OSMTECHFUTURES
Folks:
Reseach says..........an apple a day.......
December 1, 2004
Blogging in the Big Apple
By Jeffrey Piontek
As an educator in the NYC Department of Education and a lifelong learner, technology has and always will be an integral part of my instructional life. But the idea of keeping an online journal was foreign to my vernacular and way of being. I kept thinking: "All of your innermost thoughts and feelings for all to see and read in the online log! Are they crazy?"
Although this is becoming more and more commonplace across the country, to me as an educator it seemed frightening. These Weblogs, or Blogs, have been described as the hierarchy of texts, images, media objects and data, archived chronologically and viewable in an HTML format. They are the newest way for students to voice their opinions and feelings online. While a few educators have already started using Blogs, many ask the potential for teaching and learning with students.
What could this new technology be used for and how does current research measure up to it?I will pose a few questions that draw on the social interaction of teaching and learning by using Vygotsky's theories (1978). Educators highlight the "knowledge construction" processes of the learners and suggest that "meaning making" develops through the social process of language use over time. As such, knowledge construction is discursive, relational and conversational in nature.Therefore, as students appropriate and develop language, they must have authentic opportunities for publication of their knowledge and understanding.
Through publication teachers can infer the process by which students transfer meaning and strategies appropriated within the social domain, making those strategies their own (Gavelach & Raphael, 1996). It makes materials accessible for subsequent reflection and analysis, allowing students to revisit and revise their artifacts; thus enriching their internal learning experience.
Publication will offer feedback which, in turn, scaffolds learning in his/her quest for knowledge construction.Blogs are, or can be, a useful tool for teaching and learning because they provide a space for students to reflect and construct their thoughts and understandings. Because they can be reflected and commented upon, they provide potential for feedback and thus allow the author to scaffold learning. Students can, after reading the Blogs, begin to construct meaning or ascertain knowledge about the subject or ideas in which they are interested.
Research has also shown that asynchronous chat such as on the Blackboard site (used in many schools across the country for online content delivery) allows the students to voice their concerns. The problem here is two-fold: asynchronous chat can be seen as a similar tool to the Blog.They both represent the student's ability to promote understanding, opportunity, higher-order thinking skills and the feasibility thereof to promote learning. On the other hand Blogs are so much more than a single form of exchange of ideas.
Blogs are a way for students to establish their personal and/or intellectual ownership of new concepts while they visualize and attempt to group abstract ideas. Blogs can become a student's online soapbox.
Unlike a discussion forum that can be shared by many, a Blog is personal with the students being in full control of their online content. It can be a place for all students to figure out who they are in a risk free environment.
Folks:
Follow-up to Sol phone conference.
Hi Gang,
Thanks for your time yesterday. The call was definitely quite productive and I look so forward to our follow up work ! I am in the process of reviewing the minutes with Carol and I am hoping to get to it tonight, though I can not promise that. If I can not get to it this evening my promise is that I will have the minutes to you by at least by Jan. 10 I am leaving the country for an 8 day vacation and will not have access to email. I hope you all have a happy and safe new year.
Also, please do let me know when dates and times would work for you for us to have the next meeting !
All the best,
Renee
Folks:
Just a note to let you know the students took "best of show" for their handling of the Sol Summer Camp Organizational Committee phone conference on Monday, December 27, 2004.
These students have become the "focus element" for the summer camp 2005 initiative. This should prove to be a highlight of/during the Sol Conference 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia.
They just will not be denied.
Best,
Jim
Folks:
ALL is not lost.....just hidden from plain view.
Detroit Free Press Article (with particular emphasis on the last paragraph)
http://www.freep.com/money/business/genxy27e_20041227.htm
BRAND that!
Best,
Jim
Sol Leadership Summer Camp Academy 2005
Friday, December 24, 2004
Hey there !! Hoping you all are getting ready for a good holiday !
Due to the season we will have a sparse group on the phone. However, in the interest of moving this project forward we are going to stick with the date and have a prompt follow-up call in early January.
For those that can't make it, don't worry - I will get minutes out quickly. If you all could let me know some good dates in January for a follow that would be helpful. Once the holidays are over we will need to have the call after school hours to accommodate the youth represented on the team.
