education in the news, part 2

Another round-up of education related stories I've been reading.

From the Seattle Times...

• School Funding Gets an "F"; Judge Calls for Action - Here we go again! I think it's no secret that public schools and teachers are underfunded, but if in tough economic times like these, I don't feel optimistic about funding levels becoming more equitable in the near future. I'll still cross my fingers and hope otherwise, though.
  
  
• Senator Paull Shin Wants to Put Ads on Buses - I actually don't think this is a bad idea, as long as the ads are properly screened to be kid-safe and promote products / services that HELP families and the communities (tutoring services, book stores, child care, discount school supplies, etc.).
  
  
• Rigorous College Prep Classes Skyrocketing in Washington State - Pretty well written article covering the effects of more AP / AP-type classes in the school system, even in schools where the classes may not be taught effectively. Surprise, surprise... magazine rankings (*cough* Newsweek *cough*) and college admissions pressure have had a big effect too.
  
  On a side note, the magazine quotes one of my old professors from grad school at Seattle U, David Marshak (check some of his writing on test-craziness right here). And the for record, yes, I also took 3 AP classes (and passed the tests with scores of 4) in high school: AP US history, AP English, and AP Literature. The test for AP US history was by the far the most difficult, but it was also the one I was most the prepared. I attribute my knowledge and ability to write about the subject to pretty awesome history teacher. Thanks, Mr. Kendrick!
  
  Having those credits came in handy as an undergrad at UW...
  
  
• Learning Not to Copy China - Nice editorial by one of my favorite columnists, Jerry Large. He makes some good points, though in my thinking, a great education should include not only a mastery of mathematics and science, but a strong foundation in literature (especially writing), history, languages, and the arts as well. Not to mention a health & fitness component!
  
  Maybe someday, I'll finally get to open up my dream school... one part Shaolin Monastery, one part project-based and service learning based curricula, one part language immersion, one part technology integrated, and one part massive art program. Yep. ;)
  

 

RCs & letting the children "talk story"

Taking a break from some late night work.

At the moment I and many other professional educators who work in a semester-based school system are embroiled in report card fever. For most of us, it involves confining oneself in front of a desk, pouring over grade books (paper & electronic), tests, and samples of student work. The supposed end result is an official summary (read: goes into their file) of a student's current academic progress at about halfway through the year.

It can be time consuming and stressful. When I was a student, I don't think I ever considered how much work it was for my teacher to crank out 25 different report cards on 25 kids of varying academic aptitudes, social abilities, and personalities. I know I definitely didn't consider how stressful it was for a teacher to write a "bad" report card either, since most of mine were usually (academic wise) good. Not that I was perfect or anything, though... I did merit the occasional "B" (my Chinese ancestors must be hanging their heads in shame) and I sometimes had some *ahem* behavior problems in class (my mother probably hangs her head in shame for her smart-alec / anti-social son).

Still, one huge advantage of writing report cards in the year 2010: word processors, and the ability to remote access one's electronic gradebook via the internet. w00t!

I have to admit that I'm less concerned with labeling a kid with a "score" than what they've learned and what they're capable of doing. I also have to admit that I also tend to weigh student's academic virtues as well - Do they work hard in class? Do they give their best effort and not quit? Do they take responsibility for themselves and what they do? Are they respectful of other students and their teachers? (nope, it's not conservative values... it's hard-ass Asian parent values!)


.:.


Did I mention part of writing report cards is looking over student work?

While looking over my files, I had forgotten that I had scanned several pieces of student writing awhile back. During a short trip to Hawai'i back in November for the wedding of some friends, I left a journal writing assignment for my sub to give to my class. The basic gist of the assignment was that students were to write a story guessing what their teacher was doing in Hawai'i. They could also illustrate their writing as well.

Here's what they came up with... enjoy!

(click on the pictures for a larger size)

If the idea of wearing a grass skirt and having my noggin knocked by a coconut wasn't funny enough, the illustrations of my shirtless chest are comedy gold.




Toys? Candy? Video games? A party? I guess I'm Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Super Mario, and club promoter all in one.



Another falling coconut... the kids must watch too much cartoons.




Amateur piranha fighter who takes the teeth of his fallen prey as trophies to his students? Oh yeah, baby.





My hula skirt rips off, but my solution is to ride a surfboard?! I'm pretty sure that's a violation of the law... either federal or local.


 

salute to moi-moi

It's not often I mention her (out of respect for her ninja privacy, I suppose), but it's Moi-Moi's birthday.

Congratulations and many thanks for all the years surviving me as a big brother (and now, a landlord). I am eternally grateful for all the patience, film schwag, ticket hook-ups, and fashion advice.

