Technology in education

Genocide Complex Model

2010-06-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

When I started my problem based I wanted to figure out how to eliminate discriminatory practices and racism worldwide. However upon attempting to create a model, be it simple and or complex I drew a blank. I couldn't understand why Craig didn't see what I saw until I tried to produce, I couldn't. I had to continue to brainstorm until the light bulb came on.

My PBL consist of my students having to research the Jewish holocaust and Sudanese Genocide, create narrative, and expository essays, peer edit their stories. In addition to creating a simple model in the form of a flow chart showing how they will eliminate genocide worldwide.

I believe my model works. I believe it works because it shows that genocide has occurred and takes into consideration the beginning and end of the process, in addition to the instructions, actions, and decisions that must be made in order to into to eliminate the problem. I would’ve concentrated on a more specific idea versus the general ideas that I was coming up with. I had to change my way of thinking.

Here is a genocide clock that models the total worldwide genocide as of Current Time, summed & extrapolated for the following Communist-occupied nations: Soviet Union (all 15 republics), Red China, Yugoslavia (all 5 republics), North Korea, Cambodia, Mozambique, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Ethiopia/Eritrea, & Congo

http://www.attacreport.com/ar_diagrams/genocide.php

Students will learn about the Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of an estimated 800,000 people. Over the course of approximately 100 days from the assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana on April 6 through mid-July, at least 800,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate.^[1] Other estimates of the death toll have ranged between 500,000 and 1,000,000 ^[2] (a commonly quoted figure is 800,000) or as much as 20% of the country's total population.

In 1990, a rebel group composed mostly of Tutsi refugees called the Rwandan Patriotic Front Uganda. The Rwandan Civil War, fought between the Hutu regime, with support from Francophone nations of Africa and France itself,^[3][4] and the RPF, with support from Uganda, vastly increased the ethnic tensions in the country and led to the rise of Hutu Power. (RPF) invaded northern Rwanda from

Students will also learn about The Jewish Holocaust (from the Greek ὁλόκαυστοςholókaustos]: hólos, "whole" and kaustós, "burnt"),^[2] also known as the Shoah (Hebrew): השואה,^{[citation needed]} Romanized ha'shoah; Yiddish: חורבן, Romanized churben or hurban^[3]genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored extermination by Nazi Germany.^[4] Some scholars maintain that the definition of the Holocaust should also include the Nazis' systematic murder of millions of people in other groups, including ethnic Poles, Romani, Soviet civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, people with disabilities, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other political and religious opponents.^[5] By this definition, the total number of Holocaust victims would be between 11 million and 17 million people.^[6]

The persecution and genocide were carried out in stages. Legislation to remove the Jews from civil society was enacted years before the outbreak of World War II. Concentration camps were established in which inmates were used as slave labor until they died of exhaustion or disease. Where the Third Reich conquered new territory in eastern Europe, specialized units called Einsatzgruppen murdered Jews and political opponents in mass shootings. Jews and Romanians were confined in overcrowded ghettos before being transported by freight train to extermination camps where, if they survived the journey, the majority of them were systematically killed in gas chambers. Every arm of Nazi Germany's bureaucracy was involved in the logistics of the mass murder, turning the country into what one Holocaust scholar has called "a genocidal state".

Used from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Holocaust

& http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide

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Maureen S. Hiebert makes some very valid point in the article
Genocide Prevention: Moral Imperative or Rational Self-Interest?

http://www.preventinggenocide.net/

Like many genocide scholars I got into the field because I was outraged that genocides like the ones in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur, could still happen fifty and sixty years after the Holocaust. I wanted to know two things: why does genocide happen and how can we prevent it from happening again. My outrage that genocide even occurs in the first place was (and still is) fueled by a complete inability, not from an intellectual but from a humanitarian point of view, to comprehend why political elites would ever decide that the right way to solve their problems is to exterminate whole groups of people simply because these people exist and because of who they are. In short, my moral indignation drove my need, both as a scholar and as a human being, to help find a way to wipe out the “old scourge” with a “new name” once and for all.My own understanding of genocide prevention as a moral imperative mirrors that of other scholars, policy-makers, activists, survivors, and interested ordinary people over the last several decades. The idea is simple enough: genocide is morally wrong and ought not to happen anywhere, to anyone, for any reason.The main attempt at making the moral imperative to prevent genocide real came with the crafting and signing of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (UNGC). As its name plainly says part of the function of the UNGC is supposed to be prevention. Here there is a clear link between a moral imperative - creating what some scholars call an “anti-genocide norm” - and codifying that norm in international law. Thus the states that sign on to the Convention commit themselves to cooperate to “liberate mankind from such an odious scourge” by agreeing to “undertake” steps to prevent genocide, among other things. But the historical record clearly shows that while the UNGC has enjoyed some success in the punishment department sixty years on, states have taken their legal and moral obligation under the Convention to prevent genocide rather less seriously.This experience gave rise, particularly after Rwanda when the major players in the international system were tripping over themselves not to use the “g-word” to describe what was happening, to the idea that if only we could get states to recognize a genocide when one is about to or is already happening and if we can get states to call a genocide a genocide, they might then actually do their moral and legal duty to stop the killing. No such luck. As the Bush administration’s approach to Darfur a few years ago demonstrated in no uncertain terms, it is entirely possible for the most powerful country in the world (and by extension every other country) to call a genocide “genocide” - repeatedly - and still do nothing to stop it. All this despite the concerted effort of several NGOs, student and other activist groups’ appeals to our moral and legal obligations to end the bloodshed.
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I find it appropriate to end this post with a quote from Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Genocide committed against ANY people is an atrocity and horrendous crime against humanity. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about the treatment of certain cultural groups. I hope my genocide model has helped you to better understand a possible way of eliminating genicide worldwide.

A genocide in Africa has not received the same attention that genocide in Europe or genocide in Turkey or genocide in other part of the world. There is still this kind of basic discrimination against the African people and the African problems.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/genocide.html

UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali undertook a number of reforms at the beginning of his term in 1992, including reorganizing the Secretariat. Many of his structural reforms were concessions to Washington and to influential conservative think-tanks such as the Heritage Foundation.

Here is my complex model:

Creation/Implementation/& Reflection

2010-06-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

Image used from: http://www.industrializedmetal.com/img/stopracism.gif

Civil Rights Movement Reflection Video:

Trail of tears reflection video:

Jewish Holocaust Reflection Videos:

http://www.stophate.us/racism/

http://www.adl.org/hate-patrol/racism.asp Racism has existed throughout human history. It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another -- or the belief that another person is less than human -- because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes.

During the past 500-1000 years, racism on the part of Western powers toward non-Westerners has had a far more significant impact on history than any other form of racism (such as racism among Western groups or among Easterners, such as Asians, Africans, and others). The most notorious example of racism by the West has been slavery, particularly the enslavement of Africans in the New World (slavery itself dates back thousands of years). This enslavement was accomplished because of the racist belief that Black Africans were less fully human than white Europeans and their descendants.

This belief was not "automatic": that is, Africans were not originally considered inferior. When Portuguese sailors first explored Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries, they came upon empires and cities as advanced as their own, and they considered Africans to be serious rivals. Over time, though, as African civilizations failed to match the technological advances of Europe, and the major European powers began to plunder the continent and forcibly remove its inhabitants to work as slave laborers in new colonies across the Atlantic, Africans came to be seen as a deficient "species," as "savages." To an important extent, this view was necessary to justify the slave trade at a time when Western culture had begun to promote individual rights and human equality. The willingness of some Africans to sell other Africans to European slave traders also led to claims of savagery, based on the false belief that the "dark people" were all kinsmen, all part of one society - as opposed to many different, sometimes warring nations.

One important feature of racism, especially toward Blacks and immigrant groups, is clear in attitudes regarding slaves and slavery. Jews are usually seen by anti-Semites as subhuman but also superhuman: devilishly cunning, skilled, and powerful. Blacks and others are seen by racists as merely subhuman, more like beasts than men. If the focus of anti-Semitism is evil, the focus of racism is inferiority -- directed toward those who have sometimes been considered to lack even the ability to be evil (though in the 20th century, especially, victims of racism are often considered morally degraded).

In the second half of the 19th century, Darwinism, the decline of Christian belief, and growing immigration were all perceived by many white Westerners as a threat to their cultural control. European and, to a lesser degree, American scientists and philosophers devised a false racial "science" to "prove" the supremacy of non-Jewish whites. While the Nazi annihilation of Jews discredited most of these supposedly scientific efforts to elevate one race over another, small numbers of scientists and social scientists have continued throughout the 20th century to argue the inborn shortcomings of certain races, especially Blacks. At the same time, some public figures in the American Black community have championed the supremacy of their own race and the inferiority of whites - using nearly the identical language of white racists.

All of these arguments are based on a false understanding of race; in fact, contemporary scientists are not agreed on whether race is a valid way to classify people. What may seem to be significant "racial" differences to some people - skin color, hair, facial shape - are not of much scientific significance. In fact, genetic differences within a so-called race may be greater than those between races. One philosopher writes: "There are few genetic characteristics to be found in the population of England that are not found in similar proportions in Zaire or in China….those differences that most deeply affect us in our dealings with each other are not to any significant degree biologically determined."

