Curent Issue 2

Title of Article: “96 Percent of Teens Use Social-Networking Tools”
Publisher: eSchool News online
Date of Publication: August 14, 2007
Author: not listed

Summary: This eSchool Newsonline article features the finding of a survey that was conducted on students ages 9-17. The survey found that only 5% of teens that were questioned do not use the internet to communicate with others. The most interesting finding of this study is the fact that students that were surveyed reported that the “most common topics of conversation on the social-networking scene is education.” (p. 1) Implications of this article’s findings can greatly affect the future school learning environment. One expert, Anne L. Bryant, states her opinion on the connection between social networking and school by saying: “The challenge for school boards and educators is that they have to keep pace with how students are using these tools in positive ways and consider how they might incorporate this technology into the school setting.” (p. 1)
Student opinion from the survey is also reported in this article. The goal of students’ online activity is noted to have connections to creative, artistic, and/or collaborative projects. The article states that teens are noting the fact that they now watch television for an amount of time which equals the time they are spending online.
One issue that this article suggests that educators consider is the fact that schools need to use certain technologies to their benefit. It is also stated that such activities would most likely be more engaging for students. Suggestions and facts pertaining to school technology use and incorporation are also brought to the attention of the article’s reader.

iTunes for Education

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21368471/
iTunes is carrying more educational content. iTunes U is a free service of Apple. It has been broadcasting lectures and university videos, but now it will be adding other free videos as well. Under a new category called , “Beyond Campus” there will be recordings of the Supreme Court, interviews with important leaders and public radio broadcasts. The universities have the decision to allow only their students and alumni to view the videos or open them to the public. There is a great wealth of knowledge that can be shared by using the iTunes from college to college. “A larger learning catalog for anyone…” said Apple’s iTunes Vice president, Eddy Cue.
There are six partners that started the program this week. There are public radio stations and museums. Hopefully there will be more to come. This is a great resource that can be expanded to include all schools from elementary through college. Almost every household has an iPod or can access iTunes from their computer. However most of these iPods are being underutilized. Teachers can create podcast for their students and have them upload it onto their mp3 player and have the lesson to refer back to. Plus they can have a virtual field trip any time they want. This is not a new revelation, but one that is not being explored.
iTunes U is mostly for college students. As I went on to the site there are many colleges participating. But for high school seniors it would probably be a great introduction to what they might see in the following year. I checked out Yale University’s they had several podcasts that anyone can subscribe to.
However, Beyond Campus section is for almost all ages. There is a link that is called, Little Kids Rock. Because most students don’t have music education this is a great place ot go for music lessons. The Museum of Modern Art also has podcasts that are designed for younger students. There is also a section that take you to the Supreme Court hearings, probably for older students interested in Law.
This is a great resource that is untapped in schools.

Current Issue 3

Title of Article: “Solution aims to transform math assessment”
Publisher: eSchool News online
Date of Publication: October 17, 2007
Author: Laura Devaney

Summary: An interesting connection that is made to a successful Language Arts assessment tool is brought to the attention of readers of this article. While the article’s main purpose is to explain a technological advancement in the mathematics world, the research and rationale behind incorporating the math assessment transformation into classrooms is based in results from English Language Arts education and assessments.
The technology company Wireless Generation created “mCLASS,” a software offering of that offers teachers the opportunity to assess students reading and writing skills in the administration of DIBELS, the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. According to www.dibels.org these individually administered assessments help elementary level teachers assess students ability levels in the following areas: “Initial Sounds, Letter Naming, Phoneme Segmentation, Nonsense Words, Oral Reading, Retelling, and Word Use.”
Due to the success of the ELA assessment program, Wireless Generation is now researching a way to create a mCLASS for mathematics. This assessment would allow teachers to monitor student achievement in the same way as the ELA assessment. According to Devaney, the math version of mCLASS is being created in order “to screen for math proficiency, student progress and the students’ thought processes.” By targeting these three main areas, teachers are able to teach students according to individual struggles with concepts.

TWO-THIRDS OF U.S. VOTERS SAY 3R’S NO LONGER SUFFICIENT

"BUDGET CUTS"

TIMOTHY FEIMER
TITLE: TWO-THIRDS OF U.S. VOTERS SAY 3R’S NO LONGER SUFFICIENT
DATE: OCTOBER 17, 2007
PUBLISHER: ASCD SMARTBRIEF

The article is reporting on a survey done by the Partnership for 21st century skills, P21, on the preparedness of students on the 21st century society. It seems that about 66% of the 800 people surveyed said their schools were doing a good job but they were not happy with the direction of their schools. The focus has shifted from the basics of reading, math and science from 15 years ago to focusing on collaboration, communication and cultural knowledge.

The main part of the article was to hopefully urge the 2008 candidates to move in the direction of 21st century skills. I believe this is relevant to teaching because one of the biggest obstacles is the funding on the federal, state, and local governments. By putting this out there as much as possible maybe more politicians will start to realize the relevance and the economic impact of teaching the skills society will need. I think if we do not all get on board with the education of these students we will no longer be the economic power house we once were. The global society will pass us by and the funding of the hardware and teacher training will be miniscule compared to the economic impact in the future. I think the No Child Left Behind Act should be changed to the No Societies Child Left Behind Act, and we should be preparing our students for that.


LINK: http://www.eschoolnews.org/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7434

Solution Aims to Transform Math Assessment

Solution aims to transform math assessment

Ray Jashembowski
EDLA 615 Language Arts and Technology
Current Issue 3
Link: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7436

Title: Solution aims to transform math assessment
Publisher: eSchool news
Date of Publication: 10/17/07
Author: Laura Devaney, Associate Editor



Wireless Generations and other institutions just received a four year $1.5 million grant to produce a math version of their successful early reading assessment tool, mClass. The U.S. Department of Education approved a four year grant to Wireless Generation, Teachers College at Columbia University, and the University of Missouri-Columbia. The grant will allow the production of a math related mClass, which has helped boost reading scores dramatically. These handheld computers with software will help administer one on one assessment for K-3 students for the Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) exam. mClass gives students a problem then lets them solve it how they want, and during assessment students are asked how they did it. Teachers can record results and observations and sync their results to a secure laptop or desktop. Wireless Generation isn’t the first for this sort of thing but may be the first to target the K-3 grade levels. Basically it allows teachers to examine how the K-3 student came up with an answer which will allow the teacher to correct the reason why the mistake happened. School districts such as Chicago Public Schools and Florida’s Orange County Public Schools have seen profound effects in reading. They can target a students’ weakness in about a third of the time allowing instruction to be adjusted
I feel that this can greatly help avoid the drop in test scores, especially for low-income students’ that is seen after third grade. Depending on the cost, districts that experience all of the challenges in today’s education system can target students’ and correct the problem before it happens. My next question is how well does this software work with older computers or even future changes in tests. Other than the cost of technology issue it seems like an answer to many problems now that it will be available for reading and math.

