Cool Cat Teacher Blog: FourSquare Beginner's Guide at #iste10 with @web20classroom

Cool Cat Teacher Blog

Teaching students with new tools, enthusiasm, and belief that teaching is a noble calling.

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: FourSquare Beginner's Guide at #iste10 with @web20classroom

FourSquare Beginner's Guide at #iste10 with @web20classroom Trying to share as much as I can with "Mile High Learning" Here in the Social Butterfly cafe - some friends from Twitter congregated to teach beginners. It is this hallway learning that are best. Here, you can see beginners how to set up foursquare on ...

1:1 laptop implementation Session at #iste10 *Sorry my PC was a slow boot and the ISTE wifi won't connect to my laptop, so it took a moment to take notes. This session is with Mike Muir, Cyndi Danner-Kuhn, and Sam Farsali. Moderated by Alice Owen.* * * *1:1 Laptop Implementation* Mike - "Do not ...

This Week In Education: Media: Philly Teacher Fired For Online Remarks

This Week In Education: Media: Philly Teacher Fired For Online Remarks

Media: Philly Teacher Fired For Online Remarks

by Alexander Russo

Journalists aren't the only ones being fired for the online candor these days. Private school teacher Elizabeth Collins (right) got the sack for an entry describing a student's class presentation, according to an article in the Philly Enquirer that I found via ASBJ's Leading Source. Apparently the kid's

Intensive Induction Boosts Achievement, IES Study Says - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Intensive Induction Boosts Achievement, IES Study Says - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Intensive Induction Boosts Achievement, IES Study Says

by Stephen Sawchuk

That's the bottom line of this new study out from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. It's an important study because the experimental design allows us to conclude that it was the intensive, two-year structured mentoring that "treatment" schools received—and not some other factor—that led to these boosts.
But what's more striking is that this is the third-year report of an ongoing study, and neither of the first two yearsof study found any effect on student achievement. In fact, this year of study occurred after all the "treatment" schools no longer received the intensive support.
That leaves us with this perplexing question: Why did it take so long for the effects to show up? Does it,

Lastest Edujobs Draft Has $10 Billion To Prevent Layoffs - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Lastest Edujobs Draft Has $10 Billion To Prevent Layoffs - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Lastest Edujobs Draft Has $10 Billion To Prevent Layoffs

by Alyson Klein

House Democratic leaders are circulating a draft of a scaled-down version of the edujobs bill that would include $10 billion to prevent teacher layoffs.
For those keeping score at home, the $10 billion would be a significant decrease from the $23 billion that Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wis., and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, initially sought to stave off staff reductions. Conservative Democrats balked at the $23 billion pricetag and the fact that the bill would add to the deficit.
This time around, there's a lot less money, and the spending would be offset by about $12 billion in reductions to other programs, including an $800 million cut in funding for new discretionary programs in the U.S. Department of Education.
The $800 million question, for now, is ... where would that money come from? That's not clear yet. I can't think of many new discretionary programs, other than the ones created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, most notably the $4.35 billion Race to the Top program, the $650 million Investing in Innovation Grants. And since we're talking about discretionary grants, it's unlikely anyone would be looking at money approved under the

Should districts keep minimum grading policies? | IRVING Blog | dallasnews.com

Should districts keep minimum grading policies? | IRVING Blog | dallasnews.com

Should districts keep minimum grading policies? 10:06 AM Mon, Jun 28, 2010 | Permalink Katherine Leal Unmuth/Reporter Bio | E-mail | News tips

I have a story in today's paperabout 11 school districts suing the Texas education commissioner for the right to boost failing report card grades to at least a 50. A law that went into effect last school year sought to ban such policies (though it only explicitly said classroom assignments).

At the beginning of last school year,Irving ISD deleted its policy that outlined that failing students could receive no lower than a 50. Many districts are angry about the law because they feel that if students receive grades as low as a zero they will never catch up to pass their classes--threatening to increase Texas' already high dropout rate. Some teachers groups say educators should be able to assign the grades they want, even if they're below a 50.

