Hi Everybody,
This is my first time logging on since I went on Winter Break, February 16th. My trip to VA was fabulous. It was so great to see my family. We went to a place called Maggiano's at Tyson's Corner. I found out there's one here in Bridgewater. Food was great. Anyone ever been?
black suede shoes. Got those "Prior to going to VA, I went shopping at Annie Sez and purchased a pair of cute Donald Plinersuckas' on sale for nothing, practically. While in VA, I wore them and in midstream they started hurting my feet a bit. My husband and other relatives were to met my shopping crew and me at Potomac Mills to go to the theatre. I asked him to bring "my comfortable Nike shoes" (given to me by one of my sisters). He did. I asked him to take my Pliners back to the car. He assured me he would hold them and not forget them. Ladies, you know what happened...right!!!!!!!!
He left my shoes in the theatre!!!! By the time he realized it and went back to find them, where he'd left them, they were gone!! He apologized, of course and said something to the effect of, "To bad this is not Japan...where they have an honor system; you can lose anything and it WILL be returned to you." He could have kept that tidbit of information. HAHAHA!
I LOVE SHOES! Can anyone relate? Oh well, this just gives me a reason to shop for a replacement...or 2 or 3. To my husband's chagrin, no doubt! HAHAHAHA!
I'll be back for more serious matters like HW later. I am dead tired; did an all-nighter. Decided to clean my house, Sunday. Mind you, I had all week. Once I started, I couldn't stop until everything was clean. Needless to say, it was about 4AM when I did. At that point, I couldn't go to sleep because I was too filled with anticipation about another SNOW DAY. So I'm done. I'm going to bed and will talk to you all later. At least my house looks and smells real good. It was worth it.
ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz
Monday, February 26, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
SNOW DAY
Hey...did you like that phone call this morning.
Thank you God for knowing when we need a break.
SNOW DAY! YA!
Enjoy, everybody !
Thank you God for knowing when we need a break.
SNOW DAY! YA!
Enjoy, everybody !
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
DAY OFF...
Tomorrow, 'snow day' or not, I'm taking the day off. I have a doctor's appointment and I also need to regroup. The kids are running amok and it's really unsettling. The 'powers that be' seem only concerned with acronyms - GEPA and CAPA, while we teachers need to see some ORDER and DISCIPLINE! (not acronyms).
America's Choice is not working; in fact, I'd venture to say it has made thing worse. It has pretty much striped us of our teaching and creative autonomy. We do what we're told, not what we feel is best for our students. We are in the trenches, not America's Choice. It's disgusting how teachers and students in urban education are treated.
What's even more disheartening is the nonchalant, don't-care attitudes of the kids. Kids are very intuitive and seem to have radar for cracks in the foundation; they know things are out of order and they are behaving accordingly.
But I do have one victory about which I can report. Last Saturday, a NEW student to our Super Saturday GEPA (there's that acronym again) tutoring program, came to class and was quite belligerent to me. When I gently urged her to sit up and participate, she responded with, "Leave me the hell alone!" WELL, being a person who has already, successfully, raised a child who is now grown and has never ever talked to me that way - you know I saw RED! But I did not want to take valuable time away from the class to openingly deal with her behavior, so I continued the lesson and at the first opportunity, had her removed from my class.
Well, the following Tuesday, I saw her in the hallway and felt led to talk to her. I called her to the side and began talking to her about the dangers of her behavior and gave her a vivid picture of her life should she decide to continue to embrace and nuture "that bad attitude". I said some other things and ended my conversation with the following command: "The next time YOU pass my door, you'd better peep in and say, 'Good morning, Mrs. Bailey.'" Do you know every since that day, that child has pratically knocked people down in the hallway to get to my class, wave her hand at me and say, "Hi, Mrs. Bailey."
EACH ONE TEACH ONE!! IF ONLY JUST ONE!
And if in the course of a day or lifetime, even, you reach one, then I'm sure God will say, 'Well done, my child...well done.'
America's Choice is not working; in fact, I'd venture to say it has made thing worse. It has pretty much striped us of our teaching and creative autonomy. We do what we're told, not what we feel is best for our students. We are in the trenches, not America's Choice. It's disgusting how teachers and students in urban education are treated.
What's even more disheartening is the nonchalant, don't-care attitudes of the kids. Kids are very intuitive and seem to have radar for cracks in the foundation; they know things are out of order and they are behaving accordingly.
