A Short Rant

While most blogs that I have read are in response to various intellectual articles or classroom experiences, this blog is a little different-- it is a chance for me to vent about the little appreciation that teachers seem to receive. After two semesters of being in the School of Education at W&M, I am sick and tired of being told that it is a "joke" and "the easiest major". I get very frustrated with these comments from students who have chosen different majors. Yes, our class assignments may not be deriving complicated calculus problems, but they are a challenge in a different way...

After reading an article about a 10-year-old girl named Lisa who has Down's Syndrome, it reminded me just how challenging being an educator can be. Lisa is only in third grade, but functions at the level of a first and second grader. She is two years older than her third-grade peers because she has already been held back. The ultimate dilemma in this situation is whether or not Lisa should be held back again so that she can be caught up academically, or if she should be promoted to the next level so she is not so isolated in terms of age. Furthermore, should Lisa be constantly pulled out of class for special services? Or would her needs be better served in a regular education classroom where she can be integrated with the other students? All of these questions are questions that have no clear answer and can be debated in circles over and over again.

Although such problems may not seem as complex as a tough math or science problem, the problem can get that much more frustrating when you realize there is no good answer. For this reason, I ask that all of my non-education friends who have looked down upon the education field, spend a day in a classroom dealing with 25 first-graders who all need special, individual attention.

Market Forces and Education: a Solution?

In recent years, public schools across the nation have been in the spotlight for accusations of decreasing test scores, mediocre standards at best, and a lack of social values. The escalating dissatisfaction with schools has led more and more parents to school choice. While criticisms of education in the United States continue to rise, some public and private schools have shown improvement. However, there is widespread variability in the amount of progress that schools are making. For example, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), New York City public schools had an average of 53% of students below basic reading levels, while Washington DC had 69% in 2005. New York City showed a 6% improvement rate from 2002 to 2003, and Washington DC had a 0% improvement rate in the same years. Such variations in school progress occur not only at the state level, but also according to district allocations and whether or not it is an urban or rural area. How do we explain these variations in school improvement rates?

Does introducing market-like forces, (i.e. competition among private and public schools through government issued school vouchers), into the education arena facilitate or hinder school performance? Assuming education operates in harmony with the basic market theory of economics, it seems logical that school choice will promote schools to improve test scores in math, reading, writing, science, and other essential subject matters from year to year. Schools that are unable to keep up in the “business” of education will then “go out of business”. Market theory generates the claim that treating education as a commodity will force schools to improve their test scores as a result of competing with other educational institutions.

However, while this argument theoretically seems to make sense, I question its merits. Doesn't introducing school competition fundamentally go against the American ideal of an equal education for all students? Furthermore, does providing certain families with school vouchers simply take away money from the public schools, causing them to further spiral downward?

These are all questions that I am exploring in my senior seminar- a class on education policy in the United States. I would love to get feedback on what you think about school choice. I will be sure to update this blog after conducting further information on the topic.

On Second Thought...

After listening to the following podcast: http://tinyurl.com/zf5ds, I have given the idea of blogging in the classroom a second thought. Professor Nussbaum-Beach and a teacher (Darren) who actively blogs with his students had a conversation with preservice teachers about blogging and how students benefit from it.

Listening to the conversation made me realize that blogging may offer more positive experiences for children than at first glance. The main point that Darren made that stuck in my mind was that blogging is a great experience for some of his quieter students who are less likely to participate in class. Blogging allows these students to participate with a certain level of anonymity. Shy students are much more likely to share their opinion if it is not face to face contact.

Furthermore, Darren mentioned that another positive aspect of blogging, is that students receive positive responses from people that are far away, making them feel that their thoughts are valued. Students also respond to others students in their classroom, providing an interactive environment.

Many people, including myself, often argue that the technological revolution has decreased human contact. Darren responded to this notion by expressing that his students have in fact become closer to one another through blogging. He says that because his students can speak with each other in a less confrontational manner, they are more likely to share their opinions with each other and bounce ideas back and forth.