Current Issue #3

Arabic School Ex-Principal Fights to Get her Job Back

New York Times
Jennifer Medina
Published October 17, 2007
Presented by Nathan.jean_jacques

Debbie Almontaser, the founding principal of the first Arabic language school in the New York City School System, wants her job back after resigning in August, allegedly under pressure from both Mayor Bloomberg’s and Chancellor Joe Klein’s offices, over her defense for the word “Intifada” emblazoned on a t-shirt.
Mrs. Almontaser who continues to draw her principal salary declares that the school was a dream turned nightmare. According to David Canter, a spokesman for the Chancellor’s office, Mrs. Almontaser’s resignation had put the matter to rest, supposedly.
From its inception, the school had faced opposition from parents who protested against the school sharing the same building frequented by their children, and conservatives who saw the threat of a Muslim agenda.
Mrs. Almontaser was interrogated for her relationship with the Brooklyn-based Arab Women in the Arts and Media that had produced the controversial T-shirt: “Intifada NYC”. She had many supporters including three City Council members of whom Robert Jackson urged her reinstatement. Meanwhile, Sara Springer of the “ Stop the Madrassa Coalition”, said, “the school should be under more scrutiny”.

Mrs almontaser seems to have made quite a few enemies who prejudice against her name.
According to education officials, Mrs Almontaser should not apply for the job.

Reflection
Long before this debacle, I knew about the oppositions to the Arabic school in the community. Although I never agreed with the opponents because their opposition smelled more like rotten racism to me for lack of any strong argument; however, I did not support the idea of an Arabic school. I thought it somehow promoted self – alienation and segregation. I could never find a copy of the school’s philosophy and vision; most of what I have read about the school sounded fuzzy and bias. Consequently, I did not support the fact that my tax money would pay for a school where my son and other non-Arabic speaking children would not be welcomed. The problem is that the school is conceived and based only on a political agenda that should not have escaped the blind mice who are responsible for this fiasco.

Current Issue #3 - "For Teachers, Middle School Is Test of Wills"

CURRENT ISSUE # 3

Article Title: For Teachers, Middle School Is Test of Wills
Source: The New York Times
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/17/education/17middle.html
Published: March 17, 2007
Writer: Elissa Gootman
Submitted by: Zenobia Fypher


In this article, the resilience needed for teachers of middle school students is discussed. Alarmingly, the article indicates that middle school teachers account for 22 percent of the 41,291 teachers who have left the school system since 1999 i.e. over an eight year span, approximately 9,084 middle school teachers have left the system. While the article does not specify the amount of middle school teachers who have left due to retirement, 9,084 in eight years is quite a large number.

As a teacher of both the elementary and middle levels I quite agree with some of the salient points which the article raised. Middle school teachers have to have the skin of a rhinoceros, we have to be able to turn every moment into teachable ones, even as we bite our tongues and grit our teeth, with a pleasant and understanding smile/look on our faces. Ours is a job, which is tougher than nails since we deal with a population of adolescents who are often volatile, unpredictable, and have a growing trend for declining academic performance. Indeed, we do have to have a huge sense of humor and a small ego. As Christian Clarke aptly put it, we spend a lot of our time putting out the fires. When we extinguish one in one area, we have to readily be available to extinguish another in another aspect.

I do agree that in most cases, we are inadequately prepared for the task ahead of us. I remember having discussion in my first year of teaching in the New York City Public School System about how to deal with Grade 7 student who seemed so angry. Well, beyond talking with the student, referring them to the Guidance Counselor, talking with the parents and informing the administrative body, there was little else I could do, yet I had to deal with those students daily. The article correctly states that middle school teachers are often either trained as elementary school generalists or as high school subject specialists, but with little training or understanding of the psychology of young adolescents. Our students very rarely miss school or drop out, interested or not and indeed, the lines for middle school teachers are very short at job fairs.

Yet, with all of that, I do love teaching at the middle school level. There is no other educational experience similar! When we see the transition in students from Grade 6 to Grade 8, it is often pleasing to the heart. While Grade 7 always seems to be the rambunctious grade where anything and everything happens, most of the time our students refocus when they enter the eighth grade.

Middle school? It’s an experience one MUST have!

Current Issue #3

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=7391

Survey: Parents talk to their kids about the web
Strong majority of parents teach their kids how to be safe online--but schools can still do more to help From eSchool News staff and wire service reports

From eSchool News staff and wire service reports

October 1, 2007

Based on a survey from the San Francisco- based nonprofit Common Sense Media and the Washington, DC based education foundation Cable in the Classroom "finds that the vast majority-85 percent of parents talked to their child in the past year about how to behave on the internet." The report also said that fewer parents talk about how to determine the credibility of online info or how to determine if a website is biased. I believe that is where the teachers should come in and fill this gap. The teachers could be working together with the parents on how to pass this type of information along to the children about finding credible information.

83% of parents said the internet helps their children acquire skills and info needed to succeed in school. These parents also said the internet helps them find things that interest them.

More than 93% of parents said they have taken action to make sure the web sites meet parental standards. In a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, it was reported that American kids between 8 and 18 spend an average of 6.5 hours a day absorbed in media. This included watching TV or videos, playing with computers, or listening to digital music.

About 80% of mothers said that creating an online profile or site such as a blog or MySpace account was inappropriate and only 65% of fathers said the same.

Parents said the interent has helped kids understand current events as well as express their creativity and connect with people who have similar interests.

Although four out of five parents said the internet helps the kids in school, about 3/4ths said they have had issues with their children's online activities. I think teachers should be working with parents and giving students assignments that require them to go online to safe and controlled blog sites created and monitored by the teacher. With those assignments the teacher should offer useful websites to get them started and teach students what a credible website is. Overall, I believe that the majority of parents are aware of their child's computer use but who can watch their activity at all times?

One Laptop Per Child - You Can Purchase One

$100 Laptop A Bargain at $200
by David Pogue
The New York Times
Thursday, October 4, 2007, Business Day page 1

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9801E4DF123FF937A35753C1A9619C8B63

Bob Ford – BLOG Current Issue #3 – $100 Laptop A Bargain At $200

In November, for about $200 you'll be able to buy a new laptop that's spill proof, rainproof, dustproof and drop-proof. It's fan less, it's silent and it weighs 3.2 pounds. One battery charge will power six hours of heavy activity, or 24 hours of reading. The laptop has a built-in video camera, microphone, memory-card slot, graphics tablet, game-pad controllers and a screen that rotates into a tablet configuration.

