Fear of Shortages Drives Panic Buying of Japanese Goods

NY Times

Looks like the damage from the Japanese Earthquake is still not over! This article explains that this disaster will effects not only the individuals over in Japan, but also many industries here in the United States. Film, Television, Automobile manufacturers, and even various contractors are searching for many parts that are essential to many products today. Companies like Sony are having trouble locating other plans that construct small but essential pieces of equipment.

How is this going to impact the price of technology? Could this possibly cause an issue for implementing technology into the classroom?

Wikipedia: You Still Can't Trust It

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2375754,00.asp I know we had a lengthy conversation about this in class one day and so I thought this was a great article to explore. This whole article basically bashes Wikipedia and its credibility. If goes a step further to say that rather than cut and dry information on a topic, some of the topics are written with a point of view. The author feels that encyclopedias should be based on information not on feeling. What are your feelings on Wikipedia? Do you consider it a reliable source? Do you like the idea that anybody (for the most part) can edit the topics?

Student Engagement on the Go

http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/03/02/student-engagement-on-the-go.aspx An assistant principal in Florida played a video of his 3-year old daughter using an iPad for the 1st time. She found, launched and began to use a Dr. Seuss app without any adult assistance. He used the example at an Ed Tech convention to advocate the use of iPads and iPod touches in schools. He argues that student engagement is key to the learning process, especially with at-risk students. He closed his session showing a video produced by high school students using various audio, video and graphics apps on iPods.

• We keep hearing the argument about engaging students with the technologies they use outside of school. Do you think this is a good idea?


• Are these types of technologies better suited for use with students who are high academic achievers or students who are struggling or both? Why?

Come Back, Computer Lab, All is Forgiven

Computer Labs vs. Laptops

This article discusses the arguments for and against having a computer lab. The article begins by addressing arguments against computer labs such as why have a specific room for something I can have access to at my fingertips or at my desk? They also use an analogy that people don't have to go to a special pencil room to write. However, I think the author actually provides some valid arguments for computer labs such as logging on. In a computer lab, you can come in and boot all the computers in the morning, and they have hibernating modes for schools that are going "green". However, laptops do not have the luxury of remaining on all day. Furthermore, the power of a laptop may not always be reliable. It may have a 6 hour power period that deteriorates within a couple months and just as you're getting to the end of a lesson a student may lose power in the laptop. Also, when the entire class is opening laptops and trying to log on, it may take longer than in the computer lab. The author even mentions students' posture as an argument for computer labs. They write that if students who are taller have to hunch down over the laptop, it can affect their posture. While the author does provide some valid arguments and some may be a little far-fetched, I think it is a good natured argument and one that is debatable.

Do you think we should keep computer labs?

Are laptops in the classroom not always as effective as the class going to a computer lab?

What arguments would you provide for or against computer labs?

Rethinking Advanced Placement

NY Times Article

This article looks at the changing cirriculim of Advanced Placement classes and the work load that accompanies them. Many of us being high school teachers know the difference between AP students and general ed students but this article brings up the solid point that many of these classes are putting too much emphasis on the exams. Also the article pointed out that over the years there has been a larger work load put on the students.

Do you think that we are putting too much emphasis on testing? Are we trying to drown the students in work? How are they able to keep up with all extra curricular activities and work assigned in class?

Take Technology and Children Outside

http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/4147.aspx

In the race to maximize test scores and minimize downtime, students are spending less time on the playground and more time online. Teachers are struggling to find a balance without loosing to much instructional time. Why not mix technology and outdoors? In science, we can use different technologies on the playground or school surroundings. Some examples of activities w/technology include: Using a digital camera to document a nature walk, Digital recording device to record environmental sounds, Microscope with photo eyepiece to discover elements of nature, camcorders to create short films on bus safety or favorite field trips.

Do you think our students have drifted from the outdoors? If so, do you feel technology has played a role in this drift?

Do you feel we can easily make this transition to use instructional time with the outdoors?

The Future of STEM Education: An Analysis of Two National Reports

http://ojs.jstem.org/index.php?journal=JSTEM&page=article&op=view&path[]=1645&path[]=1339

STEM education refers to the integration of Science, Technology, and Mathematics. Two reports were analyzed for this article, one by the National Science Board, and another by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Techonology. The top US students scored below their peers in 29 countries on Mathematics literacy and below 12 countries on Science literacy, a clear indication that the US is lagging behind in STEM education. Only 16% of US undergrads chose majors in natural science or engineering.
PCAST's recommendations focus on bettering STEM education across the board. NSB argues that we should put a greater emphasis on identifying and developing STEM talent.

