SITE Blog

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS Proposal Submission Deadline: May 31, 2009 Serious Educational Game Assessment Sense Publishers A book edited by Dr. Len Annetta (North Carolina State University) & Stephen Bronack (Clemson University) Background In an increasingly scientific and technological world the need for a knowledgeable citizenry, individuals who understand the fundamentals of technological ideas and think critically about these issues, has never been greater. There is growing appreciation across the broader education community that educational three dimensional virtual learning environments are part of the daily lives of citizens, not only regularly occurring in schools and in after-school programs, but also in informal settings like museums, science centers, zoos and aquariums, at home with family, in the workplace, during leisure time when children and adults participate in community-based activities. This blurring of the boundaries of where… Continue reading

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      The President's Town Hall Meeting could have been entitled" No Teacher Left Behind" One of the advantages, or disadvantages that I have is that I live in Washington DC. That means that I get to go to the hill and hear the reports , ideas, and the philosophy that the groups say that the president believes in. I have just attended an online Town Hall Meeting at White House.gov. You may want to review this presentation and or listen to the President , in his own words, tell what his perspective is on education in the nation. I have heard the pleas from Compete.org, The Convocation on the Gathering Storm, the Innovation Proclamation, and the MIT PiTAC groups. It was like going to the hill with the cheerleaders for… Continue reading

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This is a conversation I often have with others, the question being why don't girls get involved in science, technology , engineering and math. I get a headache every time I see a certain commercial that displays a mother too tired to remember 3 times 4. What? That's a big deal? Then there was the Barbie fiasco. Even this week I have been talking to colleagues about exposing teachers to higher math with certain programs. Problem solving, supercomputing, that kind of thing. Take a look at this article and talk to me. Study: Girls still not swarming into sci-tech, dammit   Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/03/girls_in_stem_roundup_study/   US researchers have issued a comprehensive roundup of research covering that hotly-debated topic: Why aren't there more girls in the sci/tech/engineering/maths-based world? Don't even mention the kind of math at Shodor.org… Continue reading

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Bans Stifle Social Media’s Potential

3/2/2009 - NSTA Reports—Lynn Petrinjak   Are you LinkedIn? Do your students Tweet during a field trip? If you’re like many NSTA members, the answer is “yes” with a caveat: Not in school. Preliminary results of a recent online survey of NSTA members show more than half use social media websites at school for professional development and to obtain classroom resources. However, more than 80% of respondents said their schools block internet access to at least some social media sites. In some cases, educators work around this obstacle by downloading materials at home or using personal laptops with wireless connections or other mobile devices in the classroom. Others use methods their administrators—and information technology (IT) colleagues—would likely disapprove of, such as enlisting students’ help to circumvent site blocks or accessing proxy… Continue reading

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As a late response to Gerald Knezek (June 23rd, 2008) regarding online teacher education, I think that is is being done properly, at least in a way that attends to access issues more effectively and offers more flexibility than many onsite courses. For those needing structure synchronous online courses (web-based videoconferencing) can provide that. The question becomes what is it that a campus-based course can uniquely offer? And my responses are the following:

- drama, that is, good onsite sociocognitive and compelling events (courses, seminars, and so on...)! But how many of our educational situations fall into this category?

-participation, that is, participation to a community of reflective individuals on teaching and learning. But are we really providing that except to a few that we hire as teaching and research assistants?… Continue reading

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From USA Today, Thursday, October 23, 2008. See In inner city schools of America, Chancellors are holding vintage teachers hostage. Joel Kline said on a press conference regarding high schools that the pensions and pay for retired teachers was holding the school systems hostage. Is he kidding me and you? AIG and the Wall Street buyouts and they blame teachers for the woes of education, the funding shortage the lack of money. I always check out the ballparks in a place that has a problem with schools. Inner cities have great ballparks and their players get paid well. Excuse me while I cut the strings of a less than golden parachute. These people must be mad! At the end of a teaching career the rewards don't necessarily match the dedicated effort… Continue reading

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As part of its commitment to present an increasing global perspective to its members, SITE is a cosponsor of an “educator’s” trip to China, scheduled for March 12-23, 2009. During this trip, in additional to viewing the major sites of China, tour participants will be given access to Chinese educators at various levels: from K-12 teachers and schools to university faculty and administrators to governmental education officials. Note, this tour is also open to college students who may enroll in credit-bearing courses, if interested.

Of course, while some of us may be traveling east to China, others may be traveling west…or north…  Hmm…what would Horace Greeley say?

For more details, visit the following sites: http://site.aace.org/chinatour.pdf and http://site.aace.org/china-itinerary.pdf, or contact Mike Searson …

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A new report issued this week by the State Educational If you look back over the history of this blog, you will know that I have been championing the teaching of science, math, technology, and engineering for a long time. The uses of technology have extended the reach of those of us who teach. Lately there have been a number of reports that point to our failings.. in preparing inservice teachers and preservice teachers for the future. Sadly in some urban centers teachers are being pushed out of service for not being able to teach what they never learned. Don't say 21st Century skills to me,that is something else I have been talking about it seems like forever, at least 12 years. Missing in this discussion is the inclusion of geography , as… Continue reading

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Whose to Blame for Poor Urban Schools? Look more closely at the politics of schools to find out. I am losing a lot of my educational friends lately or at least we are sparring on line. Like the press, they look at the older teachers of America and say, that the problems in education are the fault of the older, teachers the digital immigrants. Well, is it really? When I question people about what happens in K-12 they rest the problem squarely on the shoulders of the K-12 teachers. Why is America falling behind in academics? There are many reasons. We are 21st in the world in Science and 25th in the world in Math. We who started the use of the Internet…Well it is so bad that the Congress has created… Continue reading

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