In order to improve the learning experience of students would be to take them to museums specifically geared toward the topics that they presented on. I would also like to take them to a Jewish synagogue and school so they could study Jewish culture and the same for Native Americans. All cultures need to be exposed to others so they could witness and experience the similarities and differences be it cultural or that of mankind. I would also use skype to keep in touch with our new found friends so my students wouldn't be "trapped" within the inner city. The four lessons I developed exemplify best practices because they call for both the teacher and students to use the KWHLAQ strategy in order to tap into the students prior knowledge, getting them to ask questions, and reflect on what they learned. I believe that by using this strategy I can get my students to be objective observers of they they see, hear, and my already know. Students need to use their prior knowledge to enhance achievement. This strategy challenges students to figure out "HOW DO WE FIND THE ANSWERS" (p. 86-87 Barrell)

I have to update this blog to discuss evidence I found of the lesson's actual effectiveness in achieving the learning objectives because I haven't had access to the eight graders due to it being spirit week last week, I will however be able to go over this activity with them this week.

512 Concept Map

2010-05-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

Upon creating this concept map I had to think of ways to eliminate genocide.

I. Genocide alert & early warning system

A. Rapid Reaction Mechanism- needs to be implemented in order so judge is genocide has been committed and to deal with the situation at hand.

1. Prosecution & Deterrence (International & Domestic)

a. Enforcing International Law

(1) Pressure, Vigilance, & Protection

(a) Genocide Prevention & Elimination

How long should peace keepers remain in the country? This is important because if the peace keepers leave it gives the perpetrators the opportunity to commit the same crimes over again.

Was justice served according to international law? If it wasn't then international law needs to be adjusted so that future perpetrators wont be able to manipulate the law and kill people.

Has a cultural group been systematically murdered? The first question that should be considered. You cant have a rapid response if no one knows if genocide has been committed.

How soon can Peace keepers be mobilized? Genocide can happen very quickly given the form of weapons the enemy has to use against the people they are killing. The quicker they are able to touchdown on that country's soil the quicker the situation can be diffused.

Have the perpetrators been taken into custody? Without the perpetrators in custody they are free to do what they feel. Which equates to continued killing. They must be taken into custody in order to be prosecuted.

Has the situation been diffused? Again, if the situation hasn't been diffused then the peacekeepers cant leave and the perpetrators need to be rounded up so justice can be served.

Did the accused persons contribute to the deaths of those murdered? There needs to be proof that shows they committed these acts.

Should international law be amended according to the situation? If it wasn't then international law needs to be adjusted so that future perpetrators wont be able to manipulate the law and kill people.

All of these questions and situations make me think about adding onto my chart. I need a lot more and I'm using my resources to find additional factors and variables so that my chart can be much better.

Companies invest in foreign land and often dont have the time or resources to see where there monies they invest are going. Networks like the genocide intervention have helped me to consider other methods and ways to prevent genocide.

http://www.genocideintervention.net/our_programs/corporate_responsibility

Why the Conflict Risk Network?

When done irresponsibly, foreign investment can fuel instability and conflict, create negative impacts for local communities and generate financial hazards for investors. In short, it creates conflict risk.

In Sudan, for example, foreign oil companies provide the main source of revenue to the Sudanese government, which is reported to funnel 70% of it towards its military. In addition to this revenue stream, certain companies’ operations have been associated more directly with environmental damage and human rights abuses that generate instability and conflict. In addition to having serious negative impacts for local populations, these links between investment and conflict create risk for institutional stakeholders, as companies face negative publicity, shareholder actions, threats to assets on the ground, legislation restricting business options and more.
What does Conflict Risk Network do?

While stakeholder engagement is generally the most effective way to address conflict risk, engagement – and the research necessary to facilitate it – can be extremely expensive and time consuming. In addition, ad hoc attempts at engagement do not capture the power that can be leveraged when stakeholders coordinate to speak with a collective voice. CRN’s work addresses all of these challenges.
Research: CRN informs institutional stakeholders by producing comprehensive research and compiling financial data on companies materially involved in select GI-NET Areas of Concern. This includes the quarterly Sudan Company Report, which contains in-depth profiles on the Sudan-related operations of companies primarily in the oil, mineral extraction, power production and weapons sectors. These quarterly reports are accompanied by spreadsheets that provide corporate structure and security identification information (ISIN, SEDOL, ticker etc), drawn from Bloomberg LP, on the companies profiled in the Sudan Company Report.

?'s and Problems

2010-05-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

Essential ?'s

If you attempt to fail, and succeed, what have you done?

SEL 1C.3b. Analyze why one achieved or did not achieve a goal

What separates humans from animals?
What is the truth and how will we know it?
Where does the wind come from and why cant we see it?
Are humans evolving or devolving?
How do we determine what is good and what is evil?
Does everything happen for a reason?
Is experience really a teacher?
Are computers in a state of consciousness?
Is there life after death?

Problem Scenario's

You are a BP oil leak specialist, how will you stop the oil leak and clean up the mess in the Gulf of Mexico?

ISTE 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity B. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

You work for the UN as a food specialist, you assignment is to solve world hunger how can you feed everyone in the world?
Your son was murdered by a neighborhood gang. What can you do to eliminate gangs from your neighborhood?
As the principal of a school on probation, how would you go about getting the test scores at or above the national average?
Your mother is $300,000 in debt but has a career and makes decent money. How can she better manage her money in order to free herself from the chains of debt?
The price of gas has reached $9.00 per gallon. How can you ween off gasoline/oil and utilize alternative energy sources in your home and car while saving considerable money?
The school you work at has the lowest test score in the district, but receives the least amount of funding. Your principal wants you to develop and way raise the test scores of the school, what methods will you use to do so?
You are obese and want to change your state of health. You don't have access to healthy foods in your neighborhood. How can you lose weight with the type of foods you have access to?
Islamic extremist's are waging a Jihad against your country, claiming your cultural group are infidels. How can you eliminate the extremist's from your country in a non-violent way?
Jerry Reinsdorf just hired you are the General Manager of the Chicago Bulls. He told you upon hiring you that you have bring LeBron James to the Bulls or else you will lose your job and have to pay back any portion of your salary and you agreed. How will you get LeBron to sign with the Chicago Bulls?

ISTE:

1.c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.

4. a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.

http://www.isbe.net/ils/default.htm

http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS

vid on essintial ?'s http://youtube.com/watch?v=_p1xImA_wHk&feature=related

Essential ?'s resources http://www.facinghistory.org/resources/strategies/essential-questions

Considering essential questions is very hard to do since many of the questions that I've pondered often have easy upfront answers. Reading, studying, and considering various essential questions and problem based scenarios made me dig deeper. The questions that can't be answered are the one's that need the most attention. I had to consider the content and how I would assess these questions of how they relate to technology in education, education, and life in general. Admitting that I don't know much is assisting me in stepping outside of the box when considering these ?'s and problem's. I need to concentrate on the CONTENT, CONTEXT, and PARTICIPANTS of my ?'s and problem's in order to have the align with the standards.

My starting 5 players.

2010-04-25T02:06:00.000-07:00

I am the fifth and sixty grade boys basketball team coach at my school. This is my second year coaching. I really enjoy helping my players become the the best that they can be while maximizing their talent. The previous year my team made it to the area championship. We played Thorp school and lost by nine points. I lost four of my five starters because they went to seventh grade. In order to get my players better in both offense and defense, I had to adjust my starting line up numerous times. The problem was that I didn't have a power forward. I felt that every other position was covered. The players had adequate talent. The youth who I used originally for the starting power forward was very green. He was tall, stocky, and slow moving. He had a horrible jump shot and lacked high vertical jumping ability. The job of the power forward is to get offensive and defensive rebounds, block shots, and utilize their post moves if they have any. I had nothing. I ended up using a smaller player instead of the "green" player and had to adjust my defensive plays. Here are some examples:

Shell Defense Basketball Practice Drill --- a) 4 on 4 around-the-horn, b) 4 on 4 penetrate and dish, c) 4 on 4 with low-post, d) 4 on 4 with two offensive players in the corner. *Ultimate drill for teaching all of our man defensive rules. #Listed above are the situations we use to constantly reinforce to our players our man defense tactics. Each group of four players must play winning defense before we change player groups on the court.

Team Offense Basketball Drills --- a) Motion offense, b) Even font zone offense, c) Odd front zone offense, d) Match up zone offense, e) Flex offense, f) 1-4 High offense, g) Delay game offense, h) Full court zone press offense, i) Full court match up press offense, and j) Half court press offense.

Basketball Offensive Plays Drills --- a) Man offense basketball plays, b) Zone offense plays, c) Baseline inbounds plays, d) Sideline inbounds plays, e) Last second plays.

