Archive for January, 2007
The economics of providing computers to students is changing. It used to be that providing every student with a computing device cost as much as an extra teacher or two. However, if the people at the One Laptop per Child Foundation (OLPC) have their way, it should soon cost roughly as much as an expensive high school textbook, something we already provide. OLPC’s goal is to realize the dream of the connected classroom, especially in the developing world. Right here in Edinburgh there’s a similar move afoot aimed at giving every student a hand-held computer. Here’s the story in the Scotsman.The economics no longer beg the question “How many teachers could that pay for?” The question becomes instead, “Is 24 hour individual access to the world wide web worth the cost of a few text books?” Last time I checked, the world wide web had a few more pages.
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January 29th, 2007
Schools should not by default restrict access to “potentially” inappropriate web content for secondary students. They should monitor usage and crack down upon those violating school policy, limiting and revoking their usage, and saving the innocent from undue intellectual censorship. Play is essential to learning, and should schools limit access to emerging technology out of hand, they risk chilling educational innovation as well as their students’ personal and academic growth. (more…)
January 29th, 2007
Following up on my January 17th post, I attended a Brain Gym training session yesterday with a fellow teacher, Kate, who ranted about the program last week. Mostly, I wanted to be sure she wasn’t being overly critical. She was not. It was the second of two sessions, each two hours long, and I must say that coming out of the class my overwhelming feeling was one of profound sorrow.
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January 27th, 2007
The high school finished undergoing refresh a couple of weeks ago, and I still don’t have a login. Refresh is the council’s name for upgrading all of the schools’ computers. In theory it’s a grand idea. Unfortunately, it’s also resulting in the out sourcing and centralization of computer services, which seems ill equipped to meet the idiosyncratic needs of individual schools. Check out what a computer teacher across town has to say about it. Unfortunately, the powers that be have decided to base logins on payroll numbers. As an exchange teacher still payed through my American school, I have no such number. I’ve been told, half jokingly, that it should be sorted by June. It’s not like I need my computer to work. Heck I don’t ever need to write up reports, create worksheets, or enter attendance. This week, however, they did finally get me a login. I can now pretend to be someone else, my exchange mate. So far I have exhibited great restraint in not reading her email. At least I can turn things on and access attendance. For another “cheery” Midlothian perspective, check out my mate John’s posting on the issue, “How Re-freshing.” Keep in mind he is at a different school than me. So this is not an isolated problem.
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January 27th, 2007
On Wednesday I posted my concerns surrounding the Brain Gym program. Consequently, I’ve been thinking about skepticism, and how credulous we can be. With this in mind, I’d like to share a talk by Michael Shermer, founder of Skeptic Magazine.
Given at the 2005 TED conference, this talk is a pleasure to watch, primarily because you get taken for a ride–falling victim to your own human nature. Stick in there for the reprise of “Stairway to Heaven,” and you’ll know what I mean.
TED Talk by Skeptic Magazine Founder Michael Shermer (2005) (17m:29s)
January 19th, 2007
- Never have a meeting that could be a memo/email.
- Never require attendance unless imparting job or life critical content.
- If practical, provide refreshments.
January 19th, 2007
The DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park (51 Sandy Pond Rd, Lincoln, MA 01773) is putting on a show of abstract paintings, January 20th through April 22nd. The “imagery is informed by contemporary issues such as computer technology, cosmology, quantum physics, information theory, genetics, complexity theory, remote sensing, and other sets of current scientific visual languages.” (more…)
January 17th, 2007
Can business succeed in selling pedagogical snake oil to schools with only an oblique reference to Gardener’s multiple intelligences, a pinch of technobabble, and a promised panacea? What is Brain Gym, and why is it “IN?” (more…)
January 17th, 2007
Last month the British Council asked me to write a short article sharing my experience as a Fulbright teacher. They’re interested in raising the profile of the program here, and they thought my observations might help. Go figure. :\ You can see the result here.
My conclusions haven’t quite crystallized, but I suspect there’s something more to the fact that American education is decentralized. So I’d like to find some international performance data to tack things down. If you have any leads, let me know. I’m thinking of something like the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. However, a casual look around their site doesn’t seem to let me play around with the data quite the way I’d like. :\
January 14th, 2007
Last October, a team headed by Cornell economics professor Michael Waldman published a paper showing an indirect positive correlation between increased instances of autism and television viewing (Does Television Cause Autism?). These findings caused quite a stir in the popular media as people speculated on whether or not television might cause autism. It’s important not to confuse correlation with causation, and in the media frenzy, I didn’t hear a single theory proposing a mechanism by which television might “cause” autism. Admittedly, the existence of a correlation is even a bit convoluted. My general inclination is to suggest the need for more research. However, I can’t help but share a possible causative thread in the hope that it might speed things along.
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January 14th, 2007
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