EBTL2

Would schools get better results if they were run like a corporation?

Would schools get better results if they were run like corporations?

The biggest problem with this author's opinion is that his only measure is test scores. There are quite a few other problems, of course. It was frustrating to read this. I wonder if he has ever tried to do what a teacher does, even for a week. I wonder if his expertise about education comes from merely being a student once when he was a child and perhaps even having children who are students. He doesn't seem to cite any evidence about what teachers really do day-to-day. Does he even know?

The authors want educators to pay attention to freshman year.

I completely agree with this. For example, I debated my colleagues in the history department at the beginning of the school year when we were nailing down our DDMs. I argued that 9th graders are different than all other high school standards and their DDM should not be measured in the same way as 10th and 11th graders. As a teacher who has taught a variety of teen grade levels over my career, I can really vouch for the fact that 9th graders are unique.

Methinks Dan Pink might have some thoughts about this...

I wish there was a Diigo "like" button for comments.

The importance of asking students GREAT questions to help them understand how to use the Internet properly. There is a lot of history propaganda and misinformation out there. How do we help kids sort it all out?

For those of us who are teachers of writing, or participating in the Writers' Workshop training this year, here is a resource that may be helpful as we navigate teaching the literary essay. This comes from a Michigan school district, but is based on the Writers' Workshop model. This particular unit is sixth grade, but it lists expectations and areas of focus for a range of grade levels. Teachers can also find resources for various grade levels by searching around the main site. I love that it also outlines several useful mentor texts. I haven't read them yet, but certainly plan to as I start my planning of the literary essay unit.

I've been a big fan of Diane Ravitch ever since reading her book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education. Here, she maintains that the recent NAEP reports on reading and math that indicate the success of "carrot and stick" reforms are just not accurate. I think she makes some good points that align well with our class readings and discussions. If this is a topic that interests you, you might also want to check on Diane Ravitch on Dan Pink's Office Hours where she discusses the detriments of merit pay http://bit.ly/1b8Spl7

I have recently had a child placed in my class who is in the foster care system. This child has a background that is unique amongst the children in my class. As the honeymoon phase has worn off, it is apparent that this child's needs are also unique. I have been doing some reading on the subject of kids in foster care, and came across this article. It is a good place to start. I have also been directed towards the book, "Parenting the Hurt Child," by Keck and Kupecky. Although written for adoptive parents, there is valuable information and insight for teachers as well.

Interesting - it looks like this company is trying to make a tablet that is tailored for education. I like this idea because the iPads seem to be designed to profit the Apple company, which makes some things (such as the lack of Flash compatibility) a hindrance in the classroom.

We actually met with the rep from this company last spring. He was at MassCUE as well. At the time we could not purchase any of the tablets. They were in the beta stage. When I saw the rep at MassCUE, he mentioned that they applied many of the suggestions we made when he showed us the tablet last spring. The interesting piece was that we still are not able to purchase them yet!

Having access to a tablet specifically designed for education would be beneficial. ipads are great, but like you said, something like the lack of Flash Player can be frustrating. With increasing use of technology in schools, the devices will hopefully get more educator friendly.

A cautionary reminder about crafting presentations from Seth Godin, the prolific author of 21st century ideas for marketing and work in general. Seth's blog has been in existence since the 90's and provides a great deal of insight and humor.

If you use Google Drive this is probably one of the best search tips... so useful!

I agree, so useful, and I had no idea about it! I've been using Google Drive a lot for myself, and to share/collaborate with colleagues. Within the last week, I've been using it with students so that I can have access to their writing folders and give feedback more efficiently, or see from home what they've been working on, without having to have access to the school server. In just that one week, I was getting a bit overwhelmed with all of the files and trying to keep them organized into folders for easy access. It's great to know that if I can't locate something I can try this out. Keep the tips coming!

This article could be a page right out of Pink's Drive since it offers suggestions as to how IT companies should involve employees in the strategic planning for the organizations' ultimate business visions. Since 80% of the 100,000 IT workers interviewed for this article responded that they value career development over salary increases, the piece suggests that IT organizations allow employees the opportunity to initiate and create new projects within any future goal setting structure. According to the collected data, these valued contributions would far outweigh any deficits in compensation as IT workers' satisfaction with achievement seems to take precedence over any form of resentment over monetary deficits. Again, Pink's theories about autonomy, mastery and purpose make sense in terms of what people value in their lives and the workplace.

This teacher gave up the flipped classroom model as his class became more student-centered.

