School Board oks compromise for "kite-runner"

A few months ago the novel "the kite-runner" was taken off the sophomore summer reading list for the students in Champaign Illionois. Some of the scenes in the book are controversial, including a scene were a boy is sexually assaulted by a group of bullies.
This brought up the usual argument of "artistic censorship" vs. "protecting my child." Eventually the two sides reached a compromise: the book can stay in the curriculum if there is an alternative available to read for those who are uncomfortable with the book.
I think this is an amazingly simple compromise that fits both sides of the argument perfectly. My point in all of this is that why can't agreements like this be struck in other places as well? Any number of censored books could be taught if the students could read alternatives as well.
Is this a good thing? A bad thing?

Applicants flock to teacher corps for needy areas

This article was about how the non-profit organization "Teach for America" has had a record number of applicants to teach in needy areas. The article states that people are looking for jobs in low-paying areas the way that people used to look for jobs in Wallstreet. What is causing this humanitarian approach? The article posits that it's the new generation of teachers, inspired in part by Barack Obama's message of change.
Whatever the reason, some people say that it's not such a good thing. "Placing the least-experienced teachers with the highest-risk children is a potentially harmful combination."
That was my main concern with this formula. It seems to me that putting in Green Teachers into the worst school systems into the nation is a bad idea. People who are new at a job make mistakes. In a school system that is already fragile, it is in the student's best interests to have veteran teachers providing some sort of stability for them.
Not only that, some of these teachers may not be ready for the reality of these school systems. Having a sense of social duty is a great and all, that might quickly run out the longer the teacher stays there.
Another issue that the article raises is the lack of high paying entry positions that Wallstreet used to offer to college graduates. Because of the stock market collapse a few months ago, there simply isn't the growth to allow every business major that graduates to get a six-figure entry position.
Further criticism of the organization is that many applicants go the two-year route, teaching for 2 years on their way to grad-school. Is this high-turnover rate bad for the kids in the long run?

Writing Skills are Life Skills

In this article, the author mentions that if children write often to acquire positive feedback, that they will become better and better writers. I disagree. I think that with frequent writing and both positive and constructive feedback, children will become more fluent writers. Gaining only positive feedback, how can students progress in their writing skills?

The article also highlights ways to help students become better writers. The first is to have them read more. I agree with this method completely, as I have found that I am a better writer when I have been reading consistently. The next pointer is to have students to have students experiment writing for different audiences. It suggests "short stories, notes to the Tooth Fairy, letters to the editor, vacation journals, thank-you notes, a business letter to a company about a broken product or letters to grandparents." These practices sound like a good idea, and a great way to get children writing about whatever they want. I remember engaging in some of these writing activities as a child - writing to the tooth fairy and to Santa Claus, exchanging letters with my grandparents on a regular basis, writing thank you notes to relatives for birthday and Christmas presents, and keeping journals - especially when I went on a vacation. I would like to think that these practices aided my writing and I know that it sparked my passion for writing.

Among these methods are seemingly effective ways to get kids writing at an early age. I agree that proficient writing skills are essential to success in school as well as in any career. I'm glad that this is a recognized skill, and hopefully less students will shy away from the love of writing.

21st Century Curriculum and Assessment

In this article, the author explores the NCTE's new literacy framework. The increasing technology spreading across our country in education is a new aspect that needs to be dealt with. Identifying the literacy goals as:
• Developing proficiency with the tools of technology
• Building relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and
cross-culturally
• Designing and sharing information for global communities to meet a variety of
purposes
• Managing, analyzing, and synthesizing multiple streams of simultaneous
information
• Creating, critiquing, analyzing, and evaluating multimedia texts
• Attending to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments
These will be incorporating into the NCTE's standards. I think the development is necessary. Technology is a big part of society today and it's incorporation in schools is essential. Rules and regulations must be set to aid the practices of using technology in the schools. Following drawn out rules to make sure each student is being productive in their usage and being able to find reliable and relevant sources.

"Colorado Dropouts Establish Patterns Early On"

This article was focused on middle schoolers. There was a study done in five district schools in colorado about dropouts. If a student fails one math or reading course they are more prone to dropout of high school. School officials look at behavior records, grades and attendance as far back as Middle School. You could be held back as young as eleven years old.

"Writing Skills Are Life Skills"

The article on "Writing Skills Are Life Skills" in the NCTE Inbox is about how writing and reading are closely related to each other. They both are an important requirement throughout life. When you write and read more these skills improve along the way. It is important to do well in your English courses because other courses benefit from the skills of reading and writing.

Cheating on Exams

According to the article, "Survey Finds Growing Deceit Among Teens" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/30/AR2008113001906.html) by the Washington Post, 64% of U.S. high school students have cheated on tests. The article also mentions that it is highly doubtful that students are any less honourable than in the past, but that, instead, todays standards are just too high and strenuous, to which I agree completely. The bar just continues to be set higher and higher causing more and more students to panic and involve themselves in unethical practices like cheating.

Going off to College

This New York Times article talks about American students are deciding to go overseas a lot  for colleges.  This is due to the increase in recruiters for foreign universities within the United States.  This increase is not subtle in anyway shape or form.  St. Andrews University says that to date 1,230 out of about 7,000 students enrolled are American.  10 years ago there were only 200 American Students enrolled.  Recruitment is up because Americans pay a lot more in tuition versus native students.  It is like living in Vermont or Canada and going to a SUNY school compared living in New York and going to a SUNY school.  The tuition rates are entirely different.  This is not to say that it is just about gaining more money.  American students say that they gain worldly knowledge from going overseas and to them it is worth it.  I agree but at the same time disagree.  The article mentions that there are pros and cons.  There are no alumni networks making the transition from school to work a little harder.  It is more expensive and your family is further away.  I mean there are pros and cons, I all comes down to what your prerogative is.

Writing Skills Are Life Skills

I think that making writing fun for students is very important because it allows them to be creative. Giving them options for writing also allows them to have more of an open mind to what they would like to write. Parents play a big roll in how productive their children can be. Giving them the tools to succeed in becoming a better writer can assure them that they have support they need in order to accomplish many things in writing.

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Schools"

This article by Kathleen Kingsbury of Time Magazine speaks of how author, Stephen Covey's new book The Leader in Me is helping struggling schools become more successful as principals across the nation are applying it to their own educational settings.
The book focuses on the A.B. Combs Elementary school in Raleigh, N.C. and how the seven habits of his first book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" became a value system in this school. These seven habits include:
1. Be proactive.
2. Begin with the end in mind.
3. First things first.
4. Think Win/Win.
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.
6. Synergize.
7. Sharpen the Saw.
Test scores in reading increased from "57.4% to 89.7% after one year and math went from 77.4% to 100%". Stephen Covey states that the 7 Habits applies social skills that children need to learn in order to understand and absorb what they are learning as opposed to be taught just to perform well in testing.
I feel that the 7 Habits are those that are applicable to any subject and any type of person who is wanting to do well. The Habits Covey expresses are timeless and are not strict rules for one to follow, merely normal values that are useful in many situations, including the classroom.

Time Spent Online A Good Thing?

http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4773437/

"Results from the most extensive U.S. study on teens and their use of digital media show that America’s youth are developing important social and technical skills online – often in ways adults do not understand or value."

I find this to be true to the extent that the generation of most of our adults were not surrounded by this digital frenzy at a young age. I didn't get my first computer until I was 14, and I see more often than not, children as young as 4-5 years old using computers for educational games and activities. It is true, teens spend a great deal of time socializing via the Internet, but there needs to be a balance between interacting digitally and personally. If teens spend more time IMing than having personal contact, it depletes their understanding of speech and the physical gestures associated with it. Feelings and emotions are harder to portray through an e-mail than through a hand written letter, as well as having a simple IM conversation that doesn't employ natural sights, sounds associated with physical contact. I've had one too many IM conversations be misconstrued. However, it doesn't mean I wish to completely rule out this theory of teens using the Internet for supplementary purposes. I do believe it adds to their social networking skills and helps them to explore another world at the click of their mouse. But most of us have seen both sides to this coin and the dangers that the Internet presents. I feel that most everything can be done in moderation and with careful consideration...

Charter Schools out doing traditional schools in poor students' success

In the state of California charter schools have shown great success teaching inner-city poor population. Ben Chavis gives surprizing statements saying that poor children are easier to teach because they have a good reason to work hard. This is a surprising viewpoint to many because most research shows and opposite feeling.
Since I am interested in working with underprivileged students in the future, I enjoyed this article. I believe that it takes a certain kind of teacher to successfully teach poor or underprivileged students; even though I do believe that all teachers should be prepared to, I don't think they always are. I believe Ben Chavis demonstrates a good attitude towards teaching as a whole. Your find students' energy and encourage them to work at something good for their lives.

