Learning in Maine

Jim Burke

A 21st Century Education: No Child Left Behind and Global Competitiveness

Related: "A Tender Promise"

Jim Burke

Workshop LINK

Home Page of MLR Open Resources

Jim Burke

Setting Sail 2009, the MLTI Summer Institute, will be happening this week. For additional information, check here. Feel free to join the Learning in Maine Community to share information and happenings at the Institute.

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Jim Burke

Essential Question: Is there a difference between reading a book and reading on the Internet?

Audio Interview with Don Leu on New Literacies

NYT: Online, R U Really Reading?

DistrictAdministration: New Literacies

Don Leu et al.: "Toward a Theory of New Literacies Emerging from the Internet and Other Information and Communication Technologies"

David Warlick: "The New Literacy"

MICDL: Maine Professional Development Collaborative - New Literacies Research Lab

Jim Burke

"Never use a long word where a short one will do." ~ George Orwell

utilize . . .use
exceedingly . . .very
sufficient . . .enough
commence . . . begin (or start)
demonstrate . . . show
accordingly . . . .so
cognizant . . . aware
facilitate . . . assist
transform . . . alter (or convert)
assessment . . . test
implementation . . . taking action
initiative . . .project

Educational Jargon Generator

Weasel Words
Weasel Words: The Dictionary of American Doublespeak

Online Visual Thesaurus
Thesaurus.com

Jim Burke

Thanks to the PLN, Ernie Easter, Deb Barrow, Paul Reynolds, and others for pointing this video out:

Jim Burke

"Avoid Alliteration Always - I do!"

Read•Write•Think: Lesson Plan: Alliteration in Headline Poems
Read•Write•Think: All About Alliteration
Alliteration Lesson Plans and Resources
Suite 101: Alliteration Lesson Plan
"I'm Going on a Trip" Game
Mrs. Dowling's Literature Terms: Alliteration
The Tongue Twister Database
1st International Collection of Tongue Twisters

Jim Burke

I just received my netbook in the mail this morning. It is an Asus Eee PC 1005HA-V 10.1-Inch Black. Wow . . . what a joy to work/play with this little gem today. I immediately switched out the 1 gig of memory for 2 gigs . . .then trashed the trial version of MS Office and some other unnecessary stuff. Before trashing Internet Explorer, I downloaded Google Chrome and Firefox. I then added OpenOffice, Audacity, Google Earth, SketchUp, Scratch, iTunes, Skype and Picasa. I noted that MS Moviemaker and Norton Antivirus were included with the original software . . . which was a plus.

I was pleasantly surprised how peppy the netbook is and how quickly it downloads photos, videos, and software files. Plugging it into a 20" flat screen monitor for work that might require more real estate worked without a hitch.

First Impression: It might be small, but this is no toy. It is a powerful device for getting serious work done. I was particularly impressed with how well Google Earth and SketchUp responded. Nifty!

Now, it could be argued that the netbooks are fine and dandy but that they don't have the necessary power for content creation such as higher end laptops or desktops . . . and that that is the direction schools should be headed, not in the direction of simply reading and writing text. For this viewpoint, read this:: The Netbook Fad in Education.

Here's a more balanced view: Netbooks or Notebooks?

Other reflections:

Learning in Hand - Netbooks
1 to 1 Netbook Trial
Clarence Fisher: OS and Education
Teaching with Netbooks
Richard Byrne: Netbook vs. Cheap Notebook Decision

It will be interesting to see what the verdict is on netbooks in education a few years down the road. Will they be durable enough to stand up to student use? Will they allow a new way of learning?

I invite you to add to the lists below. Who is going to start? Simply put your addition in comments and I'll add it here with your name.

What can netbooks do?

What can they not do?

Final question: Which list is going to be longer?

Jim Burke

150 Years of Education in Maine

K-12 Education in Maine

American Educational History Timeline

History of American Education Web Project

John's History of Education

Wikipedia: History of Education

Gatto: The Underground History of American Education

American Educational History: Some Helpful Hints

SCHOOL: The History of American Public Education

The History of Education in America

Editable Archive on Education History at LIM Wiki

Photo Credit: Otisfield Schools @ Maine Memory

Jim Burke

In Life Inc., Douglas Rushkoff speaks of the dominance of corporations and how we all accept this as a given, not questioning motives or the effects on our humanity. This of course gets into the question, asked previously here, of whom schools are for? What should the purpose of schools be?

Life Inc. The Movie from Douglas Rushkoff on Vimeo.

Amazon: Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How to Take It Back

Alfie Kohn: The 500 Pound Gorilla: The Corporate Role in the High-stakes Obsession & Other Methods of Turning Education into a Business

Reclaim Democracy.org: Corporations and Our Schools

The Ninth Annual Report on Schoolhouse Commercialism Trends: 2005 - 2006

Consumers Union: Captive Kids: A Report on Commercial Pressures on Kids at Schools

PTAs and Commercialism in Schools

Deborah Meier: Democracy-friendly Education

Meier: What Does It Take to Build a School for Democracy?

Meier: Educating a Democracy

Jim Burke

The 12th Annual Maine International Film Festival will be happening from July 10-19 in Waterville. Among the films will be a documentary by Lone Wolf Documentary Group on the football rivalry of two very different Maine towns.

MBR Comments
Morning Sentinel

Cape Elizabeth vs Mountain Valley - 10 Minute Sample

Jim Burke

Maureen Downey in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Jim Burke

Ellsworth Middle School Medieval Fair

Shire of Endewearde, Society for Creative Anachronism

Maine Renaissance Faire

Maine Renaissance Faire at Castle Treasure

Medieval at LIM Resources

Photo credit

Jim Burke

Google has announced a new operating system.

NYT: Google Plans a PC Operating System
Introducing the Google Chrome OS
Google OS Announced: How Will It Affect Apple?
Prediction: Google and Apple Go to War

Many questions are being asked in this move to "cloud" computing. Question 1: "What will happen when you go offline?" See some more questions here:

10 Things We're Dying to Know About Chrome OS

One final question: Is there a danger in Google having too much power?

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." ~ Lord Acton

Jim Burke

Ever wonder who funds and is on the board of Partnership for 21st Century Skills?

Ever wonder when the major essential question of schooling became this:

"How do we create the schools America needs to remain competitive?"

Do you remember when the major goal was this:

"How do we create the schools America needs to create responsible citizens?

Diane Ravitch speaks to another side of learning at Common Core.

Susan Ohanian's take on this.

Also see earlier post: 22nd Century Learning

ACT - Professional Association for Citizenship Teaching (UK)

Jim Burke

Hattie is an alternative education teacher at Mt. Blue High School. I discovered her work on Darlene Bassett's blog, Reflections on Meta-cognition - For Educators by Educators. Hattie makes great use of blogs, using them for professional development and as a tool for her students

Check these out:

Literacy Strategies in Action
Mrs. DeRaps Goes to College
Class Blog