Although Irving is the process of rewriting its grading policy (SEE DRAFT HERE), that doesn't mean administrators are excited about the change. Assistant superintendent Marie Morris told me several teachers raised concerns about students impacted by the law who would fail their courses as a

NC governor elected regional education chairman - Florida AP - MiamiHerald.com

NC governor elected regional education chairman - Florida AP - MiamiHerald.com

NC governor elected regional education chairman

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue is the new head of the Southern Regional Education Board.

Perdue was elected Monday at the board's annual meeting at The Greenbrier resort. She will succeed West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, who has been the board's chairman since 2009. Former Virginia Board of Education president Mark Emblidge was re-elected as vice chairman.

The 16-state organization is based in Atlanta

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/28/1704695/nc-governor-elected-regional-education.html#ixzz0sASCqEiL

Anderson Cooper 360: Blog Archive - Is it time for national education standards? � - CNN.com Blogs

Anderson Cooper 360: Blog Archive - Is it time for national education standards? � - CNN.com Blogs

Is it time for national education standards?

Posted: 10:09 AM ET

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Dave Schechter
CNN Senior National Editor

While the kids, most of them anyway, are on summer vacation, here’s an issue to consider: Has the time passed when it makes sense for each state to have its own standards for what children are taught in grades K-12?

The kids may not be thinking about school, but state education officials across the country face an August due date (some no doubt will ask for an extension) on whether to accept a proposed set of national standards for core subjects – English language arts, history, social studies, science and math, with goals specified by grade and subject. You can read them here.

Growing up in Illinois, we studied Abraham Lincoln. It makes sense to learn your state’s history. But shouldn’t students from Maine to California, from Washington to Florida, be at par with each other on the core subjects?

Once upon a time the American population was less mobile, less urban. After World War II, America was on the move; out of the small towns, into the cities, expanding the suburbs. Companies opened more offices in more states. Today, unlike the generations before them, Gen X and Millenials expect to hold multiple jobs in their lifetimes. Employers don’t want to worry that job-seekers from a particular state are not properly educated.

The proposed standards, Sam Dillon wrote in The New York Times “would replace the nation’s motley current checkerboard of locally written standards, which vary greatly in content and sophistication.”

“I’d say this is one of the most important events of the last several years in American education,” Chester

Illinois raises, unifies standards - Chicago Tribune

Illinois raises, unifies standards - Chicago Tribune

Illinois raises, unifies standards

States are moving toward one nationwide standardized test

June 27, 2010|By Tara Malone, Tribune reporter

Illinois education officials in the last week set new expectations for what every public school student should know in math and reading, joining a national push to create one set of standards.

The change could affect local classrooms as soon as this fall, officials said.

The move sets the stage for new standardized tests to measure students from state to state. Education officials said a new exam won't be ready until 2014.

State leaders and educators created the grade-by-grade guidelines by starting with a key question: What do today's high school graduates need to know when they walk onto a college campus or report for their first day of work?

They then worked backward to determine the skills students should master at every grade level, down to kindergarten. The common standards aim to be clearer, fewer and higher than what most states now require.

Here are a few examples of what Illinois now expects high schoolers to know before graduation:

MATH

Number systems: Explain why the sum or product of two rational numbers is rational; that the sum of a rational number and an irrational number is irrational; and that the product of a nonzero rational number and an irrational number is irrational.

Algebra: Solve quadratic equations in one variable.

Geometry: Prove that all circles are similar.

Statistics: Understand statistics as a process for making inferences about population parameters based upon a

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 06/28/2010

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 06/28/2010

Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 06/28/2010

by coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher)

• Discovery Education: Web 2.0 Tools

  Lots of incredible tools from Discovery education.

  tags: education, web2, learning, all_teachers

• ‘Generation V’ Defies Traditional Demographics

  "Generation V is not defined by age, gender, social class or geography. Instead, it is based on achievement, accomplishments and an increasing preference for the use of digital media channels to discover information, build knowledge and share insights."
  