Children's book remains on shelves

And Tango Makes Three, a book by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell has been getting a lot of negative attention lately. The book, written with child-oriented illustrations, tells the story of two male penguins who raise an egg together. Some parents in the Chico Unified School District found this idea offensive, and tried to get the book banned. The book ended up staying on the shelves in the library, citing that "First Amendment rights apply to children as well as adults."

The fact that this book was even brought up for discussion to a banning board is ridiculous. It just goes to show how homophobic the world truly is. There are homosexual undertones to the story, but that's not the point of the story. It's actually based on two male penguins at a zoo who were actually making a nest together and sitting on an egg-shaped rock. The zookeeper ended up putting a real egg, which the two raised together in real life. The story was written to show that a family isn't about a mom and a dad, or a dad and a dad or anything like that. It's meant to show that loving and caring and nurturing is what's important in a family. Trying to ban a children's book that teaches that lesson is a horrible idea. Leave it up to parents to monitor what their children read, but don't try to ban something that teaches children a valuable lesson

A School Cheif Take on Tenure, Stirring A Fight

The article I chose was written by Sam Dillon of the New York Times.
Head Chancellor of the public school systems in Washington is raising eyebrows and causing much debate with her views of teacher tenure. "Ms. Rhee has proposed spectacular raises of as much as $40,000, financed by private foundations, for teachers willing to give [it] up". Rhee states that tenure only benefits adults by making it difficult for them to lose their jobs and has negative effects on students because it may put them in settings of learning that are taught by those who are less qualified. Rhee feels that those teachers who are in the field for the summer vacations and the health benefits are those who are protected due to tenure, making it difficult for them to be fired, even if they are not adequately teaching. But she does not want to completely abolish tenure, but her proposal involves "each teacher would choose between two compensation plans, one called green and the other red. Pay for teachers in the green plan would rise spectacularly, nearly doubling by 2010. But they would need to give up tenure for a year, after which they would need a principal’s recommendation or face dismissal." These ideas have been outvoted by many three to one.
I feel the idea of tenure is wrong, though it is comforting for those who are teachers or planning to work in the field. In most any other job, if an employee is not working to their full potential and fulfilling the expectations of the company, the employer has the right to dismiss that person. Why should it be any different with teachers, especially when dealing the issue with education and the future of students? Tenure also leaves less jobs for those who are well qualified and I feel the stability of tenure allows teachers to become more relaxed with the lessons and the quality of their teaching may decline.

Technology and Writing

This article implies that students are finding more ways to express themselves through technology. "Writing" itself has evolved into using a computerized setup in order to accommodate this rapid-paced culture of technological advancements. Though I have been one to embrace these advancements, I can't completely abandon "older" practices of writing. As a computer technician (and a former student teacher) I have seen and experienced first hand, the devastating effects of what happens when computers go out of commission. Taking it to a more drastic measure, if anyone here has seen the TV series "Jericho" when an electromagnetic pulse occurs, there are no more electronics. I don't believe anything that drastic will occur anytime soon, but it is a possibility we cannot forget.

Students don't physically write enough, not like they used to. I'm not saying that students should write three pages in a class period, but practicing hand writing skills isn't a bad idea. I know my handwriting is appalling, and often compared to a doctor's handwriting. It is simply because I type more than I write for many reasons, but in the same respect, I just think computers have made things too easy sometimes. Yes, they are convenient, have spell checkers and thesauruses with one click of a mouse, and it saves time.

Though the article states that kids are writing more than ever, which is wonderful, "Six in 10 teens, however, don't view that as 'writing.'" I can understand this in regards to the text messaging phenomenon. But students are also writing blogs, e-mails, wikis, etc and we need to keep that in mind as English teachers. So where do we draw the line when students are writing more with the use of technology?

(Sorry this is posted late at night. Coincidentally, my Internet has been out of commission for two days!)
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Departments/Elementary/?article=TeensBetterWriters2

Can Technology Make Teens Better Writers?

In a recent article Melissa Slager adresses the issue of technology and its blaten effects on the youth. Slager found the writing scores on test like the SAT's and other standarize tests are actually increasing. But, Slager also found that few students are "pushing their pens beyond that to exhibit such skills as personal style, a varied vocabulary and an awareness of audience that goes beyond authoritarian grade checker." What this means is that students are just writing essays for tests and not challenging themselves. Many teachers are looking towards the technology of the youth for answers. In fact, most educators find that "Today's young writers are being encouraged to use everyday technology to find their unique voices."

"Tom Sawyer, Teaching and Talking"

I feel Probst makes very good points about the need to have students gain independent thought and the teachers role to educate them so they can learn to express themselves on their own.
Not many teachers in my high school held class discussions. The main dialogue between teacher and students in the classroom consisted of question/answer type conversation. Not until college did I experience sitting in a circle and voicing my opinion in a space where I was comfortable enough to say how I felt and didn't worry about my opinion being "correct". Even activities in this class such as the Socratic seminar and blog talk are important examples of the need to speak in the classroom because it is not about winning a debate or having the "right" opinion, its about HAVING an opinion. Not only does this help me feel more comfortable expressing my ideas, but it also helps me be more confidant when speaking in front of others.
Another idea that Probst comments on is Forced Freewriting. The name itself is almost an oxymoron; ideas that are your own, but you are forced to think about and come up with in order to get something down on paper. (sorry, I can't explain this exactly how I wanted to) I personally enjoy freewriting in the classroom setting because it gives me a chance to get my thoughts down and clear my head, but not all students respond well to this activity.
I feel the main point Probst tries to make clear is that students need to think and speak for themselves. There will not always be a teacher around to push them in the right direction or provoke their thoughts with stimulating activities. But this cannnot be forced entirely on the teacher, it is also the role of the student to want to learn and become involved in their own learning.

Robert Probst

I think that students do a lot of the work because they are the one's that have to follow what the teachers want them to do in their assignments. Robert Probst is right about the idea that teachers have us do readings and group discussions, as well as having us construct questions that make us think in depth about the readings that are assigned to us by our instructors. I am fully aware that these questions are suppose to show our knowledge on the subject discussed in the readings. These experiences I have been faced with throughout high school and even middle school. When I got into college I have also experienced what Probst describes as "free writes". During these "free writes" our teachers give us a limited amount of time to reflect on the topic that is presented to us by the teacher. This teaching technique is also a difficult technique that I am sure some students have trouble with. As a student, I have experienced difficult times with "free writes" in college because it is hard for me to keep my thoughts flowing and to even construct a perfectly written paper during these kinds of writes. An average student does do a lot of the work because they have to be present during most all of the instruction, they have to obey what the teacher wants them to do specifically in their assignments, and they have to listen one-hundred percent of the time when the teacher or another student is talking.

Tom Sawyer is the man!

First off, I want to say I love Tom Sawyer and his tactics. He is a genius. He tricks his friends into doing work for him. His friends did not leave regretting it; they enjoyed the work and most likely grew from it. It brought an enjoyment to something that almost all people think is miserable work. Toms acts are much like teaching. Teachers must find away to bring enjoyment to the class room which is almost always found to be a place difficult to have fun. I do believe the main point of this chapter is to convey the importance for a teacher to encourage an active classroom. In result, the students will be encouraging learning to themselves and eachother. But this does not mean that teachers can sit back and observe. This is a very difficult task for a teacher. I think it is more difficult to teach creatively with tactics like Tom Sawyer that encourages genuine enjoyment than it is to teach through a power trip of influencing fear and respect. As we all know the more difficult way almost always pays off.

Probst

I agree with Probst talking about how talking can be hard work and how talking is a big part of the teaching process. Talking should deffinatly be encouraged during class to open students minds.

