There are many places on the Internet to find and view videos; some are general purpose (like YouTube and Vimeo) some specific to education (such as TeacherTube, SchoolTube, Annenberg, and more). Some are free, some cost. Fairly new in this mix for education is WatchKnow (www.watchknow.com), a nonprofit project of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi. WatchKnow has some impressive names behind it, such as Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger, and an advisory committee with other well known people like Chris Dede and Larry Lessig.
Here’s how they describe themselves –
“What is WatchKnow?Imagine hundreds of thousands of great short videos, and other media, explaining every topic taught to school kids. Imagine them rated and sorted into a giant Directory, making them simple to find. WatchKnow--as in, "You watch, you know"--is a non-profit online community devoted to this goal.”
The site currently provides access to over 11,000 educational videos; their goal is to bring that to the hundreds of thousands. They don’t host the videos, they link to them on YouTube, TeacherTube, National Geographic, eHow, Internet Archive, and other hosts.
And they don’t just list any video; they have a media review panel of teachers, librarians, and experts in educational technology, who serve as community moderators and rate videos (their ratings are worth proportionately more than other contributors).
Here’s what I like about WatchKnow –
It pulls together videos from a variety of sites. There are a lot of excellent videos that can be used in the classroom all over the Internet. And that’s part of the problem. They are all over the Internet. Sure, you can go to Annenberg, go to the Internet Archive, go to TeacherTube and search. But wouldn't it be better to go to one place, search for a topic, and have results from all? An educational meta-search, vetted by teachers, for videos.
It is very easy to search, filter, or drill down. Searching is just like any search – enter a term, click search, and see the results. Filtering can be used to limit results by age (by using a sliding number-line type graphic). Or drill down by clicking subjects, areas, topics, each time zeroing in on what you are looking for.
It is a non-profit organization. I have no problem with profit making organizations, but I seem to always lean toward the non-profits (I work for two right now). They have no shareholders to answer to. Just their cause, their purpose in being.
Most of the videos have been added by teachers and librarians hired to do so. Professionals doing their jobs.
The advisory committee is strong, which helps keep the organization on target.
All newly uploaded videos are moderated, so users know there are standards to which they are held. (This reminds me somewhat of NYLearns.org, where resources are all moderated.)
It is easy and efficient for teachers to use, as well as visually appealing
On the other hand -
With most videos (at least that I saw) from YouTube, many schools would miss a lot. (True, one can use a service such as Zamzar to download them, but that adds a step, besides the questionable legality of doing so).
Most of the videos I viewed were lectures on screen, lots of digital chalk and talk. More interesting, innovative videos are needed.
There are "only" about 11,000 videos (it’s funny to refer to 11,000 as "only." Before the electronic age no school had that many films, videotapes, or even filmstrips – remember them - but we know there are so many more available online overall. Times change!)
Overall, I think WatchKnow is useful, and will hopefully grow to be more useful over time. Keep an eye on it!
Lisa Velmer NielsenAdvice to ALL presenters. Don't assume audience members are or will be parents. It's offensive to the people for whom that is not true.
I posted this tweet following the Tech Forum conference on Friday. After which I received 16 comments on Facebook, various emails, BBMs, Tweets, ReTweets, and DMs. My boyfriend and others asked what happened? Who said something offensive? There was such a stir, that I felt the topic was worthy of it's very own blog post.
The fact is that nearly every time I go to a conference and oft times at meetings, people make comments along the lines of, "We're not only teachers, we're also parents." or "You always have to wonder, is this a school I'd want my child to go to." or "And, for those of you who don't have children yet, when you do..." or in the case of this conference, "We're all parents or will be one day." Some people I deeply respect make these comments because it never occurs to them that the world is a changin. There are new choices for women whose incomes are now about equal to mens, who have the right to vote, who can purchase land all by themselves. In fact, October will be the first month in which women outnumber men in the workforce, women are holding more management and supervisory positions than men, by a margin of 37 percent to 31 percent, in like-for-like work women and men with the same amount of work experience are earning the same, and women's pay is actually increasing faster than men's. (Read more at: What's Happening To Women's Happiness?). It's hard to believe that it was such a short time ago that things were very different. Today women have new choices and they may have chosen to live a life without children.