Team Defense Breakdown --- a) Zone defense slides, b) 1 2 1 1 Press slides, c) 2 2 1 Press slides, d) 1 3 1 Half-court press slides, e) Under out-of-bounds defense, f) Triangle and Two, g) Box-and-1.

http://www.angelfire.com/nc/ezyduzits12steptools/bball_playbook.html
I use the 1-3-1 similar to this sometimes against a team not that great on dribbling or passing.
I let the point guard be the point player or chaser here.I also let the opposing team get 1 pass in and then we attack right away. Be careful and watch for ball reversal.

http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/defense/2-3zone.html This zone is similar to the 2-3 zone that Jim Boeheim uses at Syracuse. This is can be a very effective zone defense, because it still covers the 3-point arc as well as the inside game.

http://www.guidetocoachingbasketball.com/man_defense.htm#Tight_man-to-man_basketball_defense

This defense calls for one man to guard an opponent without ever leaving your assigned player or switching. Coach Branch McCracken used it against teams who didn’t use a lot of screens and was quite successful. There are coaches who insist they use only tight man-to-man defense; however, they are soon to admit that “teammates help one another out.”

Coach McCutchan didn’t believe that a man-to-man could get results without switching once in awhile. If a defender tries to force his way through all screens, he surely will pick up a lot of fouls.

This defense can be used as a full-court, three-quarter-court, or half-court pressure defense. Such a defense is most effective when sprung as a surprise and used for only short periods of time. Use more passive defenses in-between. You will find this defense to be most effective against inexperienced teams or a team who has poor ball-handlers.

The tight man-to-man is a great defense for a quick, small team. Use it to move the opponent’s point of attack farther out than they normally like. This defense is an excellent defense to use when trailing, late in the game.

Defensive players play closer than normal to their assigned opponent. They must go after him, or her, in an aggressive manner whenever they have the ball. When playing the dribbler force him, or her, to their weak hand, not attempting to steal the ball. Stay in his, or her, bubble faking and jabbing to stop the dribble.

As soon as the dribbler stops, the defender moves up quickly getting as close to the opponent as possible, without fouling, waving arms to block vision, and shouting, "Dead! Dead! Dead!" The teammates, hearing this, get into the passing lane to the person they are guarding to prevent them from receiving an easy pass.

If the dribbler does pass off, his defender must drop off immediately toward the basket in the direction the pass was made.

Of course I feel like I the IDEAL theory/model was the method that I used as an aid to help me with this problem.

I-I identified the problem which was my team was giving up too many offensive rebounds to the other teams.

D-I defined the problem in that I lacked a power forward who could do what was expected of him.

E- I explored interventions by reading up on various types of defenses that I could possibly use to have the other teams to turn the ball over on offense.

A- I acted and implemented these new defenses in practice and we tried them in the games.

L- I looked at the results and I was satisfied with what I got in return. Our efforts turned into causing the offensive team to commit turnovers and thus helped us to win games.

http://www.coachlikeapro.com/basketball-practice-drills.html

Preschool Reading Problem

2010-04-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

A problem that I'm facing right now is how can I get 80% of the students in my class to become readers? My preschool students are who is involved. Relevant data is the number is testing that I use to see what percentage they are reading at and can recognize sight words. My goals for this problem is to have the students know all the sounds that they letters give and how to put them together and sound them out. Some possible strategies to reach a solution are listed in the articles below. However I believe and see that young children learn through repetition. This problem hasn't been solved yet because my class is mixed up with three through five year old students. Therefore, everyone's learning abilities and style are different, now yet known, and are a work in progress.

http://schoolreadiness.suite101.com/article.cfm/teaching_preschoolers_to_read

According to Denise Oliveri we should keep learning fun.

She stated that the first important thing to remember is that in order to make learning a success you need to make learning fun. Preschoolers learn better when you make it fun. There will be times that you think they are not paying you any attention but they are learning. Any lesson can be learned by turning it into a song, drawing, arts and crafts and more.

Start your reading session by dressing up as one of the characters in the book and offering a costume for your child to wear as well. It may just be a hat, a mask or a jacket but try to fit the part. You will grab your preschooler’s attention and she will enjoy reading with you. Because it is fun to learn for the children, your teaching and reading time will consist of smiling, laughing, running and playing.

http://www.helium.com/items/696107-how-to-teach-preschoolers-to-read-and-write

According to Theresa Willbye there are many ways to teach letters, you need to find which method allows your child to develop whilst also remaining enjoyable. Children have stages in their life (2 and a half and 4 years) at which they automatically absorb phonetics. This method of teaching letter sounds is great as it allows children to read instantly any word that is phonetic once they know all the letter sounds in the alphabet (there are a lot of phonetic words). If you use this approach create materials for your child to read like flash cards word strips phonetic books, allow them to read to you this gives them a great sense of achievement.

Phonetics is not a suitable approach for all children though I worked with a boy once who was diagnosed with autism. I spent a long time trying to tech him phonetics but to no avail. Through trial and error and a little help from Thomas the tank engine we came to realize the boy had a strong ability to sight read. The boy could read every engine name ever to have been on Thomas the tank engine and so we built on that foundation and used his passion to tech him other words. Within 1 year he went from being unable to read 1 word to being grades ahead of his age in school. Remember every child is individual.

I think some teachers may often forget to alter their lesson for special needs learners. I can remember first hand watching my classmates with special needs get lost in class unless we gave him/her the answers. Preschool is a wonderful time for parents to learn what type of learner their child is. This can help their future education.

Reading rockets has lots of wonderful suggestions for teaching preschoolers to read. I especially love the one that states "know when to stop!" Teachers often want to drag lessons through even though they've lost the class in the process. Preschoolers have a very short attention span and need short lessons of no more then 10 minutes.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/7833

Read together every day

Read to your child every day. Make this a warm and loving time when the two of you can cuddle close.

Give everything a name

Build your child's vocabulary by talking about interesting words and objects. For example, "Look at that airplane! Those are the wings of the plane. Why do you think they are called wings?"

Say how much you enjoy reading

Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with him or her. Talk about "story time" as the favorite part of your day.

Read with fun in your voice

Read to your child with humor and expression. Use different voices. Ham it up!

Know when to stop

Put the book away for awhile if your child loses interest or is having trouble paying attention.

http://www.iched.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=iched&item_id=teach_writing_prek-1

Dr. Lance insists that “Children who are encouraged to draw and scribble ‘stories’ at an early age will later learn to compose more easily, more effectively, and with greater confidence than children who do not have this encouragement.” This finding is based on research literature reported by the U.S. Department of Education (What Works: Research about Teaching and Learning, second edition, 1987). This same article goes on to comment:

Even toddlers, who can hardly hold a crayon or pencil, are eager to “write” long before they acquire the skills in kindergarten that formally prepare them to read and write.

Studies of very young children show that carefully formed scrawls have meaning to them, and that this writing actually helps them develop language skills. Research suggests that the best way to help children at this stage of their development as writers is to respond to the ideas they are trying to express [italics added].

Very young children take the first steps toward writing by drawing and scribbling...others may dictate stories into a tape recorder or to an adult, who writes them down and reads them back...it is best to focus on the intended meaning of what very young children write, rather than on the appearance of the writing [italics added].

Children become more effective writers when parents and teachers encourage them to choose the topics they write about, then leave them alone to exercise their own creativity. The industriousness of such children has prompted one researcher to comment that they “violate the child labor laws” (p. 9).

The preschool years provide parents with the opportunity to build a solid base upon which good writing skills will be developed in later years. Use this critical time in a child’s development by providing paper, crayons, large pencils, good modeling on your part, and most of all, lots of encouragement and supportive response.

Emergent literacy is also very important in the process of having preschoolers to read and write. Reading and writing go hand in hand. What adults consider scribble is the attempt of a child to express themselves through writing and should be respected as so.

http://www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/preparing-preschooler-to-read.gs?content=738

Lastly according to Barbara Graber we should:

Make Literacy a Part of Every Day

Kids learn best through direct experiences that let them safely experiment and explore their world. Offer your child choices and let her be the leader in deciding which activities she wants to do. Each child learns and develops language skills in her own unique time frame, but all young children need the following:

Opportunities to develop and practice emerging skills.
Encouragement and praise for effort.
Understanding that ongoing learning is a family value.
Parents and other caregivers to help plan learning activities that are appropriate for her development.
A special place of for reading and hands-on learning activities.

I think that if I take note and attempt to use some of the aforementioned suggestion by the authors I will see an improvement in my students reading and writing skills.

2nd and 3rd things I've learned.

2010-02-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

2. Students should be allowed to use social networking sites at school as long as they can multitask for educational purposes.

3. Skype is a wonderful tool for virtual field trips and videoconferencing.

Schools should handle social networking sites by....

