Author: abendelow
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Public schools: our best democratizing institution?
My argumentative friend recently asked me about the new http://vivateachers.org/ site, which seeks “to dramatically increase classroom teachers’ participation in important state and national policy decisions about public education” through “direct communication between individual teachers and public officials, giving public officials authentic insight into how public classrooms and schools work best and they make policy…
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The technology of the TV mini-series
The “tv mini-series” is a (to me) new narrative vehicle, 100% televisual and when done well, instantly engrossing. Many years after their heyday, I am discovering these many-chaptered, multi-year series, and seeing how they merit comparison with Dickens or Trollope, or Tolstoy, with their engaging, realistic characters working out personal struggles in an ensemble. In…
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First time in Deadwood, SD tonight
Enjoying Deadwood for the first time tonight, and not only do I see where the Coen Brothers got their idea for the formula: Brutal frontier town life + eloquent Victorian English = immensely entertaining, but also a fascintating display of ageless human conflict (individuals vs. society; capitalistic greed vs. commonweal; chaos vs. order) enacted through…
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Dr. James Gee of ASU on literacy education (and its lack in the USA)
I was privileged today to hear professor of literacy studies at Arizona State University Dr. James Paul Gee speak about the reasons behind the “4th grade slump,” achievement gaps, and other horrific aspects of US public schools. His remarks were interesting, provocative, and delivered with passion at the Chicago Humanities Festival‘s excellent Summer Institute for Teachers held at…
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The access issue: STILL roadblocking the way to Web 2.0 in USA
I woke up excited this morning to hear Charlene Chausis, Manager of Technology Training and Integration at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL (follow her on Twitter @cchausis) and Kathy Shirley, Director of Technology and Media Services at Escondido Union School District, CA discuss how they’ve used Apple product (specifically iPads) “to study literature,…
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"Successful" Chicago turn-around group does Ed schools' job
With success at 19 public schools (and I hasten to add, “success” as measured only by test scores) Chicago’s Academy of Urban School Leadership AUSL –got reportage today on NPR. The new CPS superintendent was out signaling his support of an charter school approach that, despite its mission statement, is really more about the teachers than the kids.…
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A PBL protocol: breathing exercise?
From ancient Vedic wisdom (via Paramahansar Yogananda) comes a technique that may be useful in maximizing the potential of large classrooms using PBL (project-based learning). The famous teacher in his Autobiography recommends that a learner’s body and mind must be calmed before deep (and thus effective) cognition can take place. His method of yogic meditation relies on…
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Cost savings drive Summer School online
Guilford County, North Carolina: Summer school here is no more. Face-to-face instruction is eliminated. Students “complete their work at home, the library or wherever they can access the Internet,” says the The Greensboro News-Record article. “The online-only approach…will help the district shrink its summer school budget from roughly $438,000 to $86,000.” Wow. Presto. Move it online and the…
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The technology of fireworks
To celebrate its joy, the community shoots explosive shells into the night sky, that, bursting, send forth large mandalas of colorful sparks, sometimes pure white, accompanied by loud reports. So the new year is celebrated across the planet, and weddings, birthdays, and national celebrations, like in the USA today. Outside thewikiness’s windows, the annual glut…
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ProPublica's new tool for comparing your school
Their search engine works immediately, with recent data, measuring schools along several social economic and testing dimensions. More tools like this + more widespread wideband access + needed funding = US Public Education that is one of the best in the world!
The Wikiness 