Monday, October 28, 2002

More Straight Talk About the Education Market

I'm not fond of follow-up columns. I always feel like I'm cheating the reader when they go to one of my column listings and find a bunch of cut and paste emails with a few sage quips from me on each. I don't much like or read "The Readers Speak" columns of others as well. However, the volume and quality of mail from readers about the column, Straight Talk About the Education Market, demands that something more be posted on the subject. Risking placing myself squarely among the hacks that regularly feature readers' comments columns, I put together a collection of emails from readers with the catchy, original title More Straight Talk About the Education Market.

While I can't seem to buy or steal a link on The Mac Observer anymore, I'll still pass along this link to a TMO's forum page, which carries content much the same as the columns linked above.

Best of the Mac Web Survey Results

Dan Knight has posted the results of the fourth Best of the Mac Web Survey. The big winners in the survey were Adam Engst's TidBITS newsletter and MacSurfer's Headline News. Probably the biggest losers in the survey were the Macintosh News Network, which dropped from seventh to twenty-fourth place and MacFixIt, whose subscription based model caused it to plummet from eighth place all the way down to thirty-third place. TechTracker, Inc.'s VersionTracker fell from first to third place, probably the result of slowed downloads due to added pages for non-subscribers. MacUpdate soared from forty-eighth place up to sixteenth place, providing VersionTracker spirited competition from a totally free site.

Unabashed Advertising Smack Dab in the Middle of Monday's News

While filling up the ads column for this week's article, I came across one of my absolute favorite series for kids and adults. Amazon offers The Chronicles of Narnia (3 disc set) of Narnia titles that were made into movies on DVD for just $59.49 with free shipping. While we have all three on VHS, the move to DVD is attractive for its permanence and quality. The three book/movies included are The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian & the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair. The Chronicles of Narnia Boxed Set of all seven C.S. Lewis classic books is also available with free shipping for $29.35.

Amazon now offers free shipping on most orders totaling over $25!

Free Pangea Educational Site Licenses

A Macintosh News Network from last Friday put me onto Pangea Software's Free Site Licenses for Schools page. In part, the school site licensing page says, "If your school owns at least one legitimate copy of a game (Nanosaur, Bugdom, Otto Matic, etc.) you may install it on as many machines at your school's location as you desire." Pretty cool, huh!

But...playing even Pangea's great games is not what parents send their kids to school to do. Well, some of our parents really don't much care what their kids do at school, so long as we don't bother them too much:-(. But the parents who do care expect, and have a right to expect, educators to be doing something more than supervising their kids while they play computer games, no matter how educationally relevant the games may be. While it's pretty much just good PR, the students in my class NEVER ask to "play" on a computer. The magic phrase, when all of their regular work is done, is "May I WORK on a computer?"

While the wording is just a matter of semantics, it does set a tone for the classroom. The parents of my students (well, the ones who care) seem to really appreciate this policy as well. They understand that we are absolutely swamped with way too many kids, levels, and disabilities to do everything we'd like to do with the kids. They also appreciate that all of the software available to their children is educationally relevant.

Towards that end, I locked down Pangea's wonderfully entertaining Otto Matic a couple of weeks ago, using Mac OS 9's security feature. Not being a total Scrooge, I plan to add (and lock down) Nanosaur, Bugdom, and Cro-Mag Rally to our stock iBook install as well, as we own legitimate copies of each. We won't give away computing time on these titles, however. They excellent behavior modification rewards for our kids to earn with completed work, improved behavior, etc..

Thanks to Pangea Software for their support of education!

Florida Gubernatorial Race Has National Implications for Education

A Los Angeles Times column by Ronald Brownstein, School Testing Backlash Key in 5 Governors Races, tells of backlash to the No Child Left Behind bill generated by gubernatorial races around the country. Brownstein focuses mainly on the Florida gubernatorial race, where challenger Bill McBride pledged to scrap Jeb Bush's testing-based system for grading school performance and replace it with increased spending of "at least $1 billion a year more to raise teacher salaries, expand pre-kindergarten programs, reduce class sizes and build more classrooms."