CHAN CLAN FO' LIFE. ;)

 

state of the union and obama: barack.steady.mix

I watched President Obama's first State of the Union address tonight. Even though I was (and continue to be) a supporter of his presidency, the cynical side of me wondered what exactly he was going to say to not only the politicians and critics, but to all the "regular folks" like myself - the average American citizen (yes, us yellow skinned folks were in attendance too).

The full transcript of his speech can be read right here.

The start was a bit slow, but I was relieved to hear the president quickly address the concerns of the country with sometimes boldness and outrage, but also humor and intelligence. Is it my imagination, or was this one of snarkiest "State of the Union" speeches ever?

Some of my favorite zingers:

"Our most urgent task upon taking office was to shore up the same banks that helped cause this crisis. It was not easy to do. And if there's one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans, and everybody in between, it's that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it -- (applause.) I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal."

***

"To recover the rest, I've proposed a fee on the biggest banks. (Applause.) Now, I know Wall Street isn't keen on this idea. But if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need. (Applause.)"

***

In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education. (Applause.) And in this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential.

***

" I didn't choose to tackle this issue [health care] to get some legislative victory under my belt. And by now, it should be fairly obvious that I didn't take on health care because it was good politics."

***

"But I also know this problem is not going away. By the time I'm finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber. (Applause.)"

***

"Now, I know that some in my own party will argue that we can't address the deficit or freeze government spending when so many are still hurting. And I agree -- which is why this freeze won't take effect until next year -- (laughter) -- when the economy is stronger. That's how budgeting works. (Laughter and applause.)"

***

"Rather than fight the same tired battles that have dominated Washington for decades, it's time to try something new. Let's invest in our people without leaving them a mountain of debt. Let's meet our responsibility to the citizens who sent us here. Let's try common sense. (Laughter.) A novel concept."

***

"Of course, none of these reforms will even happen if we don't also reform how we work with one another. Now, I'm not naïve. I never thought that the mere fact of my election would usher in peace and harmony -- (laughter) -- and some post-partisan era. I knew that both parties have fed divisions that are deeply entrenched. And on some issues, there are simply philosophical differences that will always cause us to part ways. These disagreements, about the role of government in our lives, about our national priorities and our national security, they've been taking place for over 200 years. They're the very essence of our democracy."

***

"To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve problems, not run for the hills. (Applause.) And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town -- a supermajority -- then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. (Applause.) Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. (Applause.) So let's show the American people that we can do it together. (Applause.)

This week, I'll be addressing a meeting of the House Republicans. I'd like to begin monthly meetings with both Democratic and Republican leadership. I know you can't wait. (Laughter.)"

***

"I know that all of us love this country. All of us are committed to its defense. So let's put aside the schoolyard taunts about who's tough. Let's reject the false choice between protecting our people and upholding our values. Let's leave behind the fear and division, and do what it takes to defend our nation and forge a more hopeful future -- for America and for the world. (Applause.)"

***

"We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But a new year has come. A new decade stretches before us. We don't quit. I don't quit. (Applause.)"

Overall, it was a well-written speech and pretty engaging material. That's to be expected, since even President Obama's critics will concede that he's a talented writer and speaker.

So the big question is now: How will "the people" and the government respond?

.:.

obama: barack.steady.mix

In honor of President Obama's speech (and his first year in office), I've put together a new hip-hop mixtape on 8tracks since it's been awhile since my last mix.




Obama: Barack.Steady.Mix

A list of the songs:

1. Kidz in the Hall - Work to Do REMIX (f. Talib KWeli, Bun B)
   
2. Blue Scholars - HI-808
   
3. Lupe Fiasco - He Say She Say
   
4. Common - Southside (f. Kanye West)
   
5. Twista - Hope (f. Faith Evans)
   
6. Jadakiss - Why REMIX (f. Styles P., Common, Nas)
   
7. Jin - Open Letter to Obama
   
8. H-Town Allstars - Obama '08
   
9. Joell Ortiz - Letter to Obama (f. Dante Hawkins)
   
10. will.i.am - Yes We Can
    
11. Nas - Black President
    

Several of the songs are directly from the campaign of '08 (Kidz, Jin, H-Town Allstars, Joell Ortiz, will.i.am), but I thought it'd be fun to use a few songs related to President Obama's early childhood (Blue Scholars, Lupe Fiasco) and life in Chicago before the presidency (Common). Other songs reference the state of country before Obama and possibility of an Obama presidency (Twista, Nas).

Enjoy!

 

teaching & technology

My school recently received a pretty awesome tech grant. It's been exciting to have a lot of new tools in our classrooms, but as conscientious educators, myself and many co-workers have also discussed at length the effect of such technology on our instruction, and most importantly, our students.