This is my latest update on “One Laptop Per Child”. Free of charge, its goal is to provide a cheap, reliable in harsh environments, beyond state of the art, laptop for third world children. I first reported on this during our Group Literacy Project. My video opened with, “The First Crusade of the 21st Century is About Literacy”.

O.L.P.C.’s founder Nicholas Negroponte along with his staff have made a strategic shift to get their laptop past final testing and into the hands of children. They decided to offer the machine for sale to the public in the industrialized world -- for a period of two weeks, in November. The program is called ''Give 1, Get 1,'' and it works like this. You pay $400 (www.xogiving.org). One XO laptop (and a tax deduction) comes to you by Christmas, and a second is sent to a student in a poor country. They are gambling that a slightly higher price initially, will be reduced as production really gears up and millions of laptops are produced.

From a teaching and literacy standpoint, “Any time you're word processing, making music, taking pictures, playing games or reading an e-book, you can click a Share button. Your document shows up next to your icon on the mesh-network map, so that other people can see what you're doing, or work with you. Teachers can supervise your writing, buddies can collaborate on a document, friends can play you in Connect 4, or someone across the room can add a melody to your drum beat in the music program. You've never seen anything like it.”

The author of this article David Pogue called this laptop, now called the “XO Laptop”, absolutely amazing, and a total kid magnet. He also said that both the hardware and software features exhibit breakthrough after breakthrough, many of which do not appear in ANY laptop.

When November gets here, check out www.xogiving.org. If you can purchase an XO, both you and a child in the third world will be part of something as historically magnificent as Gutenberg’s Printing Press.

Checking Out Tomorrow's Library

In Paris, an International Working Group Shows Off the Prototype For a Multilingual 'Intellectual Cathedral' of Digitized Knowledge
By John Ward Anderson
Washington Post Foreign Service 
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Submitted by Laurie Bobley

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/17/AR2007101702260.html?referrer=emailarticle

Late next year a long awaited event will occur: the World Digital Library will become available. The World Digital Library, a partnership between the Library of Congress and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) will present to the world’s population, digitized original resources such as documents, maps, photographs, films, recordings, manuscripts, musical scores, architectural drawings, rare books, and other unique cultural materials on the internet. These materials will be available in seven different languages and access will be free. The most interesting aspect of the project is that the information will be presented in its original form.


This project aims to expand non-Western and non-English content to provide tool for multicultural, multilingual exchanges. The goal is to increase understanding and awareness of the rich contributions of other people, places, events, and materials. The site will be accessible in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Arabic, which are the six official languages of the United Nations, as well as in Portuguese.

The World Digital Library will become invaluable to education and to the field of scholarly research. One ultimate goal is for the site to be widely accessible to children and adults from both rich and poor countries, with a particularly user-friendly design. In addition to the Library of Congress and UNESCO, other partners include Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Egypt), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, the National Library of Brazil, National Library and Archives of Egypt, National Library of Korea, National Library of Russia, and the Russian State Library.
In the 1990’s the Library of Congress introduced the National Digital Library Program that allows access to approximately 11 million digitized U.S. historical files (documents, photos, videos, etc.) on its American Memory Web site. This site will serve a model for the World Digital Library.


Initially there will be a few hundred thousand entries but is expected to quickly garner additional resources and entries from other countries after the launch. The 190 other nations represented in UNESCO will look to the LOC as a model for digitizing their own historical and cultural information. For, example, Egypt’s early history was preserved in a different way that the early history of England and it should be able to be accessed in the way it was preserved.
The WDL will

http://www.worlddigitallibrary.org

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

Current issue #3 Online social Networks hold promise for learning

Online social networks hold Promise for learning
From eSchool News October 1, 2007 Reviewed by Bruce Wilson
Link: www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7409

This article only reinforces what we have talked about in several of our NYIT classes that we need to harness the social networks that our kids go on and use it for educational purposes.
According to a new survey only 1 in 20 kids have not used a social network such as a blog, instant message, text message, or chat room. Students are using websites such as myspace.com,facebook and webkinz.
I was surprised to read that one of the most common subjects that the students discussed was education according to this survey. Subjects such as college, schoolwork and careers were some of the hot topics. Students said that they engage in activities where they have created art, or some kind of writing. Half said they uploaded photos to websites and 22 percent said they uploaded video.
So its up to schools to give teachers a little more freedom in using these mediums so they can be used in a positive light in the classroom. With close monitoring I believe that children could develop their communciation skills with having access to these technological formats. What do you think?

Andrew - Current Issue 3

Title: New Series Promotes Project-Based Learning for High School Math and ELA Students
Date: October 20, 2007
Source: PR.com
Link: http://www.pr.com/press-release/56885

This was a brief article I found through Google News, that caught my attention. Given the various discussions throughout my various classes with NYIT, including the latest, one theme has arisen again and again. That theme is Project-Based Learning and the educational benefits to students.

Much of the current debate centers around how teachers can incorporate Project-Based Learning into their curriculum, especially if they teach any of the core subject areas. Given the enormous weight these content areas carry in terms of testing and assessment, teachers often feel there is little room within their instruction to incorporate Project-Based Learning opportunities.

Couple this with the fact that text books, and curriculum materials for these content areas are required to be rigidly adhered to, and it is no wonder that Project-Based Learning is rarely seen in Math and ELA.

So, when I saw this article, I was rather intrigued, and surprised at what was described.

Walch Publishing, provides supplemental materials to middle and high schools across the USA, and has done so for over 80 years. The organization has now, however, designed a series of books designed for two of core content areas, with Project-Based Learning at the heart of the design and implementation.

This marks a significant departure for text book publishers; to address the two areas students are tested most heavily in, by providing clear outlines of suggested projects designed to help students "solve real problems involving real people, with themes that appeal to high schoolers".

This is the first time I have heard of a publisher who aligns all of their curriculum content to standards for each of the states, bring Project-Based Learning to educators and students through innovative materials. This series of books are also aligned to NCTM and NCTE standards, and are accompanied by supporting materials.

The reason for doing this, the publishers say is to "require students to pull together new information, skills, and technologies to figure out the solutions to problems. The math is rigorous, the English is challenging, yet it all takes place in a fun setting.”

I really do hope this can mark a turning point in how publishers address the needs of students, given the vast amount of revenue they receive from schools across the country. To see Project-Based Learning incorporated not only into new text books, but those for the two main core content areas, really does seem amazing given our current educational situation. It will be very interesting to see how successful these books are, but it is my hope that now teachers have some guidelines, a framework with which to work, and an alignment to standards, they will be far more able to implement successful Project-Based Learning opportunities for their students.