A Washington Post column by Michael A. Fletcher, Education Measure Roils Florida Race, covers much of the same ground, but also addresses the Florida Amendment 9 ballot initiative for a constitutional amendment that would reduce class sizes in Florida's chronically overcrowded schools by 2010. The proposal calls for a limit of 18 students in kindergarten through third grade classes, 22 students in grade 4-8 classes, and no more than 25 students in high school classes. Fletcher writes:

Bush opposes the class-size initiative, saying it is so expensive that it would 'blot out the sun' with its heavy demands on the state budget. In an unguarded comment overheard by a reporter, Bush said he had 'a couple of devious plans' to undermine the proposal should voters approve it at the polls Nov. 5. Bush has apologized repeatedly for the comment.

An recent column by Orlando Sentinel staff writer Mark Silva, Follow the leader, frames the Florida candidates on education:

Bush bases his vision for educational reform on a businesslike confidence in competition, maintaining that excellence comes from holding schools accountable for the performance of their students with an unforgiving measuring stick: A through F.

 

McBride, too, views educational reform pragmatically, as a matter of investment: paying teachers properly and building adequate classrooms to cope with the crowding that plagues the public schools will yield dividends at graduation.

The Florida Education Association is heavily backing McBride.

Devotion for October 27-November 2, 2002

Zach Wood's weekly devotional for this week is Living Water Hook-Up. Zach also maintains an archive of previous devotionals.

If you have suggestions, news ideas, etc., please .

Tuesday, October 29, 2002

Strike

Teachers from the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 in the Chicago area went on strike Monday after talks with federal mediators broke down. Salary and insurance benefits are the main issues in contention.

• Chicago Tribune -- Teachers strike in Plainfield; 18 schools closed
• Chicago Sun-Times -- Plainfield teacher strike closes schools today

Schwarzenegger Pushes After-School Programs

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger "has crafted Proposition 49, a ballot initiative that would earmark up to $550 million a year of the state budget for tutoring, homework assistance and other enrichment activities," according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Suzanne Herel. In Schwarzenegger tries to keep kids busy after class is dismissed, Herel notes that considerable controversy exists about where the money will come from and Schwarzenegger's attitude towards educators.

Hey, My Mac Really Is Obsolete...

The MacObserver's Bryan Chaffin reports on the Giga Group's assertion that the Mac platform is heading into obsolescence and that Apple will be forced to move to Intel chips in 2003. Bryan's report is about as close as most of us will get to the actual Giga Group report, as it is restricted to subscribers only.

But There's an Apple Store Opening "Nearby"

The Indianapolis, Indiana, Apple Store is scheduled to open this Saturday, November 2, 2002, at 10 A.M.. A MacMinute posting yesterday noted that new stores in Indy, Las Vegas (NV), and Edina (MN) are all scheduled to open this weekend.

New from SchwabLearning.org

This week the SchwabLearning.org features a really good article by Dr. Ray Levy in Reinforcing Small Changes in Behavior. Also, Schwab's page on Resources for College for Students with LD or AD/HD has been updated. As always, links to all of the new and updated SchwabLearning.org articles are available in the Schwab Learning Online Newsletter (link expires 11-3-02).

Wednesday, October 30, 2002

Illinois Teachers' Strike

Chicago Sun-Times staff reporter Dan Rozek writes in Plainfield teachers strike may be long that "both sides appeared to be digging in for an extended shutdown." While the Illinois teachers' strike that began Monday left many parents scrambling to provide day care, Rozek notes that many parents "appeared generally supportive of teachers, saying they want salaries raised to encourage veteran teachers to stay in the district, which also includes parts of Joliet, Romeoville, Bolingbrook and Crest Hill."

Cleveland to Vote on School Control

An Associated Press posting by Thomas J. Sheeran, Cleveland to Vote on School Control, tells of a "Nov. 5 referendum whether to return to an elected school board or remain one of the handful of cities in the nation that have school boards chosen by the mayor instead of by election."

Textbook Adoption Wars

The Dallas Morning News' Terrance Stutz reports in School text publishers play down changes favored by conservatives that the nonprofit political watchdog organization, the Texas Freedom Network, says textbook publishers have "caved in" to arguments from social conservatives by rewriting some books to reflect the views of those critics. Both Texas and California draw significant attention from various watchdog organizations in their textbook adoption cycles, as textbook publishers pull out all stops for the states that are their two biggest buyers.