Unfortunately, the word isn't out yet to mothers and fathers that this is a perfectly fine choice. People, especially those who speak publicly, need to be aware that there are more and more women who will not have children in their present or future. Assuming the women do, or will have children, is alienating a segment of the population that I contend will be some of today and tomorrow's biggest movers and shakers. I have chosen this life and I am extremely fulfilled. Despite this I have been told by others I am hiding my true feelings, am selfish, and I will regret this one day. To date I have not regretted this decision and I'm not interested in the debate about whether I will one day. The conversation seems as inappropriate to me as one to a parent suggesting they'll regret having their child. Sometimes I wonder if it's something that people with kids need to tell me to make themselves feel better. I can't imagine my telling them they have made a mistake. I should mention there are some, who confide in me (men and women both) that if they had it to do over again, they would have preferred a life without children. Interestingly, those who have said this are the men and women who are the primary providers for their children.
I think it's time that women who have made this choice speak up. We are here. We are growing. We don't need excuses. We are not selfish. And we don't appreciate those who don't honor and value our choices. We are not asking for any approval, and this choice doesn't mean there is something wrong with us. While I acknowledge that most who make the assumption and then the comments about how we are all parents, may be unaware. Now that you are, please be considerate of this new and rising class of citizens and please share with others that we would appreciate if they do the same.
Hey Sam. This just has to be said. Definitely fodder for a blog post. I'm often soo offended by those I respect who unintentionally make comments assuming this is the way it is for everyone. It happens at least once a day at ed conferences and I just want to scream. In fact, I think i just did :p
Thanks Dan. I think the population is growing as women realize there are other options. I definitely need to devote some time to this topic at some point. This is a minority for sure, but it is a lifestyle that has much to be celebrated and I think attention needs to be brought to the topic.
I chose a long time ago not to have children. I have often been asked why I did so especially since I went into education. But, I have never had the desire to be a mother. I make a great aunt, though ;o)
Huh, well, I don't make a good aunt. I don't have siblings. I was always told I'd change my mind. I never did.
I love my life. Have exciting goals and am happy and fulfilled. I have not felt personally that having children would enhance my life and my work. I know some have felt this was what they were supposed to do and the thought that an alternative exists never had crossed their mind.
I don't have any blood siblings either. All mine are steps. Curious that both of us are onlies and neither wanted children. Wonder if there's anything to that?
I've always been just as happy with my "babies" that are four-legged. I've never had the baby urge and been attracted to them. I don't care for the toddlers or young children, either... Read More.
I, too, feel completely fulfilled with my life and don't feel like there's anything missing. I have had some people tell me I will regret it when I'm old. I think that is a completely selfish reason to have children.
Yes. The, "you'll regret it when you're old" is the thing I hear often. There are people who live in those scary worlds. I have always had an awesome and interesting network of people in my life. I would love to become a golden girl with these sort of people. Time will tell I suppose. Hopefully, I'll be living the digital life and when I'm old, I can tell younger women from experience, that this is a choice available to them about which they can feel comfortable.
Thanks for the thumbs up @Myrielle. I am excited to find the time to focus on this topic more widely...maybe during one of my upcoming trips to Florida :)
I agree with you both...I keep getting "You are still young and you still have time to change your mind" I however don't want and am honest with the fact that having children is a HUGE responsibility that I just don't want. I love my four legged child too. Another issue I have is the jealousy. We all have to remember we make the choices in our ... Read Morelives. And as I am reading these comments we have made the choice to not have children and live our lives to the fullest. People get jealous because we can just pick up and go. I am feeling you both on this one. Thanks for letting me vent too :-)
Oh and I am not an only child. I have an older sister and it's not all it's cracked up to be. There is a lot of jealousy. But again we make our choices and we have to live with them. I love the choice I made :-D
I've enjoyed reading these comments (which sort of seems more like a 'thread... Read More’ now!). Lisa (& co)- I couldn't agree with you more about being put off by people just assuming everyone wants to get married, have kids, etc. when that's simply just not always the case. it's a choice and a decision, just like having a career is. not every woman (or man) wants it. not every person can have it even if they do want it. it's true that this mistaken assumption is made unintentionally and while there are certainly generational/cultural factors at work, in this day and age people should be more cognizant that we're not all driven solely by evolutionary urges and that it's insulting to imply things like 'life isn’t' full without your own children', etc. in my opinion life isn't full without making your own choices and doing something that truly makes you happy -- for some it's studying astrophysics, for others it's improving the education of the next generation, for others it's raising children, and of course for some it's a combination of many things, but that's for oneself to decide and if one doesn't, that is what he/she will regret later in life.
and for the record Lisa, you make a good 'first-cousin-once-removed' (aka 'aunt') to our little girl and I’m sure to many of your friends’ kids as well.
