Saturday, July 17, 2010

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: The Context of Character: Are the Links in Your Blog Posts for Sale?

The Context of Character: Are the Links in Your Blog Posts for Sale?

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

The photo from my blog's previous design. I love that cat! ;-)

I really like the Cyber Journalists Code of Ethics and have referred back to it as things have come through my inbox lately.

I've often been asked for advertising space and have toyed with the idea of the little 125 x 125 boxes likeTechcrunch does.

However, as my husband and I've discussed this at length, it comes back to what is this blog for?

This blog is for sharing with you what I'm learning, reflecting on technology trends as they happen, and most of all for

2nd BANANA Last week’s highly rated posts Big Education Ape

Big Education Ape

2ND BANANA LAST WEEK’S HIGHLY RATED POSTS

Drowning Leaves Tensions at Columbia Secondary School - NYTimes.com
2010-Jul-16

Drowning Leaves Tensions at Columbia Secondary School - NYTimes.comAt School in Harlem, Resentment Over Girl’s Drowning on a Field TripBy JENNIFER MEDINAPublished: July 15, 2010FACEBOOKTWITTERRECOMMENDE-MAILSEND TO PHONEPRINTREPRINTSSHAREAs the academic year at Columbia Secondary School in Harlem drew to a close, students, parents and teachers reeled from the death of a 12-year-old pupil on a class field trip to a beach last month.RelatedTeacher Fired Over Field-Trip Drowning of Girl, 12 (July 15, 2010)But feelings of grief have turned into anger after ...
The Educated Guess � Tough road for charters on ‘worst’ list
2010-Jul-12

The Educated Guess � Tough road for charters on ‘worst’ listTough road for charters on ‘worst’ listPosted in Charters, Turning around failing schoolsThe state’s 113 lowest-performing schools seeking federal school-reform money includes eight charter schools. Their applying for a School Improvement Grant caught my eye, because that would appear to contradict state policy, which presumes that charter schools on the list of lowest achievers would shut down.But a closer look reveals a more complex situation, with several schools in limbo ...
Schools Matter: Randi Wins Best Non-Supportive Acting Role as Teacher Unionist President
2010-Jul-9

Schools Matter: Randi Wins Best Non-Supportive Acting Role as Teacher Unionist PresidentRandi Wins Best Non-Supportive Acting Role as Teacher Unionist Presidentby Jim HornThanks, Jack Gerson, for handing out this distinguished award. See Randi tsk, see Randi cluck, see Randi shocked! Really. Weingarten has been in on every sleazy corporate-sponsored deal crafted during the past 3 years to eviscerate the teaching profession and due process, and now she is shocked Obama and Duncan are doing the same. Her invited guest this ...
In California, a University Tries to Enroll Students that Reflect a Diverse State - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.com
2010-Jul-16

In California, a University Tries to Enroll Students that Reflect a Diverse State - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.comJuly 15, 2010, 5:00 PMIn California, a University Tries to Enroll Students that Reflect a Diverse StateBy RACHEL GROSSWhich college in the United States gets the most applicants? It’s not Harvard or Yale; it’s the University of California, Los Angeles.The urban campus, the most selective in the 10-campus system, received 57,578 freshman applications for fall 2010, though less than a quarter of ...
Education Research Report: Voters Want Federal Action on High School Reform, According to New National Poll
2010-Jul-14

Education Research Report: Voters Want Federal Action on High School Reform, According to New National PollVoters Want Federal Action on High School Reform, According to New National Pollby Jonathan KantrowitzΩImproving the quality of public high schools through the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is a voting issue for over eight in ten voters, according to a new national poll released today by theAlliance for Excellent Education. Additionally, over half of voters say that their decision to vote ...
The Millionaire Giving Pledge | Tactical Philanthropy
2010-Jul-13

The Millionaire Giving Pledge | Tactical PhilanthropyThe Millionaire Giving PledgeJuly 13, 2010 – 8:34 amMy column in this week’s Chronicle of Philanthropy focuses on the Gates/Buffett Giving Pledge and argues that the real impact of the Pledge is the potential for it to spur more every day donors to give more rather than simply trigger the giving of the billionaires which the Pledge focuses on.I tried to calculate the potential dollar impact of a shift in the giving of every ...
Va. teen’s case focuses on autism, race - The Boston Globe
2010-Jul-12

Va. teen’s case focuses on autism, race - The Boston GlobeVa. teen’s case focuses on autism, raceWashington Post / July 12, 2010E-mail|Print|Reprints|Comments (11)Text size – +WASHINGTON — The mother of a Virginia teenager has launched an Internet campaign that has attracted wide public support by linking her son’s arrest to two social flash points: autism and racial profiling.Tweet 2 people Tweeted thisYahoo! BuzzShareThisReginald C. Latson, 18, was sitting outside a library in Stafford County, Va., last spring, waiting for it ...
Today's Big Education Ape Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools #education
2010-Jul-12