Probst's Chapter

Probst brings up some valid points about how to engage students in learning English. Comparing Tom Sawyer's tactics of pedagogy wasn't a bad idea - however we are dealing with two completely opposing forces - painting and teaching English (and for the purpose of this chapter, teaching students discourse). Probst says that "There aren't many models of civil discourse for our students to learn from," (45) which I find to be true. There isn't a standardized test (to my knowledge) on discourse itself (and there shouldn't have to be at any rate). It's true that some teachers aren't expanding on the practice of talking, and parents aren't spending time teaching it (because they expect the teachers to be doing this job!) I do not recall a time when I was sitting in an English class and was taught the dynamics of discourse or speech. Sure we learned parts of speech and the occassional vocal repitition of those words we didn't understand, but never did a teacher teach the instruction of conversation. It never occurred to me either how this segment of English Language Arts is often neglected, until I read about it in this chapter. It's hard enough to initiate a succinct conversation in a classroom, especially when students are faced with a myriad of issues. They may not understand the material, and may not know how to ask questions in a clear manner. They may have a fear of speaking in front of their peers, or they simply cannot be bothered. There also becomes the inevitable time in students' lives where they think they know everything and don't need to listen what has to be said by teachers. I think it is important to find some way to engage each student individually - make them feel needed and make them know that their voice is important not just to the teacher, but to themselves and their peers.

The "Find the Poem" activity doesn't sit well with me. I had this exact scenario played out in a new school, first day eleventh grade English class. The discussion was something like:

"Hey. Let me see what you got."

"Okay."

"I think it works."

"Yup, me too."

"Okay, I'll just say that my part goes after your part because it sounds right."

"Sure, sounds good."

End conversation. This cannot be considered a useful activity. Sure, some students will engage, but others, like me, will remain passive and questioning the point of the activity instead of trying it out. The sticky note activity, I found to be constructive and invites students to talk and ask questions with one another. I don't even mind the "artificial" appeal that Probst states. As far as I'm concerned, there are far more artificial and non-productive activities and pedagogies that float around in classrooms these days.

Playing an Instrument Influences More than Musical Abilities

It has been said that playing a musical instrument can have positive effects on a child's learning Harvard put this idea to the test by arranging a study of 41 eight- to eleven- year olds who had studied either piano or a string instrument for a minimum of three years in comparison to a group of 18 children who had no instrumental training. The results were not only higher test scores for children who played instruments in areas related to music, in tests of auditory discrimination and finger dexterity, but these students also had higher scores than those who did not play an instrument in tests of verbal ability and visual pattern completion. This study raisies question as to whether there is a balance between music and unrelated studies. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081104132916.htm

I feel that Music can have a large impact on a persons development, especially a child. This study shows that those children who had been playing an instrument for three years not only had strong music abilities, but also higher test scores. Children who spent more time focusing on improving their abilities through practicing outside the classroom also had higher test scores than those who had been studying an instrument for a shorter period of time. This connection between music and learning has been proven not only through verbal and visual scores, but math as well. Children are also learning skills at young age by playing an instrument such as dedication, commitment, focus and time management by devoting time to practice. I did not surprise me that children who play a musical instrument have higher test scores in areas non-music related areas, oppossed to children who do not play an instrument.

"Learning How the Brain Works May Be Boon in the Classroom"

Scientists are beginning to do neurological research on how people learn. Studies are being done to figure out how people learn best; new programs are being developed at Harvard University and John Hopkins to determine how these studies can be used in the educational process. The studies are able to show what kind of things to teach people in and how to teach them in order to best suit their needs. For example, certain aspects of social and emotional information can be focused on in order to help autistic or special needs children learn how to interact. It was also discovered that most people learn things backwards. These people did an activity (i.e. the battery and lightbulb with a wire experiment) and then they learned the principles of electricity.


I think this could be really beneficial to the future of education. By learning how to effectively teach students in a way that will benefit them, we could be figuring out how to improve education in every way. I do think it would be hard to implement this kind of study on every student in every school. I think it would be best focused on special needs or students with learning disabilities. By learning how they learn, we could learn how to best help them and improve their learning. This could help more students become interested in school and learning.

"Stumbling Blocks: Playing it Too Safe Online Will Make You Sorry"

This article addresses the issue of blocked websites and teaching tools by school internet networks. Teachers often have trouble accessing these tools to implement into their lesson plans. The article describes the situation of one teacher who wanted to use the messages in advertisements in their lesson plan, but could not access the YouTube clips because YouTube was blocked by the district server. In order to get around this problem, the teacher had to load the clips on his home laptop and bring his laptop to campus. The article goes on to describe helpful ways to circumnavigate online barriers placed by your school district for academic reasons. Firstly, it is important to establish good rapport with the school's technological staff because more often than not, they can help you access websites that you would like to use for a lesson. The article also stresses the importance of teaching "digital citizenship." This means that instead of blocking websites in schools, it is better to teach students how to find information and to utilize the internet to its full potential in an academic way. This method means creating an atmosphere of academic information literacy, using new technology to its fullest potential while still meeting standards and giving students new and innovative ways to complete a common lesson. 

Writing Leads to Deeper Learning

This article on college students being assigned writing assignments and being studies upon their information given is rather interesting. It talks about students being assigned papers that allow them to use other outside information and it helps them become more "personal, social, and practical" with their assignments. Certain topics aren't always going to help students out in those perspectives but I believe that teachers who demand many drafts of certain papers, allow students to take things step by step. This technique does not always work for every student, some students may write better the first try instead of making several drafts of the same paper. Also writing multiple papers throughout the year I feel allows students to use all sorts of other outside information to give their papers more personality. I also think that the actual topic of the assignment effects how each student writes. Not all students are good at writing research papers, but maybe they are better at writing papers that allow them to have free thought put into the paper. Putting your own opinion into a paper is sometimes easier for students to do because they may feel that their opinion matters in the subject. All in all I do believe that students should be assigned different types of writings throughout their educational careers to give them the opportunity to be creative in their writings and voice their opinions in different ways.

As state scores drop, schools work to engage students in reading

The article I read was about regaining the interest of reading within the classroom. Because it seems as though the scores of high school assessments are decreasing in the area of reading, I think that it is evident that as teachers we establish new methods of reading that will enhance the students' eagerness to read. As one teacher suggested, she starts every new book off with a question, in order to provoke controversy and make the students eager to read the book. I feel that that is one method that could work, but I also feel however that the material that we are having our students read is slowly becoming outdated. Maybe students are not performing as well as they should be on their assessment tests because they material that they are reading does not interest them, is perceived as boring or is simply old fashioned. Though the books that are being read in the high school classroom are well known classics such as "The Adventures of huckleberry Fin", "Mice and Men", "Romeo and Juliet", we need to find a way to relate those books to the students life and with what is currently occurring throughout the world.

It is important that throughout the English classroom, students are not only learning the basic comprehension skills and mechanics, but learning to love reading. Reading should not be perceived as a chore, however within the classroom I feel that oftentimes students do not read the material with a willing and happy go lucky attitude. We need to come up with something new and fresh that will capture students into reading, make them interact in a way that makes them never want to forget a specific book, scene, or character. We need to spice up the English department and curriculum so that students will love English as much as we do.

Harry Potter for HW--A Look at Engaging Students in Reading

The article I read discussed the increasingly disappointing reading scores of students across the nations, particularly at the middle-school and early high school levels. To me, the most important part of the article was its suggestions for improving reading levels with students. It began with a teacher explaining her personal technique of posing controversial questions to her students about the assigned texts in the hopes they will read it and thus be able to contribute to a debate. She says that students like to argue and so it is good motivation--and I agree. The most popular books among students that I know of are books like "1984," which is referenced in the article, and "Animal Farm," both of which seem to stir students. When a book has been banned, like "Catcher in the Rye," it is automatically more appealing to students. I feel like they would want to know why it was so hated. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of finding these controversies in literature.

And sometimes, it's redefining the word "literature."

In the English classroom, we understand "literature" to mean the classical and contemporary texts that are a standardized part of the curriculum and thus probably dubbed "boring." Yet this article suggests that teachers have their students study the popular texts of their own time and analyze them for literary meaning. This would include texts like Stephanie Myer's "Twilight" and J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter." Having read both of these texts, I can say confidently that the idea of teaching them as literature to students is a very smart idea.

At the risk of sounding overly eager (because who wouldn't want to read Harry Potter for homework), I think studying the popular texts of today would be a huge lure for students to increase their reading level. They would most definitely be more interested in the texts, seeing as the majority of them are already reading the worldwide bestsellers, and as to the legitimacy of such books as English books, I have no doubts. As Jennifer Schoaf says in the article, these students would start looking at the books as something that came from the author. ""In other words, they think about the choices the writer makes, the words he or she uses. It enhances their comprehension and appreciation for what they're reading." If a student is asked to identify the writing techniques used in Harry Potter, they may realize its organization and structure is similar to that of the essays they write. They may recognize how action is tagged onto a piece of dialogue in order to move the story along. They will be forced to slow down and appreciate that the dramatic, isolated, single sentence between paragraphs is a stylistic tool. There are so many possibilities to studying modern works like this. Besides the fact that the students will be interested in them, they will also perhaps learn a bit more about their own world, based on what they read between the lines of the book.