  Additionally the percentages that create content, contribute, etc. affects classroom and project planning. Do we allow students to "lurk"
  
  Findings about these Generation V segments:
  
  * Up to 3% will be creators, providing original content. They can be advocates that promote products and

Quick Takes: U.S. Suggests Caution on Competitive Cheer as Sport - Inside Higher Ed

Quick Takes: U.S. Suggests Caution on Competitive Cheer as Sport - Inside Higher Ed

Panel Looks to Grants to Increase Bachelor's Degrees High school graduates from low- and middle-income families are struggling to enroll and persist at four-year public colleges because of inadequate levels of grant aid, an independent federal panel has found. In "The Rising Price of Inequality," a ...

U.S. Suggests Caution on Competitive Cheer as Sport The U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief in the current lawsuit over gender equity in athletics at Quinnipiac University, suggesting skepticism of the university's claim that "competitive cheer" should be counted as a sport -- which would help ...

Compromise at Erskine Erskine College and the leaders of its sponsoring denomination, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, have reached a compromise over control of the college, *The Greenville News* reported. Under the compromise, a church order to remove many ...

Students face closure of alternative schools because of L.A. County budget cuts - latimes.com

Students face closure of alternative schools because of L.A. County budget cuts - latimes.com

Students face closure of alternative schools because of L.A. County budget cuts

Students, teachers and some county leaders are mounting a last-ditch effort to keep the schools open, at least temporarily. 'I don't think I have a place to go,' one student says.

Rudy Spivery teaches students at Downey Community Day School, which is scheduled to close because of L.A. County budget cuts. He's scheduled to be out of a job July 1, but he has focused most of his attention on his students’ plight. "This is morally wrong to me to put kids out like this," he said. "It’s a shock to the psyche and unfair.” (Wally Skalij, Los Angeles Times / June 26, 2010)

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By Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times

June 27, 2010 | 9:39 p.m.

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Nearly 700 students enrolled in specialized programs will be uprooted Wednesday if Los Angeles County education officials proceed with plans to close nearly two dozen alternative schools because of budget cuts.

Students, teachers and some county leaders are mounting a last-ditch effort to keep the schools open, at least temporarily.

"I don't think I have a place to go, to tell you the truth," said Gabriel during a break between classes at Downey Community Day School, one of those slated to close. Like many of the students, Gabriel had been in trouble, running with a gang and ditching classes at his regular school.

Students face closure of alternative schools because of L.A. County budget cuts By Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times Students, teachers and some county leaders are mounting a last-ditch effort to keep the schools open, at least temporarily. 'I don't think I have a place to go,' one student says. Showcasing student talents in 'Peter Pan,' downtown's arts school concludes its first year. By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times Overcoming a few roadblocks during the first year, administrators and students of Central Los Angeles High School No. 9 School of Visual and Performing Arts remain optimistic. Cal State Stanislaus dinner patrons cheer Sarah Palin By Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times Protesters chant outside before her arrival. In her speech, she chides Jerry Brown and jokes about the controversy surrounding her contract.

EDUCATION Headlines from L.A. Now Former Newport Beach high school employee accused of stealing student body funds06/26/2010, 8:14 a.m. Protesters, backers turn out in advance of Palin's talk06/25/2010, 8:34 p.m. Parents brawl at kindergarten graduation; officials lock down campus06/24/2010, 7:24 a.m. San Diego Unified chooses Kowba, a retired Navy admiral and insider, as superintendent06/22/2010, 8:58 p.m. Final L.A. Unified budget deals especially hard blow to non-teaching employees06/22/2010, 8:18 p.m. Paramount High School stabbing leaves student in critical condition06/22/2010, 12:04 p.m. More ...