2010-02-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

I believe that schools should allow students to access social networking sites. I questioned a seasoned veteran teacher who doesn't utilize technology at all and a green teacher who uses these form of sites everyday. The seasoned teacher didn't agree with students using the sites because she was told that there may be predators online and that there was no educational benefit to posting pictures of yourself and sharing the latest gossip online. I found her response interesting yet funny for someone who's never been on facebook or myspace. Everything she stated, she said she learned from her daughter or watching television. The green teacher and I felt the same. We both feel that by instilling good surfing habits within students while they are younger then will be responsible users of social networking. There will always be bullies in real life and cyberbullies. However, if students were taught the importance of time management online they wouldn't run to social networking. If we allow students to access these sites we would have a window to their world. Columbine may have been prevented.... Kids always show signs whether verbally or non. Social networking sites allow them to express themselves and show their growth emotionally and educationally. Isn't that what portfolio's are for? Couldn't we as teachers help them integrate their studies and their concerns? Schools need to accept that social networking sites aren't going anywhere. Students at my school use proxy server websites with various names that change daily because the tech people catch onto them. However they students stay a step ahead because they are always on facebook or myspace when I see them in the lab. The system has already been beaten. Why not join them?

http://thejournal.com/Articles/2009/09/16/Social-Networking-in-Schools-Incentives-for-Participation.aspx

Social Networking in Schools: Incentives for Participation

By Patricia Deubel
09/16/09

In July 2007, the National School Board Association published results of three surveys regarding social networking, which included 9- to 17-year-olds, parents, and school district leaders in charge of Internet policy. While it came as no surprise that 52 percent of all districts interviewed prohibited any use of social networking sites in school, an interesting result with implications for schools was that "almost 60 percent of students who use social networking talk about education topics online and, surprisingly, more than 50 percent talk specifically about schoolwork" (NSBA, 2007, p. 1). The NSBA also found that schools and especially parents have strong expectations about the positive roles that social networking could play in students' lives, and both are interested in social networking as a tool.

With this in mind, one has to wonder why social networking has not been leveraged more in schools to enhance the education of youth. A quick answer would have to do with ensuring their online safety, which has posed a challenge to schools, as well as the typical issues surrounding introduction of any innovation. Such issues include factors that teachers can not easily influence or alter: research and policy factors and factors inherent to technology itself, and those factors that they can influence: district/school factors such as culture, factors associated with teachers' and students' beliefs, attitudes, experience, technology skills, and so on, and the technology-enhanced project itself (Groff & Mouza, 2008, cited in Klopfer, Osterweil, Groff, & Haas, 2009, p. 16).

However, there are at least two more issues to consider. District leaders want some evidence that social networking would fulfill their expectation of adding strong educational value and purpose. According to NSBA, before district leaders would buy into social networking for school use, there would need to be a strong emphasis on collaborative and planned activities, strong tools for students to express themselves, and an emphasis on bringing different kinds of students together, all with adult monitoring. I would add that social networking activities have not been promoted in schools, in part, owing to how student achievement has been measured as mandated by the No Child Left Behind accountability system, which has strongly influenced daily life in classrooms.

So where is the evidence that district leaders need, and what are the incentives for participation in social networking activities? Such evidence is tied to providing a 21st century global education, including project-based learning, which connects the social and the networking to curriculum and standards. An additional incentive considers the value and renewed focus on the development of the whole child, if changes in school accountability noted within School Accountability: A Broader Bolder Approach (BBA, 2009) become a reality.

Going Global
Interest in social networking in education is global, as evidenced by the wiki Social Networks in Education, which contains a "must-see" extensive list of social networks used in a variety of educational environments or for educational purposes. While open-access sites like Flickr, MySpace, YouTube, Del.icio.us, and Facebook might easily come to mind and contain relevant curricular content or groups with dedicated purpose (e.g. YouTube's education channel or Flickr's Visual Story Telling), schools often ban their use. They might be considered just too global and too scary. You'll find some alternatives among the Global Projects listed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in Victoria, Australia. Childnet International, a London (UK) based company, provides additional information, advice, ideas and examples, and resources for using social networking services with young people at its Digizen.org.

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http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/feb/05/051548/student-gripes-voiced-social-networking/news-breaking/

By RONNIE BLAIR | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 5, 2010

Updated: 03:48 pm

WESLEY CHAPEL - Teenagers have always griped about their schools and teachers.

Maybe they traded snide remarks about a less-than-effective chemistry instructor as they enjoyed lunch in the cafeteria. Maybe they gathered in small cliques at the mall and railed about unfair rules handed down by the principal.

Regardless, the complaints usually were heard only by those within listening distance.

These days, though, students can turn to social networking sites on the Internet to air their gripes and reach a much wider audience, including an audience that might not be receptive to the message.
That's what landed Alex Fuentes into trouble.

Last month, the senior at Wesley Chapel High in Pasco County was booted from his school's National Honor Society after he created a Facebook page critical of the school and its D grade from the state.

Fuentes, 18, said the page started as a joke, but he was also frustrated by the school's poor showing on the state's grading system. Plenty of other students jumped on the Facebook page to offer at times profane comments about Wesley Chapel High.

Fuentes said his school's chapter of the National Honor Society accused him of violating his pledge to be loyal to the school and dismissed him from the organization. He decided to transfer to another school.

Fuentes' page was hardly unique, though.

Search Facebook for nearly any high school or middle school in the Tampa Bay area and – with a few exceptions – at least one or more pages will appear. Pages also are dedicated to some elementary schools.

Often they deal with innocuous subjects. Alumni share information about class reunions or the whereabouts of former classmates. In many cases, people praise the schools and express happiness with their high school experiences.

On other pages, though, students and former students slam their schools, rag on the teachers or discuss instances of discrimination, drug use, weapons on campus and inappropriate activities or comments by school staff.

Facebook is just one of many social networking locations. Teenagers can just as easily use MySpace and Twitter to trade barbs about their schools.

It's a new world of student communication where the principal or superintendent has little to no control over a message that reaches a much larger audience than would a critical article in the school newspaper.

School districts say they don't have the manpower or the inclination to try to monitor or refute all the information circulating out there.

"We are in no way the police of MySpace," said Summer Romagnoli, a spokeswoman for the Pasco County school district. "That's not really our role."

In the Fuentes case, she noted, the student was accused of violating National Honor Society rules, not school rules.

Linda Cobbe, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County school district, said she does not know of any cases in Hillsborough where a student was disciplined over critical comments written on Facebook or other social media sites.

Cobbe said district employees in Hillsborough can't even access Facebook from work because a filtering system blocks it.

That isn't to say student social-networking sites are ignored completely.

Law enforcement officers might check the sites to learn about drug activity or crimes. Also, Cobbe said she knew of at least one situation in Hillsborough where threats were investigated.

School district officials also could get involved if a parent or student makes them aware of cyber bullying or other potential violations of the student code of conduct that have a direct impact on the operation of the schools.

Case law on what school districts can and should do about comments on the sites is still evolving, though, Romagnoli said.

"It's sort of a new territory for public education," she said.

Just this week, a U.S. appeals court said Pennsylvania school students can be disciplined for creating MySpace parodies of school officials at home — but only if they are likely to disrupt school.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court reached different conclusions in two cases Thursday that involve suspending students for fake MySpace pages created off-campus.

In a Mercer County case, the court's 2-1 opinion said a high school cannot reach into a family's home and police Internet speech.

But another three-judge panel said Schuylkill County school officials can suspend a teen for her sexually explicit parody of her principal. The panel says the school could expect the posting to disrupt school.

Any member of Facebook can create a group or page about nearly any subject. One Facebook page dedicated to Hillsborough County's new Steinbrenner High, which opened in August, is titled "Steinbrenner High School is Hell."

Only a few people have bothered to leave comments on the page, though some of those who did laced them with profanities.

Students and former students on a page about Durant High discuss their least favorite teachers, naming names.

One of the topics on the discussion board for the Durant High page is titled "Evil Evil Teachers that Should be Flicked in the Head."

A topic on an Alonso High discussion board is "You know you go to Alonso when. . ."

Some responses are whimsical, but others raise issues about discrimination, weapons, drugs and inappropriate comments by teachers.

It isn't just limited to high schools. Middle school students and alumni also trade memories and critiques of teachers and principals.

"Because it's a forum out there, it goes unchallenged," said Lizette Alexander, Pasco's director of student services. "I write whatever I want and that's my First Amendment right. But it creates a one-sided perception."

Even if they discover inaccurate information on one of the sites, district officials can't really respond, especially if the comments relate to confidential information such as the discipline of individual students.

Sherri Dunham, a student services supervisor, said Pasco schools teach character education and Internet use has been added to that curriculum to encourage students to be more responsible.

Alexander said parents can help by discussing with their children the responsible use of First Amendment rights.

"You need to use good judgment about where you go [on the Internet] and what you put out there about yourself," she said.

1st Thing I learned

2010-01-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

Web 2.0 is a platform that allows users to use multiple applications that offer unlimited access to blogs, wikis, video posting/editing, in addition to voip amongst others.

Good Morning Everyone!

2010-01-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post something new to my blog. It's been a while since I've been on here but I'm excited to almost finished with my program. The trip has been long and very trying due to outside factors. These factors haven't deterred my from focusing on and accomplishing my goals. I am focused. My thoughts are partly cloudy with a chance of...... Everyday it's something new. Technology comforts me. Technology allows me to utilize different tools for educational and or personal uses. I don't have to be "me" online. Although I enjoy being me, change is always good. So I hope you all have a wonderful time in class and that we all get A's.

B.

8thB.P. Reflecting........