The stock market game - current issue # 3

Language Arts and Technology

The Stock Market Game – celebrating 30 years!

http://www.stockmarketgame.org/

I have chosen to post a review on an educational program that can boost learning and stimulate students to apply skills and knowledge in a trading simulation. I think this is a wonderful idea for classroom usage and it involves the use of a PC and Internet connection.

My current issue review is based on the celebration of the program called “The stock market game” (SMG), a program that has been implemented for 30 years in NYC schools. SMG is a program designated for 4-12 students and their teachers and promotes different learning skills such as critical thinking, decision making, cooperation and communication, independent research and saving and investing. According to the association in charge of the program, The SMG program has been correlated to national and state standards for Economics, Mathematics, Business, English and Language Arts, Social Studies, Technology, and Family and Consumer Sciences.

Students work in groups; they are equipped with a virtual $100k and compete with other NY teams to develop a portfolio using a live trading simulation. They work together in teams, practicing leadership, organization, negotiation, and cooperation as they compete for the top spot. The setup is engaging, and the learning is a natural part of the experience.

The students are exposed to knowledge and practice of real life skills with regard to saving and investing. To enroll in this program the participants need to know simple keyboarding and general PC skills and have Internet connection. The program can be implemented during school hours or after school like a club or extracurricular activity. The students can access the program anytime from any computer connected to Internet.

According to the nonprofit foundation that runs the program, “The stock market game’ has been used in NYC for 30 years and is sponsored by many securities firms. The program is free in NYC and the teachers interested to attend or implement the game in their classrooms should visit the site http://www.stockmarketgame.org/ . This website provides information on workshops for the teachers who want to start this application in their classrooms.

Voters urge teaching of 21st-century skills

Current Issue #3 - Justin Fox
EDLA 615 - Language Arts and Technology

Voters urge teaching of 21st-century skills
Poll suggests 'back-to-basics' approach to education is not enough for nation's citizens (title linked to article)
By Meris Stansbury, Assistant Editor, eSchool News

October 15, 2007

This article speaks of a poll conducted by the partnership for 21^st Century Skills this past September of 800 registered voters, asking how they feel America’s schools are performing. The poll illustrated that “Americans are deeply concerned that the United States is not preparing students with the skills they need to compete in the new global economy…” The article explains how those individuals polled feel that the majority of schools across the country are faring quite poorly in terms of preparing students for the working world. It stated how people feel that schools are still in “back-to-basics mode”, when there needs to be a concentration on “different things than what [students] learned 20 years ago, such as…on collaboration, communication, and cultural knowledge.” The article also indicated that those polled felt that America severely lags behind other countries in terms of preparing individuals for the 21^st century workforce.

I feel that this article hit it right on the proverbial nose. Our students are certainly not prepared for the 21^st century workforce, particularly due to the fact that 21^st century literacy skills are not being emphasized in our schools. In fact, the United Federation of Teachers agreed, this week to implement a school-wide merit-pay system in the lowest-performing New York City schools. Needless to say, this system will be strictly based upon the increasing number of standardized exams being implemented by the Bloomberg-Klein dictatorship.

I find it incredibly frustrating that, in spite of polls such as those indicated by the above article indicate the public’s opinion on the virtual failure of our country’s schools in providing students with 21^st century literacy skills, large city school systems like NYC seem to move backwards towards an antiquated standardized testing system. Yes, standardized exams could provide a great amount of information on student comprehension of the traditional subject areas of Reading and Math, but does teaching to such exams prepare our students for the future? Do standardized exams truly indicate the embracing of 21^st century literacy skills? I am sorry to say that the answer is a resounding “NO”.

The increased concentration on these subject areas (and, mind you, I am, theoretically a math teacher…) does not provide students with the necessary wide range of skills that are necessary to survive in the workforce. Funding, at least in NYC, continues to be designed to “raise test scores,” not necessarily to provide students with a better 21^st century education. To incorporate the article’s main point: America’s schools are failing our students, school officials who set policy are failing our students, and things certainly need to change. Now.

Nicole's Current Issue #3

Nicole Dagro
Current Issue #3
Due 10.23.07

Title: “Feds tout computerized tests for key skills”
Author: Meris Stansbury
Resource: CEC Smartbrief; eSchool news
www.eschoolnews.org/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7424


This article caught my attention because it discussed a study conducted on measuring 21st century skills through computer-based testing. We have discussed 21st century skills and technology, so I thought it was worthwhile to report on.

As stated in the article, “A federal report funded by the National Center for Education Statistics says computer-based testing holds promise for measuring ‘21st-century"’ and higher-order thinking skills that cannot be measured easily via traditional pencil-and-paper exams.” The article goes on to give examples of what 21st century skills would include. They include solving problems and synthesizing information among many other things.

The article discusses a study conducted on eighth grade students. Testing was administered to separate groups. The first group completed a search scenario. They were to locate and synthesize information. The second group completed a simulation. They conducted experiments. The study concluded that this testing was efficient in measuring 21st century skills. The article goes into state that “to be successful in a knowledge-based economy, individuals must be able to use computers to perform cognitive tasks…”

This article relates to this course in several ways. 21st century skills have everything to do with literacy. It may not be literacy in the traditional definition of the word, but it is literacy. Literacy is thinking, solving, creating, using technology, etc. Not only are 21st century skills important for students to know, but they must master them as well. How do we assess this mastery? We asses through the use of computers and technology. That is how this article relates to this course as well; integrating technology into our classrooms and utilizing that technology to enhance student’s educational experiences.

I think this article is important. Teachers must understand what 21st century skills are and how to assess them because these skills must be present in their lessons. Teachers need to be shown that strategies are proven before they consider using them. Studies are a wonderful way to do this. I enjoyed the information provided in this article.

Current Issue #2

Article Title: NCLB Confidential
Source Edutopia
Link; http://www.edutopia.org/nclb-confidential

by Roberta Furger


Submitted by Allyson McDowell


NCLB confidential talks about bringing parents and better teachers together to address standards based testing. Awareness has not been increased despite the numerous analytical criticism and defenses because the key points have been ignored.

Important aspects that need immediate action
How can we get parents more involved not only in the day-to-day happenings but in the restructuring? Will there be appropriate professional development for the teachers. States have yet to work on a plan to make sure that poor and minority students get an experienced teacher to teach them. Schools are still testing and retesting trying to reach these laudable goals set by NCLB mandates and teaching the test.