College Board Will Offer a New Test Next Fall

That's right, another test for kids to take, as if we need another one. Starting in the fall of 2009 eighth graders will be taking a test to prepare them for high school and college. The test is not for college emissions - yet - and is just to prepare students for what they have to do in the very near future. The college board vice president said that it's not at all an early SAT tool, it is just a tool to evaluate.



Personally i think there are enough tests and adding another one will just add to stress and may even give rise to more drop outs per year. I remember eighth grade, in Syracuse you go into a new school and it's already stress full. Adding another test will just add to this stress.

Home-Schooling Grows in New York City

Sorry about the late post, I had some computer problems over the weekend.

This post was about the growing trend of home-schooling in New York City.
These parents call it the "unkindergarden" movement, and with registered home schoolers over 2,600 students this year, it really is catching on.
Instead of going the main-stream home schooling route (following a strict curriculum or the teachings of John Holt) these parents do a sort of day-to-day education, that is much less structured, but still every bit as educational and effective. One mother described how they out one day, and she made her son read all the signs that he saw, and count out all the change when they bought something.
Not bad for a 5 year-old.
These parents try to make everyday activities a lesson, instead of doing formal classes. They call it "out-in-the world home-schooling." With parents and children rapidly drifting apart when the child starts school, some parents see home schooling as a way to stay connected with their children.
Not everybody agrees with this out-in-the-world style of home-schooling. When Ms. Rendell told her story on an online journal, she received a great deal of a criticism (a whopping 200 comments.) This was mostly because she described taking the child out to a bar when she got a drink. Rendell describes the reaction as culture shock, because she is British. She also described how they live rent free in a college dorm, surrounded by students.
This brings me to my main question about the article:

-As much as "out-in-the-world" schooling is a good thing, are there some aspects of the world that a child shouldn't be exposed to at such an early age? 5 is a little young to be hanging around in a bar. Even though they couldn't possibly undestand some of the stuff that's going on, it could be a potentially scary place full of potentially scary people. Same with a college dorm. So in short, should children be exposed to these aspects of the world at a young age, or should some things be kept from them until they're older?

Finding a Balance: Books and the Student

The article I read, which discusses a teacher's need to find a balance between technology, books, and what interests their students within the classroom, was interesting for several reasons. As Alyssa discusses in her post, many teacher's are starting to rethink the material or reading lists they choose for their different classes in order to keep students interested, or even just get them interested, in reading. However, I think we need to start drawing out a more postmodern view on literature instead of only viewing things as "modern".

I think there is one most important concept within this article: change. I guess, where would education be if it didn't change to meet the needs of teachers and students? There is value in teaching classics to our students. Arguably, mythology is one of the biggest winners in classical literature that students enjoy. We can't just say, I think we should change our curriculum completely to newer pieces of work. But, we can say, why don't we offer courses that age with our students. Or, I think that the material we provide needs to more accurately match the age groups we teach. Students are learning about issues and problems at younger ages than ever before. So why not face these things with literature that backs up their fears and feelings? Let's give them material they can relate to, and most importantly, find ways to relate the classics to their lives. I remember reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and thinking, this is such a waste of time. I feel that this is one of the least valuable of his plays that we could be teaching our students. There is no reason to get away from Shakespeare, rather, we need to emphasize plays that really challenge and beg attention from our students. More so, I think that teachers need to stay in touch with what their students are interested in. I can't really see how bringing in a pop song about love is necessary to get the point of Romeo and Juliet across, as cute of an idea as that is. Rather, if we must, let students re-create parts of this well-known play. I feel we are truly misjudging the abilities of our students, especially in an age when all they have to do is look up sparknotes, or bookrags, to simply get an over view of a classical masterpiece. It is no wonder that students are not interested or are "bored" with reading, we just keep asking them for the same key concepts and thought processes on each new piece of literature WE give them. So, back to the idea of change, it's definitely time for one, but not one that so directly disregards the reasons we fell in love with English to begin with.

"The Politics of Election Day Classes"

The article that I read pertained to the issue of Election Day and whether or not it should be considered a college holiday. College students across the United States feel that classes should be canceled on Election Day so that they can fulfill their duty as an US citizen successfully, without the burden of classes holding then back from voting. It is obvious that this election is a very critical one to our countries future and it is important to realize that the college population does have a huge impact on this election. It is essential that every student goes out and votes on November 4th. It is also known that a great majority of college students have filed for absentee ballots. However, I don't feel that by making Election Day a national college holiday will help students feel more empowered to vote, its my opinion that more students will take advantage of the day off from classes then using it as resourceful time to vote. Also, it should be known that the election booths are opened for about 13 hours of the day, which should allow college students to find enough time in their day to go vote.

Nevertheless, I also feel that by not making Election Day a college holiday that Professors should not penalize students for missing class, nor should they have a huge assignment, exam or paper due on November 4th. If students are taking the time to vote I don't feel that they should feel rushed to leave the booth to arrive at class.

It is evident that this election day is very important. I think that the college should be doing all that they can, to get all of their students involved in the election.

Balancing Act With Books

This article discussed the decline in reading for pleasure among high school students. Teachers are having a hard time getting students to relate to the literature they are using in the classroom. There is too much of a time gap between the students and the characters in the books. The teacher in the article, Jason Baker, says that he would like to get his students interested in great American authors like Hawthorne and Hemingway, but he says teachers need to rethink their reading lists. The teachers in this article are not saying to get rid of classics like "Macbeth" and "The Great Gatsby," but they are saying teachers are going to have to bring in more contemporary works if they want to get students interested. The themes and characters in modern works are more easily related to by today's students.

Teachers have made many suggestions for how to reverse the decline we are seeing. Some teachers suggested pairing the classics with a modern song. By bringing in the modern art, they are relating the text to something they are familiar with. Another suggestion was to let students choose some of the texts they would be studying during the year. Teachers could fill in the "gaps" with some of the classics. Kids may want to read, but in school, they cannot always read what they want. Teachers say they cannot help students learn to appreciate the books they are reading if they cannot get them interested enough to open the book in the first place.

As educators, I believe it is important for us to "change with the times." As technology is advancing, we quickly bring it in to the classroom and use it to our advantage. Why wouldn't we bring in more contemporary works as they change with the times? Our students are part of the modern world, and that is what interests them for the most part. I think it is important for students to learn some of the classics, but tying them with modern literature is a good idea. They may relate to it on a more personal level and realize that they can gain something from reading.

When Schools Offer Money as a Motivator

I read an article about several schools in our country that have implemented pay-for-performance initiatives. Basically, they are offering cash incentives for higher scores on AP and standardized tests. The article tells of test scores increasing, especially among lower class and low income students, but what is the true cost of these incentives?

We all know that money makes our world go round, and that in order to get ahead, education is a must. Combining these two ideas, at first, seems genius. If I was in high school again and could get some cash just for getting a good score on a test, I might consider trying a little harder in that class. But my focus in my other classes would remain unchanged, or even decrease. Furthermore, when do these incentives stop, or become not enough. When are students going to want more money for their scores, and what will they do when they graduate and go off to college and have to get good scores without monetary incentives? Will they even want to learn?

The bottom line is that these schools are literally bribing their students into learning. Cash incentives may produce higher test score, but they are simply masking underlying problems, such as incompetent teachers and overcrowded classrooms. Students are in school to learn, so they can gain a good education, go to college, and get a good job and make money. It's almost as if these schools are trying to change education into a job in which students are rewarded for what they should be doing anyways - learning.

ARTICLE LINK: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121928822683759447.html

Funky Beats = Learned Children?

"Award winning" poet Nikki Giovanni has introduced a new idea to children's education. She has combined "funky" hip-hop beats with poetry in her new book, "Hip-Hop Speaks To Children". While teaching children about rhythm, this will supposedly boost children's interest in learning. The content ranges from material written by Queen Latifah to the celebrated Langston Hughes.

Initially my first reaction to Nikki Giovanni's new book was filled with doubt. I do not, and I never will, consider Hip-Hop poetry. However, I do not believe I am a majority in this matter and it remains that kids are being exposed to Hip-Hop at early ages. It undeniably influences them. So setting aside my own personal distaste for Hip-Hop, I must concede that if children must be exposed to it at least they are going to learn from it.   