2009-11-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

When I think about the course of events that happened I shake my head and wonder why. I think about how far African Americans have come as a people in the wonderful United States of America and our current state disappoints me. Sure there are lots of positive people doing good work but in my opinion the bad outweighs the good. The future is looking pretty bleak for my people. We need to focus more on getting a proper education and or learning a trade so you can support yourself and or your family and teach your children so they can achieve more in life than you did. I know grown men who live in their mother's basement, have three kids by three different women and only want to party, run the streets, and wipe down a car with rims that cost more than the car. Enough is enough. Everyone thinks it's cool to be thugs and going to jail is the new rite of passage for young African American males. I try my best to lead by example with the boys at my school and in my neighborhood. Charles Barkley and Kanye don't want to be role models. I guess I'll continue to do what they should also be doing. I'm just glad that I'm respected and admired even though I don't don all the materialistic possessions that make people "cool." I hope my webquest causes the youth to take into consideration what is right and important in helping them map out and live their lives in a responsible fashion.

In addition I had a pretty good time developing a web based inquiry activity. I believe my project exemplifies the use of student inquiry for learning because it causes them to look at discuss, and deal with the issues that affect their community. I think web based inquiry would fit within my vision of myself as an educator because it allows students to step outside the everyday norm of worksheets and tests.

My 2nd life experience

2009-10-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

I think second life is a wonderful place to use for educational purposes. My experience has been nothing but positive with second life. At first I was kinda skeptical because it seemed kinda weird to me. I didn't see why people would want to be in another world as someone else. Little did I know that it encompasses much more than just walking around talking to various people. However once I started using the program and got the basics down I was impressed. There aren't any boundaries and you have the ability to create your own building and present presentations etc..... I especially liked the Space Museum and going up on the rooftop for the powerpoint presentation for nlu. I wish CPS would use this for teachers on our professional development days. However some old school teachers would be lost and most schools wouldnt have enough computers to accomodate the staff. Funny thing is that I just got a PS3 and the playstation network is just like second life with the avatars and such. Everyone is walking around watching videos, talking, and purchasing PS3 games. They throw parties on there and play games together. There is even streaming ESPN! LOL!! Second life may be the future...... but of what in education? There are so many possibilities of how it can be used. Let me get to braingstorming..... maybe I can come up with something that will change education as we know it.

I have a dream

2009-10-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

I've had a heck of a time choosing what I was going to do my webquest on. I had no idea where I was going to come from and or come up with for my assignment. Little did I realize that I had all the resources that I need right in my face. For the last month and some change we've all heard and or seen a story or 1,000 of them in the media about Derrion Albert, Fenger h.s., and the Roseland community of Chicago. Well I live in this neighborhood and know lots of students from Fenger h.s. personally. Fenger is my school's neighborhood school. What's sad about this whole situation is that Fenger is used as a drop off for students with the lowest test score of their grammar school who couldn't get accept anywhere else. The majority of students who attend school at Fenger h.s. do just that. They attend school and stay out of trouble. However, in my opinion I would say 20% of the students at Fenger are the "hardcore gangbangers" that are keeping this mayhem up. I attended Morgan Park and some of my friends attended Julian, Corliss, and CHAS. However NO ONE wanted to go to Fenger because in the 1980's the good teachers left when they saw the area going down and student population changing. The Roseland neighborhood does have a gang and drug problem but it's not every single block. I'd say 40% of it is horrible the other 60% is perfectly fine. The gangs within the neighborhood all know each other, fight and kill each other but if outsiders, like the students from Altgeld Gardens come in trying to take over it's a problem. That's what happened up at Fenger. Students from the Gardens flexed their muscle on the various neighborhood gangs in an attempt to "show them who's boss." However the neighborhood gangs came together to get rid of the students from the Gardens. This situation was flaring up for years and nothing was done until someone died. Shame on them! Shame on the students! Shame on the principal! Shame on the Alderman-Carrie Austin! Shame on the police! Everyone knew but no one did anything. Now I see my neighborhood all over the media like its the worst place in the city! Well it isn't, there are plenty of law abiding hard working citizens in this community. Arne Duncan holds an emergency meeting and chooses to throw 500k at the situation for more programs. Okay................. They need gang awareness programs, jobs, work study and better academic/technology based programs for students also. There aren't any local opportunities for students to take advantage of. I decided that my webquest will be about if Dr. King's dream is still alive today and look at what he attempted to accomplish and where African Americans stand today.

This was in the paper today:

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/boxing/1843769,CST-NWS-terrell25.article

I'm sorry but I walk in my neighborhood everyday and I feel safe. No one will mess with you if you aren't messing with them or gang banging. I do not walk in fear, I make eye contact with people and I speak to them. I hope you visit the area and see for yourself that it isn't what the media is making it out the be.

Criteria for the selection of web-based materials

2009-10-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

I've been using the internet actively for the last 12 years. I've properly utilized online resources for the last 10 years. I used to be a cut and paste type of student. I knew about primary and secondary resources and how to utilize books the correct way. However, once I found out that you could find the information that you needed online, why not use it? That's why I'm glad I was a history major because my professors drilled us over and over again about plagiarism. They showed us how to test the accuracy and relevance of websites. I even wrote a paper with a classmate for one of those professors. Why did he "loan" our paper to classmates who were in the library. Of course the paper that we wrote ended up getting turned in and we were all in hot water. Luckily I had the resources to back up, how I/we wrote the paper. As far as web bast materials you have to be very careful and do lots of cross referencing in order to see if what you are reading is true. Anyone can make a web page and post something, or edit a wikipedia page. Utilizing web 2.0 tools, ID, and addressing credibility issues are other ways that students, teachers, and others utilizing web based materials can reliably use those materials.

Several teachers and institutions provide access to Web-based teaching materials through links on Web pages. An example is how Columbia Education Center provides access to supplemental Web-based Teaching Materials^[1]. University professors and departments often provide similar resource pages to augment learning opportunities for their students. These resources are especially helpful when they provide an extension beyond what is covered in the classroom (i.e. materials on specific disciplines for Education majors who may be have deep knowledge in a specific discipline).

According to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web-based_teaching_materials

Several companies and cooperative efforts have emerged to provide online access to Web-based teaching materials. These entities range from companies producing their own edutainment media to sites provided to aggregate links to other existing content. While the missions of these organizations may differ, they all focus on furthering the World Wide Web as the delivery medium for teaching materials.

Blog #4 -Web 2.0 Tool Evaluation

2009-10-05T06:20:00.000-07:00

RSS (most commonly translated as "Really Simple Syndication" but sometimes "Rich Site Summary") is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a "feed", "web feed", or "channel") includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based. A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering into the reader the feed's URI or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds.

Cited from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS, by Brian H. on 10/03/09

RSS feeds are considered part of Web 2.0 because it utilizes user centered design and information sharing. The primary purpose of RSS feeds is to use one sites date in another site, application, or browser plugin. Students from third grade/ages 7 and above should be able to utilize RSS feeds. A professional development activity/ sample lesson that could be used with an RSS feed is to have teachers start a google account and receive RSS feeds from several news networks through google reader. They could then pick 2 interesting articles and summarize them with group members and embed a video of the story on their blog. resource.

RSS image uploaded from: http://www.zisshop.nl/Zis/web/%5Cpic%5Crss.gif

Back to the drawing board B.P.#3

2009-10-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

I got so used to teaching seventh and eight graders, that I forgot what to expect when I went back to early childhood education. Being a man teaching preschool is quite the task. 80% of the children in my class don't live with their biological fathers and I am their only contact with a male outside of siblings and or other family members. This is a positive in a MAJOR way. They get to see a male role model outside of what the norm in my neighborhood is, and let me say that it isn't positive.

I went from easy street, by having students grade their own papers and record grades to having to wipe noses and serve food family style. I also had to change my teaching methods and become more of a nurturer than a disciplinarian. The one thing that I find bot ages of students have in common is that they are all receptive to positive engaged conversation. I'm not a teacher who raises their voice. I've never had to an probably never will. My aura delivers a strange cosmic energy that mysteriously tells students "don't play with him." However, it was back to the drawing board when it came to preschool. I could use a refresher that helped me with my teaching style and what I should be concentrating on teaching the little people.

I found several websites that offered helpful information that I could use in and outside of my classroom.

A to Z Kid's Stuff - http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/

Lots of very basic approaches to instruction for Preschool and Kindergarten, categorized by headings that will surely make sense to any primary teacher. While this site doesn't necessarily offer lots of interactivity, the storehouse of ready to use ideas is a big selling point.

Early Childhood Technology Literacy Project - http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/littlekids/

The forward thinking Montgomery County, Maryland School system has put together this progressive program to promote literacy of technology in the earliest grades. This website offers the background and materials to teachers around the world interested in making use of this fabulous program.

Early Childhood Thematic Units - http://www.sbcss.k12.ca.us/sbcss/specialeducation/ecthematic/index.html

Kathy Van Velzen offers this collection of eleven units complete with Bulletin Board Ideas, Cooking Ideas, Fine Gross Motor tasks, Language Development, Literature, Music, Sample Lesson Plans, Sample Parent Communications, Software Support, and Toys and Materials.