Can't wait to speak with you all.
Safe and Happy Travels !!!!
All the best,
Renee
Folks:
If you missed the Urgency Insurgency message at
http://www.cherry.commission.org
try the follow-on piece from the Tom Watkins, Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The report is titled Structural Issues Surrounding Michigan School Funding in the 21st Century at
http://www.michigan.gov/mde
In summary, I found this compelling "How would 12 billion be invested to assure that children obtain the education necessary to thrive in a 21st Century knowledge economy?" In this case the end is the beginning.
What was that quote by Einstein regarding "you will not find the solution from those who were responsible for the problem," (sic) or something along those lines.
Best,
Jim
Folks:
Thrid Installment of our Emergent & Changing Economic Landscape
Detroit Free Press ArticleNEW Meaning to Chineese Fortune Cookies
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/webgmx22e_20041222.htm
Emergent Sector / Managers not Engineers
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/gm-china-bar522e_20041222.htm
Best,
Jim
Folks:
Oh! Oh!
Is nothing sacred, or does the "global bull" know no bounds and gore with impunity.
New Your Times Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/21/national/21global.html?oref=login&th
Best,
Jim
Folks:
For those of you who remember our little Society for Organizational Learning (SOL) event that we participated in in Dearborn in October 2004, here is the latest update. It could serve as a small example of excellence in branding.
Sol Summmer Camp Academy 2005 at the McMath-Hulbert Observatory
Hi there - let's try this again !
I know it has been a crazy time of year, but we do need to get the scope defined to make this camp happen by summer. What's so exciting is that everyone on ths list seems interested in participating and driving this idea to execution.
Carol Gorelick and I are thinking 12:00 est on Dec. 27 for our first 1.5 hour conference call.Once confirmed by all that can attend I will shoot over a conference call number we canuse. I do hope you can make it.
As for the Detroit team, what would work best is if you have a sub-committee meeeting prior to the call to discuss some issues for the scope (which you will find in the next step portion of the proposal) and then to have one person from the youth team represent the group on the call.Below is a copy of the initial email I sent to you last month as well as the proposal! I suggestthat if you have the time to look at the following websitehttp
www.campcoca-cola.com prior to the call that would be good.I have made contact with the director of the program and they are interested in helping us get this off the ground. They have been in the youth development business for several years !
I do hope all of you are enjoying the season and the spirit and I can't wait to speak with you all again !ReneeAs you know at the SoL Sustainability Forum this past October, the Sustainability Corsortium reached out to begin a Youth Leadership Program.The excitment to create more and to help develop a memorable experience for Youth Leaders continues within the group.
Carol Gorelick and I have been called to action to see if we can make a richer and deeper youth oriented program happen. Since we returned home we've been working on a proposal for a summer camp - our goal is to make this happen for the summer 2005 whichwe believe is aggressive but doable. Based on my respect of you I am hoping you can join us at least in the beginning to help sculpt and mold the program.
The beginning strawman mission is as follows:
PURPOSE:
To establish a Youth and Education Sustainability summer camp within theSoL Sustainability Consortium so that we can bring selected Youth Leadersfrom around the world to build an active youth community that appliesorganizational learning principles to the next generation in a way thatleverages the experience and research developed over the 5 years of theSustainability Consortium existence and builds on the current momentum toaddress social issues related to sustainability.Will we bring Youth Leaders from around the globe to engage incollaborative projects with supporting Consortium Organizations in a waythat raises awareness and increases action so that we transform theenvironmental footprint of today.
Renee M. Kaspar
Youth and Education for Sustainability Camp RetreatPURPOSE:
To establish a Youth and Education Sustainability summer camp within the SoL Sustainability Consortium so that we can bring selected Youth Leaders from around the world to build an active youth community that applies organizational learning principles to the next generation in a way that leverages the experience and research developed over the 5 years of the Sustainability Consortium’s existences and builds on the current momentum to address social issues related to sustainability.
We will bring Youth Leaders from around the globe to engage in collaborative projects with supporting Consortium Organizations in a way that raises awareness and increases action so that we transform the environmental footprint of today’s world.