A Push to Curb the Casual Use of Ugly Phrases

I may be bringing up a very controversial topic by discussing this article about the phrases used against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people. The article is informing us about the actions people are willing to take in order to end the negative language and specifically hurtful words used by children at school directed towards gay individuals. I completely agree that it is immoral to hurt the feelings of another person who is different than yourself, however I think it would be utterly impossibly to stop children from saying phrases that they are very comfortable with. For example, the article brings up the phrase “that’s gay”. Many people use this phrase with absolutely no gay connotation. The phrase has been most likely derived from certain homosexual jest; however the meaning isn’t quite the same anymore. Many individuals, myself included use the overplayed phrase “that’s gay” to express a certain lameness or disappointment towards a topic or action. It is not meant to hurt anyone’s feelings or to be specifically directed towards anyone. I do not have a problem with gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transgender people; I actually have a few in my extended family, so to say that I would be anti-gay would be completely incorrect. I am not supporting phrases that hurt people’s feelings by offending them, I am simply stating that phrases’ meaning’s change over the years. It starts to lose the meaning it initially derived from. Many people say things without thinking how they might affect other people. I agree that everyone should take in consideration the way others can be offended by certain phrases in which we do not think are offensive and then cut back the usage of them.

Easing the Toll on Teachers' Checkbooks

This article talked about the money that teachers spend out of their pockets for their classrooms. It estimated that they spend over a thousand on supplies. This estimation seems about right to me; it seemed that every year in high school that our supplies became less and less especially in my art classes. It was usually classes like art classes that were shorted but now it seems that it is spreading. My mother is a teacher and she is always going to the store for more supplies for her students and its always her own money she is spending. NCLB states that every student has the same opportunity to learn but with schools having less money every year this just is impossible without teachers spending their own money and they should not have to. Either the economy figures out a way to get more money to education or schools need to figure out where all their money is going and how to fix it. I also feel that companies should donate supplies. Stores like Office Max and Staples who get good consistent buisness should be able to give supplies to local schools. I understand that sometimes this does happen but usually because of an article like this one. That type of charity should not need to be an obligation because of the media, it should happen more often.

Teaching ESL

The article I chose talks about putting a limit on the time spent teaching ESL students in their native languages in Oregon. Bill Sizemore wants there to be a one year limit for elementary and a two year limit for high school. After these times are up the students must learn in all English. The article talks about the importance of getting all the students to learn English and different ways to encourage this. Within the article many teachers seem to disagree with the time limit.


I agree the importance of everybody learning English in the school system here; however, I disagree with Sizemore's time limit on learning in ones native language. There should not be a time limit on something like this because there are many factors that cannot be controled by our policies. This policy may encourage some student to succeed quickly; however that is only some. Every student learns differently, and teachers should recognize this use strategies to benefit the students while encouraging them to learn. I worked with 4 and 5 year old ESL children many times in a school setting. the teachers spoke almost all English. They used alot of pictures and alot of hands on activities. Although 4 and 5 year olds learn languages alot faster than elders I do think that elders have the capability to learn just as fast, but it never works like that. Although the solution to this can not be pin-pointed at this moment there is one thing that stands true, all students should learn to be fluint in English in the school systems but should have a respectful parrellel to their native language. Hense, it is stated in the national standards for English Language Arts.

Student's Incentive Bank

As of early September, 3000 middle-schoolers across Washington D.C. are being paid for their academic performances. A new program that sets aside 2.7 million dollars has students improving their behavior, attendance, and grades in school. They are working to earn points, given out by teachers. One point is worth $2, and the students can earn up to $100 every two weeks, and a maximum of $1500 a year. The program began early September in D.C. and similar programs have been launched in Chicago and New York.

Is this really the way to close the acheivement gap, as NCLB calls for? I don't believe so. You are giving the students incentives to get better grades, which I believe must work very well, however, for those students who try already and cannot get the grades, this program does nothing for them. In no way does it help to improve their academics. No after-school help is called for, no extra attention is given to them in order to help them receive the money. I think this will most likely motivate some students to do better on their schoolwork and spend more time with it, but I don't believe it is the right approach to take if you're looking to increase student's grades across the board. The program assumes everyone doesn't try their best, and in that assumption, it fails to meet the very real academic needs of some students.

I also feel that the program in itself cannot work very well or fairly. Teachers alone give points to the students, and this in itself is a worry. The teacher could play favorites, or feel sympathy for some students and give them the points regardless of the program requirements. It is too easily subjective. Also, the points are not completely standardized things. Schools can vary their point system according to their own desires for students. If a school wanted to enforce a dress code, they could add that to the point system, and then those students would be receiving points for dressing appropriately, while other school's students receive points based solely on academic performance. It is an unfair judging system.

I agree with creator of the "Capital Gains" program, Roldand G. Fryer Jr., when he says in the article that it is important to show the students short-term and tangible effects of their hard work. This is true, and if the program had an after-school help aspect to it that was designed to help students get to the appropriate academic performance, then I could totally support this. As it is, it is a good incentive, but lacks in its helpfulness to many students. It is an alluring idea, however. I would love to be paid for my academics...but how does that teach students the true meaning of education? Should we really be paying them to learn, or should we encourage them to realize the value of education in itself? Our world is based on the idea that education is the foundation of society, and if students begin viewing it as something they can get paid for, the incentive aspect of it will take over, and true meaning will be lost.

English Period

In the article from the Boston Globe, "English Period," we read about a seven-year-old-girl--Marian Loran. She is being imersed in an English-only class, but she speaks no English. Marian and many other students in Framingham are being forced to remain in English-only classes for the first thirty days of their education in America. The Framingham school district has bilingual programs, but students must first take thirty days of English only classes; then, their parents have to sign a waiver for them to get into a bilingual program. Almost all bilingual parents sign the waivers for their children.

I think forcing students who speak no English to be in English-only education programs (even if only for thirty days) goes against the NCLB Act. Teachers are supposed to make it so all students are learning, and no one is left behind. Sitting in a classroom where nothing is understood is not going to educate students. It is going to make them hate the education system. They are not learning if they do not understand a word coming out of the teacher's mouth. When American students learn a foreign language, they are taught in English and the language. They are at least told what a word means in English so they will be able to understand a little bit of what is going on. So why should students who don't speak English be denied the chance to learn just because they don't know English? Thirty days is a long time to be denied an education but still have to sit in a classroom to wait for your chance to learn.

Do Teachers Have The Right to Blog About Anything?

On "Blogging from the Classroom, Teachers Seek Influence, Risk Trouble" -- By Eddy Remirez

My article talked about teachers who risk their jobs by blogging out their aggression towards their jobs, or more specifically the anger and sadness they experience within their particular school system. Remirez discusses how these blogs have helped teachers connect with, and gain support or advice from other teachers who may be going through, or have gone through, similar experiences. Then, he looks at how these blogs can be offensive to parents or administration, who can sometimes pick out the writers, or find the language and topics to be innapropriate and the idea of anyone-access irresponsible. The article seems to lean towards teachers having the right to responsible, and what I would call "black-boxed" or limited, freedom of speech.

I am not sure I have rested completely on a conclusion for whether teachers should or should not be able to blog freely. I think that teachers should have the right to blog without restriction, just as anyone can make a website on anything. In other words, a person's profession should not limit his or her right to write without censorship. On the other hand, I agree that specifics should be left out of these blogs. Targeting a specific person or place is rarely, if ever, appropriate when negatively discussing troublesome or personal issues that can be accessed by anyone. It would be nice to see a website set up that allows teachers private access and open discussions with each other, where they can create blogs, or have forums that help and support one another through difficult times. Even better, if the government would take some of the teachers opinions and ideas to heart when creating their laws. In professions that can tend to cause burnout, writing that includes some form of venting is one of the best ways to de-stress. Teachers need an outlet to get out their frustrations, and frankly, the teachers lounge is a little overrated for such outbursts. Besides, I think that these blogs could influence changes within a community, if they read and accept the problems that sometimes only teachers can see. Remirez points out how one teacher helped his community gain better funding opportunities through his rants on the disrruptive and destructive nature of the students. However, this teacher also lost his job.

I am left wondering: Should a line be drawn on what teachers can or can not say in blogs? And, who has a right to draw that line? More so, couldn't these blogs offer a potential opportunity for some change if taken seriously by the right people. Where do we go from here? And, the always popular, how do sites like MySpace or Facebook fit into this argument?