Parents 4 democratic SchoolsToday's Big Education Ape Posts on Parents 4 democratic SchoolsRecent Post69-year-old retired school principal beaten, school board director arrested last night (Commmunity Voices) | Oakland Local#eduMike Klonsky’s SmallTalk Blog: Power philanthropy at its worst#eduNYC Public School Parents: The Eleventh Agent#eduBlog U.: Compared to What? – The World View – Inside Higher#EduThis is Dropout Nation: A Southern Decline | Dropout Nation: Coverage of the Reform of American Public #Education Edited by RiShawn Biddle#edu#Education: beyond grades and test scores ...
Beyond Rosetta Stone: 20 Free Online Resources for Learning a Foreign Language
2010-Jul-12

Beyond Rosetta Stone: 20 Free Online Resources for Learning a Foreign LanguageBeyond Rosetta Stone: 20 Free Online Resources for Learning a Foreign LanguageWhether you’re looking to get in tune with your heritage, traveling to an exotic locale or looking for a simple way to keep your mind sharp, learning a foreign language is skill that will always come in handy (or at least look impressive). With online resources for nearly every language under the sun, with time and effort, you
Schools Matter: Teacher Attrition in Charter Schools
2010-Jul-11

Schools Matter: Teacher Attrition in Charter SchoolsTeacher Attrition in Charter Schoolsby Jim HornFrom a new policy brief by Nat'l Center on School Choice (click to enlarge):Bill Gates, the Oligarchs' Oligarchby Jim HornBeneath the creaky boyishness and slightly demented grin of Billy Gates beats the heart of a ruthless capitalist intent upon shaping the world in ways that make the future safe for the production of his line of cure-alls to the problems that he spends so much of his time ...
Adulation Not Unanimous, Ravitch Attacks Ed Week Reporter | Intercepts
2010-Jul-9

Adulation Not Unanimous, Ravitch Attacks Ed Week Reporter | InterceptsAdulation Not Unanimous, Ravitch Attacks Ed Week Reporterby Mike AntonucciApparently a best-selling book, the NEA Friend of Education award and the fawning acclaim of 8,174 delegates weren’t enough for Diane Ravitch. Today Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post handed her column over to Ravitch so she could take potshots at Stephen Sawchuk of Education Week for daring to write that some “contend that Ravitch is selective in the research she cites ...
Today's Big Education Ape Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools #education
2010-Jul-9

Parents 4 democratic SchoolsToday's Big Education Ape Posts on Parents 4 democratic SchoolsRecent PostTeaching For Students. Sounds Obvious. Not. – THE DAILY RIFF – Be Smarter. About #Education#eduTHE BROAD REPORT: Robert Bobb, Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2005#eduCity reopens hiring for ESL, science, Latin, Chinese teachers | GothamSchools#eduA Broken Window, That’s Not a Human Life, That’s Not Violence” Youth Media International | Youth Radio#eduSacramento Bee Editorials Continue to Attack Teacher Unions in Support of SB 1285 | California Progress Report#eduThis ...
In case you missed it: Funding, study time, internships, dropout rates | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
2010-Jul-9

In case you missed it: Funding, study time, internships, dropout rates | Philadelphia Public School NotebookIn case you missed it: Funding, study time, internships, dropout ratesby Jamie Raver on Jul 09 2010 Posted in In case you missed itCOMMENTS (0)PRINTEMAILObama's edcucation program faces $500M cut despite veto threat The Washington PostHouse Democrats passed the bill to cut funding to Obama's "Race to the Top" program last Thursday. Despite a veto threat from the White House, the representatives believe the bill ...

Schools Matter: If Corporations are Persons, Why Aren't They Being Tried for Treason?

If Corporations are Persons, Why Aren't They Being Tried for Treason?

by Jim Horn

Any other person would be locked up who so actively works to overthrow democracy and replace it with a fascist oligarchy.

Interesting piece at HuffPo (ht to Susan Harman, who is recovering from police exuberance in Oakland last week following the involuntary manslaughter conviction of transit cop who murdered a young black man there):

On Monday, two brothers from Minnesota, Robin and Laird Monahan, made a detour to Denver on their cross-country walk to encourage people to reclaim democracy and restore the citizen sovereignty that has been displaced by the "corporate stranglehold on all three branches of U.S. government."

The Monahans' trip was prompted by the January U.S. Supreme Court decision (Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission) reinforcing the supremacy of corporate rights of "personhood" under the Bill of Rights, as well as endorsement of unlimited corporate spending on elections.

