Educational Media

Today is the last day of my educational media class. I started the class feeling like college would never end, but now I really like my dream of being a teacher is getting closer. I learned so much in this one class about teaching and now I can't wait to use it all! Not only have I learned how to blog, I have learned so many other ways to incorporate technology into learning, and I even feel more confident using the computer. For my last blog I thought I would talk about some of the things I learned in my educational media class. 

I learned how to blog and that blogging is a useful way to keep students and parents informed about what is going on in your classroom.

I learned how to make an instructional architect project on the Internet, not only did this project teach me something about technology, it also gave me some insight about how to plan a lesson. 

I made a voice thread powerpoint. I had done a couple of Powerpoints before, but did not know I could add my voice to it and use a drawing tool to highlight things. I think voicethreads are a great learning tool.

I learned many other things that I have failed to mention, like copyright laws and how to use the Inspiration program. My educational media class really helped me grow as a potential teacher!

Should They or Shouldn't They?

I recently saw a link to an article that said New York City schools are going to provide STD and pregnancy tests. Not only that, but everything will be confidential! The article said that parents are torn over the idea and I feel the same way. My initial reaction is that it is a terrible awful idea. Giving free and confidential testing makes is sound as though the school is condoning sexual promiscuity. Also, as a parent of a high schooled-aged child, I would want to know if they were sexually active, pregnant, or infected with an STD. Sex is for adults, not underage children! However, even though that is the way sex should be, this is usually not the way it is! So, right there on the other hand I think it could be a good idea for students who feel they have no where else to turn. For example, a student may be pregnant, but scared and unsure about her options, so she may decide to terminate the baby. If the school could offer such a student a safe haven then I would consider it to be okay, although I do think the student's parent's have a right to know if their underage daughter is pregnant! I suppose if there is no way to prevent underage students from having sex, than we (and the school systems) should at least make sure they are safe about it!

Cash for learning?

I recently read an article on ednews.org that talked about a new program where schools are actually paying students to attend tutoring sessions. The school picked 20 students for the test program and of those 20, 16 agreed to participate and only 9 stayed all year. The program pays students based on attendance and academic performance. One of the students from the program stated that he learned a lot and actually enjoyed the program. The student also stated that he spent the money he earned from the program on clothes and a game boy. The article made it sound as though the program was a success and they would be trying the program again next year. 

I personally think the idea of paying students to learn is a bad idea. The test run of this program cost $18,600 and only 9 students participated! Schools have enough trouble trying to find enough money without paying every student to learn! What about the students that enjoy learning just for the sake of learning! I feel like they will lose their natural drive to learn if they know that could be getting paid! Or will we just have to start paying them for making good grades? I do, however, think giving students an incentive to learn is a good idea... just not a monetary incentive.  

For more information please see: http://ednews.org/articles/tutoring-incentive-program-seems-to-pay-off-for-students-.html

Money for Schools

The lack of money in schools has really been bothering me lately! In middle school I went to a school that had a really low budget. The school was in a rural area with a small amount of students. The school could only afford to pay teachers a certain (small) amount and therefore the school did not necessarily attract the best teachers and the students were not getting the best possible education. I think this is a terrible vicious cycle and not fair to the students that must attend that school. 

I assume that the state would give the school more money if the students scored better on tests, but I think it is kind of hard to improve scores if you don't improve teachers. The school also lacks in the proper technology needed for the kind of education it takes to succeed in society today. Most students from this school are not accepted into a four year university right after graduation and some do not attend college at all. 

I suppose the government is "trying" to improve education spending, but I somehow doubt this school will ever reap the benefits. Education is too important not to take note of this issue. 

Is Makeup work worth it?

I recently read an article from the New York Times titled, "Makeup Work Allows Students to Slide by, Critics say." The article claimed that many schools are allowing students who fall behind to complete makeup work to earn credit. While this may seem like a good idea, the article mentioned one boy who had been promoted to to the twelfth grade and could not write a complete sentence or read a line of text but had earned credit through after school programs. This is a real issue! 

I believe that schools have become so focused on test scores that they forget what the real purpose of education is. Schools are meant to educate and what good is it doing anyone for a student to makeup meaningless work? So what if a school has the highest test scores? Is it producing productive and prepared people to put in society? This is what the goal of education should be! Not allowing students to slide by with less than mediocre grades so they can simply graduate!

While most agree that credit recovery can be a good tool when used correctly, school systems have to decide just what the right way is. States are planning to assign new regulations to credit recovery this fall, including things like limiting the number of credits recovered a student can earn and not allowing students at low performing schools to be eligible for credit recovery. 

For more information visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/nyregion/13credit.html?ref=education

Community College

I recently read an article on ednews. org that talked about President Obama's new plan to push Americans to attend community college. He will unveil a $12 billion initiative to boost community colleges. Education is the third tier in the new president's plan, with healthcare reform and renewable enegry being at the top. Obama wants America to be the leading country in college graduates by 2020. The President also predicts that there will be significant job growth in fields that require associates or vocational degrees.
I think that that community colleges are a good idea. Where I am from if you graduate from high school with atleast a C average you can go to community college for free. However, my parents would not allow me to take this opportunity because they were scared that I would not go on to a four year. However, community colleges offer smaller class sizes and therefore more individual attention for students. Community colleges are also about half the price of a four-year university.

For the Betterment of Education

I just read an article on ednews.org titled, "The Dumbing-Down of America." The article spoke about the different approaches states are taking to "improve" their school systems, and how he feels that these "improvements" are really for the worse. For example, he says that some schools want to take away electives like physical education and computer classes and allow students to choose their own electives. They say that allowing children to choose their own electives will help prepare them for college. The author of the article insists that until we realize the real things that will improve learning, school systems are going to continue being stuck in a rut. The author insists things like promoting a love of learning, smaller class sizes, teaching more of the basics like reading, writing, and math, and teaching communication skills are the real key to improving education. I agree with the author of the article, school systems need to focus on preparing children for life, not just for the next exam.

For more information see: http://ednews.org/articles/the-dumbing-down-of-america.html