tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post2990507685839161499..comments2024-02-24T19:49:45.687-05:00Comments on Schools Matter: From the Digital Divide to the Digital DiversionJames Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462754705431590571noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-73966117195856922192009-07-13T14:50:04.003-04:002009-07-13T14:50:04.003-04:00It is odd - with so much praise for the online sys...It is odd - with so much praise for the online system - which works for some, not nearly all - that the Ohio State Government is going in the completely opposite direction and views Online schools as the 'soft option' when it comes to educational cuts. They want to actively return children to brick and mortar schools or into the hands of poorly educated parents 'home schooling' their children and giving them unaccredited high school diplomas before sending them out to work.<br /><br />You say teachers should embrace technology - to be honest - in the UK and Europe and I am sure in the US - teachers don't embrace it and so golden educational opportunities are passing us by.Peter Fogartyhttp://www.best-online-schools.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-10532134750771596362009-07-07T22:21:22.338-04:002009-07-07T22:21:22.338-04:00Jack,
I don't think anyone on this blog is cr...Jack,<br /><br />I don't think anyone on this blog is critical of the use of technology as an educational tool or the power of technology in improving education if it is used appropriately. However, the danger is the push by people like Jeb Bush and business leaders, especially of technology companies, who believe that simply providing computers and technology to children will do anything to enhance or improve education. If there is anything teachers and administrators of public schools can blame themselves for is not reframing the entire discourse and debate about school reform in terms of what goes on outside the classroom - poverty, lack of healthcare, disrespect in general for teachers and the open assault on public schools in favor of privatizing all aspects of education. And let's not forget the all important tests that have become the cornerstone of education for children not lucky enough to attend a private school where teachers are still free to teach.<br /><br /> I don't think the profession is blind to technology, I think the profession is blind to the propaganda and destructive agenda of those who stand to make a great deal of money by pushing for the use of technology and tests when millions of children are homeless, hungry, have no health or dental care and are suffering from environmental toxins. It's time for teachers to start reframing the debate and standing up to people like Arne Duncan, Congress and this administration that has rubber stamped the same old failed policies of the Bush year. They conveniently scapegoat the schools and teachers for the country's economic problems - Duncan runs around like Henny Penny shouting "education for a better economy" - how about trying a new slogan - "a better economy for education" - however, that won't work because it would put the blame where it really belongs - with those who are in power and who have created this mess but continue to profit handsomely by selling meaningless, clever slogans that shift the focus to education - it's an easy target because teachers are so beaten down, scared and demoralized from the policies of the past few decades -- plus they petrified of losing their jobs and their health benefits. So they submit to these bullies and try to do the best they can.<br />The latest remedy for improving education getting attention this past week is technology,a few weeks ago it was higher standards, national standards, merit pay for teachers - the list goes on and on. It's the reform dejour -- but it's a recipe for disaster. <br /><br />While you warn us that we may find ourselves crying in our beer if we don't jump on the technology bandwagon, you may not have noticed, but the the evil private sector has already stolen the profession away. Now it's time to put down the beer and work like hell to get it back.<br /><br />Perhaps a PowerPoint presentation will do the trick.free2teachnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-66559571214293802952009-07-07T15:05:33.020-04:002009-07-07T15:05:33.020-04:00Although I applaud your blog and many of your posi...Although I applaud your blog and many of your positions, I see this argument as a losing proposition. We in public education have nobody to blame but ourselves when shoddy and unethical online schools come into play because we've refused to adapt to our wired clientele. We are creating the demand for them by the lack of urgency we have about our own integration of the internet, online resources and social networking into our current system.<br /> The recent story about the eleven-year-old boy that went online and learned how to code an iPhone application is an illustration of what elementary age kids can do without guidance from teachers.(www.inc.com/news/articles/2009/07/iphone-app.html)<br /> The days of teachers standing up in front of the room controlling and dispensing information are over, including the worksheet /paper and pencil responses they are used to giving out following their lesson. The fact is, kids can learn things all by themselves if we can guide them to the right places and provide them with the right tools. We just have too many teachers who don't want to give up their old methods and more importantly, ultimate control over how and what kids learn.