Alice, thanks so much for that thoughtful response. Love having the extra opportunity to connect with family in virtual worlds. Thank you for the first cousin-once removed compliment too. My friend Melanie calls the relationship Nouzins. Niece-like cousins. And, for the record, I'm best with cool kids like Talia ;-P
These were the reactions a friend received from sharing the post.
Di
just got a link to a friend's blog article about why it's not cool to assume that everyone in the world wants to have children and why life can be plenty complete without them. I feel like sending it to anyone who has decided it's perfectly ok to interrogate me on the subject. You know who you are... Mon at 8:06pm · Comment · Like / Unlike · View Feedback (17)Hide Feedback (17) Libby, David, Carol and Franz like this.
Jen Does your grandma have a facebook page? Mon at 8:19pm
Di Surprisingly, my grandmother never actually asked that question. She always figured I was busy doing whatever people do in the big city. Mon at 8:24pm
Michael Di's grandmother was only slightly less active on facebook than Diana is. Mon at 8:36pm
Beth I'd like to read it. I have other friends who would appreciate it. People can really be idiots sometimes. Mon at 8:37pm
Megan I thinks pugs are sufficient and they'll never ask to drive the car Mon at 9:17pm
Ron Did they have a follow-up article on why some people should just not procreate at all? Mon at 9:57pm
Carol I think they should have to get a license to procreate- eg. take a course, pass the oral and practical...heh heh... Mon at 11:03pm Lisa Velmer Nielsen Thanks for sharing Di :))) Mon at 11:07pm
Beth Thanks for the link. Many interesting points. People project their own values and insecurities so inappropriately on so many subjects. I have a single lesbian friend who is pregnant and someone asked her "was it a mistake?". WTF? People also ask her "what is it?" and she will occasionally respond "a kitten" and they look at her like they are ... Read Morehurt (she does not, nor does she want to, know the sex of the baby). Then there is the whole issue of infertility, pregnancy loss and how inappropriate and insensitive we as a society are about those issues. Sigh. I enjoyed reading her blog post and all the comments. Yesterday at 4:07am
Deb I was "childless" in my first marriage and was fine with that...it worked for us. We were career focused and had goals we wanted to accomplish. In my current relationship, we have 3 daughters (My hubby had two and we had one together)...I can not imagine life without them...they are wonderful, but life is different now. My husband is all about family...I ... Read Moream a stay at home Mom (for now)...I feel like I have had the chance to live two lives. Bottom line is...do what works for you and yes, people need to mind their own business. Yesterday at 9:01am
-------------------------------------------------------- Further reading Ann Landers' famous "The Childless Couple"
The most transformative recent game-changer in bringing education into the 21st century is low-cost laptops. Many schools at the NYC DOE and beyond still don’t know much about these devices and have trepidations. Innovative educators know that these devices are the key for any classroom interested in preparing students for the world in which they live, play, and work. Chris Lehmann echoes the sentiments shared by me and others like CIS 339 principal Jason Levy as he shared at a recent Tech Forum conference that "Technology needs to be like oxygen. Ubiquitous, necessary and invisible." Low-cost laptops, for the first time make it possible for this idea to be a reality. Every school needs to get on board TODAY. Schools all around the nation have jumped on the bandwagon and are featured in the most recent issue of Tech & Learning magazine in the article Netbooks make the grade which features schools across the nation who are using these devices.
Unfortunately some schools still believe the myths and lies shared by the hardware companies and industry dinosaurs who will tell you that you need expensive equipment, training and tech support to do this work. Let me dispel some of these myths. The big computer companies are lying. Of course they want you to buy their expensive devices. You don’t need to. The dinosaurs in the industry who want to sit you on their knee and tell you about how they walked to work every day in the snow up hill both ways, are dying to hang on to the idea that their jobs are still necessary. They don't want the secret out and they don't want to change. I spoke to one yesterday in fact. He shared how schools will never keep up with innovation because they must do system-wide refreshes of devices and nothing in life is free. Oh really? Google is free. Google Apps are free. Wikispaces are free. Ning for education is free. YouTube is free. Google Voice is free. Schools can develop student iSquads and enable students to be self-empowered to fix technology for free. Well, he said, “That free stuff won’t last I tell ya.” “I’ve been around a long time. I know Missy.” Ugh! Innovative educators are smart enough to move on when we encounter the old timers stuck in Rip Van Winkle's past. These free tools will be around and they are scaring the pants off of the old timers. Businesses like Microsoft, Apple, and the rest are going to have to change their model to the new direction of a savvy and innovative society.