OUR OBJECTIVES:
Raise AwarenessIncrease ActionGet young people engaged with real time/real life project working collaboratively with supporting organizationsTransform the environmental footprint of today’s world.BACKGROUND:There is a SoL Youth and Education Network (YEN) but it has no traction.The Sustainability Consortium began in 1999 and has demonstrated success through projects. The focus to date has been on environmental issues.
Concern about the social issues for sustainability is evident in the Sustainability Consortium membership e.g., a Women Lead Sustainability subgroup has formed, another subgroup is forming around the social issues (BP, Slumberger, Unilever are participating).
Several SoL events have successfully included a youth component.
Global Forum (Finland)
Annual Meeting (Boston)
Sustainability Conference (Dearborn)
There is a desire to integrate youth more directly in SoL events in the future.
ASSUMPTIONS:
Education is a critical issue for sustainability. SoL initiatives can inform this work And this camp can serve that end.The recent SoL Sustainability Conference Youth Leadership Program confirmed that the participants, Young Leaders, learned by doing and by being treated as equals receiving support and empowerment from adult leaders that helped them achieve results. This experience contributed to the design of our approach.Many people involved in SoL have expressed willingness to contribute and participate in youth and education initiatives.A prescribed curriculum that is focused will inspire a different type of student with an interest in sustainability with the hope that this will produce future leaders in this important discipline.
Natural passion and desire to be involved with a mission driven program creates organic leaders – leaders with longevity and committed passion to these kinds of issues. But you start by saying you are selecting (targeting) Youth Leaders…so are you creating leaders or do you increase leadership capabilities, skills organically?
VALUE PROPOSITION:
THE CAMP:
The camp will have all the traditional camp activities such as swimming, hiking, rock climbing, and campfires, but will be so much more as its goal is to be a yearlong program developing Youth Leaders pioneering sustainability issues in their communities.
Serving as an environment that nurtures these motivated Youth Leaders, the camp will allow these Youth Leaders to connect with one another, share and explore their diverse cultures, develop a greater understanding about sustainability and engage and interact in activities supported by a learning environment.The students will work on site with projects related to water, agriculture, energy and air, product development.
The objective is for the Youth Leaders to collaborate with corporate sponsor volunteers where these volunteers will involve the young leaders work on real time/ real life problems that are relevant in their organizations i. ( corporate value propositions still need to be determined)
Camp Strategies:
Some are principles, some are goals or objectives.
Provide activities that are funBuild on the strengths of young people
Teach with experience and reflection
Provide a safe environment where they will free to express themselves
Offer caring relationships with positive adult role modelsInvolve youth in programming and decision-making
Have diversity within youth and leadership (Leadership of the camp?)
Set high expectations for campers and staff, andSet clear rules and provide focused activity
Add ons:
These are how you will deliver content·
Engage Young Leaders in healthy eating habit – maybe even a session mixed with Agriculture and nutrition·
Recycling·
Composting·
Closing feedback loops- have participants carry a trash bag with them all week, and put all of the waste they generate into it)
THE CONTINUUM
After the camp, year long continued support for these leaders is absolutely necessary to help them develop and execute their plan. We will provide continued coaching support, newsletters, web forums, and internet and web support. At the end of the session students will form groups based on ideas and projects and will be assigned an adult leader (is the adult a leader or coach, advisor?) to sponsor and support them on their initiative throughout the year. Who is responsible for the success of the project—the youth teams or the adult leader?
The camp retreat will serve as the foundation for a year-long program designed to help these young leaders initiate local school and community programs aimed at gaining the interest of other teens. At the camp, the Young Leaders will be provided with the proper tools to create initiatives, be set up with internet connectivity, and assigned a project team and mentor.In addition, the Young Leaders will present their learnings at the 2006 SoL Forum.
We will create a living knowledge asset that will capture and build on the learnings.
