It Gets Better

I've heard a lot about this project, and it's giving a fantastic message to LGBT teens who, "can't picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults," as the site says. I took the pledge to speak up against hate, and I encourage everyone to do so as well. But seeing as this is a site about education, let's see how I can tie this in.


I just wonder how educators feel on this topic. I mean - the message ultimately is, high school sucks, but hold in there, because once you're free, you can finally live your life. It's a better sign than these students were getting before, that certainly can't be argued. But the fact that people outside of schools are stepping in and saying to just hold on really bothers me. Why can't we change schools now? Why is the only advice we can give struggling students to just wait it out a little longer? Students in high school are encouraged to let their true colors show, to be involved in the activities they want to, to be their own person. So by saying to just wait to these students is a huge contradiction! I don't know what the answer to this question is, but the best we can do absolutely is not to just wait a little longer.

I really appreciate this - what No Child Left Behind ultimately means is a loss of what isn't tested - art, music, athletics - the things students truly enjoy about school.

Picture from http://foreverwontlastlong.tumblr.com/post/1400628567

Google Realtime Search

Google has a fairly new search engine called Realtime. This tool allows users to search a specific topic, and it brings events back based on order of time from different sources like Twitter, Facebook, and CNBC. Users can edit the settings to view what day and time things were posted. Users can also change the location - either by clicking "nearby" or "everywhere" or typing in a specific location. 

Realtime would be a great source in a classroom especially to see what the general public are thinking about certain events. How interesting would it be for government students to see realtime events on the internet on election day? This puts news into a different perspective, and makes it more personal for the students.

Visuwords: Graphical Dictionary and Thesaurus

Visuwords is a great manner to learn and understand connections between different vocabulary words. This video is a good tutorial to show how easy the site is to use. 

When I learned about this site, I thought of what a great tool this could be for English language learners. This site gives connections to other words in a visual way, instead of using a traditional thesaurus. If a student was having trouble comprehending the definition of a word, he could use this tool to see the connections to other words he might know. The creator of this video actually is an English teacher and blogs about the IELTS - International English Language Teaching System. I think this is proof enough that this tool could be a great option for English learners in the classroom. This site would be a good means for any English teacher to support understanding of new vocabulary. 


The only downside to this site is the often massive amount of feedback for one word. For younger learners it might be a little overwhelming, so I think this would be a better option for middle or upper level students. It definitely is a great way to aid the visual learner. 


Picture provided by flickr user heyjudegallery

Shelfari: Using Technology to Promote Reading

Recently, I have found this great site, Shelfari. On the "About Us" page, it says, "Shelfari introduces readers to our global community of book lovers and encourages them to share their literary inclinations and passions with peers, friends, and total strangers (for now). Our mission is to enhance the experience of reading by connecting readers in meaningful conversations about the published word." 


Shelfari allows users to create a bookshelf, showing titles of books the user has read, plans to read, and is currently reading. Along with the titles, users can rate these books, name their favorites, and write their own facts and descriptions to those books. 
Here's a screenshot of my own bookshelf:

So how can Shelfari be used in education? Well, the day I actually signed up for Shelfari, I also learned about the Sigourney Community School District and their amazing technology plan. When I searched for reading groups, their high school's happened to pop up on the page. I think educators can probably learn a lot from Sigourney - if they're using Shelfari, it must be something to at least give a chance.


As a future ESL teacher, I plan to encourage my students to read, and I hope they learn to truly enjoy it. If putting a form of technology in front of students encourages them and makes learning fun, couldn't the same happen with reading? Shelfari might be a great place to start. Students can add friends from school on the site, see that their peers are reading, and get some good book recommendations from them. This would be a great way just for students to connect with each other in regards to reading. 


Obviously technology isn't going to make every kid enjoy reading, but I think it's a great place to start. 


Technology = Fun for most students. If School = Technology, maybe School will start to = Fun. Reading can be fun too! Students just need to see it in a different light. 


Picture is a screenshot from my own bookshelf.

Republicans aim to slash education spending

Read more on this at CNBC.com

China isn't slashing education by 20 percent right now. India is not slashing education by 20 percent. We are in a fight for the future -- a fight that depends on education.

This is exactly what education is about - moving forward. We can not move forward if funding continues to be cut.

Apple in Education

I pride myself in being a loyal Apple customer - I have a MacBook and an iPod touch, and desperately wanting an iPad. After researching the education apps for the iPad, I think I've finally convinced myself purchasing it will be completely worth it. It's obvious that Apple sets education in high regard. If their "buy a macbook, get a free iPod" for students only strikes you as a marketing ploy, hopefully this changes your mind!

Without even viewing the links from Apple's Education page, it's clear what opportunities are right in front of educators and students alike.

But why is Apple so important, instead of just a PC? After all, Apple does carry a higher price tag. See the pdf, 10 Reasons for MacBook in Education. Macs are:

• Secure
• Sturdy
• Simple
• Compatible
• Environmentally friendly
• Lightweight

If I wasn't already an apple user, I'd probably still be skeptical. But after learning about Greene County school district in North Carolina, any skeptics should be left thinking. In 2002, their college-going rate for graduates was sitting at only 26%. After putting MacBooks into the hands of every student starting in sixth grade, 90% of this agricultural school district's graduates attend college. 90%! That's a 64% difference . . . in only 8 years. This is remarkable! If one school can make this big of a change, imagine the entire nation implementing this. Where would America be sitting then?

Photo provided by flickr user d!zzy

National education standards?

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about this issue. I believe that national standards are not just important, but completely and utterly necessary for our country to grow in the right direction. Americans seem to think that this is the best country in the world - but without a better education system, I don't think this will ever happen. 


Judy Jeffrey, the Iowa Department of Education director explains the *new* Iowa Core Curriculum in this video. Why is this only a new system? Why is it only going to be enforced in 2012 and 2014? Why, when certain groups are pushing for national standards, is Iowa only just beginning to push for the same curriculum state-wide? Iowa prides itself on having a terrific education system, but quite frankly, I'm not seeing it.


In a USA Today online article, it's easy to see the opposite side of this battle. Robert Scott, Texas Education Commisioner, was quoted that these national standards "can be seen as a step toward a federal takeover of the nation's public schools." Federal takeover? If that's what these national standards are, so be it. These standards are what is going to make America the ideal America again. America simply cannot move forward without a better education system. Things have to change! If states do not even have common standards, there are obviously problems with this system.


I had read a different article earlier this summer on how different states rate on a letter-based scale in reading and math. (I didn't know of the social bookmarking world then, so I can't find this article now!) I did find an interactive map from Time online that shows basically the same thing. According to it, Iowa's reading test is 45 points below the national test. Mississippi's is the worst, at 71 points below. America has a long way to go. 


And saying that, it seems like this is going to be a very long process. But shouldn't states just incorporate this as soon as possible? Yes, it will be extremely difficult for students, especially ones that have been taught at levels so much lower than the national standards. But shouldn't that fact show how quickly it needs to be done? 


As an education student, I do not understand why we haven't been informed about this in any classes. It seems to me that in four more years when I hope to graduate, this issue needs to really be taking effect. This seems like something we should be learning about now, and understanding the importance of, and why some are opposed to the idea of it. Is it because it is a political issue? That liberals and conservatives are generally taking opposite sides? I don't think this should matter - these things are forcing me to think, and I don't think any student should be left in the dust.

First Post

This is my first post for this blog. I'm going to keep it solely for education purposes for possible ideas as a teacher. I'm an TESOL major at the University of Northern Iowa.