WHERE DO YOU START? WHAT DO YOU NEED? Do Not Give Teachers Hardware
Every school needs to identify which teachers are interested in preparing students for the 21st century. If you’re a leader, when you discover who these teachers are, do not give them hardware!!! I’ve had a lot of experience deploying hardware to teachers and in many cases it is not a good practice.
Instead, if you’re and administrator have your teachers apply for the equipment they think they will need to enhance teaching and learning. This will enable you to prioritize your purchasing decisions and limit them to the teachers who have demonstrated that they are planning to use it effectively. This also gives you crucial information in enabling you to have conversations about the work your teachers are doing. If you are a teacher, the conversation shouldn’t just be about hardware. Show your principal you are serious and have all the information together that s/he will need to support you.
You can create a free online application using Google forms or SurveyMonkey. The application should require a pedagogical case for why your teacher needs equipment, information about how the equipment will be used to enhance instruction, an indication of which standards this aligns to, and if you collect your information properly this can contain all the information needed to place the order. For teachers the application process demonstrates to his/her principal they are serious. For administrators this ensures you are aware of the teachers plan for incorporating the use of the equipment into instruction, provides school leaders with an idea of how teachers will be using the equipment purchased, and indicates which teachers are serious about this work. Here is a sample of what the form might look like. I recommend a separate form for each type of equipment.
Whether your school has funding today or not, it is essential teachers and schools start documenting what it is they want so they are prepared should funds become available and there are a lot of ways to fund education. If there is not money in your school budget here are some alternate sources. Some are NYC DOE specific, others are not:
THE 21ST CENTURTY CLASSROOM BASICS
No more paper, no more books will be necessary in the 21st century classroom. When all student have devices their materials are available directly from their laptops. This also means no more handouts, no more copies, no more heavy book bags. Here is my recommendation to get started with the 21st century classroom. Brand: Lenovo
Netbook - 4187RVU S10e Ideapad, 2.65 lbs, 10.1-IN DisplayCost: $359.95 Cost for 32 devices: $11,488
Note: This particular device was selected because it is the one available where I work at the NYC DOE -available via SHOP DOE / FAMIS
Total Cost for 21st Century Classroom: $13,159
When you keep in mind these devices have a life of life of 3 – 5 years, this ultimately translates in significant long-term savings for the school.
WHAT YOU DON’T REALLY NEED – DISPELLING MYTHS OF BIG BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY DINOSUARS
Many schools are sold equipment they don’t really need and they buy it because they don’t know better. Here are some items you don’t need if you have the above package.
A more expensive laptop, server, external hard drives, expensive software
Today your students should be doing their work in the cloud. What does this mean? This means their work is done using what is available on the internet for free. Work is created using Google Apps which includes free Word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, email and more. Work is stored using Wikispaces. These contain unlimited storage and are free. Students work is available anytime, anywhere, from any computer.
Interactive Whiteboards and Projector Carts
Somehow teachers and administrators have become enamored with interactive whiteboards. You can save about $5000 per classroom when you realize you don’t need an interactive whiteboard or projector cart. You can accomplish the same instructional goals with a laptop and projector. The benefit is rather than having the teacher front and center in the classroom s/he can be eye to eye with students as the classwork is projected behind him/her. This can be interactive as students work is in the cloud and a teacher can access any website at anytime to feature the student, or the student can come right up to the computer and/or plug in their own computer to project. You may hear that the software is the reason you need to make this costly purchase. I have found there are free alternatives to achieve the same goals.
Laptop Carts
Some schools will find they may need to purchase a cart which generally runs about $600 but I have seen other schools that have developed alternative and more secure methods for storing devices. The best solution I have seen is the Depot. This is a secure room or closet for which the teacher has a key. Shelves are built in the area. Devices go on the shelves and the door is locked. Ideally there is electricity so devices can be charged.
THE TIME IS NOW
Innovative educators and administrators, it is time to start one classroom at time, one school at a time, one district at a time, one nation at a time. You don't need a special initiative. You don't need special funding. What you need is innovative rethinking the way teaching and learning occur. Join other schools like the NYC DOE's Model Technology Schools. If you don't know where to start or what to do with 21st century tools read about, connect with, and/or visit the the 8 Innovative Schools that Provide Ideas and Inspiration for 21st Century Education.