WHO ARE THESE YOUTH LEADERS:
Young leaders from around the country and around the world will be selected. They will be high school and college age students who have demonstrated a level of commitment to sustainability/community learning and systems thinking.We will develop an application process so that teens can self-select. Through that process we will be able to determine their level of commitment to sustainability. Our belief is that true leadership comes from natural passion that is connected to a vision.Our aspiration is to create a process that will identify teens with the passion and to equip them with the ability to create and bring greater vision to the work they’ve already done. Moreover, this passion and vision should empower these selected leaders to enroll other students within their respective school systems and communities to be part of the initiative.
THE PROGRAM FORMAT:
The format will be an admission only Summer Camp Program. The Steering Committee will discuss the appropriate number of students to be accepted the first year.
The program is 3-tiered.
First, the students will work on site with projects revolving around: water, agriculture, energy and air, product development. The objective is for the Youth Leaders to collaborate with corporate sponsor volunteers where these volunteers will involve the young leaders work in real time/ real life problems that their organization is working on. (other potential topics: Active Citizenship, Architecture, Bioregionalism, Consumption, Ecology, Economics, Ethics, Living System, National Resources, Non-humans population, Technology, Wilderness)
Second, the Young Leaders will bring the project back to their schools and communities with the intent of engaging other young people in their locales. We would like the Young Leaders to have developed project teams at the camp and to stay connected with each other – rolling out their projects collaboratively. The intention of the global project teams is to keep the Young Leaders tied into the global interconnectivity of these issues and for them to provide each other with continued support. We will use electronic tools such as email, user-groups, blogs.
Third, The Young Leaders will design and deliver one or more sessions at the next SoL Forum in March 2006 to report on their findings and their experiences. This session will involve corporate participants as well as youth. A model for and success of active youth participation in a Sol Conference was demonstrated through the attendance of the (or participation of the) SEED group from Schlumberger at the Forum this past October.
NEXT STEPS:
Form a steering committee to identify the: (Jeremy Seligman, Oran Hesterman, 2 Youth, Facilitators, Food Project, Dean from Dean’s Beans)o amount of time the students Youth Leaders will come togethero age rangeo selection processo location, venue (we have some connections with Duke or Cornell or Detroit)o program curriculumo number of students we will hosto Infrastructure requirementso costs to run the program·
Identify and engage potential sponsors to secure fundingo the Society for Organizational Learning -Sustainability Consortium and member organizations.o solicit grants from the EPA, World Resource Institute, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and other agencies
Partners: Coca Cola? Karen Flanders, Plug Power-Roger Saillant, Info from Paul Higgins, Andy Acho- Ford, Gary Mayo- Visteon, Skyles Boyd- DTE, Brigitte Tantawny-Monsou- Ujnilver, Simone Amber- Seed, Deans Beans, Environmental Defense, Biomimicry Folks-Janine, Catherine, Kellogg Foundation, Food Project-MASS, Carol Gorelick- YEN Linda Booth Sweeney, LuAnn Reilly, Carolyn Hendrickson, EPA, WRI, Green Mountain- Michael Dupee CSR, Nike – Bill Malloch- Nike Foundation- (Maria Eitel), UTC Krista Pilot- Shawn ? Jamie Cloud and Maya Agarwal, Sibel Bulay- Ford
skoyluog@ford.comPotential Universitys Venues: Duke- NC (UNC), Cornell: Stu Hart other guy Joe met, U Mich- Tom Gladwin, Andrew Horning, Sam Moore- his school, John Winter- his school, UNH, Sustinability Institute
A First Sketch on the Model:
We will reach out to schools that have already been defined by the consortium and encourage teens to apply. Teens will be supplied with an application with an explanation of how to apply to the program. There will be a selection board reviewing the applications determining admissions. The ages will range from 16-22 which incorporates young leaders at both HS and college levels collaboratively working together. The youth from the Forum 2004 will help to select and be part of the community.The goal this summer is to bring in 30-50 young adults (this number to be determined by the steering committee). The ratio that would lead to an effective model would be to choose a few students per school at a ratio of 2 students per every 150 students of the student body. This ratio is important because of impact and effectiveness the young leaders will have on their community upon their return. They will be able to provide each other with consistent support working collaboratively to roll out their initiative.When the students arrive at the camp they will working with experienced SoL facilitators and staff, by participating in a wide variety of educational, real-time projects and recreational activities designed to create new learnings, community building, leadership development and by sharing stories and through experiential exercises.We imagine the framework of the retreat to look somewhat like this:
Opening Night
§ Welcome
§Dinner
§Mixer and Social
§ Fun games and activies to begin the thinking process
§ We will have a Keynote speaker, some sustainability games (such as Jamie’s fish game) and present the experiential problem that they will work on throughout the weekend (example of an idea – a community project such as building or reconstructing a local area park – the goal is to use systems thinking in the design and construct a new product or approach to a business issue)
We will work with an experiential learning and design firm to properly orchestrate this.
