Ed Notes Online: Carranzavirus: Sue Edelman, NY Post: DOE, DeB Blood on their hands - Where was UFT?

Ed Notes Online: Carranzavirus: Sue Edelman, NY Post: DOE, DeB Blood on their hands - Where was UFT?

Carranzavirus: Sue Edelman, NY Post: DOE, DeB Blood on their hands - Where was UFT?

One after another, sick Brooklyn Technical High School teachers called union chapter leader Nate Bonheimer last week, to tell him they’d tested positive for COVID-19. By Friday, five of them had shared the devastating news. But after being notified about each one, the city Department of Education still ordered the 6,000-student school’s 350 staffers to show up for work last week, saying the building had been cleaned... NY Post,  ‘Blood on their hands:’ Teachers say de Blasio and Carranza helped spread coronavirus

By Susan Edelman

March 21, 2020 |https://nypost.com/2020/03/21/blood-on-their-hands-teachers-say-de-blasio-and-carranza-helped-spread-coronavirus/

How far did the virus spread due to de Blasio and Caranza?

I'm very proud of Nate Bonheimer who last year took on the massive task of chapter leadership of the largest school in the city. Nate has put himself on the line publicly when it should have been the UFT doing this and protecting Nate from reprisals.

In fact Nate approached me at the March 11 UFT Del Ass and hinted at what was going on and asked me to put him in touch with Sue Edelman of the NY Post who has become the go-to reporter for teachers who have a story. In some ways Sue has replaced the UFT leadership which seems to go along with the code of silence.

“The DOE did not close the school for any of the cases,” said Bonheimer, who worries that inaction exposed others to the dreaded infection.

The city failed to follow a March 9 directive by the state Education Department that “requires an initial 24-hour closure, in order to begin an investigation to determine the contacts that the individual may have had within the school environment.”

DOE did not attempt to identify close contacts, Bonheimer said. “They did not alert the people who needed to CONTINUE READING: Ed Notes Online: Carranzavirus: Sue Edelman, NY Post: DOE, DeB Blood on their hands - Where was UFT?

Teachers find many obstacles as they try to keep kids learning amid coronavirus - Los Angeles Times

Teachers find many obstacles as they try to keep kids learning amid coronavirus - Los Angeles Times

Teachers find many obstacles as they try to keep kids learning amid coronavirus 

Misti Kemmer, a fourth-grade teacher at Russell Elementary School in South Los Angeles, is working hard to keep her students learning now that schools are closed. She shares detailed lesson plans on Google Drive, sends messages to families every day and delivers YouTube lectures from her home.

But only three or four of her 28 students accessed their schoolwork last week, she said. Some don’t have computers and others are without internet access. One student can only open assignments on her father’s phone when he gets home from work.

“She’s trying to look at all this stuff on a tiny cellphone after dinner hours,” Kemmer said. “How much is a 9- year-old going to get done?”

“There’s this whole distance-learning thing, but how much learning is actually going on?” she added.

Almost all K-12 schools in California were shuttered last week. But from top state education leaders to district officials, including L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner, the message has been clear: Even though campuses are closed, learning will continue.

“While we are in very unique circumstances at this time, we are still providing education to our students,” state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said earlier this week. “School is not out, but we are finding a different way to deliver it.”

But the reality is complicated.

As teachers scramble to adjust to an entirely new world of education, they are coming up against significant barriers.

There is uneven access to technology, difficulties communicating with students and parents, and uncertainty about expectations at a time when many families are CONTINUE READING:  Teachers find many obstacles as they try to keep kids learning amid coronavirus - Los Angeles Times

MOST POPULAR POSTS OF THE WEEK – ALL CORONAVIRUS RELATED- Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

MOST POPULAR POSTS OF THE WEEK – ALL CORONAVIRUS RELATED

Big Education Ape: CORONAVIRUS EDITION: This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... 

The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/03/coronavirus-edition-this-week-with.html

TODAY

Most Popular Posts Of The Week – All Coronavirus Related

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4h

I’m making a change in the content of the regular feature. In addition to sharing the top five posts that have received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they may have originally been published on an earlier date), I will also include the top five posts that have actually appeared in the past week. Often, these are different posts. You might also be interested in IT’S THE THIRTE

“Ten Strategies for Teaching English-Language Learners Online”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 5h

Ten Strategies for Teaching English-Language Learners Online is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Four teachers offer specific suggestions for teaching English-language learners online, including by maintaining consistency and not overdoing it. Here are some excerpts:

YESTERDAY

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

by Larry Ferlazzo / 15h

BiljaST / Pixabay Six years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART ONE and THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART TWO. A

New Study Finds That Peer Assessment Works – Pretty Much Any Way You Do It

by Larry Ferlazzo / 20h

The Impact of Peer Assessment on Academic Performance: A Meta-analysis of Control Group Studies is a new meta-analysis on peer assessment, and it’s not behind a paywall. I’ve shared it before, but didn’t have a chance to really carefully review it until now. It’s pretty long, and contains more than you’d ever really want to know about peer assessment. Its bottom line, though, is that pretty much

Video: “A look back at the years the Olympics were called off”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 21h

