Are some people born smart?

Interesting article. Genetics or environment?

Banning T-shirts and bracelets in school

Read the article about students in Pennsylvania who were punished for wearing a breast cancer awareness bracelet. This is much like the T-shirt issue at homecoming and VB T-shirt scandal (saving second base). So where is the line between appropriate and inappropriate in school? Should parents take a larger role in this issue or should school officials handle it?

Stress

Stress is affecting everyone right now it seems. I know that I am under tremendous stress to finish projects and complete assignments and correcting. I started the school year behind and can't quite catch up. So what are some healthy ways to deal with the stress that is building in some of us? If you aren't suffering from stress, how do you do it?

Cool time lapse footage

This is cool footage of Chinese construction workers building a 15-story hotel in just a few days. Time lapse shows several days of work in just 48 hours. Could construction workers in the United States achieve this? Why?

South Dakota's smoking ban

The smoking ban went into effect last week. I love the idea of going to eat at Terry's and not having to sit in the smoky air. I will be able to go to the bowling alley and not come home with a headache from the cigarette smoke. So how will the ban affect you and your family? Do you think that the number of people who smoke will decline because of the ban?

Cheating

This was a post from last year about this time and it did not receive much discussion. I re-posted it to see if I could generate some this time and to see if we could find some answers to this problem.


As a teacher, I see and hear about all forms of cheating, from copying vocabulary work, to copying and pasting a report, to looking at another's answers on a test, to making up book reports about non-existent books or writing a book report based on not actually reading the book, but on what you have read about the book. Nothing really surprises me anymore.

Read the news report of what happened in Hanover High School in Hanover, NH.

What is this telling us about the current generation?

Are they over-booked with too many academic, activity, job-related and personal commitments that they have no time to do their work, complete assignments, or study for tests?

Are parents or the students themselves putting too much pressure on the students to achieve a good grade that learning takes second place?

Are schools and teachers emphasizing the wrong thing- grades instead of actual learning?

No learning can actually be graded- learning is learning- it changes the brain. How can that be graded?

So what do we and teachers, students and administrators do about cheating?

What is the parental role in this issue?

Gossip

Gossip is a great problem in this school. How do we address it and the hurt, misunderstanding and fighting that it causes? Should teachers and others "punish" those who gossip? How? What about when the gossip comes from those in authority? Should people be confronted by those they gossip about? Am I just overreacting to this problem? Is it just a part of life?

Improving education

Education has been in the news quite a bit lately; this morning Matt Lauer interviewed President Obama for 30 minutes on this topic. Last night there was a teacher town hall meeting with Brian Williams. I found a link that posted people's comments on how to improve education. In the past, people have always blamed teachers for the state of education. It is nice to read that some people realize that parents and students should shoulder some of the blame for our nation's educational problems. What do you think? Read the comments  and, if your are motivated, watch the Education Nation video. What can teachers, parents and students do to improve education? What makes a great teacher?

Revisiting an old post on leadership

I posted this in 2007 when I first set up my blog for students. Some interesting comments came up.
With Homecoming happening next week and the decision for king and queen and whether to initiate or haze underclassman looming in the future, leadership will definately be in the spotlight.
What makes a good leader?

Is is charisma, charm, good looks, a winning smile, a powerful speaking voice, or is it something that is indescribable?
What traits should one look for in a good leader?
Who are some good leaders from the past and today? Why are or were they so good?
How do students show leadership? Is it important to do so?
One student commented, "Students who show initiative in school, and set an example. They don't have to be in sports or they don't have to be popular, they don't have to be the smartest to put it simply, they influence people. "
Another posted, "A good leader should have the following: a powerful and persuasive voice, an open mind, a friendly character, a quick thinker, a good listener, and one to make good decisions in difficult times."

So what makes a good leader? Can anyone be one? Does being a leader make a difference in what happens?

The appeal of South Park

Why is South Park so appealing? Do you watch it? Why? Read the article and comment on the idea of call-out specialist.

Living into your 100s

These ladies (men and boys take note) lived well into their 100s. How? What would life be like at their ages?

Should schools bribe kids?

Time magazine recently published an article about paying kids for school. Read the article and comment on if you think this would work here?

Bullying and violence in school

Article Article 2 Article 3
Beating
Effects of bullying and teasing
Sharp drop in bullying in some areas
Read the articles. What is bullying and does it happen here?
How do we deal with it?

Should cell phones be allowed in school?

Interesting article about using cell phones in school. What do you think?