Why do you think we perform so poorly in math literacy as a nation?

Considering the economic hardships school districts are facing, how can we improve STEM education without increasing budgets?

Is it better to implement across the board initiatives in STEM education, or would it be more productive to screen students and offer STEM programs to those who show a proclivity for the material?

Kimberly schools approve technology improvement plan

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110317/APC0101/103170527/Kimberly-schools-approve-technology-improvement plan?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

School officials plan to spend more than $484,000 next year for district technology improvements.The Kimberly school board unanimously approved the district's five-year technology plan on Monday. The plan calls for a total of $1.7 million in spending through the 2015-16 school year.Improvements next year would include a new phone system, new computers for the high school and $15,000 for pilot programs to determine how new technologies could benefit instruction.

Do you think this is a good way to implement technology?Would you try to implement something similar in your school district? Do you think it would get approved?What are your thoughts on pilot programs and do you think they are effective or not?

Schools' use of Google products under fire

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51428.html

The National Federation of the Blind is asking the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to investigate whether some educational institutions that require students to use Google e-mail and other Google products are discriminating against blind students.In its complaint, the Baltimore-based group says that Gmail and other Google applications such as Google Docs are not compatible with programs used by the blind to translate written words into speech.“Technology has given blind people more access to more information than we have ever had in human history,” said Chris Danielsen, the federation’s spokesman. “At the same time, we're at a critical juncture. If technology goes in the wrong direction and accessibility is not considered, the effect will be to put blind people behind and at a bigger disadvantage than we ever have been.”


What other problems do you see with the use of implementing Technology in the schools?
Do you think that Technology in the schools will help everyone?

Clarkstown's Technology Budget

http://www.ccsd.edu/files/filesystem/2011-12CCSDInstrucTechBudgetProposal.pdf

My district (Clarkstown) just presented it's budget. Within this proposal is a technology budget proposal. The total that is being asked for is $1,000,000 but only $250,000 per year. The district is planning on replacing computers that are 6 years and older. Instead of replacing them with regular desktops, they are going to replace them with what is technologically necessary to each field. Their plan is to buy desktops, laptops, netbooks, apples, and tablet computers.

Do you feel it is appropriate to ask for money to update technology when the economy is so poor?
Do you think the community understands the needs to replace these computers with new ones?
Do you think the district is making a good choice in the technologies they have choosen?

An Education Free-for-All

http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/03/16/an-education-free-for-all.aspx

This article discusses the Khan Academy, which we recently watched a video about in class. The article starts by describing how Salman Khan originally got started, which was by using online tools to tutor his cousin who lived across the country from him. Eventually, other family members began to ask him for help and before he knew it non-family members were asking for help. As a result, the Khan Academy was founded and now has over 2,000 instructional videos online. While the primary focus of the Khan Academy has been to teach Math and Science, they are beginning to explore the areas of economics and humanities. Furthermore, the Los Altos School District piloted a program in which the Khan Academy was brought into the classroom. With this program, the teacher's role changed from "simply delivering information to becoming a guide and mentor for students." Moreover, they are "taking a direct-to-the-student approach and providing the necessary tools and resources pupils will embrace and use." While feedback from the program has been positive from students, teachers and parents, what does this kind of program mean for teachers? With this concept of direct-to-the-students, are teachers' jobs in jeopardy, or at least in more jeopardy than they may already be? Do you think the Khan Academy would be successful in your school? Would you want to incorporate the Khan Academy into your school?

Using iPods to Increase Reading Comprehension

http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/03/14/using-ipods-to-increase-reading-comprehension.aspx

A teacher in Oregon had used iPods to do the "letter of the week" with her students. She imported the audio files for the specific text the students were studying into iTunes and then broke it up into tracks with GarageBand, an Apple audio mixing and editing tool that's part of the iLife suite for Mac OS X. Williams then added audio prompts with specific reading comprehension strategies in the breaks and moved the files back over to iTunes. Finally, she added the text to the lyrics attached to the files in iTunes so that students could read along with the audio.

There are other devices that could be used instead of an iPod that are cheaper as long as they display text with speech.

Do you think using an iPod can really increase reading comprehension?
Would you use iPods in your class to help increase your content area for students?