Laptops Required for University of Texas Education Majors

Daily Texan staff writer Katherine Sayre has an interesting article about required laptop purchases for education majors at the University of Texas. In Future teachers adapt to life with laptops, Sayre writes that, "Students seeking teacher certification, including students who are not education majors, are required to buy an Apple iBook or PowerBook starting this semester as they enter the professional sequence of their degree plans. Students and faculty have mixed opinions about the implementation of the program thus far."

Mark Marcantonio Seeking Comments

In his latest column, Macintosh Teachers Challenge: Give Apple Education a Road Map, Mark Marcantonio is seeking comments from educators who use and/or prefer Macs in the classroom. Mark writes: "Well, I've decided to ask all of you Mac educators to send me your ideas to revive Apple Education. So, to all you frustrated Mac supporters in education, now is the time to vent your disappointment in a creative and positive fashion. In my next article I will post your suggestions." Mark also discusses his ongoing efforts in networking his school. It's an interesting and informative read.

Please send your comments directly to Mark.

BTW

At this writing (Tuesday evening), that one open-box 667 MHz TiBook for $1951.95 was still available from Computers4SURE (4SURE.com, Inc.).

Thursday, October 31, 2002

Illinois Teachers' Strike

Teachers in the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 in the Chicago area remained on strike Wednesday. The Chicago Tribune reports efforts continue towards a settlement in Striking teachers in Plainfield ready new offer.

GAO Report on School Privatization

A report yesterday from the General Accounting Office "said the work of neither the supporters nor the detractors of the movement to privatize public education satisfied minimum standards of scientific rigor," according to Federal Report Makes No Call on For-Profit Schools by Diana Jean Schemo.

Edison CEO Reassures Maryland School Board

Baltimore Sun staff reporter Liz Bowie tells of Edison Schools CEO Christopher H. Whittle reassuring the Maryland school board in Edison tries to reassure state board of education. Bowie writes that Whittle told the board, Although our stock price may be down, our actual [financial] performance is much better."

Virtual High School

A Dallas Morning News column by Katie Menzer tells of the success of the eSchool virtual high school program in Plano, Texas. In Plano students get credit for going to school less, Menzer tells that the online school launched by the Plano school district last February has grown from 175 students last year to 430 this year. She writes, "Plano's eSchool, one of the largest virtual high schools in the state, is part of a statewide pilot program to help determine how Texas should fund and regulate online schools."

Philadelphia Charters Grow and are Scrutinized

Philadelphia Inquirer staff writer Martha Woodall tells of Philadelphia's growing number of charter schools in Charting the city's charter schools. Woodall notes that "although public attention has focused this year on 45 schools managed by outside groups as part of Philadelphia's sweeping plan for change, the city's charter schools have been growing in number." She also writes that Philadelphia schools chief Paul G. Vallas is imposing rigorous standards for granting or extending charters.

Texas Schools to face Trouble?

Richard Rothstein latest Lessons column, Juggling 3 School Goals, Texas Trips, predicts the Texas public school system "is about to implode" from trying to balance the contradictory combination of elements of "low taxes, good schools and equal access to public education for the rich and the poor."

New Orleans School Board to Remain Elected

New Orleans Times-Picayune staff writer Aesha Rasheed reports the task force charged with seeking reforms for the New Orleans schools has decided "the best option is to leave the district's School Board alone." In All School Board alternatives rejected, Rasheed tells that the "group of state legislators, state and New Orleans school board members, business leaders, teachers and parents" turned down the options of "dividing the school system into independent districts, turning schools over to state or city officials, or paying a private management company." The task force plans to continue "to look for reform options the district could try while keeping a single, elected School Board."

Friday, November 1, 2002

On Scienceman.com Today

Always a good read, Scienceman.com today has a review of MCH Multimedia Physical Chemistry.

Pertinent Columns

The Philadelphia News -- Test scores are in: Some charter schools doing great, others not so great -- by Mensah M. Dean

The Salt Lake Tribune -- Student Gun Ownership Linked to Poor Behaviors -- by Kirsten Stewart

Low End Mac -- Job Opening at a Nice Mac-Infested School -- by Jeff Adkins

Software Update

GraphicConverter, the essential graphics manipulation software for the Mac, has been updated to version 4.5. While past updates to this excellent shareware have been free for what seems like forever, this one requires re-registration at $30 per user.

Brief Posting

Sorry, but it's been a busy week so I'll have to make this posting short. Have a great weekend!

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