Kyle Dias I’m adding this new CBS News video to A Beginning List For Learning About The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics :

Helpful New Resources For Teaching Online

79by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

geralt / Pixabay I don’t think I’m ready to add any of these new resources to The “Best Of The Best” Resources To Support Teachers Dealing With School Closures , but they do look helpful, so they’re going on the much bigger The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coronavirus) – Please Make More Suggestions! list: CRPE has published District Responses to COVID-19 Scho

“Ways Educators Are Responding to School Closures”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Ways Educators Are Responding to School Closures is the headline of the third post in a series at my Education Week Teacher column. Five educators discuss ways to respond to the COVID-19 school shutdown crisis, including by 

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

2020 Medley #9: Hunkered Down at Home Edition | Live Long and Prosper

2020 Medley #9: Hunkered Down at Home Edition | Live Long and Prosper

2020 Medley #9: Hunkered Down at Home Edition

DUMPING THE TESTS IS A GREAT IDEA

Why Scrapping School Testing This Year Is a Good Idea

Before I retired, I had the difficult task of serving as one of my school’s co-test coordinators. It was my job to count, secure, distribute, secure, package up, secure, and prepare our state’s Big Standardized Test (h/t Curmudgucation) for shipping. Sadly, I have been trained in tests and measurements so I understood why, for so many years, the Big Standardized Tests were being overused and misused.

Now that the overuse and misuse of testing pendulum is, hopefully, swinging the other way, my fervent hope is that perhaps we can limit the damage done by the tests.

In the meantime, this year’s Big Standardized Tests are being canceled. Jersey Jazzman explains why that’s a good idea and in the process, also explains why the tests aren’t so good for students anyway. They are extremely accurate in assessing the economic status of students, but that’s about all.

Start with the obvious: a “standardized” test has to be administered in a standard way. If some students receive the test in different platforms, or in different environments, the test is no longer standardized. Of course, there were already huge differences between students in these factors… but Covid-19 has made things far worse. There’s just no way to even come close CONTINUE READING: 2020 Medley #9: Hunkered Down at Home Edition | Live Long and Prosper

NYC Educator: Co-Teaching in Virus Times

NYC Educator: Co-Teaching in Virus Times

Co-Teaching in Virus Times

Yes, I know. Toby's a little young and he hasn't got a certification yet. But I assure you he'll only be my assistant while I lead the class.

Meanwhile, I've been getting an awful lot of email about how to navigate this seemingly new world. It's getting so I can't keep up. I'm qute surprised to find myself continually referencing a message from the CSA President, Mark Cannizaro. Mulgrew sent it out one day last week. I'll get to that.

First, a lot of us are befuddled by using unfamiliar technology, and I have to admit I'm among that crowd. While I'm not techno-phobic by any means, I've never used Google Classroom or Zoom before. I never saw the need, and now I wish I'd tried before. In any case, a lot of young teachers in my school have been incredibly generous with their time.

I did a practice Zoom session with one yesterday and she walked me through how to show your computer screen, which is important, and how to use their white board feature, which kind of sucks. I have a little whiteboard and a new package of colored markers. There's also a setting that allows students to display their screens. I'd turn that off unless I were having them do presentations.

Some people can't use technology at all, and throwing them in at the deep end right now is borderline insane. Also a whole lot us have issues at home. What if you have a family member with special needs who needs constant attention? What if you share an apartment with six roommates and need to share their bandwidth? What if you have very young kids home from school? What if you have kids from college Zooming up all your bandwidth with their classes? What if your baby's daycare is closed, which it most certainly is? What if you have a yappy dog? (Toby is quiet and reflective.)

Ideally, of course, you'd go live with them. But if you're going to be under constant pressure from your home circumstances, if you're CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: Co-Teaching in Virus Times

Class of 2020: Redeem Your Senior Year | deutsch29

Class of 2020: Redeem Your Senior Year | deutsch29

Class of 2020: Redeem Your Senior Year

On Friday, March 13, 2020, I reported to school for a professional day to end the third grading period. Since it was a teacher workday, my students had the day off.

Just as our faculty was assembling for an afternoon meeting, Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards released a statement that all schools were to close until April 13, 2020.

My principal was stunned.

The afternoon was surreal.

I thought about my classes, wondered about how to end the school year, but I had no answers.

When I was on social media that evening, I began reading the expressions of shock and grief written by some of my seniors.

My desire to help the Class of 2020 nationwide and their families process grief over the profound loss of the senior year prompted me to contact a friend who had also lost his senior year, 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year, Chris Dier, to ask if he would write an open letter that I might offer the public as a guest post on my blog.

The resulting post, “Louisiana Teacher of the Year: An Open Letter to High School Seniors During Coronavirus Crisis,”  has had over 1.7 million views since its publication six days ago. Numerous readers– students, parents, grandparents, teachers, and others– have offered their stories in the comments CONTINUE READING: Class of 2020: Redeem Your Senior Year | deutsch29

Educators Nationwide Feed Students During COVID-19 Closures

Educators Nationwide Feed Students During COVID-19 Closures

Educators Nationwide Feed Students During COVID-19 Closures

Glenda Utter has been feeding students in the Lebanon, Oregon, school district for more than 20 years and she’s not about to stop now. Even as COVID-19 cases surge around the country and she worries about her husband at home with a heart condition, she arrives at Lebanon High School at 6:00 a.m., armed with gloves, hand sanitizer, and a strict maintenance of social distance from others, to prepare for the families who arrive at 9:00 for grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches.