EduPuppy - http://www.edupuppy.com/

Kristen Hammond heads up this well-screened directory of developmentally appropriate ideas and materials perfect for grades K-2. Using keywords and categories teachers can sniff out the best activities, research and resources for the classroom. Very user friendly.

Enchanted Learning - http://www.enchantedlearning.com/categories/preschool.shtml

This portion of Enchanted Learning is dedicated exclusively to younger students. It includes letter and number recognition, colors, animals, transportation, as well as themes, links and a child-friendly search tool. Definitely worth your consideration.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education - http://ericeece.org/

This site is one of 16 clearinghouses in the ERIC system, providing resources for educators, parents and families, interested in the development, education, and care of children throughout early childhood. A great resource for research and literature helpful to educators.

Funschool - http://www.funschool.com/

Original activities designed for younger students, Funschool is a great place to have safe fun online. There's lots of familiar game formats here, and great use of JAVA applets for interactive uses of technology. Activities for upper elementary too.

Idea Box - http://www.theideabox.com/

All kinds of timely lessons and activities designed for the primary grades, including message boards where teachers can get together and offer support and ideas for one another. The free monthly newsletter rounds out this exceptionally designed site.

KinderKorner - http://www.kinderkorner.com/

Kinder Korner is a resource web site for teachers and others interested in early childhood education. It has an Internet mailing list and a great place to share ideas, ask questions, and talk about what works in your classroom.

Mrs. Gaines' Kindergarten Links - http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/2221/gainesgang.html

This is what a truly early childhood collection of links should look like. If you visit no other site from this edition, be sure to visit this one if you're looking for interactive educational games for nonreaders. Close the Geocities menu before sharing with your children.

The School Bell - http://www.theschoolbell.com/

Kathy Gursky offers this collection of themes, activities and resources for the primary classroom. Surf by month, alphabetically or by category. School Bell originals offer new content of interest to young children and their teachers.

A World of Kindergartens - http://www.coe.iup.edu/worldofkindergarten/

Excellent listing of early childhood resources gathered from around the globe and covering such popular areas of interest as the 100th day of school, computers in the primary grades and bookmark collections on high interest topics.
(*websites suggestions, cited from http://surfaquarium.com/newsletter/early.htm on 10/2/09 by Brian H.)

There are tons of additional materials on the web for teachers to use with their students. We just have to go through them and see if they are worth recommending to our coworkers and classmates.

IQ learning/Sites/Rubrics

2009-09-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquiry-based_learning

According to wikipedia Inquiry-based learning is:

Inquiry-based learning describes a range of philosophical, curricular and pedagogical approaches to teaching. Its core premises include the requirement that learning should be based around student's questions. Pedagogy and curriculum requires students to work together to solve problems rather than receiving direct instructions on what to do from the teacher. The teacher's job in an inquiry learning environment is therefore not to provide knowledge, but instead to help students along the process of discovering knowledge themselves. In this form of instruction, it is proposed that teachers should be viewed as facilitators of learning rather than vessels of knowledge. Even though this form of instruction has gained great popularity of the past decade, there is plenty of debate about the effectiveness of this form of instruction.

In my opinion I believe inquiry is the act of seeking facts through instruction.

The inquiry quotient has a rubric that lays out for criteria rating for all the things that make up the webquest. There are various parts to the webquest such as the intro, task, processes, resources, evaluation, and the conclusion.

http://www.geocities.com/jazzer1402536/Rainforest.htm
This webquest requires students to develop a "campaign" to save the rainforest (A campaign is when people get together to accomplish a purpose). This may include PowerPoint presentations, TV commercials, speeches to people in the government, going on talk shows, brochures, songs, posters, or any other projects approved by the teacher.

http://www.geocities.com/mmooney49/rainforest.html
There are webquests like the one above that require you to research and develop a written report, visual project, and be prepared for an oral presentation about an animal that lives in the rainforest. You will need to explain why your animal needs the rainforest to survive.

Both webquests have some interesting tasks and require the students to participate in inquiry based learning. However I prefer the second site because of the web resources that are provided to students. I evaluated the sites with the rubric I created, and the first site would get a 9/16 and the second site a 11/16

I'll leave you with this, according to Alan Colburn

http://www.csulb.edu/~acolburn/AETS.htm

The science education community has embraced no idea more than that called "inquiry," or "inquiry-based instruction." Developing an inquiry-based science program is the central tenet of the National Science Education Standard's teaching standards. Project 2061's Benchmarks for Science Literacy discusses scientific inquiry multiple times, including a section specifically devoted to the topic.

Still, inquiry is ambiguously defined while nevertheless hailed sometimes as the way to teach science, a method that addresses all important educational goals. The purpose of this presentation, based on my literature review of JRST articles about the topic, is to clarify participants knowledge about one of today=s biggest educational buzzwords. The paper addresses three aspects of inquiry-based instruction important for any teacher educator to understand. As a preservice teacher educator myself, the paper is keyed specifically to people teaching methods courses or science courses for preservice teachers.

Internet Resource Value

2009-09-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

My initial opinion of internet resources is that of a positive light. When I recall distant memories of my first exposure of the internet in school, I think about surfing online using a netscape browser on a slow connection. I didn't utilize any of the resources that were available because I wasn't taught what was available or how to use it. Once I got to high school I was taught how to use word processors, spreadsheets, and search engines. However it wasn't until college that I really used the online libraries for primary and secondary resources. Fast forward now and I feel robbed. There is a plethera of information on the internet for students to utilize now. There are online libraries like proquest k-12, and elibrary elementary. Students have access to literature sites like teachingbooks.net, and International childrens digital library. Teachers also have the availability to utilize the online accessories that come with their teachers editions. The publishers of the editions have tests, quizzes, video, and additional resources that cover whatever subject it is that you are teaching. This was totally unheard of in the past. I can recall older teachers with 7-8 resource binders that they had to use to teach with. Those days are gone. The internet allows teachers the ease of using whats available and also to CREATE their own resources that will be available for several generations of students and teachers to use in their classrooms and at home. Students having the ability to go online and find the information that they need in order to finish homework assignments and or to create experiments that they can learn from are very important. Everyone who participates in higher learning and education need the necessary tools in order to be able to do good work. The value of the internet is high. The things such as web 2.0 is allowing surgeons on one coast to preform an operation while the procedure is streaming live online and medical students on the opposite coast can follow the procedure on a cadaver. That was unheard of in the past! The internet now allows that! Hands on activities are so important in that field and having the internet to do that on is priceless. I wish that we had the type of resources that are available now where available when I was in school. They would have been so helpful back then. Unfortunately they weren't but now I will use the resources that are available to me. I hope that other teacher and students will do the same.

Last Blog Post

2009-06-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

"Being comfortable" is one enemy. Television, Study Island, Right Winger Republicans, Budget Cuts, Extended School Days, Flaming Hots with Nacho Cheese, Behavior Problems, AYP, Education vs. Teaching, Chicago Teaachers Union, Charter Schools.......

Just some of the topics that we touched on in class. The one thing that I've taken to heart throughout this class is to step away, look, analyze, and change what you are doing if it isn't making a difference in the lives of your students. Being comfortable is quite an easy thing to do as a teacher, especially if your principal isn't breathing down your neck.

The way the majority of educators attempt to teach our students who are minorities isn't working. Everything needs to change when dealing with these groups of people. More funding is needed but PROVEN PROGRAMS that improve test scores while allowing students to come in contact with nature and other environments that they wouldn't otherwise in the concrete jungle.

Teachers must analyze themselves, read quality books that help build character, and join professional organizations that will help them become the well rounded educators that they should be. No one should get "comfortable."

Dr. Cunningham managed to turn my world upside down in a matter of weeks. Everything that seems to be really isn't what it appears to be. I feel like I'm trapped in the Matrix. I have one question for you Craig. What aren't you running for a public office? You have a plethora of knowledge. I could see you in office rustling feathers.

How do budget cuts affect teachers?

2009-06-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time of year again. Time for the distribution of cap and gowns correct? Why yes, but also time for the distribution of pink slips to teachers. There were 6 teachers and an Assistant Principal let go by my Principal this year. Five out of the six taught at the school less than 3 years, while the other one for approximately three years. The Assistant Principal taught at the school for the last 24 years! They were all told that they were laid off due to "budget cuts!" Our school suffers from low enrollment. I've noticed the pattern for the last two years. Several teachers are fired at the end of the school year, then in the beginning of the new year the remaining teachers have overcrowded classrooms, some up to 42 students. The paperwork is filed concerning this matter and more monies are given to the school. The Principal then hires teachers fresh out of college. I wonder exactly how much additional money the school is receiving for "overcrowded classrooms?"

http://712educators.about.com/od/issuesineducation/tp/teaching_budget_cuts.htm

Larger Classes

With budget cuts come larger classes. Research has shown that students learn better in smaller classes. When there is overcrowding there is a greater likelihood of disruptions. Further, it is much easier for students to fall through the cracks in larger schools and not get the extra help they need and deserve to succeed. Another casualty of larger classes is that teachers are unable to do as many cooperative learning and other more complex activities. They are just too difficult to manage with very large groups.