Title 1 funding is the new whip which comes with a huge price when schools collect over $500,000.00. schools must pay for program outreach for parents in the form of math and reading workshops and teachers are expected to make home visits. Teachers also no longer have privacy as schools must disclose the educational background to the parents.

Some school districts have embraced this trend and seem to have found a way to work it out so may be other states should look at their example. There are several groups who are working with schools and parents to understand the provisions and implications of the NCLB act.

CURRENT ISSUE # 2

Article Title: Where Teachers Sit, Awaiting Their Fates
Source: The New York Times
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/education/10education.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=education
Published: October 10, 2007
Writer: Samuel G. Freedman

Submitted by: Zenobia Fypher


In this article, the fate of teachers who have been removed from their designated job sites for various reasons and placed at reassignment centers within the city, often called "rubber rooms", is discussed. Within the article, it is identified that the New York City Department of Education operates about 12 reassignment centers, all popluated at any one time with approximately 760 teachers who face criminal charges from assault, incompetency, and negligence to abuse. Some of these teachers are charged but not yet convicted while others have unresolved cases pending.

In the effort to ensure fairness in education, some teachers definitely should not be teaching students. However, the conditions described in the article under which these removed teachers must exist for 7 hours per day, and for 181 days per year are totally heart-wrenching. It appears that they have been sentenced even before their voices were heard, and in some cases, some of the teachers in those reassignment centers just might be innocent of the acts alleged against them. I was surprised to read that a teacher was assigned to this center for not accounting for $245 in school money, an amount which I am sure if given the opportunity, the teacher could have repaid. After reading the article, I considered the number of qualified people who spend their days knitting, listening to iPods, working with crossword puzzles and sketch pads while being paid their full salaries, and my heart felt pity on them for while some may be honestly guilty of the crime levied against them, I thought of the innocent ones who, through a dishonest accusation, must be subjected to that kind of mental torture.

There are times when the challenges of our job seem too much to bear, but, I prefer to have my 30 students with their various learning styles, spontaneous behavior, and sponge-like minds than to have to deal with 30 adults who have to daily endure the conditions described in the article.

Christine's second issue

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/education/03lessons.html?ref=education

In the Classroom, Blazing a Path From Fidgeting to Focus

The New York Times

October 3, 2007

SUSAN ENGEL

This article is about a 20 year veteran teacher who has been dealing with students who have ADD in different ways. Recently, Ms. Valentine developed a new activity that directly addresses the attention issues her students face. She began using powerpoints, and has taught her kids to do the same. the students with ADD have made their own powerpoints to share what it's like to go on a 'mind trip', which is what the students say happens when the students find themselves losing attention. Valentine found this term in a book she read by Mel Levine.

Powerpoints can definitely be a relevant tool for English teachers. Powerpoints can be used to add some 'spice' to boring topics, and to add other dimensions to 'flat' topics. The particular manner in which Valentine used powerpoint could be useful for late elementary and middle school teachers who have children with ADHD and ADD.

In my position, I could have students make powerpoint presentation on topics they've researched. I also use powerpoints when I have t present the boring topics, like grammar, and Bloom's taxonomy. The slides can also be used to provide an interactive lesson or activity. I wouldn't use the program in the exact same manner as Valentine, because I do not share her population of students.

Current Issue #2

Title: In Some Schools, iPods Are Required Listening
Author: By WINNIE HU
Published: October 9, 2007
The New York Times Education
Summarized by: Amy Marnell

This article talks about how ipods, although banned in most schools, can actually be used as instructional tools. I chose to read and summarize this article mainly because last year the middle school I work at decided to allow students to listen to their ipods only during a specific period per day. The main reason this decision was made is because a science teacher had the students make incredible podcasts to summarize reproduction. Our 7th and 8th grade students take living environment and take the biology regents in 8th grade.

Back to the article, a school in Hudson County called José Martí Middle School has banned the use of ipods. However, ipods have been handed out to ESL students in order to learn vocabulary and sharpen their skills by using popular songs. The teacher downloaded a mixture of popular music and typed out all the lyrics. She then deleted the nouns, verbs, and adjectives which in turn forced the students to fill them in and describe their meaning. She also downloaded the Harry Potter series so students can listen to this and added a recording device to the ipod so students can practice their pronunciation.

As a result, students are moving out of bilingual classes with the use of this digital device after one year as opposed to an average of four to six years. I think this teacher is brilliant for launching this and this is just another way for teachers to reach students and let them know that we value what is meaningful to them and we care what they think. This is an example of the NCLB working along with teachers and schools in order to help all students succeed.

iPods in the School

Title: In Some Schools, iPods Are Required Listening
Publisher: New York Times Online
Date: October 9, 2007
Author: Winnie Hu
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/education/09ipod.html
Summary:

Ms. Poli, a teacher at the Jose Marti Middle School in Hudson County New Jersey, initiated an iPod program at her school. Ms. Poli noticed that many of her bilingual students spent between two to four years in Bilingual education before they learned enough English to move into the regular education population. She also realized that at a school where iPods and most electronic devices are forbidden in school were very popular among her students. She decided to ask the Union County school system for 20 iPods in a bid to help her students learn English. She then downloaded songs (English songs), printed out lyrics in English and removed the nouns or verbs or whatever they were working on that session. The students were responsible for listening to the song, and completing the lyrics. She noticed that many of the students quickly learned English, picking up lyrics quickly and even began to sing along to the songs. The principal noticed that the kids had gained more confidence and even began speaking to her when they wouldn’t have ventured to do so before. Students who normally took two to four years to complete their bilingual programs were now being moved into regular classes by the end of the first year.

Perspective and Relevance to Teaching

I think that Ms. Poli has stumbled upon a great idea. If all teachers could be as inventive, as creative and a trailblazer as she has been we could really effect change in our school system. This school is on the schools in need of improvement list because, as a component of NCLB, their ESL program was not making the required strides and/or increases it needed to make. Ms. Poli single-handedly began a trend that will and has caught on in many counties within New Jersey. She is an innovator and I can only hope to accomplish as much as she has.

Monique Powell-Thompson

current Issue # 2

In Some Schools, iPods Are Required Listening


In Some Schools, ipods Are Required Listening
New York Times
By Winnie Hu
October 9, 2007
Submitted by Nathan Jean-Jacques

Summary
While ipods, as a personal possession, are banned at José Martí Middle School in Union City, New Jersey; the little device that could is becoming ever more popular in the education system.
Winnie Hu wrote in her article,” In Some Schools, ipods are Required Listening”, that Union City district has inaugurated a $130,000 initiative to distribute ipods to students at its schools, including José Martí. Such effort has influenced other school districts in the state to start similar programs of their own. So far the devices had been used in bilingual classes. Eventually, the district will expand their usage to students with learning disabilities and behavioral problems.
According to Ms. Poli, the ipods has helped her bilingual students feel like insiders because the device has played a major role in improving their English. The principal at Jose Marti has experienced tremendous changes in her student’s self- confidence to express themselves where they would not dare before. Furthermore, she claims that parents have requested placement for their children in ipod- equipped classes.

