Literacy is All

Teaching the iGeneration: It's About Verbs, Not Tools

Teaching the iGeneration: It's About Verbs, Not Tools.

Instead of exploring how new digital opportunities can support student-centered inquiry or otherwise enhance existing practices, today’s schools are preparing their teachers to use office automation and productivity tools like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. While fewer than half of America’s teachers believe that they can use technology to plan individualized lessons, almost 70 percent feel comfortable with using technology to complete administrative tasks, according to a 2008 National Education Association report. This results in digital change efforts that, to use the NEA's words, achieve nothing more than “adding power to a marginal teaching approach.” 

Daphne Gray-Grant's newsletter is always interesting and worthwhile. Every teacher, not just those devoted to literacy instruction, should subscribe. It provides valuable insight into good instructional practices. http://mail.aol.com/35605-111/aol-6/en-us/mail/DisplayMessage.aspx?ws_popup=true

Of the five K-12 learning trends mentioned in this article, the last one deserves the most notice. More teachers are actively pursuing means and methods to use technology for learning than in past years. http://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/02/02/5-K12-E-Learning-Trends.aspx?Page=2#

Some of today's students have a clear vision of what technology tools are helpful to their learning. They want to be actively engaged which is not often the scene in their classrooms. http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/02/01/digital-learning-what-kids-really-want.aspx

I have a young relative engaged in on-line schooling through a charter school. I found this article helpful to identify some areas that were causing stress and distress. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-learning-seven-tips-heather-wolpert-gawron

Even With Educated Workforce, U.S. College, Career Issues Loom

Clearly  American public schools and colleges are not graduating enough students with the engineering and advanced manufacturing skills to fill the jobs available in the country. The building of additional factories, as promised by both Republicans and Democrats, without addressing this short-fall, can only result in more US jobs being out-sourced to foreign workers or foreign countries.

One reason for this short-fall is discussed late in the Even With Educated Workforce, U.S. College, Career Issues Loom.

"Countries with low unemployment for young people and high educational attainment have youth policies that help young people transition from schooling to work and view it as a societal responsibility, says Hoffman of Jobs for the Future... Hoffman says there is respect for the vocational system, and in countries with some of the strongest vocational systems—Australia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland—the majority of students choose that path because it provides work experience along with education. The business sector feels it has a responsibility to the younger generation, and it's in their best interest to be involved in their education because they are the future labor force," says Hoffman. "We don't seem to have that in this country."

Summit to Make a Case for Teaching Handwriting

Summit to Make a Case for Teaching Handwriting.

Will teaching penmanship yield students who can fill the engineering and high-tech jobs the United States currently has to out-source to get trained workers? Does it really matter what individual teachers like to teach or don't want to see disappear from the curriculum? Some teachers get stuck in their favorites, be it cooking Thanksgiving feasts or making valentine cards. Curriculum needs to address the Common Core Standards and the changing world.

Common-Core Standards Drew on Ideas From Abroad

Common-Core Standards Drew on Ideas From Abroad.

Equipping U.S. Schools for the Global Fast Lane

Equipping U.S. Schools for the Global Fast Lane.

Can comparisons of US educational results help educators evaluate US schools? States that cited international comparisons as a factor in informing their academic-content standards most often looked to them in the areas of mathematics and science. They reasoned that they needed to ensure that their states were preparing to keep up with the demands of a competitive world economy. They also reported the importance of looking at "best practices" from high-achieving nations. 

Equipping U.S. Schools for the Global Fast Lane

Equipping U.S. Schools for the Global Fast Lane.

Education Week reports that only 29 states use comparisons with international test data, while 21 states and the District of Columbia are not currently using international data as a resource in guiding public policy.