Video games start to shape classroom curriculum

In this article by Huma Yusuf, a few schools flirt with a new concept of using video games as a learning tool. In one example, they talk about how Sega’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” will essentially teach eighth graders about Homer’s “Odyssey”. I personally think this is a horrible idea to enforce video games on students especially at an eighth grade level. They are completely consumed by them in their spare time; I think there should be a separation of spare time and school work. I also don’t think teachers should fully trust a game to do their job as a teacher. Over the summer, I worked in a special education program for students in elementary school and one of the students could only function and learn by using educational gaming tools. Although this student did have special needs, it still always worried me. I wondered if he was extremely used to being able to use video games as an option, he completely shut down every time someone asked him to do schoolwork and then would throw a tantrum. Hearing about how schools are replacing written schoolwork criteria with virtual games and adventures seems a little too liberal for schools. Many parents will also argue this as well. Their children spend enough time inside playing video games; they wouldn’t want them to be enforced to do it as homework. This also goes along with work ethic, if students get used to being able to opt out of written work and perform in video games, this gives a student the wrong idea about their future. They can not do this when they obtain a “real” job. I think this is giving students a terrible work ethic and the wrong concept of what hard work is.

"Sharing Your Notes Online--And Getting Paid For It" (Article by Andy Guess)

I found this article to be extremely interesting, so much so that I had to read every single comment that was posted on it! Andy Guess discusses a new web site, Knetwit, that is paying student note takers to post their notes and other helpful information that allows their users to view a variety of information on their intellectual topic of choice. I find this to be a mix between Wikipedia, sparknotes and its competitors, as well as those horrible free essay sites. There are obvious benefits and problems with a site like this, all of which Guess offers to readers to think through. As a student, I think it's awesome that I could earn extra income simply by uploading several well thoughtout and organized drafts of different notes. I do not, however, feel that essays should be turned in because that will simply lead to plagarizing.
I see the value in viewing notes that offer the same subject matter in a variety of ways. I think that this could be useful for the start of a research project, or extra help before a test. At the same time, I see how these notes could easily cause legal matters with professors and the universities these professors work for, who use their lectures as a basis for material they may publish at some point. If students used this site simply as more of an academic discussion board of intellectual thought and multiple specific subject matter than I could see endless opportunity and enjoyment. For example, if our whole class could post our notes on the ELA Standards, that would be extremely helpful in our comprehension and daily use of said standards, beyond any testing on the subject.
This said, overall I feel that classes should NOT be note-based. Rather, and several commenters on the article felt the same, students should be learning through a give-take, take-give method that rarely includes note-taking. If a student is simply taking notes, he or she is learning through one vision that does not require thought, but only memorization. By giving notes, a person is saying, this is it and this is how it always is. I disagree with "always". Wouldn't it be best that students are always questioning information they are given? If something is REALLY important, then type it up and hand it out to students, or cite the source that made the informationso valuable and hand that out. Professors should provide a place for thought to begin, but do not need to plan out how thought will start and end for every class. As a student, I want to be able to mold and shape ideas as my peers and I encounter them. As a teacher, I would like my students to discuss so I know they understand, simply writing what I say down only means they will be able to spit it back up for test. I want them to take it, make it their own, and then spit it back up when they need to. (Sadly, this may be mostly a dream due to NCLB).

The Grade Game

In this article a teacher decides on not giving grades to his students in hopes that they will learn to appreciate the material. He instead used colorful picture stamps and comments in place of the grades. I feel the same way this teacher does in that a grade does not really give a student the motivation or feedback they are usually looking for. An animal stamp in different colors is something to make the student smile. Its letting them know that their work was appreciated not only for its grade value. I also think that the amount of comments this particular teacher wrote on each paper would come in handy for assignments to come. It would let the student know what the teacher liked/ disliked and what ideas it brought to the teacher. I also understand that some students really need to see a letter grade on their work to which I feel that this teacher also covered. Although I do not feel that a student should pick their own grade I do feel that meeting with the students to go over their work was a good idea. By meeting with each student individually you are able to go over their work explaining to them why they received a certain grade. It is a good chance to really get to know your students and for them to get to know you.

Who Wants to be a Teacher? A Whole Lot of People, A New Survey Finds.

The article I read was about the alarming number of people who have considered leaving their current jobs to become teachers. A survey by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in New Jersey concluded that 42 percent of college educated 24 to 60 year olds would consider making this switch. There are two ways to look at this: as a student studying to become a teacher, and as a potential parent who will someday be putting their own children through school.

As a parent, this influx of teachers is very promising. Pretty soon, the baby boomer age will have to retire, leaving countless slots open in our country's classrooms. All the potential career switchers can make up for this deficit. The fact that they WANT to be teachers is also a very good thing. Rather than just having someone teach because that's what they ended up doing, students will be taught by people that actually want to teach. The survey sites that giving back to the community and helping others are two huge reasons why people would make this switch.

As a student studying to become a teacher, like many of us are, this is a very scary statistic. To think that we will pay for and attend up to six years of school, and not have a career afterwards personally terrifies me. My only consolation is that most schools still require that you major in the field you want to teach. This will make it at least somewhat difficult for these career switchers to pick up teaching.

In a world where people can seemingly switch careers on the turn of a dime, am I being selfish in my fear? I could think as a parent and just be glad that students will be taught by people who want to teach them - but I am one of those people.

McCain Promises to 'Shake Up' Schools

Recently at the GOP National Convention, Senator and Republican Nominee for President John McCain made a statement saying, "Education is the civil rights issue of this century." It is in question what exactly McCain would do to achieve national and state standards if he should be elected President. Will he "alter NCLB law?" Although McCain has not been active on education issues in the past, he did vote in favor for the NCLB legislation in 2001. The controlling idea of the bill was and is aimed at holding schools and teachers accountable for their student's academic achievement, measured adequate yearly progress in the forms of standardized testing. McCain has been labeled "the champion of rigorous assessment and accountability in public education" by his supporters. When asked what he would do differently from President Bush on federal education policy, McCain said that he would "seek immediate help for students in failing schools" and "expand private school choice." With the future of NCLB unable to be determined, what should educators be concerned about? Will the NCLB legislation remain as is in the coming years? Or will it be reinterpreted and improved? The article also states that many congressman blindly voted for NCLB, not completely understanding its implications. Will the election of a new president bring innovation?

Relaxation of English Spelling Rules

In this article Professor John Wells of University College of London, gives several examples of how we should make English easier to understand and write. Along with that there is a conversation that is in this article that you can listen to that is of Professor Wells speaking of how we should make spelling easier on children so that they understand everything better. Making spelling ore difficult for children makes it that much harder for them to learn how to read and spell at the same time. Professor Wells speaks of text messaging now a days and how when texting, people shorten the spelling of words up to save time, but they still know what the word means either way.

I've always been a good speller for as long as I can remember, when it comes to texting I usually don't take shortcuts when it comes to that. I see where Professor Wells is going with his theory of bending the rules slightly. For instance, he says with the words, their, there, and they're, there should only be one "there" because the meaning will always stay the same if we just use one of the words. Allowing people to spell everything their own way may not always make them better learners or spellers. I don't think anyone should really try to take anything away from the English language such as spelling. Maybe there should be an easier way of teaching students how to spell properly, that wont make it so that we need to change the way we spell. Coming up with new techniques of teaching students how to spell better and testing it out is not always a bad thing, but in the long run spelling everything the correct way can be beneficial as well.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2008/09/080908_english_spelling_wup.sl.shtml

What defines a struggling reader?

It is apparent that defining standards for children becomes harder every year. Kylene Beers was able to obtain one answer from a seventh grader who claimed that he loved to read, but didn't have the time to do it; however it only showed Beers that he wasn't struggling with reading.

The frustrating part of this "mystery" is determining who is struggling and why, and how to fix it. The author has activities suggested in this article that involve starting at birth and reading to children throughout the day, rather than at night. Also, finding out what kids want to read will help in focusing their attention to the reading and get them to want to read. Being surrounded by literacy exercises will tend to have a positive effect on children when they enter into school.

But that doesn't always work and there are many reasons for this. The author touches upon the "developmental lag" and how it is considered outdated. Parents need to be able to distinguish between the "developmental lag" and a "skill deficit." Since there is a wide variety of skills that revolve around reading, the author suggests on finding out the key areas that the child is struggling in. Reading involves more than looking at the text - one must be able to comprehend the meaning behind it and make sense of it as it fits into the whole picture.