First Project
§ Open with some new speakers that provide some additional background
§ Leadership training, icebreakers, sustainability training§ Beginning working on first project (air, energy, agriculture, water)
o Planning time w/ sponsor volunteerso Breakoutso Execution of problem solutions and buildingA few days later§ Finish project
§ Discuss roles of the future
§ Break-out session on how to bring this back to their schools
Repeat the process for 4 full projects
The closing:
§ Prepare presentations for parents / schools / and Forum§ Local dinner reception with parents and sponsoring organizationo
Presentation so Awards and recognitionModel being used at Camp Coke that we should think about –
www.campcoca-cola.com but the age is older—highschool and college versus soon to be 8th graders….would this influence the design? Will the same students return for 5 years?
Year One - Leading MyselfDuring the first year of the program, our soon-to-be 8th graders will spend four weeks at camp learning more about themselves and developing fundamental leadership skills while participating in adventure activities and experiencing the best of camp life.
Year Two - Leading OthersThe second year of the program will build on the first. Campers use their newly discovered leadership skills to plan an exciting TREK and to be leaders for camp activities.
Year Three - Leading in My CommunityIn the third year of the program, the emphasis will begin to shift toward the community. Campers play a larger role as volunteers and leaders at home. While service is emphasized each year, during year three campers create and implement their own community service project with the help of an adult sponsor.
Year Four - Preparing for the FutureThe fourth year of the program, a two-week experience, is destined to be the signature event of the entire program. One week will be spent in a once-in-a-lifetime high adventure trip, such as white water rafting or backpacking in a national park. The second week, campers, now high school juniors, visit colleges and universities, allowing them to see what the next phase of their lives may be like. Campers themselves plan the two-week program.
Year Five - Creating Other LeadersIn the final year, participants will use their skills and abilities to create other leaders in their camping community. Fifth-year campers are offered the opportunity to be Counselors-in-Training, working with younger campers under close supervision from senior staff. These paid positions will provide a real opportunity to build their skills while earning money for school or career pursuits.Continuity of SupportCamp Coca-Cola believes a multi-year experience is vitally important for supporting a young person's development, and has formally structured this element into its program. Campers who do well in school, attend classes regularly and fulfill their community service commitment will be invited to return each year to participate in new programming and further their potential as leaders. This lasting support of campers will positively influence their development into responsible adults, and is a critical element of the Camp Coca-Cola program.
Folks:
More on that BRANDING thingy..........and CHANGE.
CHANGE is the only constant! You have two choices, take advantage of it or it will take advantage of you.
Detroit Free Presss Article21st Century Work for 21st Century Schools?
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/webgmindia21e_20041221.htm
WHAT did we know and when did we know it? Or don't shoot the messenger!
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/main21e_20041221.htm
The Prophet / Insightful?
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/gm-india-bar521e_20041221.htm
Best,
Jim
Folks:
A little something to BRAND compliments of Paul Briercheck.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=5416
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Jim
Folks:
Somewhere between the Cherry Commission report and the previous GM "posts" comes a little bit of creativity, innovation, imagination, entrepreneurship, a dash of courage and a large dollop of URGENCY!
Detroit News Editorial
http://www.detnews.com/2004/editorial/0412/20/A10-37037.htm
Best,
Jim
Folks:
A Different Perspective on Jobs & Education
Detroit Free Press Article
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/gm20e_20041220.htm
Detroit Free Press Article / WHAT 21st Century Classroooms Might Look Like
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/gm20e_20041220.htm
Best,
Jim
Folks:
A "True Catalyst" for Branding
Detroit News and Free Press Article
http://www.detnews.com/2004/editorial/0412/19/A22-36500.htm
Full Report at
http://www.cherry.commison.org
Best,
Jim
Folks:
Something for Everybody whom has a keen interest in where K-12 Education should be headed.
http://www.wired.com/wired/
Enjoy!