Not to "toot my own horn" too strongly, I stumbled across a paper I wrote about 4 years ago during my master's program about some of these same issues:

Prompt: “Technology has the potential to change our instructional delivery method. More importantly, it has the potential to change our answer to the question: ‘What is worth teaching?”

Throughout the technology strand this past quarter, I've appreciated the number of the different issues that have arisen and the opportunities they've presented. As a person who aspires to become a teacher and has a background in technology (my BA is in Information Systems), I believe that the issue of technology and its effects on teaching will only grow in prominence as the world we live becomes more plugged in and digitized.

My first reaction to the statement above is that as a teacher, I have to remain conscious that technology is first and foremost a tool, and at the elementary level that I will be teaching, its use should be as means to an end rather than simply an end in and of itself. Many teachers seem to take the extremist positions of either “all technology is the greatest thing ever” or “all technology is evil and of the Devil”, when I believe a much more enlightened position is that technology can be both. As a tool, it has the capability to used to help and enhance learning, or it can be something that is frivolous or even worst, destructive. Our class assignment involving a search of the Internet for multicultural educational resources was a perfect case in point. If I as a teacher were to give my students the same assignment, imagine what would happen if a child were to Google the word “asian” without a filter. The search results would most likely be a combination of both legitimate sites along with illegitimate ones, most likely pornographic, but is that the fault of the technology or child? Obviously not, since there is nothing inherently illicit or pornographic about the word “asian” - the Google search merely returned information it found that matched the student's query. I believe Monke is correct when he points out that though the word “information” has become a mantra for schools, and while computers allow access to more information, something is still absent from education these days.

In my opinion, what is missing in the context of schools, learning and technology is a proactive approach by teachers in educating their students on how to effectively utilize technology. The term “effectively utilize” is important from the perspective of technology as a tool because the connotation of the word “use” sometimes lacks an understanding that a tool has to be manipulated a certain way in a certain circumstance in order for it to be effective. It's good to have a hammer and nails, but if I use the handle of the hammer to pound the nails instead of the metal head, I'm not making the most of the tool. In the same way, teachers need to instruct their students on best means that a particular technology can be utilized – for example, learning to type up a 3 page paper in a word processor is a great skill, but going on a nature hike into a wildlife preserve with a park ranger requires learning to take hand-written notes in a small notepad.

Ultimately, teachers need to make sure that their teaching with and about technology models to their students that there is tension that exists between lacking technology and being completely overwhelmed with technology. Teachers need to maintain a willingness to continually explore what new technology is out there, along with how to best utilize it and give students discernment in employing it. Monke makes the following wise observation that sums up this struggle: “We can't turn education over to computers but we can't turn our backs on them either.”

Like I said before... I was a better writer about 4 years ago. Ha!

 

argh

Definition of ironic:

In an attempt to escape the extra work of having to write up a new application for a community sports league I participate in, I just spent 1+ hour looking for last year's application (which I probably could have written in... oh, 30 minutes). I searched my Gmail, all the Microsoft WORD documents on my computer... and I still have no idea where I put a copy of last year's application. Arggh.

In the middle of all the searching, I did learn several things:

1. I think my abilities as a writer peaked between 2003-2007, my years in Japan, and my years in grad school. I found some actually well-written stuff that is still relevant today. Who woulda thunk, huh?
   
   Now, my writing just seems to have regressed... maybe I'm becoming more like my students rather than vice versa. Oops.
   
   
2. These two videos are AWESOME.
   
   
   
   Amazing 3 Year Old Chinese Boy Hip Hop Dancer
   
   
   Dumbfoundead Jam Session 2.0
   

(Hat tip to AAM and Prometheus Brown)

 

much finished, much left to do, and the news

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After the events of one year ago, with the inauguration of Barack Obama as our country's first African American president, I wonder if it's only me that feels in the light of such a historic event that there's a strange lull in American society at the moment. We're still deep in an economic recession, reforms in health care and immigration have stalled, and there's a sense that the momentum for social change has slowed considerably.

Or is it just the cold winter?

I've written before about the complexity of Dr. King's legacy, and I believe it is a challenge to all peoples everywhere that we do better do work toward his ideas of equality, justice, and peace for every member of the human race while confronting the sometimes ugly history of America's inequality, injustice, and violence. I admire others who mark the occasion as a "national day of service".

Some posts from other blogs on the day:

• acknowledging the giver of such dreams
  
• anti-social ladder
  
• the dream

.:.


Some other interesting news items:

• McChord C-17 Carries Haitian Survivors
  
• American Samoa: Football Island
  
• The Billion-Dollar Video Game vs. The Billion-Dollar Movie: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 vs. Avatar
  
• X-Box Takes On Cable, Streaming Television