Although educators spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to attend conferences, I find we rarely spend time to take a moment to process, reflect, share, and publish our thoughts. I recently attended Tech Forum New York 2009. I find a lot of my reflections about this conference are true about many other conferences I attend. Here they are:
5 THINGS I APPRECIATED ABOUT THE TECH FORUM CONFERENCE 1-The F-2-F connections and building of relationships with those I rarely am able to see in person. I find this more valuable than any session. It was nice talking with Chris Lehmann, Scott Meech, Dana Lawit, Lisa Thumann, Judy Salapert, Peggy Sheehy, Jesse Lubinsky, Alisa Berger, Kevin Hogan, Christine Weiser, Kristine Goldhawk, Tom Honohan, Meryl Menon, Bruce Lai, Steve Kinney, Jeff Branzburg, Laura Robitalle, Lindsay Angelo, Guy Lodico, and the Nassau BOCES folks with whom I shared lunch. 2-I appreciated that Chris Lehmann shared the message about what is really important in education. More of us need to do this. Do a twitter search for TFNY09 Lehmann to see what I'm talking about. 3-The terrific job Judy Salapert, Christine Weiser, and the T&L team did in putting together a very well-organized conference. 4-I enjoyed that the conference was a focused intimate conference rather than the overwhelming experience I encounter at conferences like NECC. 5-2-Extending the learning and making meaning by Tweeting, FB-ing and seeing who my fellow tweeters and FBers are. In a tech conference this size more of us should be in these worlds. We need to make meaning beyond ourselves and become active participants reflecting and sharing with our learning networks.
It was nice learning with both those who were learning with me at the conference and those who were remote doing what @worblehat has coined Twelurking (Twitter lurking). Enjoyed tweets and RTs with/from @briancsmith, @PeggySheehy, @sammorra, @mjelson, @lthumann, @roblyons, @stevekinney, @worblehat, @actionhero, @letkidsplay.
Most popular RTs: RT @InnovativeEdu: The main purpose of schools is to teach kids to ask powerful questions and teach them to find the answers. -Chris Lehmann. RT @InnovativeEdu: Principal Chris Lehmann says his job & his staff is to build students that are Thoughtful, Wise , Passionate, Kind TFNY09
Most popular Status Updates: Lisa Velmer NielsenAdvice to ALL presenters. Don't assume audience members are or will be parents. It's offensive to the people for whom that is not true.View all 11 comments Lisa Velmer NielsenWhat is the role of the teacher in the age of Google? Our job is not to teach CONTENT, it is to teach WISDOM. -Chris Lehmann TFNY09 View all 14 comments
5 IDEAS FOR IMPROVING TECH FORUM 1-Start 1 hour later and I'll yawn much less. We boarded a bus at 6 a.m. and arrived before 7. 2-Presenters: Use real examples. 3-Vendors: if you talk about your great product you should figure out how to incorporate and/or demonstrate it in your presentation. No excuses. If you can't bother to figure out how to do this, I can't be bothered to listen to you. 4-Please, please stop talking at us. Use innovative tools to make your presentation interactive. 5-Don't talk about differentiation and think you do not have to differentiate. You do!
Coolest Free Tech Tool That I Hadn't Heard of Award Goes to... Wallwisher No more forgotten parking lots. No more having to type notes from post-its placed on chart paper. Hurray for Wallwisher. It is an online NOTICE BOARD maker. Ideal for making announcements, wishing people, keeping notes, and basically anything you can do with Post its. No download, software or registration required. -Thank you Patrick Higgins
Coolest Expensive Tech Tool that I Hadn't Heard of Award Goes to... Saywire Saywire is a Facebook-like intranet. It provides a closed and safe Facebook. Write, publish, plan, organize, collaborate. $6 per student -Thank you Peggy Sheehy
Have you attended a Tech Forum? What did you take away?
Walk Score touts itself as a site that ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help you find a walkable place to live and that alone is pretty cool, but for innovative educators in these large cities, this site provides a fantastic and FREE resource to inspire writers. Educators with students in large cities can have their students type in their address and students will instantly receive a map indicating neighborhood parks, schools, restaurants, stores, libraries, bookstores and more that are in walking distance. Students get a score of their neighborhoods walkability rating which is based on a metric measuring a number of items identified as those that make a neighborhood walkable such as does the neighborhood have a center?
