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Cool Tech Tool A posting on the HECC listserv by Coffee County Schools tech director Randy Damewood led me to Steve Dickie's YouTube video, iPad Today Response - Using my iPad to Teach. Steve shows in the video how he uses a couple of tools to help him teach more effectively with his iPad. While I really liked his strap thingie Steve also maintains a blog, Teaching With Technology. While he's definitely into cool tech toys, he's more into teaching! Interesting Reads from Over the Weekend I noticed several interesting reads yesterday from the Washington Post. The first, Exit Interview: MoCo superintendent Jerry D. Weast on lessons learned by Nick Anderson, is a candid interview from outgoing Montgomery County Superintendent Jerry Weast. Asked, "Is there a downside to working with unions," Weast simply replied, "None." A second good read is a long piece by Steven Mufson and Jia Lynn Yang, The trials of Kaplan Higher Ed and the education of The Washington Post Company. While one might reasonably question the objectivity of anyone at the Washington Post doing a piece on Post subsidiary, Kaplan, this article gives a good history of how the Post got into the for-profit higher education business and the current mess it's in with the feds. Taken with a bit of skepticism, it's a good story. Valerie Strauss began a series of guest posts by TFA alum, Anna Martin, last Friday. So far, there are three very interesting articles:
Fox News contributor William LaJeunesse today gets the rarely awarded Educators' News Turkey of the Week Award. (Gotta get with it. Sadly, there are lots of potential "reformer" turkeys out there.) LaJeunesse states in Taxpayer Calculator: Education Spending in Obama's 2012 Budget:
A commenter quickly jumped on LaJeunesse's manipulation of the truth with the correction:
While I'd love to call the statement by LaJeunesse a whopper of a lie, he may have some justification in his twisted thinking if one adds all state and private institution spending to the current level of federal spending on education. But it would seem the intent of the statement is pretty clear: LaJeunesse wants his readers to believe another Fox News Falsehood, this time that the federal government's education budget is more than the defense budget. I also pulled together all of our current and previous winners, all four of them, into Turkey of the Week Award "Winners," an Educators' News feature story. Odds 'n' Ends Jennifer Chambers of the Detroit News doesn't give one a lot of context in Education chief Duncan cites 'lack of courage' in DPS for Arne Duncan's comment:
Duncan made the remark while speaking to journalists attending the national Education Writers Association conference in New Orleans on Friday. My guess is that Duncan's comment was aimed primarily at those in charge of the Detroit schools, but it also comes pretty close to what I called "teacher bashing by innuendo" in an Educators' News editorial last month, A Disingenuous President. And the headline, Idaho governor signs education overhaul into law, tells of students, parents, and teachers in yet another state being saddled with school "reform" that probably won't help kids very much. The same Reuter's article by Laura Zuckerman appears on the Huffington Post under the headline, Idaho Governor 'Butch' Otter Signs Final Piece Of Anti-Union Education Reform. And while not related to education, a name that appears here often is in the news again. Shani O. Hilton tells in D.C. Mayor Vince Gray Arrested in Budget Battle Protest that "Mayor Gray and several City Council members sat in the middle of Constitution Ave. on Capitol Hill before getting arrested and carted off to a police station on Monday." Home rule for D.C. and "a rider in the budget deal that would prevent D.C. from spending its own funds on abortion for poor women, the overwhelming majority of whom are black and Latina," spurred the protest. Send Feedback to |
that allows him to move about the classroom without fear of dropping his iPad, his use of a $7.99 app, 
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About Teaching the Civil War Nick Anderson has an interesting article in the Washington Post about how and when the Civil War is taught in schools around the country. Anderson lightly covers textbook and curriculum controversies, reasons for the Civil War taught to students, and adds a number of vignettes of classroom lessons about the war in Teaching the Civil War, 150 years later. His article made me think of my last instruction in the Civil War, at Milligan College. Since the comments section for the article was getting pretty lively and somewhat heated, I related my experience there (and here, now) to lighten the mood a bit.