Finally Darren made the point that students go home after school and "get connected." This means that students can possibly can go home and continue the academic enrichment their received in class. I admit, I was skeptical at first, but I have warmed up to the idea of blogging in the classroom.

Miguel's 2nd Grade Writing Lesson Plan

Miguel's lesson plan using blogs seems like a good way to introduce young students into the field of blogging. However, there are a few things that I would change about his plan. First of all, towards the end of the lesson plan, it says that students will vote on the poem they like best and then assess their peer's work. Although I have never worked with second graders, it seems to me that they might be too young to judge each other's work. I fear that kids would not know how to give constructive criticism. Secondly, it often seems that incoroprating technology into lesson plans can end up taking lots of time. Having to sign in each child to his or her blog may take valuable time away from teaching. I have observed that both teachers and students get frustrated in lessons that require so much individual attention.

Finally, while I am a proponent of using technology in the classroom, I also have my reservations about children and blogging. I believe that it should be introduced at an older age because more and more children are becoming addicted to computers and video-games as their free-time activities. Yes, technology has added so much to our society, but I believe that it can also be detrimental to human interaction-- especially among children who have grown up with it. I believe that too much time spent on the computer could reduce children's desire to read literature in old-fashioned print. I am not trying to bash blogging and technology, but I am also cautious about the number of assisgnments I would use the Internet and blogging as a main component.

Technology at DJ Montague

After speaking with teachers at DJ Montague, and observing the technological resources available, I am awed by the advancements that have been made since I was in elementary school. I remember that the availability of computers was far and few between, despite the fact that I went to school in one of the wealthiest and highly regarded counties in the nation-- Fairfax County. Every classroom certainly did not have a computer of its own, let alone a computer for each teacher. I also do not remember any trips to the computer lab or lessons relating to technology in general. Furthermore, the World Wide Web had not yet become mainstream. I do not even remember having dial-up in my household until middle school. However, it has been almost a decade since my last year in elementary school, and times have changed. Today, kids seem to be clicking away at their mouses, downloading songs on iTunes, and Instant Messaging on a daily basis. Today, students in my school have widespread access to the Internet and computers. Their predisposition to technology from a young age has allowed them to become adept at computer skills.

Not only that, they also have access to engaging technological educational tools such as the "Personal Response System." Using this system, students can each answer questions that are projected on a screen, using a remote-control-like device. The class results are instantly calculated, so that the teacher can use the quiz as an assessment tool for how much their students have learned and the students can see how they did as a class. Not only is this useful for teachers, but students seem to love the interactive system.

Students are also using technology in subjects that are not traditionally considered to be related to technology. A perfect example of this is the nationwide "Accelerated Reading" program, which provides online quizzes that are related to educational literature. After completing a set of tests, the teacher can print out each students' responses and use it as an assessment tool. All of these technological tools are great educational devices that should be utilized often, to increase creativity and engagement among students in the classroom.

Can technology harm our children?

The use of technology in today's classrooms, homes, businesses, etc. continues to grow everyday. When technology is implemented for educational purposes, it has proven to be extremely beneficial to our students. With access to the internet students from all walks of life can have the world at their fingertips. Furthermore, the World Wide Web has allowed students to not only use computers for educational purposes, but also for learning in everyday life. In fact, the phrase "google it" has become commonplace among children and adults alike. However, can free access to the internet be harmful to our children? This is a question that is receiving extensive scrutiny, as more and more children are getting into trouble with unchecked use of the internet.

A Primetime investigation airing on ABC last week featured an experiment conducted by Brigham Young University professors, that showed how adolescent girls have been utilizing various forms of technology to bully their peers. The use of Instant Messaging, texting, and the copy & paste feature in computers, has resulted in girls threatening, bullying, and outright being mean to other teenage girls. This leads me to believe that technology in our children's world is a double-edged sword. On one hand, students are becoming more and more proficient in using technology resources at younger and younger ages. On the other hand, the increase in bullying could cause more harm than technology is causing good. While I do not believe that this is necessarily the case, it certainly leads me to question how teachers and parents can address the problem, without denying our children access to the World Wide Web.