One statistic mentioned in this article that alarmed me was "More food for thought: 90 percent of kids entering first grade as poor readers remain so." I find a few things wrong with this. One, though "struggling readers" has been redefined by the author as "a child who can’t manage the demands of reading independently," why are the children continuously being labeled as "poor readers?" Since there are many issues affecting a child's ability to read, such as poverty, mental incapacity, attention span deficits, or simply not enough time, sometimes it is difficult to pinpoint these factors and have a solution.

Another interesting point mentioned was summer break, and how "at-risk" kids tend to lose focus and obtain a large cumulative gap in the reading achievement category. I remember being in fourth or fifth grade, and the school held a program for students to take part in over the summer. The goal was to read six books (the exact number mentioned in this article) and read them during the summer, then come back with written summaries of the books. In return, students who succeeded received gift certificates and other neat accomodations. I participated and succeeded in this activity, and it makes me wonder what motivated me more; the certificates or the goal of staying on task and focused? Either way, I'm sure it never harmed my reading acheivement.


http://www.mspmag.com/education/raisingreaders/raisingreaderssept08/112808.asp?ht=

The iPod in schools

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/1191389.html

Culbreth Middle School could be the catalyst for a technology explosion in the classroom. The iPod Touch is being introduced as a classroom instrument and there are concerns about whether or not this will benefit learning or hinder it. The school officials face the problem of monitoring what the students are downloading, because this technology is designed for convenience, it will be convenient for students to download music instead of the assigned lesson. Susan Wells, the principal at Culberth, feels that it is time to make the necessary upgrades to the classroom and she is confident that this can be done. More and more classes require internet access and full courses are being taught online for credit. The change might be inevitable but this Chapel Hill school will be the first to implement this sort of experiment. The school is just waiting to see if they will be able to get the proper funding for all of this. It will cost tax payers and privet backers $230,000 for all the students and teachers to have their own iPod’s that they have with them for the school year, and then they must return them.
The technology is necessary, but I’m old-fashioned in the sense that I am not good with computers and I have harder time learning from them. Students, now, who are in K-12 grew up with electronics all around them, so they are more comfortable with this change. When the iPod touch takes over the classroom, some teachers might be a little behind and students, who are used to computers and new technology. The problem is going to be, not only that it will be hard to monitor what the students are downloading, but also managing time. If the class has to all be on the same page and everyone has to wait for a program to download or if the teacher is trying to walk students through a program on the web; then less content teaching is being taught and more time is being wasted. Other then time management and keeping the kid’s attention, there really isn’t a negative effect for the students. The money needed for funding is expensive but if this is the path the future is heading towards, then it is a necessary investment. Computers are used in the classes that I’m currently taking and I find that more communication can be done with the internet, but some procedures to find links and websites is discouraging for people who are not very familiar with them. I do however, think that people like me are going to have to accept the technology, and stop being victims of technology advancement because it is not going away; its spreading everywhere and it is going to dominate the schools.

The iPod in schools

An iPod Touch for each student?
School would tap it as learning tool
byMatt Dees
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/1191389.html

Culbreth Middle School could be the catalyst for a technology explosion in the classroom. The iPod Touch is being introduced as a classroom instrument and there are concerns about whether or not this will benefit learning or hinder it. The school officials face the problem of monitoring what the students are downloading, because this technology is designed for convenience, it will be convenient for students to download music instead of the assigned lesson. Susan Wells, the principal at Culberth, feels that it is time to make the necessary upgrades to the classroom and she is confident that this can be done. More and more classes require internet access and full courses are being taught online for credit. The change might be inevitable but this Chapel Hill school will be the first to implement this sort of experiment. The school is just waiting to see if they will be able to get the proper funding for all of this. It will cost tax payers and privet backers $230,000 for all the students and teachers to have their own iPod’s that they have with them for the school year, and then they must return them.
The technology is necessary, but I’m old-fashioned in the sense that I am not good with computers and I have harder time learning from them. Students, now, who are in K-12 grew up with electronics all around them, so they are more comfortable with this change. When the iPod touch takes over the classroom, some teachers might be a little behind and students, who are used to computers and new technology. The problem is going to be, not only that it will be hard to monitor what the students are downloading, but also managing time. If the class has to all be on the same page and everyone has to wait for a program to download or if the teacher is trying to walk students through a program on the web; then less content teaching is being taught and more time is being wasted. Other then time management and keeping the kid’s attention, there really isn’t a negative effect for the students. The money needed for funding is expensive but if this is the path the future is heading towards, then it is a necessary investment. Computers are used in the classes that I’m currently taking and I find that more communication can be done with the internet, but some procedures to find links and websites is discouraging for people who are not very familiar with them. I do however, think that people like me are going to have to accept the technology, and stop being victims of technology advancement because it is not going away; its spreading everywhere and it is going to dominate the schools.

Adolescents Reading: A Field of Dreams?

In this article, by Teri S. Lesesne, the author takes the general concept of belief and persistence found in the movie "A Field of Dreams" and brings it to the classroom. The author argues that in order to get students to read more, which is a common goal among all English teachers, we must first be persistent in our efforts to achieve this goal, and we must believe that this goal is possible to achieve.

Lesesne begins this article by disputing the common argument that teens these days are reading less. She believes that teens these days are in fact reading as much, if not more, just not in the classical sense. Lesesne says that teens are online reading blogs, interviews, and sports scores. She also includes audio books in this unconventional reading that teens are surely doing these days. I personally don't know whether or not I would count audio books as reading. Audio books only call on a students listening skills, rather than their reading skills.

Lesesne has a plan to encourage teens to read more, even if they are not avid readers. She proposes that we offer choices, and read summaries of books that may spark interest to the students. Going along with this theme of choices, she also proposes that many different forms of text be offered, including audiobooks, in attempt to spark every one's interests. In a way to incorporate today's advanced technology, she suggests that teachers record themselves reading a book to put onto a student's MP3 player. She also proposes a plan on how to go about introducing students to books that might interest them. By paying attention to student's favorite genres, tv shows & movies, it can assist in helping students find books that will be interesting to them and also keep them reading.

All in all, I feel that the author's analogy of "Field of Dreams" to the classroom is a good one. Persistence and belief in what we are trying to accomplish will of course produce results and increase numbers of teens who read regularly!

Bringing Standardize Tetsing to Kindergarten Level

I feel as though standardized testing is becoming more of a concerning issue. After reading and listening to the segment on why many New York State officials feel that children should start to be assessed at a lower age level, I am more against the idea. It is evident that many elite feel that students should be assessed in order to know what the students are learning and gaining from their education. Though standardized test are thought to become a "center piece" of education, it is stated that the tests in general are not looking to see what the teachers have taught or have not taught.
I for one am against this idea especially at such a young age. Children between the ages of 5-7 years old are just learning how to transform into the school routine and adjust. I don't think that it is fair as educators to try and get the students in the habit of always being tested. I don't understand what happened to simply teaching students, and allowing them to work and grow at their own pace. I don't always feel that it is okay to force children to move at the same rate as other children because the truth is simply each child learns and comprehends each method and concept differently. It is not fair to the children to put the pressure of testing on consecutively and at such a young age.
I think that trying to assess students in the lower grade level, such as kindergarten is absurd. Kindergarten is when children learn how to develop relationships with one another and with themselves. Student's learn independence and creativity, the basics of math and reading. However, it is now evident that younger children are going to be forced to focus more on the rights and wrongs, and the do's and don't of learning with the phrase "standardized testing" laying in the back of their minds throughout their education.

Standardized Testing: Expanding the Frontier to Kindergarden

New York City is about to take the standardized tests to a new level.  They will be implementing a program in which kindergarden, first and second grade students will be taking standardized assessment tests.  This program will encompass close to 12,000 students and the tests will range from multiple choice based, one on one correspondence with the teacher to video game based tests.  The supporters of the program state that there has already been assessment based testing and that this is an upgrade to what has already been in place.  They relate it towards a thermometer in which the original assessment tests were like a thermometer that told you if you had a fever, where the new program will be like a thermometer that will differentiate a fever of 103 degrees from one that is 104 degrees.

I am not a supporter of standardized tests which would mean that such a program would not be my cup of tea.  I believe that it is extremely important to focus on, especially in the lower grade levels, socialization, creativity, life lessons, and the importance of multiple intelligences and finding out which one of these intelligences applies to you.  Standardized testing takes away from all of these aspects with rigorous studying and preparation.  Students miss out more on things like music and art because of the rigid structure that these tests put forth onto teachers.  This is because with insufficient test scores comes less funding and the potential for people to lose their jobs which no one wants, therefor they put more effort towards these tests, which are fallible ways to assess children, which to me is something that is not okay especially for kids who are just entering school who are trying to adjust to the life as a student and socialize healthily.