In my school, I have shown the students how to use their own ipods as storage devices for home works and other documents. I don’t expect my school to distribute any ipod to students. I do support the ipod initiative in Jersey. Although the evidences point toward the ipod program as a success; however, I find it confusing that the schools would not allow the students to bring their own and still use them for the same purpose. In addition, the learners wouldn’t be able to have access to the materials at their own leisure and away from school. To keep the ipods only in the classroom does not adequately fulfill technology usage. The students should have the tools at their disposal in and out of the school building to enforce the learning objectives.

TEACHING SECRETS: ORGANIZING MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

TEACHING SECRETS: ORGANIZING MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

TEACHER MAGAZINE

BY LAURIE WASSEMAN
OCTOBER 3, 2007
SUBMITTED BY: TIMOTHY FEIMER
This article hit home both in my professional and personal life. I have 2 middle school children and have seen how being unorganized makes it very difficult to survive in the middle schools. We have calendars for each child to keep up with what’s due and what’s coming up. Professionally I have used a couple of the organizing techniques and found they work excellent:
Agenda books: not happening in my school unless the students want to buy them on there own. The assignment check list maybe possible but even the copying in my school is at a minimum.
Schoolnotes.com: I use and love it. It gives the parents a way to keep in contact with me and for my students to contact me if there is a misunderstanding in the homework. I always respond as long as it is before 10 pm. This also lets the parents see any of the long term projects and what is going on in the classroom.
Preparation guide: I have not used but very much like the idea. I am constantly going up against no pen and paper and it causes a commotion in the room when they are asking for the stuff. This is something I want to implement ASAP.
Team homework: is a little more difficult and would require the cooperation of the other teachers.
Pocket folders: I use these already for my long term projects but I can see relevance for the everyday use.

All in all I feel the article give some very useful organizational tips to be used in any subject area. I especially liked the fact that it is geared to the middle school students since I believe they have the biggest adjustments to make. Any way to make the adjustments easier will promote a more successful transition into the middle and high schools and hopefully a more positive educational outcome.

Feds Tout Computerized Tests for Key Skills

Feds Tout Computerized Tests for Key Skills
By Meris Stansbury October 3. 2007
eSchool News
Submitted by Laurie Bobley

How higher-order thinking skills are actually measured is at the center of a report issued by the National Center for Education Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The Report, “Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments (TREs): A Report form the NAEP Technology-Based Assesssment Project, ” notes that there has been no clear way to gauge student achievement in certain higher-order thinking skills. The premise of the investigation was that testing for these skills on a computer would give a good indication of both the targeted higher-level thinking skills and the emerging 21st Century skills. The investigation looked at a student’s ability “to search for and synthesize information from the internet, to use simulation and modeling tools to answer what-if questions, and to craft meaningful communications with text-editing and presentation tools,” all 21st Century skills essential for success in college and workplace. The testing was done in

The students were involved in two science-based simulated scenarios: a search scenario and a simulation scenario. Choosing a group to test was based on three factors: the ability to read scientific material of at least a sixth grade level; rudimentary knowledge of scientific inquiry and concepts; and experience with basic computer skills. It was determined that eighth grade students would be at his level. The study involved over 2000 eighth grade students from across the U.S. First, to measure scientific inquiry and computer skills, students were required to search for and synthesize information about scientific helium balloons. The second test attempted to measure scientific exploration, scientific synthesis, and computer skills. To accomplish this students conducted simulated experiments of increasing complexity to investigate relationships between mass, volume, and buoyancy.

The results of the tests were promising because it was determined that computer-based testing is a better format to test higher-order thinking skills than the traditional multiple choice test. Interestingly, there were no gender differences related 21st Century skills levels.

However, other findings from this study are not as quite as positive. Once more, significant differences in scores were found among various socioeconomic, racial or ethnic groups. Also, students with little parental education did not perform as well as those from homes where parents were more educated. These differences underscore the critical state of the U.S. educational system and the need for a remedy.

Computer based tests are an effective way to measure 21st Century higher order thinking skills, but assessments of this sort will not be widely used in schools for at least five to ten years because of the time to develop the tools and infrastructure that is necessary.

KC district wins $4.4 million grant for reading program

Andrew Gallagher
October 7, 2007
Title - KC district wins $4.4 million grant for reading program
Author - JOE ROBERTSON (The Kansas City Star)
Date - Sun, Sep. 30, 2007

KC district wins $4.4 million grant for reading program
Link to article

This was an interesting article for me, on two levels.

Firstly, the article discusses a reading porgram that has been successful in urban school districts across the USA. The Success For All reading program is a "scripted" curriculum which relies on dividing students by their reading level as opposed to their grade level. This ensures they receive instruction relevant to their needs (as small groups) rather than instruction that can often ignore their needs. Through a quick Google search I found the Success For All website, and pulled this quote from their homepage

"Our top priority is the education of disadvantaged and at-risk students in pre-K through grade eight. We use research to design programs and services that help schools better meet the needs of all their students. Every child can learn. We help schools ensure that they do."

I have to be honest, and say that I believe there is a lot to be said for placing students in small groups based on their ability. I know there are many arguments against such practice most notably that students are labelled as a particular type of learner. But, do we work to overcome those labels and help students address them at the same time as developing their skills? Or do we dismiss the notion all together becuse it may do minimal and short lived damage to confidence.

The other issue I found interesting within the article is that the Federal government is finally willing to award grants to programs they have traditionally excluded. These programs have often existed despite government assistance, not because of it, and to finally see acceptance of programs such as Success For All, is perhaps a sign of things to come.

NCLB wants to ensure ALL children receive the best possible education. The problem is, the allocation of funding has all too often been accompanied by very strict guidelines that can prevent helping the very students it was initially designed to. When a greater variety of programs and possibile solutions are explored, then perhaps a greater number of children will receive the assistance they deserve.

New technology-based curriculum teaches students language arts and critical thinking.