<br /> As an example,I offer the following:<br />at my inner-city school, we gave our NCLB advanced/proficient 6th graders access to their online social-studies textbook (Holt series) and had them generate a written report on one of the ancient cultures in the text.They then summarized their written report into a PowerPoint presentation....all without receiving a minute of teacher lecture. After that we had conversations with them about what they had learned and they could articulate very well the major concepts and supporting details with little difficulty.<br /> Public education needs to embrace the fact kids learn differently than in the past and get with it by learning how to integrate technology into their instruction. We are behind as a profession and will continue to be until we become tech literate from superintendents to principals(who seldom receive ANY instructional technology training)to the classroom teacher. Otherwise we'll be crying in our beer about the evil private sector that stole our profession away.Jack Jarvishttp://www.caedtech.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-3800686293978674842009-07-07T14:44:55.620-04:002009-07-07T14:44:55.620-04:00I have to continue to point out that Chubb's a...I have to continue to point out that Chubb's and Moe's philosophy, as set out in their "Politics and Markets..." book, was given a full test a few years ago, when for-profit Edison Schools (the failed precursor to Edison Learning) was given schools all over the country to manage.<br /><br />Despite the fervent support of the moneyed and powerful -- and gushing press from the skepticism-impaired media -- it didn't work. As with other "it's a miracle!" school reforms, some schools did well; many did poorly; the rest were in between -- just like regular old not-for-profit educator-run schools. Meanwhile, Edison's client school districts shared the same complaints: Edison's schools cost more than regular schools, dumped the more-challenging-to-educate students and achieved far less successfully than promised.<br /><br />Teachers' unions had nothing to do with this failure, as the schools were (the few remaining still are) nonunion.<br /><br />So these guys set out their vision, got a full chance to test it, and found out that it was a bust. Why are we listening to them at all with this new idea? You'd think they'd have the grace to go try to do something productive. How arrogant to just come up with a new idea and start touting THAT as the miracle solution, now that the last one flopped.carolinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08127336930949752636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-22325159962573922772009-07-07T12:16:32.560-04:002009-07-07T12:16:32.560-04:00These cyber schools will come in handy to serve th...These cyber schools will come in handy to serve the burgeoning homeless population of children as Arne Duncan continues to "educate our way to a better economy" - just give all the kids living in rat infested motels and shelters a laptop - that should close the achievement gap - meanwhile Duncan and his buddies at the BRT can ride the gravy train to a better economy through "education reform" - <br /><br />From the front page of today's NYT:<br /><br />Summertime Surge in Homeless Families<br />By Sewell Chan<br />Many New Yorkers view summer as a time for vacations, camp and lazy days at the beach. But city officials have been preparing for quite a different summer ritual: the swelling of the population of homeless families.<br /><br />They call it the summer surge, and say that this year could be the worst yet.<br /><br />Because the homeless population this spring was up more than 20 percent from last spring, possibly because of higher unemployment, officials are girding for an all-time high in the number of families in shelters at once, expecting close to 10,000. Already, the number has reached 9,420. <br /><br />Government & Politics<br /><br />Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has imposed an immediate city hiring freeze, citing “gridlock in the State Senate” that has held up votes on budget measures. [NYT] (Also see City Room.)<br /><br />One proposal, which would solve the succession puzzle and break the Senate deadlock, would be for Gov. David A. Paterson to appoint a lieutenant governor. [NYT] (Also see The Daily News.)<br /><br />Representative Peter T. King, a Republican from Long Island, condemned Michael Jackson this week as a “lowlife” and “child molester” who does not deserve the public adulation he has received since his death last month. [NYT] (Also see The New York Post.)<br /><br />Clyde Haberman’s NYC: In the year 2014, a new mental disorder has been discovered, but the old power struggle among state politicians continues. [NYT]<br /><br />The chief contracting officer of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection has forfeited $6,290 worth of annual leave because she used agency personnel to pump water from her basement when her home flooded. [New York Post]<br /><br />Brooklyn’s scandal-plagued court system gets a new black eye in a scathing audit that found the borough’s public administrator’s office riddled with “mismanagement and laziness.” The city comptroller’s office uncovered what it described as shoddy recordkeeping, suspicious real estate deals and auctions run by a shadowy company that vanished when auditors started asking questions. [Daily News]Free2Teachnoreply@blogger.com