Best,
Jim
Folks:
Robotics program honors its all-stars
Web-posted Dec 10, 2004
Royal Oak team wins award; 21 students named MVPs
By AL ELVIN Of The Daily Oakland Press
Oakland County has all-county sports teams and academic teams.
And it now has an all-star robotics team.
The all-county team of student robotics whizzes was named Thursday during the inaugural awards ceremony for the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association at the Oakland Schools administration building in Waterford Township.
About 21 students from county schools were proclaimed the "MVP" of their respective teams, an honor usually reserved for sports teams.
However, the number of touchdowns scored or rebounds collected had nothing to do with who won the award.
"I love it," said Max Braverman, who starred on the team at Jewish Academy of Metro Detroit in West Bloomfield.
"I've been doing this for four years, and just to see how much I've learned is great. I can't begin to explain it."
The major piece of hardware - the Foundation Award of Excellence - was saved for last. It went to the team from Royal Oak, composed of both Dondero and Kimball high schools.
"I think it's amazing," said the team's captain, sophomore Ashley Sims of Dondero. "We're not that old of a team for us to have accomplished so much.
"This is great. We were a great team, and we worked together really good."
Royal Oak Coach Cherie Drukas said the award helps validate the team and serves as a good segue into the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology robotics season.
"This is our first half of the year," she said. "We have a two-week vacation, and then we start building our FIRST robot."
"Oakland County is the premier spot in the nation for robotics," said FIRST coach Michael Martus of Pontiac Central High School. "In Oakland County, we have one of the best-supported robotics programs in the world."
Mike McIntyre, an instructor at Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northeast, who served as one of the emcees for the event, helped put the sport of robotics and the event in context.
"America has no shortage of rock stars, rap stars and (basketball stars)," McIntyre said. "Less than one-tenth of one percent get to be pro athletes. But if you want to go into engineering, you've got a real shot at that here.
"We just wanted to have them up for the same kind of accolades that you get for athletics."
CONGRATULATIONS!
Best,
Jim
Folks: (On Thinking and Gardening)
Why Isn't 'Just Thinking' Rewarded?
By Daniel Arnold
Daniel Arnold is a junior at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad.
November 27, 2004
What does the high school student who wants to get into one of the nation's top universities do? I'll tell you what, because I'm doing it.
He or she takes every honors and AP course available, attends every class, reads every assignment, works every calculus and physics problem, and writes and rewrites every English essay. He mentors math students, participates in a sport, enters math and science competitions, interns with a civil rights attorney and gets high scores on SAT I and II. He also donates hours to help get out the vote, care for the needy and nourish the poor.
And after all that he still feels like a failure. That's because top universities seem to consider good grades, high SAT scores and community service just par for the course.
Don't get me wrong. It is right that high school students look beyond their homework, friends, music and movies. But today's high school students are so busy that they don't have time to think. I mean deep thinking: the kind that may begin with daydreaming but then turns to puzzling over a question until a glimmer of the answer appears.
The thought came to me as I was sitting in front of my computer just thinking. After a while, I felt guilty that I was thinking and not doing. When I write a paper, work a calculus problem or feed the homeless, I can easily note that on a college application — 500 hours community service, 50 hours mentoring math students and so on. Colleges reward applicants for doing. But how do I get credit for just thinking?
Didn't Albert Einstein have to just think for hours on end? Had someone passed by Einstein's window as he sat thinking, he might have wrongly accused Einstein of being a slacker.
I have had teachers explain the mysteries of physics, calculus and chemistry. I have had teachers get wildly excited as they talked about the words of Ernest Hemingway or John Cheever. I have had teachers who have urged me to develop the habit of giving to the community. I appreciate all that they have done. But no teacher has taken the time to tell me that it is important sometimes to just think.
College professors say their students do not know how to think critically. But how can they think critically if they haven't yet experienced thinking? How can they think critically before they have learned how to formulate good questions, and then spent hours trying to answer them?