Bruce Wilson
Language Arts and Technology
eSchoolNews.com
October, 2007
Current Event # 2


SRA/ McGraw hill has announced that it is keeping up with 21st century skills ( specifically critical thinking skills) with a new reading and language arts curriculum called Imagine It! What is different about this curriculum is that it uses technology to teach elementary school students reading through virtual role playing.
Students can pretend to be a newsreporter researching another country, a fashion designer for an ancient civilization or a entrepeneur creating a new business. With each role students have to do research on the internet as well as practice their writing.According to McGraw hill the program also has a set of tools to make teaching, planning and assessment more efficient. Click to preview it
In reviewing this program I was impressed that the program assessed children to make for differentiated instruction. The program teaches writing through SRSD (self regulated strategy development) This program guides children through higher level cognitive processes in writing. The alliance for excellence in education praised this writing system as the most effective.
I also liked that the program incorporates the smartboard and guides the students through preset websites. I am going to ask for a demo so I can look at it more closely.
To view the article New technology-based curriculum teaches students language arts and critical thinking.
To view Imagine It!

Teaching Secrets: Organizing Middle Schoolers

Iulian Irimina
Language Arts and Technology
Current Event 2

Title: Teaching Secrets: Organizing Middle Schoolers
Author: Laurie Wasserman
Resource: Teacher Magazine
Publication Date: October 3, 2007

The article I have chosen for this blog refers to how to help middle-school students become more accountable and organized in class. As a middle school teacher I see on a daily basis that my students need to be reminded things and need help with organizing themselves in class. For example, 10/15 min later after the period started, one or two students realize they did not place the homework in the homework basket, or do not have pencil or need to go to the locker to get their loose leaf papers, etc.

The author of this article, who is also a teacher, provides some tips for the teacher to help the students manage better their working time, supplies, locker time, homework etc.
The transition from elementary to middle school is perceived as a big change for students and all of a sudden they see that they have more teachers, more assignments, more requirements and, of course, they are expected to do more. Here are a few things that a teacher could do to improve the overall organization and management of the class.

1. Agenda books are considered a solution for copying the next day homework assignment from the board. The author says that many schools provide their students a basic agenda where they could have the homework assignments for the following day.

2. Schoolnotes.com is a website where teachers can use space for posting homework assignments and different other school related projects. This is mostly for parents who want to check their child's homework for any day, even they are not at home and need to stay late to work.

3. Preparation Grade is a part of the overall grade given for how the student prepares for class. The writer of the article says " I allow them to go to their lockers, if they forget a book or a pencil. But each trip to the locker costs them 1 point from their preparation grade. It sounds harsh (and most of my students have ADD/ADHD), but I find if they know my policy ahead of time, and I’m consistent with it, they learn by trial and error".

4. The Absent-Student Crate is a way of helping students what assignments they have missed while they were absent. This gives the kids a running record of what assignments they have missed and they are able to find these missing assignments in a 3 ring binder titled "Schoolnotes".

5. The I.O.U. Board is basically a space on the board where the teacher posts the missing assignments/tests that that a student owe.

6. Pocket folders, a cheap way to help kids requires every student to a have a pocket folder with drafts and assignments in progress. On one side of the folder they could write TO DO meaning they need to work on certain assignments and on the other they could put down COMPLETED, which is the completed work.

Varying Standards May Hurt "No Child"

Current Event # 2
Lauren Edmonds
Varying Standards May Hurt "No Child"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/03/AR2007100302481.html?nav=rss_education

This article points out the need for national testing standards. The core mission of NCLB is to "to push all students to score well in reading and math." However, each state has different testing methods and some are much easier than others. According to this article "93 percent of students who took the MAP exam would have passed Colorado's third-grade reading test, while 39 percent would have passed California's." The basic idea of NCLB can't operate efficiently unless all students are held to the same standards. National standards are going to take a lot of work to create and implement, but in the end it will be beneficial to the students countrywide. A great quote from Michael J. Petrilli, vice president for national programs and policy, wrote in the study. "What is the meaning of measurable academic gains . . . if the yardstick is elastic?"

My first question is, why after several years after implementing the NCLB haven't there been nation standards. This should have been stage one in creating NCLB.

I remember when Bloomberg was up for re-election how easy the test was. I had been a teacher for 3 years and I had seen the tests in previous years. This ELA exam was one of the easiest exams I had come across. Not only was it the easiest State Exam, but even the practice exams I had given to my students. That year every student passed in my class. And by "passed" I mean got a 2 or above. There were students in that class that had an average of 14. But they passed the test so they passed the year. If there were national standards these students might have been held to a higher standard and would have been forced to pass the exam before going to the next grade.

If the tests are so much easier in one state than in the next, how are week going to ensure the literacy across the country in the future? Maryland has one of the easiest exams in the country. They claim that they hold their students to a high standard. But if they are ranked 22 out of 26, how is that possible? Having national goals for every child would benefit the future of our country's literacy.

Even though it is going to be a great challenge to impose national standards now, wouldn't it be more difficult to do it in 10, 15 or 20 years from now? Why wait to see what will happen? National standards should be implemented as soon as possible.

In the Classroom, Blazing a Path From Fidgeting to Focus

Current Issue #2 - Justin Fox
EDLA 615 - Language Arts and Technology

In the Classroom, Blazing a Path From Fidgeting to Focus (title linked to article)

By SUSAN ENGEL

New York Times, Education Section, October 3, 2007

This article spoke of how an elementary school teacher has found a way to deal with elementary school students becoming distracted during class time. The article describes how she integrated PowerPoint presentations into her classroom, and actually had students identify what they were thinking about during these “mind trips,” as an expert on learning disabilities, Mel Levine, defined them. From the article:

“Together she and the children put the written and spoken sentences onto PowerPoint, along with the illustrations. Each child’s work became a multimedia slide show about his or her daydreaming.”

Some of the items that they children stated directly related to their own abilities in completing tasks within the class, such as the length of time it takes them to write, or their own difficulties in concentrating upon the lesson at hand. The teacher feels that , “by describing their daydreams, children are “able to figure out not only what went wrong, but what kinds of thoughts and tricks could help them concentrate.”

I think this is a wonderful idea for how to deal with the concept of student daydreaming, yet may not be applicable everywhere. It is often that teachers tend to simply become angry when students become distracted in class, and expect all students to pay attention at all points of the lesson. Student attention spans, as with most Americans, are quite short, and students can thus be expected to be distracted by something else occurring within their environment at that point in time, or within their own mind.

What this article is basically saying, though, is not the only way in which students can be cajoled into becoming more focused during a lesson, but is merely one method. I like the fact, primarily, that the teacher is introducing higher-level, useful technology applications to students at such a young age. The fact that she is making students realize what is causing their distractions, and verbalizing them, allows students to possibly correct the issue.