Walkable neighborhoods have things like a discernible center, whether it's a shopping district, a main street, or a public space. Walkable neighborhoods have plenty of public places to gather and play. The Walk Scoresite analyzes these factors and provides a map breakdown neighborhood hotspots, attractions, features, parks, and more. Innovative educators immediately can see lessons that can be developed based on each student’s particular neighbor. An obvious lesson a literacy teacher might think of is that students can use the walkability map to inspire story ideas about a personal experience they had in various places in the neighborhood. A social studies teacher may have students investigate the history of the neighborhood investigating what exists there today verses in the past and how and why the neighborhood transformed and/or stayed the same. Students can learn about economics by exploring density. A walkable neighborhood is compact enough for local businesses to flourish and for public transportation to run frequently. A math teacher might have all students plot their walkability scores in an excel spreadsheet to chart the most and least walkable neighborhood while coordinating with the social studies and/or literacy teacher to investigate the factors that lead to their results.
This from http://www.onlinecollege.org might be of interest to innovative math educators trying to bring resources to their classroom.
From the site:
While many math geeks out there may have been teased for their love of numbers, it’s math that makes the world go round, defining everything from the economy to how the universe itself operates. You can indulge your love of mathematics in these great lectures and lecture series. Some are meant to review the basics and others will keep you on the cutting edge of what renowned researchers are doing in the field, but all will help you expand your knowledge and spend a few hours enjoying a topic you love.
At the site you'll find the following types of lectures:
Basic Math
These lectures cover some pretty basic mathematical issues that can be a great review or help younger math lovers get a handle on a subject.
Calculus
Calculus has a reputation for being hard, and while some of it surely is, these lectures show you how to conquer some pretty difficult problems as well as explain some in-depth concepts in a way you can understand.
Algebra
In these lectures you’ll learn about a wide range of topics in algebra.
Geometry
These lectures cover everything from geometry basics to extremely advanced topics.
Other Math
These lectures covers a wide spectrum of mathematical topics from the basics of probability to the intricacies of differential equations.
Physics
Math forms the foundation of the science of physics and you can learn more about recent developments, the basic equations and much more in these lectures.
Engineering
Get a better idea of the math behind engineering of all kinds with these great lectures.
Business and Economics
Watch or listen to these lectures to learn something new about statistics, economics, or the basic mathematical principles of the financial world.
The common standards movement is underway in 48 states in our nation and these standards are set to be finalized this month. I’ve been reading what the smart educators I respect are saying about these standards. Here is the summation. These are poorly written standards being put in place with testing companies at the forefront of the decision making. These ed testing companies as well as other big educational businesses/curriculum providers have a huge financial profit to gain after the adoption of these standards because a nation can now adopt their curriculum. There is no alignment or recognition of the changing face of education and the digital worlds in which our students are existing, reading, writing, interacting, producing, and publishing.
What can we do? Provide feedback today about the standards by visiting http://tinyurl.com/fixthestandards. It literally takes less than five minutes. You can use my words above, the words of others below or write your own.
Below are excerpts from other educators about their take on the standards, links to each resource, and where to visit for more information.
One look at the reading standards and you can’t help but be left with the impression that the authors have never “read” anything much beyond words on paper and that the idea of “remix” and even links are outside of their experience. There is nothing here about how reading and writing in online and digital spaces changes the interaction, nothing about the social interactions that readers and writers will have around texts that are changing rapidly and substantially.
In all of this, the thing that most frustrates me both in the talk about national standards and national assessments and the whole “Race to the Top” bunk that is coming out of the administration is just a total lack of vision, this sense that nothing has fundamentally changed, that this is the same old classroom with the same old expectations and the same old ways of proving them that we’ve had forever. I’m not saying we don’t need assessments, but there’s a lot of required learning right now that few if any standards are addressing.
Replacing one externally-created checklist with another undoubtedly more voluminous one will not help one child.
You cannot have “core” standards without additional standardized testing. Now districts already addicted to testing will have a more potent hallucinogenic with which they can poison public education.
Teachers and students are terrorized by testing and externally-imposed curricular mandates.
This Core Standards movement should scare everyone who believes that meaning and learning is still most powerfully made in the spaces that students and teachers share. More than teachers, students, state administrators, the group that stands most to gain from national standards and a national test is the education-industrial complex.