This is a blog written by a high school teacher who is using Evernote for the entire scope of his classroom workflow. He creates documents in Evernote, shares them with his students, and has set up capability for them to share with him to turn in work. Worth a read!

Thanks for this, Anne Marie. I just added this teacher's blog to my Feedly. I'd be curious to discuss Evernote with you further some time and see how you use it with students, if you currently do? I saw some neat ways to use it at MassCue and want to try it further with my students. However, we're also trying to have them use Google for many things, since they have easy access at home, and I'm trying to figure out which is a more comprehensive tool for students, and which would be easier for them to navigate - both at school, and at home. It's so great to have all of these tools, but I also don't want to overwhelm them with too many accounts.

This is a great news and current events site for kids. The site is organized by topic and by month/year. The articles contain links to related information which can be used for further research. Information is easy to find. The presenter at MassCUE who talked about the site used it in second grade, but children in older grades will definitely enjoy it too.

This is a great site for primary source material that was collected through the National Archives. Using primary sources actively engages kids and motivates them to think. This was one of the nuggets of information I saw at MassCUE. There is an amazing amount of content on this site.

I loved this too. I have recommended the site to our fifth grade teachers due to the large amount of research their students do.

TED-Ed was mentioned in at least two different workshops I attended at MassCue. We're all familiar with TED Talks; this takes a similar idea and moves it towards kid-friendly videos, lessons, and quick assessments. One example that I saw was a third grade teacher using a YouTube video (which works along with TED-Ed) about the phases of the moon for the students to watch at home. The website includes a "Flip this Video" button so that teachers can assign a short video for students to watch at home, along with quiz questions as they watch. This could be a great tool for flipping the classroom. Each time I heard it mentioned, the presenters commented on the quality of videos. In addition to using YouTube videos, TED-Ed is pairing up good teacher lessons with animators and visual artists to create a video library that teachers can access for free. I believe you can also suggest or submit a lesson idea that they will consider for a future video. Definitely worth checking out. The URL listed above takes you to a short video explaining the website.

I've started playing around with this site and it's great! I'm looking forward to using some of these as I begin to flip my classroom this year.

The NYTimes' new feature, the Text to Text series, matches Times content with excerpts from often-taught literary, cultural, historical or scientific material. Their goal is, "to show students how relevant what they study in school can be to the real world." The series is an excellent resource for teachers who are trying to add more nonfiction texts to their classroom and also has links to graphic organizers for comparing texts, close reading and analyzing primary sources. From what I've seen so far, the topics are a little advanced for sixth graders and are probably better suited for high school students. That being said, the Times is encouraging teachers to submit ideas for new editions!

Beth Holland is an insightful, creative educator who I saw at MassCUE yesterday so I decided to follow her and see what else she had to say. This is an interesting and insightful discussion of the potential positives and negatives of screen time. A good reminder to keep it meaningful, and as we have all said, avoid "technology for the sake of technology." "Television rots your brain." In a similar vein, video games turn your mind to mush, and staring at a screen for too long potentially makes you a zombie. In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a report suggesting that children under two should not have any screen time.

The three questions this article asks are something I think a lot about when using the iPads in my classroom. Last year when I first started using them in my classroom they were mostly being used as mobile educational gaming devices. The kids were using apps that reinforced the phonics and math concepts we were learning, but they weren't really going anything further than that. They certainly were engaged and learning so I don't feel that it was time wasted, however I always knew there was more they could be doing with the devices. The third piece, is it empowering, was the piece I was missing last year and am trying to incorporate more this year.

Great article. I agree there needs to be a balance with screen time and how we should use that time. The 3 questions of screen time being appropriate, meaningful, and empowering are key to allowing students take charge of their learning. The article states "… teachers had found educational apps to reinforce math and reading concepts, the students passively interacted with content rather than constructing understanding. The interaction primarily consisted of students just tapping on a screen." I feel it is important for us to limit these types of apps and find the few that are going to allow students to "construct understanding" and apply content they learn outside of screen time. To me, this strikes a good balance. At MassCUE this past Thursday, I attended a session by a district that made the decision to use apps that allowed for creativity. They recognized that there were many apps for gaming and skill drills, but they wanted their students to be able to use their devices to apply learning in a meaningful way. This was music to my ears. I applaud their efforts, and based on the examples of student work that were shown, it's working.

I think Twitter has its benefits, but the "Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings" is a little much. Can't we even sit down and enjoy a little TV time anymore without sharing our thoughts and opinions with the world?

I think Twitter has its benefits, but the "Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings" is a little much. Can't we even sit down and enjoy a little TV time anymore without sharing our thoughts and opinions with the world?