I know that my blogs are often negative about the direction that education is headed in America due to “No Child Left Behind” and the over-emphasis of standardized testing. However, I am also hopeful that the pendulum will turn and educators will get back to the business of educating. I believe the answer to reaching our students is to address their learning styles through computers and technology. I have great faith in the American spirit as long as we keep our freedom to make choices.
Archive for April 22, 2007
Faith in the American Spirit
Stupid in America video
Are the students getting stupider in America? My husband is a professor of chemistry. Over the past four years, the averages on his test have gone down markedly. The only common thread that he can find is “No Child Left Behind” and the over-emphasis on standardized testing. Please view the following video to see what you think. .
G-Cast podcasting example
Check this site out to hear my podcast from G-Cast audio.
Is keyboarding a dead skill
Our school is constantly trying to find ways to cut costs. We are planning two new middle schools that should be occupied by Fall 2008. We have gravitated from desktops to laptops on carts. As anyone trained on a keyboarder will tell you, laptops are not easy to type on. Further, the arms are in an uncomfortable position and usually at table height rather than four to six inches lower than a table. When our IT team got together to discuss this problem, we were told that laptops will at some point in the future be replaced by hand-held computers that the students will text-message on. Now I know that I may be a little old-fashioned, but I visual the future generation of carpal tunnel sufferers. My question is this, can we or should be totally eliminate a keyboard attached to a computer??
Adding a caricature
I’m experimenting with adding a caricature of myself. I’ve found it quite simple to add images to WordPress.com using HTML. It will be interesting to see what the students can do with the tools available to enhance their blogs. I’ve heard from other teachers that the students have acquired a great deal of knowledge from their “My Space” websites and other social networking sites. Learning to create a blog has been an enjoyable experience that will find it’s way into my teaching.