This isn't about whether or not people think that all students should be able to write a thesis statement. This is about how students are taught that information, how they are assessed on that information, and on the role of big business in teaching and assessing them.
I find them hard to read, because I think they are poorly written, but standards often are.
We are inviting testing companies to determine the future of our schools with virtually no accountability or public input.
These standards were developed by two testing companies, the College Board and ACT, with help from a nebulous non-profit, Achieve, Inc. It is essential to understand this when reading the Common Standards; it explains many of their odd choices. In the example above, the obvious interpretation is that they chose to define the standard as "support or challenge assertions" rather than "construct a response or interpretation," as every international example they cited did, because the former is much easier and cheaper to score reliably on a standardized test.
No high performing educational system in the world would consider giving testing companies this much control over their standards and curriculum. It is absurd.
These standards are specifically designed to not be the sole responsibility of English teachers, so any data system properly linking student performance on related tests to teachers would attribute the results to all subject area teachers.
The idea that these English Language Arts standards are "internationally benchmarked" to those of high performing countries is a farce, except insofar as the benchmarking demonstrates the low level and quality of our proposed standards.
No country with high reading scores in international assessments conceives of the discipline of Language Arts as being limited to literacy skills, or "college- and career-readiness," as the Common Standards do. Thus, the Common Standards are narrower, lower and shallower than the English Language Arts standards of high performing countries.
Zhao describes how schools have to keep pace with a world that is being dramatically transformed by globalization, the “death of distance,” and digital technology. Instead of falling in line with mandates for standardization, his prescription is for educators to
Expand the definition of success beyond math and reading test scores.
Personalize schooling so that every student has opportunity to learn.
View schools as enterprises that embrace globalization and digital technology.
Gotham Schools in New York City is running this series on the Common Standards:
Note that many of the handy links to benchmarked standards under "see evidence" don't point to the right place, so if you want to be complete you need to use...
England's standards make an easy point of comparison if you're curious about what actual benchmarked English Language Arts common standards might look like.
I'm sharing another powerful piece that was written a couple years ago in Penelope Trunk's blog The Brazen Careerist. I find myself reading this post over and over again as it explains so well why I have found it virtually impossible to separate my personal and professional lives...and I think that is a great thing.
However, I hear so often from my Digital Immigrant colleagues some of the following: -Kids are destroying their reputations online. -They would never be friends with colleagues online because lines must be drawn...and, -Being involved in student's online identity is out of the question.
I also often hear these arguments: -We must keep our personal and professional separate. -We must have two of everything. Two phones, two cameras, two laptops, two iPods, etc. etc. because our lives CAN NOT be blended. -We don't want our colleagues knowing the personal social side of us. Business and pleasure should not mix.
I did keep the two separate for most of my life, however, I always valued those relationships where personal and professional were blurred. These colleagues felt like friends and family and colleagues and that was great. Now with online networking and powerful tools available to help me establish and build my personal learning network, I have found the two have completely and totally morphed into something that is incredibly powerful and provided never-before-possible growth in me as both a social and professional human being.
If you haven't been following the Brazen Careerist blog, I recommend you do. It is the blog employers go to, to find out how to tap into today's graduates and in it's provocative and compelling style has fantastic advice for educators about the students they are graduating and how to reach them. So without further adieu, I hope you will find this post as relevant as I have.
By Ryan Healy – During my senior year at Penn State, the Nittany Lions knocked off the highly (over) rated Ohio State Buckeyes. It was one of the best football games of my college years. A mob of students rushed down the bleachers, the field became a flood of blue and white.
But unfortunately, rushing the field is not a Big Ten-acceptable activity. So the other guys in blue, the police, started an investigation using Facebook to identify suspects.
I guess if you're going to perform illegal acts, Facebook, MySpace and other online networks that incorporate photographs are probably not for you. But as we leave our crazy college years behind and enter the workforce, should we really have to worry what recruiters think of our social lives?
I have a MySpace page and a Facebook profile. I have hundreds of pictures on each site that show me in both professional and not-so-professional settings. Some people remove their embarrassing or "incriminating" pictures after college to save some face in the real world. I have never considered removing pictures.
Social networking sites are blurring the lines between personal and professional life. There is no reason these lines should not be blurred. Most young people lead very healthy social lives, and because of these websites much of our social lives are online. When you live your personal/social life online there is no escaping who you are and what you do. It may be scary to people not accustomed to the openness of the Internet, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a refreshing. Why should I pretend to be one person for eight hours a day and someone else entirely for the rest?