Students Protest Passing Of Education Reform

http://www.localnews8.com/news/27168941/detail.html

It is great to finally see students fighting for education reform but I never thought I would see the day. Students organized a walk out of school using technology but they DO NOT want technology to replace their teachers in the classroom. Students are against the idea that technology will eliminate teachers because many students are hands on learners and feel that working primarily on the computer will hinder their education. One student even agreed that the teachers should not be paid based on how their students perform because "some students just choose not to learn, you can't control it". Looks like we are teaching these kids something after all!

Do you think it was right for the students to voice their opinion in this way?

Do they have a valid point?

How can education be changed without the students on board?

Distance learning connects classes in every Alabama high school

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/02/distance_learning_connects_cla.html

Alabama Connecting Classrooms is connecting statewide community through distance learning for high school students and Oak Grove High School in Jefferson County. The technology plays key role to make interaction through webcams, table laptop computers, and Blackboard.

Some students and educator in rural area were not able to familiar with education incorporating technology such as video conferencing is now actually available with 100courses including AP and electives.

"I actually went to a school in a very rural school system, so I can relate to students having limited resources just because of the community in which they live," said Barry Barnett, who is in charge of ACCESS and academic outreach at the University of Alabama. "But now we're bringing together resources, expertise and common interests in ways we've never seen before."

• Would you be interested in using distance learning for your class? Or Do you already have distance learning at your school or district?

• If you do, or know who have experience with giving video conferencing lessons, can you share it and recommend it to other educators?

How Should We Use Technology in Schools? Ask Students

http://mindshift.kqed.org/2010/12/how-should-we-use-technology-in-schools-ask-students/

Last summer, 15 students from Chicago’s public school system were charged with answering this question: “How can 21st century technology enhance rigor, relevance, and relationships in high school?”
Chicago wanted to bring their classrooms into the 21st century so they hired a not for profit group called Mikva Challenge to help. They asked teachers, parents, community members and students how this could be done.
The students felt that that certain things could be done. Blocked sites like youtube should be unblocked and used for educational purposes,teachers should have professional development to help them integrate and teach technology, phones should be used for educational purposes, and schools should partner with media savvy youth groups.

These are the same ideas that we hear time and time again. School districts often pay a lot of money to implement programs that do not work.

Should more school district follow the lead of Chicago?
Should education be something that is done to students or something they are involved in?
Do you think we should be listening more to students because they have their fingers on the pulse of what is going on in technolgy?

Students Lack Basic Research Skills

Students Lack Basic Research Skills

The internet is an incredible source of information. However, how much information is too much information. This article discusses the latest Project Information Literacy Progress Report which was an online survey which polled 8,353 students from 25 colleges across the country. The study found that 84 percent of college students said that when it came to course related research, getting started was their most difficult part. The 3 sources that were most cited by students were required course readings. The study found that although students have access to tons of resources on the internet, they are unaware of how to effectively use them to their advantage. When researching, students find themselves in over their heads with the wealth of information on the internet. While this study was conducted of college students, Alison J. Head, co-principal investigator of the project is quoted in the article stating that, "They're basically taking how they learned to research in high school with them to college, since it's worked for them in the past."

-What do you think?

-How can we correct poor research methods in high school before students get to college?

-Is it teachers' responsibilities in high school to make sure that students have effective research methods prior to attending college?

Pearson Announces Nation's First Elementary Grades Common Core Mathematics Program

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/03/prweb5115634.htm

Here we go! The common core standards are making a come back. Pearson, the world's "leading" learning company has finally created a curriculum for math in grades k-6 which will be available to schools for the 2011-2012 school year. This article talks more about the standards but doesn't address the idea of evaluations. What is going to come of this?

We all know about the pro's and con's of the core standards but what do you think? Is this program going to work? Will it ever be implemented in the high school level? Will this help weed out the "bad apple" teachers in the school? What will the evaluation process look like?

Mobile devices ease task of evaluating teachers, districts

http://www.techlearning.com/article/35408
This article focuses on the use of emerging technologies as tools for teacher evaluation and real time data collection on teachers' performance. The mobility and ease of use of the iPad is highlighted as a tool for touch-screen teacher observations and instantaneous access to student information. Using Google forms allows information to be retrieved without reliance on networks. Results of teacher evaluations can be emailed to the teacher before the administrator leaves the room. The downside currently is cost; applications cost hundreds of dollars per user or districts are charged per student. The article mentions that smaller districts tend to be more likely to embrace this technology.