But I do have one victory about which I can report. Last Saturday, a NEW student to our Super Saturday GEPA (there's that acronym again) tutoring program, came to class and was quite belligerent to me. When I gently urged her to sit up and participate, she responded with, "Leave me the hell alone!" WELL, being a person who has already, successfully, raised a child who is now grown and has never ever talked to me that way - you know I saw RED! But I did not want to take valuable time away from the class to openingly deal with her behavior, so I continued the lesson and at the first opportunity, had her removed from my class.
Well, the following Tuesday, I saw her in the hallway and felt led to talk to her. I called her to the side and began talking to her about the dangers of her behavior and gave her a vivid picture of her life should she decide to continue to embrace and nuture "that bad attitude". I said some other things and ended my conversation with the following command: "The next time YOU pass my door, you'd better peep in and say, 'Good morning, Mrs. Bailey.'" Do you know every since that day, that child has pratically knocked people down in the hallway to get to my class, wave her hand at me and say, "Hi, Mrs. Bailey."
EACH ONE TEACH ONE!! IF ONLY JUST ONE!
And if in the course of a day or lifetime, even, you reach one, then I'm sure God will say, 'Well done, my child...well done.'
Sunday, February 11, 2007
BLOG OUT OF SYNC
To everyone reading my blog...it's out of sync. If you want to read my response to the lastest reading on 'new' literacy, scroll down a bit. Some of my previous postings were in the wrong area and I thought I could remedy the problem by cutting and pasting, but now my dates are a bit out of sync. So Randi, don't think I didn't do my homework because I DID!!!!! :)
Nothing Special...
I have posted a few comments in the wrong spot, but I think I've gotten the hang of it now. Eveyone have a great week and EO people, it's countdown time. Winter break in on the horizon! Hang in there! Dr. Dana, I hope you are feeling better.
New Literacies - Chapters 1 &2
I understand (after reading chapter one) that we have moved from 'reading and writing' as a way of life to 'literacy'. Not that I didn't know this before, but there seems to be more of an emphasis on literacy as it relates to not only one's personal life, but the economy and industry.
The first chapter was somewhat confusing and not as enjoyable as the second. But I got the whole experimental piece conducted by Paulo Freire in Brazil and Chile. And again, I hate to reiterate what I said in my response to the last literature we had to read, but none of this is earth shattering news. Basically the article is saying that reading and writing skills will no longer guarantee success in this postindustrial world without applying the three dlmensions of literary: operational, cultural and critical, which is why teaching 'ebonics' would not work today and why it did not work when it was presented as a platform for teaching African American students years ago. It did not include the operational or critical dimensions; it only included the cultural and some of us would have argued that it was not an accurate depiction of the culture.
Being African American, when I read any piece of literature on literacy or education as a whole, I can't help but think back to historical times when it was actually against the law for my people to read or write. White America knew then and know now that knowledge is power. When the playing fields are not even you are going to have consequencies like illiteracy.
In chapter one, Freiere worked with peasants groups in Brazil and Chlile and learned through his studies that when these people learned how the world works, they were less prone to oppression.
After the Civil War, when our country moved towards industrialization, scores of people did not want the change nor were they ready for it (in fact, that was part of what the war was about). It's the same to day with the advent of technology.
The whole digital literacy idea or concept, though it is a reality in our lives, schools and the world, again, is not something to which all people have access. Digital literacy, according to Gilster is, "the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a variety of sources when it is presented via computers and particularly through the medium of the internet." However, I know few people, colleagues and teachers alike that are literate in this area (myself, included).
Negroponte, in chapter 2 talks about putting a value on his computer when checking into a hotel. I can certainly relate. I have a greeting card company and shortly after buying a brand new IMAC G5, my computer died containing the designs for many of my products. An insurance company's value on what I lost would differ greatly from my estimation. The insurance company would think of the loss as a piece of equipment or "atom", while like Negroponte, I thought of my computer and the data stored in it as far more.
Though I can relate to Negroponte, in contrast, clearly, I see myself in the category of the "immigrants" and "newcomers". I don't see myself as totally 'digital' in my orientation to the world. I see myself fitting into MINDSET 1, but I see parts of myself in MINDSET 2 as well. I understand that the world has changed (which could put me in Mindset 2), but I have not kept up with many of the changes relative to technology.