Technology In School: Where Do We Draw The Line?

The article, An iPod Touch for each student? (http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/1191389.html), by Matt Dees, raises some interesting and potentially controversial questions. The article deals with Culbreth Middle School and their Principal Susan Wells' decision to use iPod Touch units in the classroom as an educational tool. Principal Wells believes that in a world that relies so heavily upon technology it is foolish to try and keep it out of the classroom. If the project recieves proper funding, students and teachers alike will recieve iPod Touch units, and curriculum and courses will be developed based around the units. For example, students would be able to recieve art credit for learning guitar by taking online lessons at home.
Now, I'm completely behind introducing technology into the classroom and I feel that Wells is absolutely right when she says that its foolish to attempt to keep technology out of the classroom. However, to what degree will we allow technology to affect education? In my opinion, one of the most important things about education is the interaction and communication between human beings. The introduction of technology such as the iPod touch could potentially hurt the important tie between student and teacher and hamper a students development of healthy communication. So much of communication is based in facial expression and body language and technology eliminates that. And while we're on the subject, let's look to the future. Will technology eventually replace the classroom setting altogether? Is that something we want to replace?

When Schools Offer Money As a Motivator

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121928822683759447.html,

I read the NCTE Inbox article entitled "When Schools Offer Money As a Motivator" with great interest. I had previously never heard of such a thing being done, in fact the idea seemed very odd to me. After wrapping my head around it for a while, I decided that the idea has some merit. Basically, students in schools are offered cash incentives to do well on tests or in the classes they are taking.
The chief reason I think that this is a good idea as compared to say, decreasing class sizes, is that the gains are much larger compared to the gains of hiring a new teacher (and slightly cutting the size of certain classes). I think that one of the biggest problems with today's education system in America is the problem of motivating the students, especially those from low income areas and schools. This program is most effective to those who need academic guidance the most, because low income students are more likely to respond enthusiastically to a cash incentive.
For those critics who say that cash incentive will make students have less desire to learn for reasons not tied directly to money, I would then ask them if they are an opponent of scholarships, and further than that, of performance-based pay in the workforce. The idea behind this program is not a new one, it is the same idea that motivates the workers and business people of our nation and the world, it has just never manifested itself so directly in our schools. The direct line of money tied to good academic performance will help students understand the way things work in "the real world", and at the same time motivate them to do better work in their schools.

Who needs those old fashioned books anyway?

The article "Computer Time doesn't have to replace Reading Time" by Paula Ebben (http://wbztv.com/watercooler/lighterside/reading.books.online.2.802536.html) addresses a common complaint that you hear amongst educators and parents today. I know that my parents would complain about how much time I spent on the computer, although I spent much more than 7 minutes per day reading--the average time that a child spends reading for pleasure nowadays. Some new websites have been exploiting this by creating online book clubs where kids can read literature and discuss it just like any other book club.

Now I've read complete works online (short stories mostly), but I personally don't think I would have the patience to read whole chunks of books on a computer. When I read for pleasure I always do so leisurely, either laying down or sitting in a recliner, not in my uncomfortable computer chair.

By the tone of the article, the author seems to be making online books out to be the next natural step in the evolution of literature. I disagree with that assumption because I think that nothing will ever replace having a hard-copy of a book. Technology can only go so many places. I can bring a book with me anywhere I go, but I can't lug a computer with me everywhere. Laptops don't cut it either, because one would need internet access to keep reading the book and free public nation-wide wi-fi is still only a pipe-dream.

Not everyone is like me, however, so I can see the benefits for kids who normally wouldn't give a care about books. If online books and online book clubs catch on, I think they'd be the perfect for a generation of kids who spend much more time online than ever before.

Computer Time Doesn't Have To Replace Reading Time

Computer Time Doesn't Have To Replace Reading Time was an article recently written by Paula Ebben for WBZTV.com which - as one can clearly see - is about the digital age taking over and distracting children from reading books. What Ms. Ebben says though is that this is not necessarily a negative thing, yes, kids aren't going out and reading the traditional way, but, they are still reading. As Paula Ebbens says in her article new networking sites like the "Myface" and all those social networking sites make it easier for for individuals to connect with a small community to talk about a book. Also, reading has taken a new turn, now a days kids are reading right off their computers. As Georgia Christman says it is nice because "The chapters come out at a certain time and so everyone is reading at the same pace and knows what's going on at the same time." Personally i would never want to go online to read a book, to me nothing can beat curling up with my kitten - Corduroy Tr0nasaurous-Rex Bartlett - and reading a good paper back. But, for kicks and giggles i decided to checked out some of the online resources posted at the bottom of the article. I found they were extremly useful in finding new books to read and actually i think i will use some of these sites to help locate books in the future. But overall, i am still a strong believe of doing things the old fashion way. Sitting and reading some ink and paper

Slowing Your Speech

Wichita State University did a very interesting study on how children comprehend what another person is saying by the rate of speech that is spoken. Specifically, the study took place at the university's Child Development Center. The study supports the reasoning that if you slow the delivery of your speech down, a child will understand you more clearly. They say that an adult speaks almost 170 words per minute. The 5-to 7-year old processes 120 words per minute. And a high-school student processes 140 to 145 words per minute. This study proves that not all children understand what is being said or asked of them. We should speak slower to younger people so that they can easily interpret what we say.

Welcome new 297ers

This is going to be a stimulating class, right?

Literacy Dig

#1
When you first walk into my apartment there is a poster that says "avoid staying home". When i first found the ad in a magazine, my roommate and i thought it was funny and it had a positive message we agreed with. She moved to Alaska and i moved to plattsburgh and i ended up with it. I probably wouldn't have hung it up again but last memorial day she passed away, and the ad is one of several reminders i have of her around my apartment. I think this says i am a sentimental person and that i miss my friend.

#2
On my fridge i have a couple drawings from my boyfriend. One in particular was for our one year anniversary and says "10 reasons why i love nicki". Its cute and sappy and i guess it says im sappy and in love.

#3
Above my kitchen sink i have a copy of the Irish saying "May the wind always be at your back etc". I picked it up at a garage sale a couple of years ago. My family is from Ireland, my grandparents moved here in the 1950's and im proud of my heritage.

#4
In my bedroom i have a poster that says "Breathe" over a picture of a exotic beach. My boyfriends mother gave it to us when we moved up here because we both tend to get stressed over the little things.

#5
In my bathroom, i have attached an "inspirational quote" for my boyfriend who doesnt always wake up on the bright side of the bed. This shows that i care about the people around me and their mental well being.

Helping Families Support Readers

This article touches on the importance of reading and the significance that reading presents a student. The author states, "Reading supports writing development and writing supports reading development." Being an English Literature concentration, I believe that reading is the foundation and key to all other possibilities. Ultimately effective reading contributes to effective writing and so on. There are many children who find joy in reading, however families finances and resources are low. This article gives wonderful example of resources and websites that may help accommodate and bring magazines, educational and interesting books for students. For example, share the NCTE description of What Can Family Literacy Look Like to provide families with a list of short, everyday activities that can support readers and writers.
I really like this article because it reassured me that there are people who just don't criticize the negative, but wants change and like students to progress and succeed throughout their academics.

Making Wikis Work For Scholars

The article, "Making Wikis Work For Scholars" in the April, 28 issue of Inside Higher Ed describes how professors use Wikipedia and even incorporate it into their classes. It's common for college professors to contribute articles on Wikipedia. Some feel that this is what makes Wikipedia reliable. The article states "A quick glance at the syllabus for Breno de Medeiros’s Advanced Topics in Cryptography and Network Security course at Florida State University, to take one example, reveals reading assignments — in addition to the usual textbook chapters and published papers — that direct students to pages on Wikipedia." Some teachers even assign students to write their own Wikipedia page.
The article claims "Even if they won’t admit it, students are using Wikipedia to kick off their research and fill the gaps in their class notes ..." The article also points out the legitimacy issues that come up when it comes to Wikipedia articles. Since they're open to anybody, people can write articles without the proper education of the topic. After being published, the articles are not subject to any review by authority.
While I agree that the articles on Wikipedia could be erroneous, from my personal experiences with it, it's been helpful. When I'm learning about something I have little to no prior knowledge on, Wikipedia provides a good foundation for learning about it. It lets me know what the main significance of the topic is before I read in-depth articles about it. I can understand why teachers wouldn't allow students to reference it since it's not scholarly, but I rarely find inaccuracies on it and it serves as a helpful tool for me.