Adam Smith, the 18th century economist, wrote a book about why some nations are rich and other nations are poor. Economic growth, he said, depends on free markets, limited government and a system of natural liberty. My guess is that it also depends on people with ideas — good ideas. Good ideas are grown in the garden of the human mind. And thinking is the water that makes that garden grow.
Education System Has Become Too Boxed In
December 4, 2004
Re "Why Isn't 'Just Thinking' Rewarded?" by Daniel Arnold,
Voices, Nov. 27:
Thinking isn't rewarded because it isn't wanted. The idea of creating the need to gain admission to an elite university is to make sure bright students channel their energies in approved ways, leaving as little time as possible for independent study and thinking. And the same thing will happen at university.
The need for people who actually use physics and calculus in any significant way is very small. Yet elite school applicants must study these subjects and get A's.So obviously their study is just a test of ambition, endurance and intelligence. If a student puts up with such study, he is hooked and will do whatever it takes to get ahead.
The expected result of such Pavlovian training is the ideal corporate, government or university employee. One who will automatically think only along approved lines, going along with whatever is demanded of him to get along.
Raymond J. Rostan
Santa Ana
*Thinking is an endangered activity. The fact is President Bush's No Child Left Behind law discourages thinking. It is all about test scores, Stepford-childlike school behaviors and controlling the curriculum (a.k.a. setting standards).
The law forces public schools to cram concept after new concept into our children, overload them with homework, take away their childhoods, their imaginations and their thoughts and then, under the guise of standards, remove time for synthesis and reflection, the foundation of learning, and instead measure learning by a test score.
"They" want our children to grow up to be robots, not thinking, questioning beings; it makes them easier to control. It's just so much easier to goose-step our way into a theocracy if no one asks questions.
Diane Kroker
Anaheim Hills
Folks: (Better Late Then Never)
Oakland Press Article
http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/120404/opi_20041204002.shtml
The sooner the better for ISD
Web-posted Dec 4, 2004
Here's a suggestion for Superintendent Vicki Markavitch and other top Oakland Intermediate School District officials: The sooner you update your Web site the better - and do it as completely as possible.
This no-brainer of an idea stems from Gov. Jennifer Granholm's affixing her signature this week to what's known as Accountability 102.
Accountability 102 actually is a series of public acts that will hold all 58 Michigan intermediate schools districts to stricter accountability standards.
The legislation is the end result of a lengthy legislative investigation spear-headed by state Rep. Ruth Johnson of Holly.
And, unfortunately, it all stemmed from the blatant improprieties that were standard operating procedure for too long at the Oakland ISD.
As a result of Johnson's efforts, all ISDs now will face random state audits; employees will no longer be allowed to use taxpayer money to purchase alcohol, jewelry, gifts, golf or entertainment; specific penalties are spelled out; and all districts must establish strict standards for employee conduct.
In addition, ISD millages cannot be levied for more than 20 years. That is the direct result of the Sept. 25, 2001, election that stuck Oakland residents with a never-ending 1.3983 tax increase that was sold under the pretense of being needed for special and vocational education students.
No sooner had that increase passed with a 7 percent voter turnout than ISD officials broke ground on a new headquarters building that used $27 million in previously collected special and vocational education money.
Unfortunately, none of the new measures is retroactive.
For the general public, the most significant and educational element of the bills could be the requirement that all ISDs post salary, benefits, travel, conference and contract spending on the Internet.
Considering the reckless spending employed at our ISD under former Superintendent James Redmond, coupled with our approximately $207 million annual budget and some 600 employees, this should be great reading.
Oakland County residents have a right to know exactly how their tax dollars are being spent.
And that right only intensified after Sept. 25, 2001. The sooner the information is made available, the better.
Best,
Jim
Folks: (It's Official)
'Blog' is dictionary's top word for 2004:
A four-letter term that came to symbolize the difference between old and new media during this year's presidential campaign tops U.S. dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 words of the year. Merriam-Webster Inc. said on Tuesday that blog, defined as "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks," was one of the most looked-up words on its Internet sites this year. Eight entries on the publisher's top-10 list related to major news events, from the presidential election -- represented by words such as incumbent and partisan -- to natural phenomena such as hurricane and cicada. Springfield, Massachusetts-based Merriam-Webster compiles the list each year by taking the most researched words on its Web sites and then excluding perennials such as affect/effect and profanity.