Wht is a well-rounded student? The importance of humanities in school curriculum

In these tough economic times, when federal and state governments fail to recognize the importance of eduating young people, and therefore, fail to fund education properly all while holding schools, teachers and students to standards that are, if not impossible to reach, then improbable to reach, schools are cutting those programs that do not directly apply to students passing the test (which tests only math, reading, English and science). That means schools cut art and music programs and staff.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan's speech discusses the need for art and music and social studies classes to create a well-rounded student. Read his speech and discuss what you think a well-rounded student should learn in school and out.

Learning

As far as grading goes, I believe it is important because it teaches kids to work hard and apply themselves in school. Even so, I don't believe that grades are the only means of evaluating a student. For example, I know many students who produce better grades than me, but yet I still know more common knowledge and Iam better informed on many topics. I believe this is because many students get too involved in trying to obtain good grades and they only learn the material for a short time. Where as students like myself like to learn things on our own and discover information not taught in the classroom. Don't get me wrong, things taught in class are important, but what you learn on your own in the world, is equally or possibly more important.
Jared Noyes

What Jared mentions is true. What do you think?

10 things all high schoolers should know.

Read this blog post. How correct is he?

Violence in school and does it happen here

Read this article, paying special attention to the last comment made by Sheriff Al Lamberti. Is what he said true? This situation could happen and probably already has happened here at our school, just not to the level that this one did. What do you think?

Grades versus learning

I have been debating the issue of the the importance of grades with other educators in both high school and university for about two years now. And it still continues...


Are grades all that important? They are just letters assigned to assignments, test or projects that reflect a one time occurrence.

Where does actual learning come into play. Any average-skilled cheater can achieve A's or B's in class and learn very little but how to cheat a little bit better.

Is learning important to students at all or is school all about grades. I understand that GPA and class rank, ACT and SAT scores, and other grade related information are important, but shouldn't the emphasis be on what students have learned and how they can use that learning.

What good is an A in calculus if you haven't learned the skills needed to pass a college algebra course. It is not hard to get an A-.  With a little skill, help from the teacher or classmates and some effort, anyone can do it. But it is the application of those supposedly learned skills that really brings the learning done to light.

Colleges and universities must now offer remedial classes to get high school students caught up in the skills that are lacking, especially in math, reading and writing. How can a student who received a B in writing courses in high school, need remedial classes when in college. Were is the learning that was supposed to take place? With grade inflation and watered-down curriculum, no wonder learning is not occurring.

I realize that change must begin from the top (the real work world and then colleges) and trickle down, but when will that happen? Is the education world so caught up in NCLB legislation and teaching to the test that we have forgotten about real learning? I am afraid that this debate will be around long after I have left the teaching world.. How sad!!!!

Leadership

What makes a good leader?
Is is charisma, charm, good looks, a winning smile, a powerful speaking voice, or is it something that is indescribable?
What traits should one look for in a good leader?
Who are some good leaders from the past and today? Why are or were they so good?
How do students show leadership? Is it important to do so?

Are people born smart?

Interesting article. Genetics or environment?

Food and the Brain

Read this very interesting article on what food does and does not do for the brain. All I could think about was what wrestling wight cutting does to the brain and that Iwas gald I cut caffiene from my diet. What do you think?

Top 100 Books

USA Today published its top 100 books for 2009. How many have your read and which were the best? I have read 18 on the list and, by far, To Kill A Mockingbird is the best.

Jodi Picoult's lastest- House Rules

YEAH- Picoult has a new book out and I can't wait to read it. I have just finished Stephen King's Under the Dome and was spellbound. What books have you read lately that really captured your attention and drew you in?

The 2009 Darwin Awards

These stories are humorous and, yet, sad at the same time. But they make us human. Which are your favorites. What do they say about human evolution?

New survey about those who game

A new national survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project illustrates just how ingrained video games have become in youth culture—a phenomenon with important implications for 21st-century learning.

The survey found that while young Americans don’t necessarily play the same thing, nearly all of them—boys and girls—play video games of one kind or another. And they don’t just play by themselves. Nearly two-thirds play video games to socialize face-to-face with friends and
family, while just over a quarter said they play with Internet friends.

“It shows that gamers are social people,” says Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher at Pew who led the report on the survey. “They communicate just as much. They spend time face-to-face, just as much as other kids. They email and text.”

The survey, released Sept. 16, combined the telephone responses from a nationally representative sample of 1,102 young people, ages 12 to 17, and their parents.
Performed from November 2007 through February of this year, and partly funded by the MacArthur Foundation, it had a margin of error of three percentage points.
Among other things, the survey found that:

• Ninety-seven percent of young respondents play video games. That’s 99 percent of boys and 94 percent of girls, with little difference in the percentages among various racial and ethnic groups and incomes. In fact, 7 percent of those surveyed said they didn’t have a computer at home, but they did have a game console—such as Sony Corp.’s PlayStation, Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox, or Nintendo Co.’s Wii.