• In light of recent controversy about reform of the teacher evaluation process, what relevance could the use of powerful handheld devices have in teacher evaluations?
• The portability and ease of use of the applications imply that teacher evaluations could be more frequent and random with this technology. Do you think that would result in more or less accurate data being collected about teacher performance?

The Skype's the limit

http://www.ldnews.com/news/ci_17428008

This article provides excellent arguments and evidence for why and how technology should be incorporated into the classroom. The article discusses how "Teaching in the 21st century has shifted from the notion that teachers are the sole source of information for students, evolving into teachers as guides for students who actively participate in the technology integrated, collaborative learning environment." A variety of examples are provided such as one teacher using Skype with her class to talk to her sister who lives in Jordan to learn about the Middle East. Other teachers collaborated with classrooms in other countries such as Haiti and had the students working together. Furthermore, the article mentions how cellphones are/were not allowed in schools but now teachers can incorporate the use of phones, iPods, and iPads. "More technology in the classroom provides more avenues for teachers to present information to students who learn in different ways." They also mention how failing rates dropped from between 20 and 30 percent to 10 percent in one year. This decline in the failing rates they believe is a direct correlation to the incorporation of more technology into the classroom. Finally, the last major point the article makes is that simply having technology and hardware is not enough. It is imperative that we "find ways to expand upon the software to create a more efficient learning environment."

- The article mentions online learning for high school students. They want to make high school more like a college. Do you agree with the idea of allowing high school students to take classes online?

- If you were in front of the school board, what argument would you present for the need to incorporate more technology into the classroom?

- "It hasn't changed teaching strategies, it's just that teachers have a new medium and platform to present information." Do you agree that new technologies in the classroom haven't changed teaching strategies?

Cuomo Seeks Speedy Change in Teacher Evaluations

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/nyregion/02teacher.html?ref=education

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is introducing legislation to speed the implementation of a statewide system to evaluate teachers' performance. He wants to introduce new standards for teacher and principal evaluation with the support of the teacher's unions. New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg feels it is not enough - he wants the state to change the laws regarding seniority now so that he does not have to fire teachers based on the last in - first out rules currently in place. State Republican lawmakers favor Mayor Mike's proposal, while Democrats feel that new teacher evaluation procedures need to be in place before last in - first out can be removed. (I know this isn't really ed tech specific, but I couldn't resist posting it because it is such a hot topic and affects us as teachers and parents - sorry!)

• Do you think Mayor Mike should be allowed to fire teachers based on performance and disciplinary records, without considering seniority?
• Do you agree with Governor Cuomo that we need to have a new evaluation system in place before we get rid of seniority?
• Do you think tenure for teachers is going to become a thing of the past? How does removing tenure affect issues like nepotism or budget concerns?

The Digital Disconnect: The widening gap between Internet-savvy students and their schools

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2002/The-Digital-Disconnect-The-widening-gap-between-Internetsavvy-students-and-their-schools.aspx

Many schools and teachers have not yet recognized—much less responded to—the new ways students communicate and access information over the Internet. Students report that there is a substantial disconnect between how they use the Internet for school and how they use the Internet during the school day and under teacher direction. For the most part, students’ educational use of the Internet occurs outside of the school day, outside of the school building, outside the direction of their teachers. While there are a variety of pressures, concerns, and outright challenges in providing Internet access to teachers and students at school, students perceive this disconnect to be the result of school administrators setting the tone for use at school, the wide variation in teacher policies regarding Internet use in and for class and poor and uninspiring quality of Internet-based assignments. Students say they face several roadblocks when it comes to using the Internet at schools.

Do you feel that the internet is used effectivly at schools? What are some ways to make using the internet acceptable in schools at the same time keeping the students attentive to learning?

Technology Integration as a Transforming Teaching Strategy

http://www.techlearning.com/article/2022

Everybody is talking about technology integration, but few practicing teachers profess to know exactly how to proceed. The fact is that real integration requires change. . . . However, what seems to be lacking is a model that teachers can use to guide them through the necessary changes they will need to make to be successful in integrating new technology into their classroom . Technology integration means viewing technology as an instructional tool for delivering subject matter in the curriculum already in place. Educators need to understand technology integration more completely.

What steps would you take to integrate technology in the classroom? Do you believe that technology can be easily adapted into your classroom?