Without a doubt I know that half of the teachers that were laid off could not control their students. They were literally hanging from the chandeliers. However I can't believe why the Assistant Principal was let go. She does a wonderful job, but is making 100,000 + so I guess there lies the problem.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23116409/

WASHINGTON - School budgets have seemed to defy gravity in recent years — going up steadily without ever coming down. But school board members from across the country say that's likely to change soon, and they're bracing for leaner times forced by the nation's economic downturn.

Board members in Washington last week for an annual conference said shortfalls in state budgets coupled with pessimistic predictions about local revenues are forcing them to look for ways to trim next year's budgets, which they are working on now.

I hope my fellow co-workers are really being laid off due to "budget cuts" and not because of their inability to control their students.

Learning through play and fantasy

2009-06-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful that I had a 5 year old niece when I was a headstart teacher. I only have one sibling and he's nine years older than me. Walking into that classroom was a rude awakening. I wasn't prepared for what I was going to experience. I learned that preschool must be structured just like the regular classroom, however the children learn a lot through play and fantasy. They aren't just sitting there like kids in the other grades with a book in front of them learning facts. I had to shed my adult skin and participate with my students in all aspects of their education. Learning through play allowed them to emulate doctors, nurses, and construction workers. I recall asking them specifically who they were, what they were doing and why were they doing so. The discussions and demonstrations we had were amazing.

http://www.lifelearningmagazine.com/0312/NovDec03.pdf

"Play isn’t something that we, as adults, can manipulate and control. Our
role, as I have found out, is to facilitate as many opportunities for play as we can. Aside from quality tools, time to play is crucial, and that's something home educating families can give their children in abundance."

I recall the fathers of several headstart students who thought it was wrong for them to play with their children and participate in their "fantasy land." I never had one man to come put on one of the dress up outfits and and become a doctor that was going to cure a patient by the bean bags. Headstart did however hold an inservice on the importance of playing with and fantasizing with your child. A hand full of parents showed up and they learned a lot.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/hml/ec/ec1297-e/

Play is for parents, too

You will find that playing with your children can be fun and helpful. It’s a relaxed and easy way to learn about your child’s interests, skills, and worries. It is a way of showing your child that you care, and it is one way you can contribute to your child’s total development.

To make the most of the opportunities play offers both you and your children, try these ideas:

Join in your children’s play.
Add fantasy and playfulness to everyday situations.
Provide playmates for your children.
Take your children to see people, places, and things outside your home.

You’ll find that play offers lots of possibilities to build on.

My K-12 experience as a student

2009-05-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

I attended Metcalfe Magnet School on the far south side of Chicago for K-8. I was in the "gifted" program for grades 1-8. All of the "gifted" classrooms were split 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8. All of the assignments and tasks we were given were challenging.
We had a wonderful science lab teacher. Each week we did experiments that corresponded with the lessons we learned. She also took us to Argonne national laboratory and other places on field trips. We had a good Spanish teacher, he went class to class and taught us once a week. There was gym class, a music class, and even recess for 20 some minutes per day!
Metcalfe was a wonderful experience. From 5th grade on, the classes were departmentalized. The teachers just adapted their lessons for the three types of classes. All of the kids knew of how the classes were broken down. As you know children are cruel and this is how they referred to the breakdown of the classes, there was "the gifted class", "the middle class", and "the slow class." I personally didn't care because I was friends with everyone but some of the students discriminated against each other. Mainly the higher scoring students versus the lower scoring students. The percentage was very small when it cam down to it but there were actually fights about "being stupid" or "being a nerd."
The Administration and Staff at Metcalfe worked hand in hand with parents to make sure that the students of the school were receiving the best education possible. There was the occasional fight but no gangs or drug problems. My time at Metcalfe was very fruitful and prepared me for high school.
I attended Morgan Park High School and totally messed up my freshmen year. I went into school with a big head because at Metcalfe I was the Co-Captain and starting point guard of the basketball team. We won the region championship in 1990, 1992 and the area championship in 1993. My Iowa test scores got me into M.P. high, but my basketball skills were what saved me. I ended up cutting lots of class and missed about 2 months of school throughout my freshman year. I was at every basketball practice. At the end of my freshman year my g.p.a. was barely 1.0 and I got kicked off the team in addition to being kicked out of the school. The principal gave me one chance to get myself together and in addition to the worse beating I ever got in my life I chose to do what I should have been doing in the first place. Get an education. I stopped cutting school and everything else that hindered me from doing my best. I focused on my studies and managed to graduate on time with a 2.9 g.p.a I loved my Science classes, Black American Studies, and Computer Technology classes. If I would've done what I should have been doing all along I could have graduated with no less than a 4.0 I truly believe. My high school experience showed me that slacking off and b.s.'ing will get you no where in life. I took full advantage of the Morgan Park high school for my last three years. I was the head of the Stage crew, sang in the school choir, worked on the video crew and was on the track team.
My teachers all took a liking to me and let me know that they were there to help me. I didn't listen my first year. I often wonder what could have been.............. We didn't really take any field trips in high school, however I was prepared for college upon graduating from Morgan Park High School.

http://www.shawnolson.net/a/1/my-experience-at-westland-high-school.html

The other way to view it is that the only reason the other kids never asked the essential question (Why am I in school?) was because they were conditioned to accept their environment regardless of its value. This is probably the truest way to view the situation. I have a terrible feeling about this because it seems all too apparent that this attitude is common, and it is an attitude that leads to cultural stagnation and apathy. I am afraid of a world with no concern with where it is and where it is going because that is a world where there is no vision. Without vision we are at the mercy of forces that do not care about us individually or collectively, and we are vulnerable to the claws of predators and fools.

That is the moral I draw from my time at Westland High School.

I somewhat felt they same way Shawn did about high school. I already knew they things that were being taught my first year and I saw no point of being there other than to play basketball. I was doing work to get a grade and wasn't interested in what was being taught for the most part. The classes I took following my freshmen year were more challenging and I applied myself. However, I graduated, unlike Shawn.

http://lagnada.blogspot.com/2007/01/high-school-experience-introduction-i.html

Staying on Course

"A concept that was new to me was the ability of students to register for courses without the parents' consent. I was very new to this idea and that not liking Science and Math courses at the time I decided to skip all the math and science classes in my sophomore year naturally. This is very ironic since later on in life I received my degree in Electrical Engineering which is a course known for to be intensive in Science and Math classes. I found out later on that there were minimum requirements in Math and Sciences so I had to take the missing courses during my junior year if I wanted to graduate. During my junior year, I had two take a couple of courses which I was the only junior in the class. This situation seemed like a blessing for me since I found that even though the sophomores were still a year older than me they were actually the right maturity level. I craved to be immature and unserious. I had fun with the sophomores and made lots of friends at that level. I have found that there is a blessing to every bad situation."

Everyone has a different experience in school. I'm glad Antonio finished and went on to be a successful Electrical Engineer. I never considered being a teacher. While in high school I only wanted to be one thing and that was a Mortician. I used to volunteer over the summer at my cousins funeral home out west. I went to SIUC majoring in Mortuary Science but I couldn't work on the babies. You cant pick and choose what cadaver you wish to prepare so I dropped out of the program.

Public Vs. Private Schools

2009-05-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Center for Education Policy did a special study based on analysis of the National Educational Longitudinal Study. They found that there is no real difference between the academic performance given by public and private school students from the same low-income bracket and background, suggesting that family involvement has more of an impact than the school setting.

http://www.cep-dc.org/document/docWindow.cfm?fuseaction=document.viewDocument&documentid=226&documentFormatId=3665

I guess everything that Craig said was correct. However the fact remains that the playing field (financially) isn't even. Suburban/Private schools receive more money to spend on each student versus public schools. I wonder what percentage of private school students are from low income homes? I would assume that these students were some of if not the top performing students in a public school at one time and may have received a scholarship to attend the private school.

Summary of CEP Findings

Low-income students attending public high schools performed just as well academically as low-income students attending private high schools.
Neither private school students nor public school students with similar background characteristics were more likely to attend college.
Young adults at age 26 who attended private school are no more likely to be engaged in civic activities than young adults who attended a public school.
Private school graduates aren't any more satisfied with the jobs they hold at age 26 than are public school graduates.

Contrary to popular belief, we can find no evidence that private schools actually increase student performance,' stated Jack Jennings, the president and CEO of CEP. 'Instead, it appears that private schools simply have higher percentages of students who would perform well in any environment based on their previous performance and background.'

Home Schooling....... With or without teaching crudentials?

2009-05-10T21:59:00.000-07:00

I would think that any parent who wanted to educate their child would be required by the state to have some sort of teaching crudentials. The purpose of teaching is to instill knowledge through experience and learn from it. How can an inexperienced parent teach subjects to their child that they don't know about?

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/09/local/me-homeschool9
"In February, in a child-protection hearing, the 2nd District Court of Appeal said parents must have a teaching credential to home-school their children. The decision caused nationwide uproar among home-schoolers, evangelists and others, and the court agreed to reconsider its decision.

Today the court ruled that California law allowed home schooling but that the right of parents to home-school their children can be overridden if a child is in danger.

