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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Diane in the Evening 5-16-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Diane stands on her head for Public Ed








Can Machines Grade Essays? Should They?

I posted earlier today about a new Xerox machine that is being marketed to “read” and grade student essays. Not to score bubble tests, but to grade essays. Granted, this is not a new idea. There are now different companies selling machines to grade student writing. I have seen demonstrations of this technology, and I can’t shake the feeling that this is not right.
Why? I am not opposed to technology. But here is the nub of my discomfort. I am a writer. The moment I realized I was a writer was when I discovered many years ago that I write for an audience. I think of my reader(s). 


Walton Family Foundation Invests in “Advocacy”

This blogger follows the money. That is his hobby and his passion. In this post, he tracks Walton funding for “advocacy.”
I put advocacy in scare quotes because foundations are tax-exempt and supposedly non-political. Yet the tax laws apparently allow them to put some of their money to work advocating for what appear to be political goals, 

Oh My! A Xerox That Grades Papers

What will they think of next?
Xerox has a new machine that can grade tests and even essays.
No human judgment necessary. The mechanization of the classroom moves forward.
Will teachers understand what their students know and can do when they no longer read their papers?

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-16-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Professor Oyler: An Open Letter to My Students by dianerav The Teachers College community is divided about the institution’s decision to honor Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York Board of Regents. Tisch has made her mark as a champion of high-stakes testing and charter schools. Professor Celia Oyler wrote the following message to her graduate students: “An Open Letter to Graduating Master’s Students in the Elementary and Secondary Inclusive Education Programs... more »