows XP or Vista on Bootcamp. Do you think that a Mac is better than a PC if so why? If you think a PC is better, Why? Which do you feel would benifit students better?

Computer in the Classroom: The How and Why?

http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/5638.aspx
Why Utilize Computers in the Classroom Most schools will require a teacher to incorporate computer into the grade level curriculum. The new teacher may need assistance deciding how to do this on a daily basis. Some teachers are hesitant to introduce computer time into the classroom, because they view computer time as a form of "free time" or they may not be confident in their own computing skills. However, when governed and lead properly integrating computer time into the classroom will have several benefits.
Here are the benefits of using computers in the classroom:
Students gain word processing skills when learning to write on the computer. Working on computers fosters collaboration between students and between student and teacher. Often leaders emerge who really enjoy computers and can help others. Computer time promotes problem solving skills. Computer time increases responsibility and independence. Students have a natural form of discovery and often learn by trial and error. Computers can reinforce or even teach instruction through integrating across the curriculum. For example, if you are teaching a science unit about penguins, then students will have prior knowledge about them and can go to a scientific website to learn more about rare variations of penguins.
Do you think that by having computer time incorporated into the classroom will be benificial? Do you feel that some teachers disapprove of this because they are afraid the student's will not work or that they are not comfortable with the computer? Would you have computer time in your classroom?

Report: Majority of Children Have Online Presence Before Age Two

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2370387,00.asp Think about your facebook experience, you see pictures and videos of your friend's children and nieces and nephews. This article is about how digital footprints are being created for children under the age of two. The age of photo albums is over and giving way to digital photo albums. The article goes on to say "About 7 percent of babies and toddlers have had their parents secure them an e-mail address, while 5 percent have a social-networking page. The study showed moderate concern for privacy; on a scale of one to five, with five being very concerned, the average was 3.5.". Do you think it's a good idea to put your child on the internet before they even know what it is? Do you think this is the direction our world is going in is children having status updates that span their lifetime?

Training Teachers for 21st Century Classrooms

http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/03/30/training-teachers-for-21st-century-classrooms.aspx

Gallon Middle School in Ohio was a school not all too familiar with technology until they moved into a new space. Once Gallon moved into a new school with a computer lab, media center, and wireless connectivity, they realized it was time to become familiar with technology. Therefore, they applied for a grant, in which they eventually received $246,793. With this grant, they spent 75% of the money on equipment and 25% on professional development. All teachers participated in a 12-week online course. They said they didn't just want to bring all this technology in but wanted the teachers to actually be able to use it. However, some teachers were reluctant to begin incorporating technology into the classroom. The principal of the school, Andy Johnson, was quoted saying, ""We know that old habits are hard to break and that some people are comfortable with technology while others are not. Through the professional development, we're breaking down those barriers and making some progress." ing

Do you think it's right that they stress professional development that much?

What should administrators do when they are advocating for technology to teachers who have never used technology and are reluctant to do so?

If you received a grant, would you be willing to spend some of it on professional development?

Paterson Teacher Suspended Over Facebook Post

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/02/nyregion/02facebook.html?ref=education

A first grade teacher in Paterson, N.J. was suspended with pay for a status she put up on Facebook. She said she felt like a warden overseeing future criminals. Parents were outraged and some had their children removed from the class. As of now, the district will not comment on the issue, saying it is a personal matter but that the teacher is out on paid administrative leave. The lawyer for the teacher said, "“My feeling is that if you’re concerned about children, you’re concerned about what goes on in the classroom, not about policing your employee’s private comments to others." The article then quotes an NYU history professor who says that the episode is like a doctor talking about a patient's case on a crowded train and states that, "It seems to me with professional responsibility comes a duty to exercise discretion."

First off, I think we can all agree that she was wrong in what she said. However, do you think teachers have a certain right to freedom of speech outside the classroom? If she doesn't mention specific names, is it ok? Can the district discipline her based on her comments without violating freedom of expression/freedom of speech?

Cell phones as a resource

http://www.teach42.com/2008/05/06/mobile-phones-in-the-classroom-again/

This is an article explaining how we all know cell phones are a distraction in the classroom. This goes about using the distraction as a tool in the class. The article gives ways to use a cell phone for educational purposes such as:
1) Check the spelling/definition of a word
2) Research a topic
3) Look up reference images
4) Pull up maps (even with satellite imagery)
5) Document a science lab with built in digital camera/video
6) Fact check on the fly
7) Mail questions to the teacher that they might be embarrassed to ask
8) Classroom response system
9) Take quizzes
10) Record and/or listen to podcasts

Would you use a cell phone in your classroom to prevent it being used as a distraction?
Do you think too many teachers try to 'bust' students instead of finding out ways to make things useful?