Unlike in at least 30 other states, home schooling is not specifically addressed in California law. Today's ruling essentially upheld the position of the state Department of Education, which has traditionally allowed home schooling as long as parents file paperwork with the state establishing themselves as private schools, hire credentialed tutors or enroll their children in independent study programs run by charter or private schools or public school districts."

I don't know whether to be disgusted by this or not. I personally only know two African-American children who were home schooled. They did fine in high school and are now in college. However their father is a major architect and their mom has a masters degree in biology but chose not to work. These circumstances aren't the same for rest of the nationwide home schooled students. Here are some comments from some teachers speaking out on this subject.

http://californiahomeschool.net/resources/teachercomments

"My state teaching credential did not teach me how to successfully instruct children as individuals, nor is it even possible to instruct another how to teach. Teaching is an innate ability possessed by most mothers. Instead, my credential gave me the skills to manage large groups of children efficiently within an institutional setting, a skill set completely unnecessary for home instruction."

"Home Schooling has produced some very educated students. Ability to teach is not conditioned on having a credential."

"The classes required for a credential are more about managing a classroom than becoming an excellent teacher. They are quite irrelevant to homeschooling."

"I hold a current teacher's certificate in the State of Illinois. I also homeschool our five children. My credentials did not prepare me to teach my own children!! Rather, being their mom did."

What do you think?

School violence

2009-05-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.ericdigests.org/2004-3/violence.html

Violence in schools is something that isn't discussed much until a tragedy happens. Inner city schools are more prone to have acts of violence happen there than suburban and rural schools. The urban school administrators should take the time and assess how this affects the test scores of children. There should also be more programs instated that address school violence. Students need to be taught how to work out their differences instead of using violence to solve problems.

* Secondary schools are more likely to report at least one incident of violence than elementary and middle schools, with 92 percent of secondary schools, 87 percent of middle schools, and 61 percent of elementary schools reporting a violent incident. For serious violence, secondary and middle schools (29 percent) report the same incidence of serious violence, while 14 percent of elementary schools report at least one serious incident.

* Similarly, compared to city schools, those on the urban fringe are less likely to report a violent incident, while there are no differences in reports of violent incidents between city schools and those located in towns or rural areas.

After controlling for other characteristics, the only school management practice that remains associated with reports of violence is the number of classroom changes students make during a typical school day; as the number increases, the probability of experiencing a violent incident also increases.

At my school there are some fights but mostly from things that happen outside of school. There are several gangs in the area. However the security does a good job at curbing the violence on school grounds. When things to happen, I know that my assistant principal reports the incidents to area office and to the police. I don't believe that he is fudging data.

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4032

"In reality, disclosures of school violence vary wildly from one district to another. Some schools report every punch thrown on the playground. Others did not include assaults that police classified as felonies," Denver Post staff writer Doug Oplinger reported.

After comparing police reports with those filed by schools, Oplinger found serious discrepancies. Among the incidents that took place at metro-area schools reporting no violence or fights of any kind last year were a boy who needed staples to close head wounds; a girl who was hospitalized with bruised kidneys; a sexual assault; a knifing; and attacks with a flagpole and a baseball bat.

Between March and April, the Chicago Tribune reported on the failure of law enforcement officials in Illinois to consistently notify school districts when convicted juvenile sex offenders enroll in their schools. Many failed to notify principals in the mistaken belief they were not permitted to alert them, when in fact they were required to do so.

Health risks in education

2009-04-26T16:15:00.001-07:00

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/school-air1.htm
http://content.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/interactive/4

There are schools nationwide that are located around industrial factories. The factories are emitting toxic pollutants into the air. Guess who's breathing in these toxins? Yes, you guessed correct. The children, teachers, and everyone else in the surrounding areas.

I believe the EPA needs to do more to regulate the the emission levels of these factories. The problem is who's going to regulate the regulators? It is a crime for people to be exposed to these toxins.

In most minority communities you can easily find industrial factories nearby. The flipside to this is that throughout the rest of the U.S. where there aren't any minorities there are Caucasians being exposed to the same toxins. Exposing people to toxins is a crime. These companies slowly killing people, they are also killing the earth with their toxic fumes and waste.

Schools shouldn't be built by these factories. The schools that are within a 4 mile range of factory that emits toxins should be closed.

Social Justice High School

2009-04-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

News Article:
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/oct/09/business/chi-gay-school-09oct09

Social Justice High School Website
http://sj.lvlhs.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=54003&type=d

GLBTQA want their own high school for various reasons. Some of the main reasons is violence, mistreatment from students and teachers, and absentee rates. I've always been opposed to this type of school opening. My reasoning is that if you let people have the ability to leave the regular schools and have their own school because of their social/sexual status that's not fair. It's not fair to those who leave, nor the students who'd still be attending the school.

I think GLBTQA and heterosexual students should be required to take classes the address the questions and or issues that they may have about each other. When I was in high school from 1993-1997 there were GLBTQA's that attended my school and they got along with the majority of the students. The major difference that I see now amongst GLBTQA youngsters of today in comparison to those when I was in high school is some of the outrageous behavior that SOME of them display. Displaying this type of behavior in front of SOME heterosexual high schoolers they tend to speak disrespectfully and or use violent behavior toward the GLBTQA's. Every day schools should have social time where 10 minutes is taken for all the children to interact with one another and highlight 5 kids to say a little about themselves. This isn't a lot but it may help others to see something special in them and want to befriend them.

By educating both parties about one another they can see how they have much more similarities than differences. Your sexual preference and outward display doesn't dictate who you are or what kind of person you are. However getting that point across to a kids ages 13-17 is very hard especially since they tend to judge their peers on outward appearance.

Poverty and Potential

2009-04-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

In http://epicpolicy.org/publication/poverty-and-potential Berliner outlines as factors that affect student success in school: 1) low birth-weight and non-genetic prenatal influences on children 2) inadequate medical, dental, and vision care, often a result of inadequate or no medical insurance 3) food insecurity 4) environmental pollutants 5 family relations and stress and 6) neighborhood characteristics 7) extended learning opportunities such as preschool, summer school and after-school learning. These factors are being addressed in schools but the truth of the matter is that not all parents tend to take advantage of the resources at hand. I recall when teaching in headstart that there were actual headstart community personell that held monthly meetings that would address these 7 and other issues that affect the school and community. On average from 40 students. 20 in two half day classes only 2 parents would participate in the meetings. Others simply didn't care or signed in and left after a couple minutes. The personall couldn't force them to stay so they spoke to those parents who did attend.

I feel that articles like this paint a perfect picture for politicians to see what is wrong with the Education system within the United States of America. However, what are they going to do to change these factors? Teachers do everything they can possibly do help raise test scores, raise student morale, and raise productive citizens of this country. Politicians and administrators should be held accountable for not doing enough to correct these inconsistensies. Who will hold those who make the laws and sit on the sidelines accountable? Teachers Union's, parents, students, and the local school councils must all work together in order for a change to happen. The available data has to be reviewed and grassroots programs must be put in place to make an actual "change" in poor school and poor neighborhoods. Parents must also take responsibility for their childrens future and living conditions. If a person refuses to work and chooses to collect a check, there should be prequisites for them recieve any form of government given monies.

"Family violence is much more likely to be directed at females than males, and it occurs more
frequently among the poor than the middle class and wealthy." http://www.abanet.org/domviol/statistics.html. Violence is yet another factor that floods into the school. Neighborhood affairs, family feuds, and gang battles/wars are an everyday reality. Students cant learn when they know there is a 90% possibility that they will get jumped on when it is time to change classes. Gang ties through your family is another problem. I know of students who cant go around or talk to other students due to the gang ties of their older siblings. It's a "respect" issuse of the streets. Kids are taught to only deal with members that associate with the family gang or dont speak at all. So if you have a couple students in your class that score high on tests but dont talk, it doesn't necessarily mean they are introverts.

In the public school rankings article I learned that "due to the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, and the 2007 reauthorization of that Act, parents of students who are attending low-performing schools at the bottom of Public school rankings have the right to withdraw their children from said schools and enroll them in places that are on the top in regards to Public school rankings." http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/public-school-rankingshowpoor-neighborhoods-affect-placement-208604.html This is absolutely wondeful, however I'm pretty sure that most parents from low income areas take advantage of this loophole.

As far as the "Minority proximity to environmental dangers in the USA" from the Berliner article I can think off hand of the landfill and paint factory within a 3 mile proximity to my home and I'm like WOW. There are so may factories and industrial businesses amongst my community and the surrounding that I never paid attention to. Carver high school is a prime example. This school is located with city blocks of a huge landfill.

There are so many factors that affect minority students. Mr. Berliner made a start by providing us with detailed data that can be used to help correct these atrocities. The question is, what will you as an individual do to help those in need?

ISAT Test Week 1

2009-03-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

My kids are very happy to be finished with the first part of the ISAT test. Reading part 1 is complete and I know they cant wait for the rest to end.

TIE 532 Blog

2009-02-22T19:50:00.000-08:00

Your next assignments are to subscribe to my blog, then create your own personal web log entry on the blog you created. In a few sentences please discuss the hands on experience that we had working with computer hardware last week in class.