When I initially got an AOL account. I placed 'parental guards' on my own account because I was not comfortable receiving mail and communications from people I did not know. Similar measures are being used by my school district relative to accessing websites and I find it extremely annoying and restrictive; I feel like I'm not being treated as a professional when I try to go to a website that is not educationally based and the infamous 'web-block' page pops up. The constraints, are protective measures, however, as cited in chapter 2, they take away from the whole technological experience.
Basically, (in my understanding), 'new literacy' boil down to the 'haves' and the 'have nots'; those that not only have the technology but know how to use it and access it in every facet of life and those who either do not have the technology or have it but are digitally illiterate nonetheless.
I have young nieces and nephews like Violetta, but not students. My students are special needs students most of whom come from impoverished households. To say that most of them know how to navigate the computer and internet would be an overstatement; a realistic figure would be less than 10%.
The world is significantly different and as we 'reckon with physical space' we must also "reckon with cyberspace'. However, with all the new this - and new that - going on, I feel the basic fundamentals of life (e.g., remembering phone numbers and students being able to calculate in their head) are being lost in translation.
The first chapter was somewhat confusing and not as enjoyable as the second. But I got the whole experimental piece conducted by Paulo Freire in Brazil and Chile. And again, I hate to reiterate what I said in my response to the last literature we had to read, but none of this is earth shattering news. Basically the article is saying that reading and writing skills will no longer guarantee success in this postindustrial world without applying the three dlmensions of literary: operational, cultural and critical, which is why teaching 'ebonics' would not work today and why it did not work when it was presented as a platform for teaching African American students years ago. It did not include the operational or critical dimensions; it only included the cultural and some of us would have argued that it was not an accurate depiction of the culture.
Being African American, when I read any piece of literature on literacy or education as a whole, I can't help but think back to historical times when it was actually against the law for my people to read or write. White America knew then and know now that knowledge is power. When the playing fields are not even you are going to have consequencies like illiteracy.
In chapter one, Freiere worked with peasants groups in Brazil and Chlile and learned through his studies that when these people learned how the world works, they were less prone to oppression.
After the Civil War, when our country moved towards industrialization, scores of people did not want the change nor were they ready for it (in fact, that was part of what the war was about). It's the same to day with the advent of technology.
The whole digital literacy idea or concept, though it is a reality in our lives, schools and the world, again, is not something to which all people have access. Digital literacy, according to Gilster is, "the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a variety of sources when it is presented via computers and particularly through the medium of the internet." However, I know few people, colleagues and teachers alike that are literate in this area (myself, included).
Negroponte, in chapter 2 talks about putting a value on his computer when checking into a hotel. I can certainly relate. I have a greeting card company and shortly after buying a brand new IMAC G5, my computer died containing the designs for many of my products. An insurance company's value on what I lost would differ greatly from my estimation. The insurance company would think of the loss as a piece of equipment or "atom", while like Negroponte, I thought of my computer and the data stored in it as far more.
Though I can relate to Negroponte, in contrast, clearly, I see myself in the category of the "immigrants" and "newcomers". I don't see myself as totally 'digital' in my orientation to the world. I see myself fitting into MINDSET 1, but I see parts of myself in MINDSET 2 as well. I understand that the world has changed (which could put me in Mindset 2), but I have not kept up with many of the changes relative to technology.
When I initially got an AOL account. I placed 'parental guards' on my own account because I was not comfortable receiving mail and communications from people I did not know. Similar measures are being used by my school district relative to accessing websites and I find it extremely annoying and restrictive; I feel like I'm not being treated as a professional when I try to go to a website that is not educationally based and the infamous 'web-block' page pops up. The constraints, are protective measures, however, as cited in chapter 2, they take away from the whole technological experience.
Basically, (in my understanding), 'new literacy' boil down to the 'haves' and the 'have nots'; those that not only have the technology but know how to use it and access it in every facet of life and those who either do not have the technology or have it but are digitally illiterate nonetheless.
I have young nieces and nephews like Violetta, but not students. My students are special needs students most of whom come from impoverished households. To say that most of them know how to navigate the computer and internet would be an overstatement; a realistic figure would be less than 10%.
