The article presented in class about the number of teachers that are projected to be laid off due to budget cuts is astounding. Not only is it a difficult time to be looking for a teaching position in education, but it is difficult being a new hire. As a new teacher (not yet tenured) I find myself counting the number of teachers hired after me and going through scenarios in my head in which I may be cut. The sad fact is that while this hurts us as educators and prospective teachers, it is a truly sad time for education. The cuts schools are being forced to make are not because some schools are doing poorly and teachers need to be replaced or that some programs have been shown to be ineffective. No, these cuts are being made because there is no money to fund education. Looking at the situation optimistically, I hope that we can quickly move through these tough times and start making decisions based on what is good for students rather than what is good for our wallet. In just three four weeks I will be administering to my students tests that cost a lot of money and tell me very little about my students that I don't already know. How about saving a little money there?
While I am hopeful that I dodged the lay-off bullet this year, the rumor mill churns out fears that next year will be much worse. Some schools have reserves or grants that were already in place to help offset the loss of funds, but what about next year? Things will more than likely get worse before they get better. We can only hope, not just for ourselves, but for our children.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Presentations II
It was again another night of interesting presentations.
Green classrooms are a great topic this day in age. Many schools are looking at ways to be more environmentally conscious as well as energy efficient. In a recent conversation with our school media specialist, we discussed the use of a device that would daisy chain computers monitors together using a device that costs about $95. The device would allow another monitor and keyboard to run off of a single computer. It is very efficient. We hope to test it out soon to see if it works effectively without slowing things down.
I particularly liked digital storytelling. It offers different and more creative ways to share their learning. I would like to incorporate into one of my lessons to give it a shot.
Lastly, assistive technology is wonderful because it gives every student access to learning. The only technology that I have seen used to assist students in my school recently was an FM transmitter. However, I have the activsound in my classroom which helps students hear better. In my case, the assistive technology helps every student in my class.
Green classrooms are a great topic this day in age. Many schools are looking at ways to be more environmentally conscious as well as energy efficient. In a recent conversation with our school media specialist, we discussed the use of a device that would daisy chain computers monitors together using a device that costs about $95. The device would allow another monitor and keyboard to run off of a single computer. It is very efficient. We hope to test it out soon to see if it works effectively without slowing things down.
I particularly liked digital storytelling. It offers different and more creative ways to share their learning. I would like to incorporate into one of my lessons to give it a shot.
Lastly, assistive technology is wonderful because it gives every student access to learning. The only technology that I have seen used to assist students in my school recently was an FM transmitter. However, I have the activsound in my classroom which helps students hear better. In my case, the assistive technology helps every student in my class.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Class Presentations
I found the presentations in class to be very interesting and informative.
Vadim did a nice job presenting how calculators can be used in class to save time and offer valuable instructional opportunities. I feel that there is a place for calculators in the classroom, but that it should be after students understand how to do some basic calculations. Students should not be using calculators to do math problems that they should be expected to do in their head or easily on paper.
I have never used a wiki before, so I liked having the opportunity that Jessica offered to look at how a wiki works and how easy they are to set up. Also, the classroom web pages were nice to see. This is something that I definitely want to get set up for my class in the near future. I am not a fan of toolbox pro, but having seen how easy it is to set up a website using Google, this may be a route I want to take.
Lauren 's presentation on the variety of interactive white boards was interesting because I did not realize how many different kinds there are. I am familiar with the Promethean Activboard and the Smartboards. Her presentation was a nice transition into my presentation on Promethean Activboards and the Activ Classroom.
I think we can all agree on some level that Project based learning offers so many more opportunities for students to understand, apply , and retain information that will be useful in the real world. Not only are they learning about a variety of concepts and how they are interrelated, but also they are working together to solve real life problems. I have seen projects that take place as a culminating activity after a unit is complete. These projects allow students to take what they have learned and apply it. I think for project based learning to happen in public schools you would need to have a strong community base and access to resources that many school districts may not have access to. Do I think it is great? Yes. Would I want my child to learn this way? certainly. I am just not sure how it could translate into public education without a complete overhaul of the system. Of course, what better time is there then the present when we have nothing to lose.