Best,
Jim
Hi folks:
More on how branding begets funding...........
Oakland Press Article 21-1-2004
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/120204/loc_20041202006.shtml
DCX grant keeps International Academy alive
Web-posted Dec 2, 2004
The DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund has helped assure that Rochester high school students can continue to attend the International Academy through a $25,000 grant.
The academy offers a renowned international baccalaureate program that welcomes students from 11 participating school districts in Oakland County.
Each district provides a nearly $8,000 enrollment fee for each student it sends.
In recent years, however, reduced state funding levels compelled the Rochester Board of Education to vote to withdraw students from the International Academy starting in 2004-05.
A group of parents delayed implementation of the action by raising funds to cover tuition for the next several years.
These same parents submitted a grant application to the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund as part of their pursuit for support and won a sympathetic ear.
"I'm glad Rochester Community School students are the recipient of this grant," said academy principal Bert Okma. "Each school community brings diversity and opportunities, allowing all our students to be part of a larger learning environment."
The International Academy also receives student enrollment subsidies from Oakland Schools, though that funding is under review by the intermediate school district's board of trustees.
The board has assured parents that subsidies will continue at least through the 2005-06 school year.
- Staff writer Dave Groves
Beth:
No problemo. Here is the Detroit Freep version.
http://www.freep.com/news/education/oakschool22e_20041122.htm
Thanks Jim, not only for the link but the laugh! ;-)
Where did this post come from? Is it a newspaper article? I would like to share it with the "few" OSMTech diehard parents. Talk about politics!
BN
Hi Beth:
I made it up! (;<) Just kidding nobody could make this up. Life is better then art. Oakland Press editorial.
http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/112704/opi_20041127003.shtml
Best,
Jim
Folks:
And a good second step would be funding (insert here / hint OMSTech) (;<) Let's call it Virtual Capital.
Good first step for the ISD
Web-posted Nov 27, 2004
Kudos to the Oakland Intermediate School District - and that's something we haven't said on this page in a long time.
The ISD board voted 4-0 this week to again pay about $35,000 in student subsidies to the International Academy in Bloomfield Hills.
The academy is the crown jewel of Oakland County's public school system. It is a tuition-free, high school of choice for about 540 students.
Those students come from 11 Oakland districts located primarily in the eastern portion of the county. At the International Academy, area business and university partners offer their expertise in providing a challenging and respected academic curriculum that's aimed at a practical, career-related learning experience.
This specialized learning environment resulted in Newsweek magazine naming the International Academy the nation's best high school in 2003.
When students select the International Academy, the school receives those students' state per-pupil funding allowances to pay its $7,950 annual tuition. When a student comes from a district that receives less than that figure, additional money is needed.
The ISD subsidy approved this week, along with other subsidies, helps ensure equal enrollment opportunities at the International Academy. The ISD's annual budget is about $120 million.
But this week's vote is only a stop-gap measure.
Oakland ISD is currently working with officials in each of the county's 28 public school districts to prioritize and ensure such future funding in the face of increasingly limited education money coming from the state.
And to further complicate matters - but something that definitely needs to be explored - is a proposal to add a second International Academy campus to serve the western portion of the county and handle the current growing enrollment. That idea is coming from the districts not currently involved with the academy, but who would like to gain enrollment access. Huron Valley Schools Superintendent Robert O'Brien has proposed using his Lakeland High School campus for that expansion.
While the ISD still has not shaken the stigma of the James Redmond superintendency and his infamous Sept. 25, 2001, stealth election, its ongoing assistance with academy funding is where Oakland Schools can do some of its best work.
Now, the next step is for the ISD to help figure out a mechanism to ensure future funding for our existing International Academy, as well as the planned expansion.
Folks: (FYI)
A little virtual something from the corn fields of Iowa.
http://www.educ.iastate.edu/announce/releases/view.php?article=29
Best,
Jim