The world is significantly different and as we 'reckon with physical space' we must also "reckon with cyberspace'. However, with all the new this - and new that - going on, I feel the basic fundamentals of life (e.g., remembering phone numbers and students being able to calculate in their head) are being lost in translation.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Response to readings
All three articles assigned did not offer any profoundly earth shattering information relative to technology and how its used by and for children. I would assume that most of us who have raised children through this technological frenzy saw bits and pieces of ourselves as well as our children in the articles. Zero to Six quantified, by use of lots of data, what I already knew and lived through. One thing I didn't get was the testing of kids under the age of one. The article I enjoyed the most is "What Next? Toddler Netizen, Playstation Thumb, Techno-literacies".
While, again, the information is not new, some issues were examined that validated what I know to be true as an educator and parent. When Bill Clinton became President, one thing he said he would do was to see that every household had a computer. I knew that was hogwash when he said it. He may have meant well, but in the end it did not happen. And as cited in point # 4 of "What Next?...", what continues to be ignored is "that not all families are equally situated to have access to the information superhighway."We can not "ignore" the socio-economic factor in the whole scheme of things
Which brings me to a point, I'd like to raise. As a special education teacher, I have observed that most of my students are very proficient at entertaining themselves with their iPods, Playstations and cellphones, however have trouble using nearly identical technology in order to complete their schoolwork; most children that have computers don't have printers or printing supplies. To me, what's a computer without a printer? Many kids are using technology for entertainment, not academics.
Kids are learning logic through icons as well as through words. Video games teach kids how to multi-task and make choices and the children have to retain what the choices mean and represent and make decisions based on that memory. Technology teaches kids how to do things but the skills acquired or used are not qualified as academic ways of learning. Traditional teaching of literacy needs to be re-examined with consideration to this kind of pre-education.
In a nutshell... WE ALL HAVE TO ADJUST...our thinking, our methodology and ways of doing things. Everyone is really just worried that this 21st Century generation of kids are going to be desensitized and isolated from each other. But that was our parents' worry and their parents' worry as well.
While, again, the information is not new, some issues were examined that validated what I know to be true as an educator and parent. When Bill Clinton became President, one thing he said he would do was to see that every household had a computer. I knew that was hogwash when he said it. He may have meant well, but in the end it did not happen. And as cited in point # 4 of "What Next?...", what continues to be ignored is "that not all families are equally situated to have access to the information superhighway."We can not "ignore" the socio-economic factor in the whole scheme of things
Which brings me to a point, I'd like to raise. As a special education teacher, I have observed that most of my students are very proficient at entertaining themselves with their iPods, Playstations and cellphones, however have trouble using nearly identical technology in order to complete their schoolwork; most children that have computers don't have printers or printing supplies. To me, what's a computer without a printer? Many kids are using technology for entertainment, not academics.
Kids are learning logic through icons as well as through words. Video games teach kids how to multi-task and make choices and the children have to retain what the choices mean and represent and make decisions based on that memory. Technology teaches kids how to do things but the skills acquired or used are not qualified as academic ways of learning. Traditional teaching of literacy needs to be re-examined with consideration to this kind of pre-education.
In a nutshell... WE ALL HAVE TO ADJUST...our thinking, our methodology and ways of doing things. Everyone is really just worried that this 21st Century generation of kids are going to be desensitized and isolated from each other. But that was our parents' worry and their parents' worry as well.
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In my school, each teacher be they special ed or mainstream teachers, have access to FIVE computers for their classes. This is absurb! Ideally, there should be a computer for each student...IDEALLY!
February 3, 2007 8:57 PM
Hey Guy,
I don't know about the group as a whole, but I do believe I can safely speak for the EOSD folk by saying, February 16th can't come fast enough!
I am going to VA to be with my family; it's two nieces' birthdays and another niece is arriving home from Korea, where she has been for almost a year playing her heart out (she plays the clarinet) for our country. As I said in my profile, "I'm happiest when I'm with my family."
Some of you have some really nice blog pages. You have nice pix and colors and ...I want mine to look like that. HELP! HAHAHAHAHA!!!
It's Oscar time, so there's not much of anything to see at the theatre. Saw the Super Bowl last night; wanted the Bears to win, but really didn't care since it was such an historically auspicious occasion!
God Bless you all...Enjoy the rest of your week.
February 5, 2007 5:08 PM
sorry...meant, historical
February 5, 2007 5:12 PM