• They play often. When surveyed, half of the respondents said they had played a video game the previous day.

• Their games of choice are as diverse as their tastes in music or TV. Eighty percent of respondents play five or more different game genres, with racing, puzzles, sports, and
action the most common. Favorites were Guitar Hero, Halo 3, Madden NFL, solitaire, and Dance Dance Revolution.

• Young people are routinely able to get their hands on games that are rated “M” (for mature) or “AO” (adults only). Three-quarters of parents who were surveyed said they “always” or “sometimes” check the ratings on their kids’ games. And yet, half of boys who were questioned
listed a game with an “M” or “AO” rating as one of their favorites, compared with 14 percent of girls.

Regardless, Pew researchers said they want to steer clear of depicting video games as “good” or “bad,” says Joseph Kahne, a study co-author and dean of the education
school at Mills College in California. He noted, for instance, that even games with violent content,
such as Halo, provided “more than average opportunities for players to help one another.”
Kahne also looked at games’ effect on civic engagement— anything from political involvement to raising money for charity. He found that those who spent the most time playing video games weren’t any less likely to be involved in their communities.

The survey did, however, find that those who played games in face-to-face social settings were more likely to say they were committed to civic participation. Mimi Ito, an anthropologist who studies the use of new media, said more research is needed to explain this phenomenon.
But she speculates the ties that gamers make with “real-life local friends” stimulate civic engagement. “Gaming is the reason to get together—but they’re probably
talking about other things,” says Ito, who’s based at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center of Communication. For this and other reasons, Ito cautioned parents against
negative stereotypes about video games. How young people play a game, she says, is as important as what they play.

To that end, Jesse Schell, a professor of entertainment technology at Carnegie Mellon University, hoped the report would encourage parents to learn more about the
video games their children play. “If more parents would take the time to play the same
things their children are playing—or even better, play with them—it would benefit both parents and children,” says Schell, who teaches video game design.

What does this mean for those of us who complain about the amount of time kids spend gaming? What does this say about how teachers teach?

Comments?

Personae

Jim Burke- a noted and well-published English teacher has written about the 7 personae that students will have to master in order to succeed in the world. They are listed below. Which ones do we teach in our school. Which have you mastered? Which do you need work on?

Let’s look at the seven personae. Burke’s (2009, pp. 13-14) framework outlines the following:


Storyteller: “everyone must be able to use a range of means and media to tell the story of an experience, an event, a situation, or a problem and its proposed solutions;…we must be equally able to understand and analyze the stories…others tell us.”

Philosopher: “[students] must be able to understand and grapple with [complex ideas] by posing questions and considering a subject from multiple angles;…they must be able to convey their own perspective on and response to these ideas through words, images, numbers.”

Historian: “we must know how to gather, assess, and apply background knowledge relevant to the text or task at hand in order to comprehend its ideas and arguments…[students] must also know how to reason like a historian.”

Anthropologist: “[students] must all develop the ability to understand not only our own but also others’ cultures…developing the ability to observe, examine, and communicate insights about these cultures, for such skills are fundamental to our personal and economic success.”

Reporter: “Everyone today must be able to watch for, locate, evaluate, and analyze a remarkable amount of data from different sources;…we must develop and continually refine our ability to investigate, research, and navigate…[the] sea of information…[and] convey the results.”

Critic: “We all need the skills critics use to evaluate and analyze a text…[and] now it must also…examine retirement plans, medical options, and competing products and services.”

Designer: “Design is such a crucial aspect of any text…we need to know how to ‘read’ for it, noticing the features used to invest the text with meaning…we must consider design when we compose documents, create online content, produce videos, or otherwise communicate with people.”

Multi-tasking- fact or fiction

Laltely, I have been reading about multi-tasking, especially about texting while driving. Several states have passed laws banning the use of cell phones while driving. High schoolers seem to live lives full of multitasking and for some it seems to work?  Can one multi-task and still be efficient?

The Truth about Multi-tasking
The Bill cosponsored by Thune
Scientific American article on multitasking
Research on Multi-tasking

New Year's Resolutions

Now that the new year has started, people everywhere will be asked about their resolutions. What are yours? Do you decide on them suddenly or really give them thought? Do you not do them at all?

Here are mine:
1. Get into better shape physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.
2. Reorder my priorities.
3. Do more giving than taking.

I am What I Learn

The winners of the I Am What I Learn contest have been announced. Take a look at the videos. What could you create a video about?