Sir Ken Robinson: Education is Broken

Here is a short, but powerful video on the problems with a highly competitive education system.

NYT Magazine: Build a Better Teacher

Yesterday, I spent an hour reading "Build a Better Teacher" and the accompanying comments.  I'm not sure the article (or Lemov's Taxonomy) has all of the answers. I perused the videos and was struck by the fact that all of the students were in uniform and they all seem to be in charter schools.

As an education community, we cannot ignore the fact that most charter schools can choose who attends their school and can dismiss students who are not holding up their end of the bargain (I got one of those students just recently. I asked why the student was transferring schools in the middle of the year and the student responded that he/she had been kicked out of the charter school for poor attendance). I am allowed to refer students for disruptive behavior or poor attendance and an excessive number of tardies, but they are not transferred out of my room to improve the learning experience for the other 35 students.

I know that at some schools in my district teachers are more concerned about getting basic needs met for their students. Teachers could have the best management techniques in the world, but if a kid is coming to you every day hungry or has experienced violence in the home or community, there are a few other things to worry about than whether or not Johnny is paying attention.

So...what does this mean for public schools? Honestly, I'm not sure. We need to look at the entire picture of education, not just what the teachers are doing and how test scores are improving (or not).

From the Web:: Education Apps Rated

There are thousands of apps for the iPhone and iTouch out there. How do you know which ones are good? If you're using your iPhone or iTouches in the classroom, how do you know which educational apps are decent and how in the world do you find them? Lucy Gray posted to Diigo MacWorld's AppGuide for education apps. The list is sorted by editor review ranking.

I prefer free apps, but I'm much more likely to consider paying for an app if I know that it has been reviewed by a reputable source.

photo by: foundphotoslj "Student in Class"

Ask and ye shall receive...

Just about two weeks ago I wrote two proposals at DonorsChoose.org. The first was for two HD Flip Video cameras so that my students could participate in the Life 'Round Here 2010 project. The second was for 10 sets of earbuds so we can use audio and video resources at computer stations in the classroom. On Thursday I logged in and saw that both projects had been funded almost all the way. The catch was that the foundation making the donation would only give the money through the President's Day weekend. Uh oh.

I put out a request for help on Facebook and Twitter, just for the heck of it. I thought that if I got just a few more dollars on each project, I'd pitch in the rest. Not an easy task, mind you, but I'd do it. About five hours later I got the email that the Life 'Round Here project had been fully funded. The next morning I woke up to an email that the earbuds had been funded! WooHoo!

The proposal form is NOT that bad. Of course you have to think about how your request fits with your curriculum and you have to show how your request will help your students do better in school. Your first proposal will take the longest because you're getting used to the format. 

So, the point of this is the following:

1. If you have an equipment need in your classroom, fill out a proposal at DonorsChoose. Of course you want something that is going to move learning forward, but it's pretty open. There are dozens of vendors within the eSchoolMall at DonorsChoose.
2. If you want to participate in a project or go on a field trip, but don't have the money, fill out a proposal. You never know what might happen!
3. If your proposal is almost fully funded, go ahead and ask your Facebook friends and Twitter PLN for help. They will. 

Once you're funded make sure you respond in a timely fashion to DonorsChoose. You have thank you letters to write and pictures to take to let your donors know how they helped.

Take a chance on this. In the past four months, we've had at least four projects funded just at my school alone!

From the Web :: 100+ Google Tricks for Teachers

Here's a nice list of more than 100 ways to use Google products. There's an extensive section on Google Books and even a mention of Google Wave. By the way, if you need a Google Wave invite, please let me know. I have a bunch burning a whole in my pocket.

• 
  
  Education News Archive :: 100+ Google Tricks for Teachers
  
  tags: Google, tools, Web2.0, education
  
  
  

Posted from Diigo.

Schools adjust how writing is taught in text age | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

I've been wondering what is happening with handwriting instruction. My own experience was traumatic as a lefty in a righty world. My hand ached every day because of the unnatural position it was forced to assume in order to replicate the perfectly formed letters of the right-handed instructor. By fourth grade my teacher was being quite forceful in my hand position. I rebelled. When I concentrate, I have adequate handwriting, but would much rather type or print.

Students need to be able to write by hand, but they should not be forced into cursive (this article suggests that printing or modified cursive is fine).

• Schools adjust how writing is taught in text age | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

  tags: handwriting, texting, computers, writing, education, cursive

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Got YouTube? The Pope does! So does Obama!

Last week the Pope's YouTube Channel was all the news rage. BBC News reported on it in the article "Pope launches Vatican on YouTube." Local and national news media reported on it as well. This, of course, comes on the heels of the White House's launch of a YouTube channel and complete revision of the official White House website.

Both of these YouTube channels have applications in education, yet many school districts choose to block YouTube to protect students. While it is important to protect students, this seems to be another case of demonizing technology because of a few bad apples.

The students at my school have been captivated by the election process and Barak Obama in particular. Wouldn't it be great to hold their interest and encourage action by having them watch video clips from the administration?

Using Technology to Enrich Learning

Can teachers be students' Facebook friends?

• Can teachers be students' Facebook friends?

  Stop shooting the messenger! The Houston Chronicle reported on the dangers of teachers using Facebook to stay in touch with their students. Those of us in education have to start looking at alternative ways to contact our students and their families. While Facebook might not be the best choice, there are alternatives as suggested by one of the commenters. However, I'm worried that the technology will become so demonized that schools will restrict teachers to pinning notes to students shirts.

  tags: Facebook, social networking, education, students, Houston Chronicle

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Most Textbooks Should Just Stay On the Shelf

From WashingtonPost.com education reporter Jay Matthews, this story discusses the problems we have with textbooks. Certainly, history books have become sanitized and distorted as Matthews points out.

My favorite teacher, Al Ladendorff of Hillsdale High in San Mateo, Calif., used our U.S. history text like a bull's-eye on a firing range. He had us identify factual distortions and analytical flaws in the thick tome the state had chosen for us. I never got over the realization that textbooks, presented as revealed truth all those years in school up until then, sometimes had as many mistakes and wrong-headed assumptions as my own term papers.

Several years ago, during a textbook adoption process, I found that each of the books under consideration gave different casualty numbers for the First Battle of the Marne. Unfortunately, it seems to be difficult to convince school communities at large that having a textbook does not make a class good.