Interestingly, my own AP brought this up this very issue to me the other day, quoting research that stated how students have a tendency to be able to concentrate on one topic for only 20 minutes. Her method is quite different, yet is much more well designed for the high-school level, and actually quite common. She stated how she designs class time to be spent in segments: 10 minutes for presentation (with student involvement as a whole-class activity), 10 minutes for group work (requiring students to shift their focus to each other, thus “resetting” their attention span), 10 minutes for a group presentation (resetting the attention once again, by shifting focus), then the remainder on homework review (student-centered). It relates a bit to the article, in how she realizes the presence of distractions, and creates constructive activities to combat such distractions. In her method however, and mainly because a Trigonometry class does not really lend itself to the “realization/self-recognition” method stated in the article, the distractions are controlled by the simple organization of class time.

Spreading Homework Out So Even Parents Have Some

Ernest A. Poole
EDLA 615
Current Issue #2

Title: Spreading Homework Out So Even Parents Have Some
Author: Tina Kelley
Published: October 4, 2007 - New York Times
Permalink

While not specifically an article on literacy, this entry is about a 9th grade English teacher in Montclair who requires his student's parents to read and comment on their child's assignment on a blog he has set up.

This section is noteworthy:

If the parents do not comply, Mr. Frye tells them, their child’s grade may suffer — a threat on which he has made good only once in the three years he has been making such assignments.

The point, he said, is to keep parents involved in their children’s ’ education well into high school. Studies have shown that parental involvement improves the quality of the education a student receives, but teenagers seldom invite that involvement. So, Mr. Frye said, he decided to help out.

“Parents complain about never getting to see their kids’ work,” he said. “Now they have to.”

Some parents, he added, seem happy to revisit their high school years.

“There was one parent last year who would write pages and pages of stuff. It was great, so good to read,” said Mr. Frye, who graduated from Montclair High in 1994.

Others are more resistant. “When my daughter told me about the homework, I looked at her and said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. I graduated. I’m done,’” said Lydia Bishop, a local real estate broker whose daughter Vanessa was in Mr. Frye’s class last year. “I did it very resentfully, but I did it.”

This policy has led to an increase in intellectual dialogue between parents and their children. Parental involvement has increased by default.

Carol Jago, the incoming vice president of the National Council of Teachers of English is quoted as saying, "It has to do with what we talk to our students about, and what kind of models we are for our children as readers," and continues, "Common educational wisdom is that you don’t assign homework that kids can’t do on their own."

Current Event 2

Nicole Dagro
Language Arts and Technology
Current Event 2
Due 10.09.07

Title: Inquiry-Based Learning and Technology: Designing and Exploring Webquests
Author: Jan Lacina
Resource: Childhood Education: Volume 83, Issue 4 (Found using Proquest)
Publication Date: Summer 2007

This article discussed webquests. It explored the questions “What is a webquest?” “How can you design a webquest?” and “What are the essential features of a webquest?” It also provided advice on how to implement them and use them efficiently and sources you can refer to.
The article stated that a webquest is an “inquiry-based technology activity.” Its purpose is to get users to extract information from the Internet. It is also used to promote higher thinking and for students to construct their own opinions and conclusions based on the information they explore.
The article also discussed the five essential components of a webquest. These include the introduction (introduction to the subject and grabbing the student’s attention), the task you want them to do, the resources, the process, and the evaluation (assessing understanding). The article then provides useful advice on things like time spent designing, being organized, and checking links to make sure they still exist. Also, the teacher should take on the role of “guide,” and always have a back-up plan in case the technology does not work that day.
Throughout this course we have discussed how to improve literacy using technology. Even last week, we learned about Internet Workshops and how they can improve a student’s educational experience. This article shows that webquests can be a wonderful tool to enhance learning. Students can access information and make inferences from that information. This information and what they are forced to do with it can help improve a student’s literacy skills. They are reading, analyzing, writing, and forming conclusions from this activity. With anything else, skills improve with practice and webquests are a great way to practice literacy skills.
This article not only has relevance to this course because it discusses an activity that can help literacy skills, but it also provides us with information on how to implement it. Through this information, we can now use this activity in Language Arts and other classes to aid our students in improving their literacy skills. I think that everyone enrolled in this course can benefit from the information provided in this article.
I believe that webquests can be a useful learning tool. They motivate students, deal with literacy skills, and engage the students in their learning. These are all important factors to develop a student. I think this article was informative and got you thinking how you can use this in your classroom. I have seen webquests used before, but this article allowed me to use that prior information and add to it in order to create my own webquests. Every teacher today should know how to and use webquests in their classroom.

Feds tout computerized tests for key skills

Ray Jashembowski
EDLA615 Language Arts and Technology
10/03/07
Current Issue 2

Title: Feds tout computerized tests for key skills
Publisher: eSchool News online
Date of Publication: October 3, 2007
Author: Meris Stansbury, Assistant Editor, eSchool News

Link: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=7424&page=1

Summary: We now have ways to test 21st century skills according to this article. The article was based on a 2003 study funded by the National Center for Education Statistics which is a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The study explored two computer based scenarios for measuring 21st century skills that couldn’t be done by traditional pencil and paper or multiple choice exams. Examples of these 21st century skills include problem solving and synthesizing information. Eighth graders, approximately 2000 of them from U.S. public schools were chosen under the assumptions they would have basic computer skills, basic exposure to scientific inquiry and concepts, and the ability to read scientifically orientated material at a sixth grade level. The scenario had students’ research information about scientific helium balloons from a simulated World Wide Web setting. The students were required to “conduct experiments of increasing complexity about relationships among buoyancy, mass, volume, and it was designed to assess their scientific exploration, scientific synthesis, and computer skills.” Researchers mentioned that the U.S. is probably five years away from adapting this type of assessment. Authors also mentioned that these scenarios are testing skills that are needed in college and the workplace. The exams were done on school computers or laptops brought in to test computer based problems and performed well for as assessments. The results did show large differences regarding race, ethnic background, parent education, and socioeconomic groups. These differences were mentioned could be trouble if they continued to show up in both scenarios. All in all, 21st century skills can be tested and the researchers stated they should be incorporated into the state mandated tests under No Child Left Behind.
The use of computer based testing is a direct connection to integrating technology into language arts for improving student learning.
My perspective is that we need these skills now and to have methods of testing them almost available to teachers is an excellent development. The study was done in 2003 and the article stated technology is only getting better for these tests to succeed. Whether our curriculum has technology integrated in it or not, more and more of us are using technology to prepare our students, thus we should be testing based on the technology as well. Skills needed to succeed in college or the workplace should be taught and tested, by doing so the testing will also help with the ethical issues surrounding students using technology. This could be part of the answer we are all looking for.