On other notes:
The NYS department of education is looking into cutting some state tests as a way to save money. At last- good idea! Hope to hear more about this soon. I know the NYS Social Studies test elementary through High school is one that may be possibly cut. I was unaware of the fact that NYS is the only state that administers state tests in social studies.
I was pleased to hear this past week that some of my former students who are in seventh grade now have been creating websites based on the reading series "Warriors". I would love to check these out. Cool to hear kids are doing creative things like that and that it is about reading! Been thinking about how I might be able to use blogs in my classroom. Might be cool to have students respond to one another in a book club through a blog. Just pondering...
Vadim did a nice job presenting how calculators can be used in class to save time and offer valuable instructional opportunities. I feel that there is a place for calculators in the classroom, but that it should be after students understand how to do some basic calculations. Students should not be using calculators to do math problems that they should be expected to do in their head or easily on paper.
I have never used a wiki before, so I liked having the opportunity that Jessica offered to look at how a wiki works and how easy they are to set up. Also, the classroom web pages were nice to see. This is something that I definitely want to get set up for my class in the near future. I am not a fan of toolbox pro, but having seen how easy it is to set up a website using Google, this may be a route I want to take.
Lauren 's presentation on the variety of interactive white boards was interesting because I did not realize how many different kinds there are. I am familiar with the Promethean Activboard and the Smartboards. Her presentation was a nice transition into my presentation on Promethean Activboards and the Activ Classroom.
I think we can all agree on some level that Project based learning offers so many more opportunities for students to understand, apply , and retain information that will be useful in the real world. Not only are they learning about a variety of concepts and how they are interrelated, but also they are working together to solve real life problems. I have seen projects that take place as a culminating activity after a unit is complete. These projects allow students to take what they have learned and apply it. I think for project based learning to happen in public schools you would need to have a strong community base and access to resources that many school districts may not have access to. Do I think it is great? Yes. Would I want my child to learn this way? certainly. I am just not sure how it could translate into public education without a complete overhaul of the system. Of course, what better time is there then the present when we have nothing to lose.
On other notes:
The NYS department of education is looking into cutting some state tests as a way to save money. At last- good idea! Hope to hear more about this soon. I know the NYS Social Studies test elementary through High school is one that may be possibly cut. I was unaware of the fact that NYS is the only state that administers state tests in social studies.
I was pleased to hear this past week that some of my former students who are in seventh grade now have been creating websites based on the reading series "Warriors". I would love to check these out. Cool to hear kids are doing creative things like that and that it is about reading! Been thinking about how I might be able to use blogs in my classroom. Might be cool to have students respond to one another in a book club through a blog. Just pondering...
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Web-Cam Lawsuit
I think that parents have every right to sue the Merion PA School District for violating their privacy by activating web cameras that are on laptop computers. The laptops were given to students for their own use. The school district failed to inform parents about the anti-theft measures that they would use if the laptop was reported stolen. Parents paid $100 plus an additional insurance fee for their students to have access to the laptop. If parents paid insurance then why was theft even an issue? I might feel differently about the issue if the school had notified parents of the anti-theft tracking system before parents agreed to let their children have one. Many students reported that most of the time the laptop was left on all the time in their bedroom. If the camera is activated for any reason the school is violating a persons right to privacy. The school reported that out of 2300 laptops only 42 were reported stolen. Of those 42, 18 were recovered. If you ask me 42 out of 2300 is pretty darn good numbers. I realize that in the instance that a computer was stolen that a picture taken with the web-cam is worth a thousand words, but it comes at a high cost for the school. There are other ways of tracking a lost or stolen computer that do not involve spying into people's lives.
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