It's absurd to pretend that everyone at work is a saint. It's just not true. What's the big deal if our bosses know what we did on Saturday night or what we did in college for that matter?
The whole idea of our lives being available for public display is actually pretty cool. Think about it. If the world already knows what we do in our spare time and we are all able to be completely open about our interests, thoughts and ideas without fear of retribution or not being hired then we can bring our whole being to work everyday.
Of course, if you're idea of a good time is extremely sick and twisted then you may want to consider keeping things a secret. Better yet, you may want to figure out some better things to do in your spare time to avoid a prison sentence. But for most of us who like to have a little innocent fun, there is no reason to play the Jekyll-and-Hyde role.
Jason Warner, head of staffing at Google writes, "Today there is a fuzzy, but growing distinction that companies will continue to draw between candidate professional experiences, competencies, and capabilities and their private lives and outside behaviors. It's a line we don't likely want to cross, because if we cross it for candidates, we may cross it for employees, and that compounds the problem."
The more young people enter the workforce the less risk there is that someone will Google them to look for bad behavior. Human resources leaders don't have the time to sleuth. But also, there just aren't enough perfect little angels in the world to go around.
I urge everyone: Let's leave all of our pictures up on whatever social networking sites we use. What we do on the weekends is just as much apart of our lives as our day jobs. Don't be afraid of your boss seeing a risqué photo of you and don't be afraid to talk a little business at the bar. The sooner we get past this personal and professional juggling act, the sooner we can see real change in the workplace.
Facebook 
I love my life. Have exciting goals and am happy and fulfilled. I have not felt personally that having children would enhance my life and my work. I know some have felt this was what they were supposed to do and the thought that an alternative exists never had crossed their mind.
I've always been just as happy with my "babies" that are four-legged. I've never had the baby urge and been attracted to them. I don't care for the toddlers or young children, either... Read More.
I, too, feel completely fulfilled with my life and don't feel like there's anything missing. I have had some people tell me I will regret it when I'm old. I think that is a completely selfish reason to have children.
and for the record Lisa, you make a good 'first-cousin-once-removed' (aka 'aunt') to our little girl and I’m sure to many of your friends’ kids as well.
Mon at 8:06pm · Comment · Like / Unlike · View Feedback (17) Hide Feedback (17)
Libby, David, Carol and Franz like this.
Jen
Does your grandma have a facebook page?
Mon at 8:19pm
Di
Surprisingly, my grandmother never actually asked that question. She always figured I was busy doing whatever people do in the big city.
Mon at 8:24pm
Michael
Di's grandmother was only slightly less active on facebook than Diana is.
Mon at 8:36pm
I'd like to read it. I have other friends who would appreciate it. People can really be idiots sometimes.
Mon at 8:37pm
here it is:http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2009/10/hubbub-about-sensitivity-to-eternal-non.html
Mon at 8:47pm
I thinks pugs are sufficient and they'll never ask to drive the car
Mon at 9:17pm
Did they have a follow-up article on why some people should just not procreate at all?
Mon at 9:57pm
I think they should have to get a license to procreate- eg. take a course, pass the oral and practical...heh heh...
Mon at 11:03pm
Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Thanks for sharing Di :)))
Mon at 11:07pm
Thanks for the link. Many interesting points. People project their own values and insecurities so inappropriately on so many subjects. I have a single lesbian friend who is pregnant and someone asked her "was it a mistake?". WTF? People also ask her "what is it?" and she will occasionally respond "a kitten" and they look at her like they are ... Read Morehurt (she does not, nor does she want to, know the sex of the baby). Then there is the whole issue of infertility, pregnancy loss and how inappropriate and insensitive we as a society are about those issues. Sigh. I enjoyed reading her blog post and all the comments.
Yesterday at 4:07am
I was "childless" in my first marriage and was fine with that...it worked for us. We were career focused and had goals we wanted to accomplish. In my current relationship, we have 3 daughters (My hubby had two and we had one together)...I can not imagine life without them...they are wonderful, but life is different now. My husband is all about family...I ... Read Moream a stay at home Mom (for now)...I feel like I have had the chance to live two lives. Bottom line is...do what works for you and yes, people need to mind their own business.
Yesterday at 9:01am
--------------------------------------------------------
Further reading Ann Landers' famous "The Childless Couple"