California OKs 'bad' schools list for transfers

MORE EDUCATION

UC Regents barring of filmmaker draws protest 07.17.10
UC denies filmmaker's right to tape meeting 07.16.10
Skyline College student gets jail in gun case 07.16.10

The state Board of Education put a stamp of approval Thursday on a list of 1,000 schools deemed so bad that parents will have the right to transfer their children to a better school in their district or any other district - this school year.
The list fulfills a new state law passed in January requiring districts to provide parents an easier way out of the state's worst schools.
But the list is likely to leave many parents scratching their heads.
That's because not all of the 1,000 schools on the bad schools list are bad. In fact, several are actually pretty good.

UC Regents barring of filmmaker draws protest

A state senator and an organization of journalists asked the University of California on Friday to...

Photos

UC denies filmmaker's right to tape meeting

In an apparent violation of the state's open meeting law, the University of California regents prevented...

Teens face charges for break-ins at San Marin High 2:57 PM
Rogge: IOC is OK with BP sponsoring 2012 Games 2:14 PM
Ind. spends savings, cuts budgets to balance books 12:27 PM
Feds to consult biologists about river projects 11:11 AM
Polycom shares dive after 2Q earnings 10:55 AM

More AP Education Headlines »

California OKs 'bad' schools list for transfers

The state Board of Education put a stamp of approval Thursday on a list of 1,000 schools deemed so bad that parents will have the...

Chronicle 7.16.10 4:00 AM

Lots Of Educational Links | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Lots Of Educational Links I’ve just updated The Best Collections Of Educational Links. Additional suggestions are welcome.

What Does The CIA Say About Problem-Based Learning? I write in my book, English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies That Work, about how I used problem-based learning in the classroom. It’s very engaging, and very effective on a number of levels. Apparently, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ...

Interesting Find At World Trade Center Site Workers at the World Trade Center site have found the remains of an 18th century ship. It’s an unusual find, and I’ve decided to add some resources about it to The Best Sites To Help Teach About 9/11: Sailing Under The World Trade Center is a ...

Free Technology for Teachers: Haiti Aid Map - Updates on Relief Projects

FREE RESOURCES AND LESSON PLANS FOR TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY

Free Technology for Teachers: Haiti Aid Map - Updates on Relief Projects

Haiti Aid Map - Updates on Relief Projects

by noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Byrne)

InterAction has created an interactive map that plots and tracks the spending and other actions of organizations providing aid to Haiti. The intent of InterAction in developing the Haiti Aid Map is to highlight the areas most affected by the January earthquake and where aid is most needed now.
(click image to view full size)

Applications for Education
The challenge of teaching current events is that a story that was huge six months

Christie targets salaries of school superintendents | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/16/2010

READER FEEDBACK

Christie targets salaries of school superintendents

By Rita Giordano

Inquirer Staff Writer

Gov. Christie proposed salary caps on Thursday to limit, and in many cases cut, what the state's public school districts pay their superintendents and other top administrators.
The measure, which would take effect when an administrator's current contract expired, is among those in Christie's "tool kit" to help districts control costs and live within the recently signed 2 percent cap on property-tax increases.
"While families and school districts across the state cope with fewer resources and continued fiscal challenges, many school administrators continue to receive salaries that are out of proportion with the private sector and current economic realities," Christie said in a written statement.
State Education Commissioner Bret Schundler will propose regulations by Aug. 6 to limit pay for superintendents, assistant superintendents, and business administrators. The caps, which could go into effect as soon as Dec. 20, do not require legislative approval, according to administration spokesmen.
According to preliminary guidelines, superintendents' maximum base salaries would be determined by the number of students in the district. Merit bonuses, tied to student achievement, could be as much as 15 percent of base pay, but they could not earn pension credits.
A superintendent's maximum base pay

Friday, July 16, 2010

Education | College orientation is emphasized more and even involves some parents | Seattle Times Newspaper

College orientation is emphasized more and even involves some parents

Universities are putting more emphasis on orientation than ever before, hoping it will boost student success and avert problems during the school year.

By Bonnie Miller Rubin

Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO — A generation ago, college orientation was a perfunctory affair, lasting little more than a day. The focus was on registering for classes and buying textbooks. If parents were needed at all, it was primarily for their wallets.

Now, universities are putting more emphasis on this annual ritual than ever before, hoping that time and energy expended during the summer will boost student success and avert problems during the school year.

At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, for example, orientation lasts 2 ½ days and includes a separate program for parents, increased from one day to two in 2006. DePaul University also has beefed up its

Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, July 17, 2010

2ND BANANA LAST WEEK’S HIGHLY RATED POSTS

California OKs 'bad' schools list for transfers

MORE EDUCATION

Christie targets salaries of school superintendents

Friday, July 16, 2010

College orientation is emphasized more and even involves some parents

Recent Post