In these times of near-constant teacher bashing and aggressive school "reform," I find it refreshing that the words of a consummate teacher from over 40 years ago still remain in memory. Erik Robelen writes today in 150 Years Later: Primary Sources, Technology Bring Civil War to Life on the Curriculum Matters blog:
Erik has a couple of previous blog postings that along with today's add a good number of links to Civil War resources:
Not Much Today It's a pretty slow day for education news so far today. Science Nation has a new issue posted, Saving Silver. Diane Ravitch looks at test score comparisons and the past and currently stated reasons for school vouchers in Vouchers Make a Comeback, But Why on the Bridging Differences blog. Also from Education Week is Michelle D. Anderson's Enrollment Surges at Schools for Homeless Students. Two People Who Deserve to be Fired The Indy Star headline reads, U.S. education secretary coming Friday to Indy, telling of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's planned visit on Friday at the Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School for "a town hall meeting." The Star reports that the announcement from the Governor's office noted that both "the governor and Duncan are both proponents of charter school expansion, improving teacher quality, and increasing school accountability." Apple pie, mom, and the American flag, right? But not quite. The "town hall" is actually an "invitation-only" staged event for the press, Tindley students, and parents (if they got an invitation) to continue the push for Governor Daniels' draconian school "reform" agenda. The Star's Scott Elliott tells of one such bill in the Star's other education story today, Charter schools bill nears finish line. He writes:
Daniels' plan would divert funding from already cash-strapped regular public schools in favor of more charter schools and the biggest school voucher program in the nation. He also wants to limit collective bargaining for teachers to wage and wage related items, preventing bargaining and discussion of items like class size, materials, evaluation, etc. The plan would also encourage charter schools run by for-profit entities, stripping away control of local school patrons and placing control of the schools in the hands of corporate boards dedicated only to making a profit. The governor also strongly supports the unproven business oriented system of evaluating teachers based on the results of student test scores. Sadly, Indiana does not have a recall law, only an impeachment process. Impeachment is for a violation of law, such as Republican Indiana Secretary of State, Charlie White, will almost certainly face when convicted of felony election fraud. The only way to "fire" Daniels is to deny him the 2012 Republican presidential nomination he so lusts after. Duncan, however, serves at the will of the President, and should be fired immediately for the charade of education "reform" he has proposed that will not help improve schools. Appearing at a staged event that bolsters Daniels' perverted education proposals gives aid and comfort to the folks who would destroy Indiana's public schools in favor of a privatized system. BTW: Bill Schechter, a 35-year veteran in the classroom, reveals in Performance pay at schools Obama, Duncan picked for their children that both Duncan and President Obama chose schools for their children that do not favor merit pay! Okay, I've had my rant for today. I'd planned to take the day off and get our garden in this morning. But Arne Duncan should know better than to support any Mitch Daniels initiative. Oops, for New Jersey residents, Governor Christie is "renewing his call to push aside 'bully' teachers' unions, fire bad instructors, and allow students in poorly performing public schools to learn elsewhere" according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Katz and Joelle Farrell in Christie takes education reform plan to Lower Twp. as lawmakers in Trenton blast school-funding cuts. On the Lighter Side Another HECC listserv posting today led me to Greg Shultz's Vintage Computer Advertisements from the late 1970s. Now I'll go stick some plants and seed in the ground. Free Everyday Math Apps Another HECC posting this morning alerted me to a line from the McGraw-Hill School Education Group on the iTunes app store that reads, "All of our Everyday Math Games Apps Since this one expires soon, I'm getting it posted quickly. Like a Bad Penny
Reminder and Caution As I mentioned in our Looking Ahead section last month, the filing deadline for federal income tax returns has been extended this year to April 18 in observation of Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia. But take note that for for those of us who need to file state returns as well, the traditional April 15 date is still in effect in most states for those returns. Odds 'n' Ends If you use Flip Video
Valerie Strauss places some of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's claims about school "reform" in New Orleans in perspective today in her New Orleans schools ‘miracle’ not so miraculous on The Answer Sheet blog. Here in Indiana, a former educator calls for restraint in State’s education reform plan an insulting mess. Marvin A. Henry, Indiana State University professor emeritus of education, writes in part, "There are a number of unanswered questions which need to be addressed before any radical or logical changes should be made to improve our schools." Henry served as a professor, supervisor of student teachers, director of student teaching and department chair in teacher education at Indiana State University from 1959 to 1995 and "will be honored with the Distinguished Teacher Educator Award from the Association of Teacher Educators at the national conference in Orlando on Feb. 15." And Now for Something Completely Different
Sorry (not really), I just couldn't resist the reference from Monty Python's Flying Circus Free Everyday Math Apps I thought in the absence of any real education news today, I'd add a reminder here that the McGraw-Hill School Education Group has made all of their Everyday Math Games Apps Since he'll already be in Indy for another meeting covered here Wednesday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be speaking at the convention today at 11:00 A.M. (Hall F of the Indiana Convention Center). Updated Reminder I noted last month and again yesterday that the filing deadline for federal income tax returns has been extended this year to April 18 in observation of Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia. I added a caution that state returns may still be due on April 15, but found this morning that at least Indiana has also extended its deadline:
Sorry for the confusion. Your state, if it requires a state income tax return, may be different. You can check here to see a list of links to various state revenue departments. Duncan's Remarks at "Town Hall" Meeting (late update) Ed.gov has posted the Opening Remarks of Arne Duncan at Indiana Town Hall with Governor Mitch Daniels. While Duncan's remarks were less offensive than I had anticipated, he continued to give Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels way too much credit for the way Indiana schools are run and funded. He expressed agreement with Daniels on wanting more charter schools and rating and paying teachers based at least in part on the results of high stakes testing. Duncan did take issue with Daniels' push for school vouchers and limiting the bargaining rights of teachers. But all in all, Duncan would have been far better off to have simply refused to appear at a forum where Mitch Daniels was present. Governor Daniels, a master tactician, saved a big announcement for the Town Hall. Indiana will pay for full-day kindergarten tells of some funding for voluntary all day kindergarten in the state. What the story doesn't tell is how the Governor pushed for and got a constitutional amendment that caps property taxes, leaving schools and communities at his mercy for funding. His message to both entities over the last few years has been to "tighten your belts." So while appearing to have done something noteworthy, it's important to remember that he's the same governor responsible for major teacher and community worker layoffs across the state.
We have a strong line of thunderstorms approaching the World Headquarters of Educators' News this morning. So rather than get frustrated when our satellite internet connection goes out due to rain fade, I'll just get this posted now. Have a great weekend! Ads shown on this site do not represent an endorsement or warranty of any kind of products or companies shown. Ads shown on archive pages may not represent the ads displayed in the original posting on Educators' News. |
cameras in the classroom (or at home), the eSchool News story, 
, we go to next door to Illinois where Chicago Tribune writers Ray Long, Tara Malone and Diane Rado relate that "Ambitious education reforms on the table in Springfield could change how Illinois schoolteachers earn tenure and hold onto their jobs amid tough financial times, with seniority for the first time mattering less than performance." They continue in 
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©2011 Steven L. Wood