“I asked my husband if he’s nervous, and he is, like all of us, but he doesn’t want me to stop. He knows how important it is,” Utter says. “He told me, ‘I am so proud of you guys and the work you’re doing.’ It made me cry!”

Utter’s husband is right. It’s critically important work. Schools around the country may be closed, but there are nearly 30 million students who rely on school breakfast and lunch. Without those meals, many of them wouldn’t eat. And so at schools all over the U.S., families line up at grab-and-go stations like the one at Lebanon High School, where they have served close to 600 meals a day and counting. Each day when distribution begins, dozens of families are already there. They come in cars, on foot, or by bike, keep a safe distance from each other, and collect bags of breakfast and lunch, like pancakes and berries, taco salad, carrots, apples, chips, and milk.

“Anyone who has a child at home can get meals,” Utter says.

Families Grateful, Relieved

She’s familiar with the need for continuity in meals. As a 12-month food service employee with the district, she’s worked over winter and spring break and summer to make sure kids who need meals receive them.

“Our families are always grateful, but they’re so relieved that we’re here and able to CONTINUE READING: Educators Nationwide Feed Students During COVID-19 Closures

CURMUDGUCATION: AI Is Not Going To Drive Trucks (Or Your Classroom)

CURMUDGUCATION: AI Is Not Going To Drive Trucks (Or Your Classroom)

AI Is Not Going To Drive Trucks (Or Your Classroom)

From Jalopnik, we get this report from the world of self-driving trucks. Mark it the gazillionth cautionary tale for folks who believe that AI will be able to take over critical human functions any time soon.

The article takes a look at Starsky Robotics, a company that was in the business of producing unmanned semis for public highways. Now it's just in the business of shutting down. The co-founder, Stefan Seitz-Axmacher gave an interview to Automotive News that's behind a paywall but Jalponik shares some of the highlights.

Not as smart as it looks.

Starsky is closing up shop because they cant get backers, and they lost their backers because they insisted on putting an emphasis on safety rather than cool new features

But a problem emerged: that safety focus didn’t excite investors. Venture capitalists, Seltz-Axmacher said, had trouble grasping why the company expended massive resources preparing, validating and vetting his system, then preparing a backup system, before the initial unmanned test run. That work essentially didn’t matter when he went in search of more funding.

“There’s not a lot of Silicon Valley companies that have shipped safety-critical products,” he said. “They measured progress on interesting features.”

Seitz-Axmacher also notes that faith in self-driving vehicles is waning in the venture capitalist CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: AI Is Not Going To Drive Trucks (Or Your Classroom)

Public Schools: Supporting America's Children in a Time of Crisis - Network For Public Education

Public Schools: Supporting America's Children in a Time of Crisis - Network For Public Education

Here is how the public school community is serving the nation

“They are allowing kids to eat”: Denver children relying on meals provided by schools amid closure

“Families having one less thing to worry about is one way we can contribute positively and stand behind those more vulnerable in our community,” Figoli said. “No virus is stronger than our community.”

Read the story here.

Chino Valley USD Students Spread Hope During School Closures Due to COVID-19

The Chino Valley Unified School District posted a video of the Chino Hills High School Chamber Singers performing “Over The Rainbow.” The students were disappointed to miss the district’s Choral Festival. They recorded the song “with the goal of spreading hope and cheer during this difficult time.”

Watch their full performance above.

Florida schools offer free meals to students during extended coronavirus closures

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Division of Food, Nutrition, and Wellness launched a website to help families find the closest schools where they can pick up breakfast and lunch during the extended break.

Read the story here.

SEE MORE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPPORTING AMERICA'S KIDS: Public Schools: Supporting America's Children in a Time of Crisis - Network For Public Education

Coronavirus, School Closings and Remote Learning: Teaching and Learning in the New World | Ed In The Apple

Coronavirus, School Closings and Remote Learning: Teaching and Learning in the New World | Ed In The Apple

Coronavirus, School Closings and Remote Learning: Teaching and Learning in the New World

Schools in 44 states are closed and school districts are scrambling to put some sort of remote learning in place: challenging.

State standardized tests have been cancelled.

The school closings could last for months, and, perhaps into the next school year. No one knows.

We’re currently in the “spiking phase,” every day, as testing increases, more cases are identified. (See “Flattening the Curve” data here).

In New York City schools closed a week ago and this week teachers spent three days learning school specific online instructional models from a Department designed template.

The UFT, the teacher union, distributed a detailed memorandum describing the responsibilities of all school titles, teachers, paraprofessionals, special education teachers, related-service providers, (Read here).

 The leaders of the UFT and the CSA (Supervisors Union) sent supportive CONTINUE READING: Coronavirus, School Closings and Remote Learning: Teaching and Learning in the New World | Ed In The Apple