ditching textbooks in CA

[Snickerdoodle]

It must be a dream come true for Outcome Based Education proponents.

[KristenS]

I have an idea ...

Why don't we put all the kids in a big room (bigger than a gym) with rows of computers. The kids sit down and do the lessons on the computer, no interaction with each other. The "teachers" will be walking around and make sure the kids stay at there desks.

 

There done.

 

Mass education.

 

 

I read that book. :) It's pretty good. (H. M. Hoover's "This Time of Darkness") The heroine is one of only a handful of people who can really read, and she's labelled defective because of it. Juvenile sci-fi. (She escapes with the help of a friend and they get to see how degenerate their world has really become. But it ends okay.)

[KrissiK]

I heard this on the radio. I think it's the dumbest thing and I have no idea why he brought this up. Cost effective? How? I'm sorry, the guy is an idiot, our state is in a complete crisis situation from every angle and he comes up with this.

[beezus]

I wonder how much money is actually saved once you figure in all of the licensing fees. We were with Connections Academy for a couple years. We had the text books and the online version of the books was available too. We tried the online version a few times and hated it. Seemed like it took a long time to load and was hard to move around in if you wanted to go back and forth to refer to something. It's more than just doing away with the cost of a book, you must have and maintain a whole system to be able to use the online text, and there's a significant cost to that. I'm not convinced there would be a whole lot of savings, particularly since a physical book can be used over and over.

[KarenNC]

How much will they need to spend on tech support for everyone who has problems with their devices, can't figure out how to use them, etc? It would seem to me that it would take a very large outlay to be sure that each child has equal access regardless of family circumstances or wealth of the particular school system.

 

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/technology-county-orange-2251109-schools-california Dec 2008

"California schools rank 49th for technology----

The 2008 State New Economy Index, prepared by the Washington, D.C.-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation last month, found that California public schools fell behind every state except Utah in the number of students per high-speed Internet-connected computer and in how effectively they've integrated computer technology into the classroom....

With education funding looking bleaker and bleaker every year, and with the state's fiscal woes growing everyday, Orange County educators say future growth on the technology front will come from private donors and private grants."

To me that says that the disparity between wealthy systems and poor systems will not be narrowed by going digital.

 

 

In 2005, "Access to a home computer increases the likelihood that children will graduate from high school, but blacks and Latinos are much less likely to have a computer at home than are whites, according to a new study by a researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, that also found the digital divide is even more pronounced among children than adults.

 

Only 50.6 percent of blacks and 48.7 percent of Latinos have access to home computers, compared to 74.6 percent of whites.

. Only 40.5 percent of blacks and 38.1 percent of Latinos have Internet access at home, compared to 67.3 percent of whites.

. Among children, slightly more than half of all black and Latino children have access to a home computer, and about 40 percent have Internet access at home. By comparison, 85.5 percent of white children have home computer access, and 77.4 percent can use the Internet at home.

. Asians have home computer and Internet access rates that are slightly higher than white rates (77.7 and 70.3 percent, compared to 74.6 and 67.3 percent).

. Among Latinos, Mexicans have the lowest home computer and Internet access rates, followed by Central and South Americans."

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/7595

 

http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/Navigation/fsTwoPanel.asp?bottom=%2Fprofile.asp%3Flevel%3D04%26reportNumber%3D16

lists schools in California averaging a little over 4 students per computer in the school *but* the numbers need some interpretation

"In addition to computers available for use by students, those used by staff for instructional activities are also included when counting computers at the various schools. This count is then divided by student enrollment to arrive at a students-per-computer figure."

[Snickerdoodle]

How much will they need to spend on tech support for everyone who has problems with their devices

 

Actually, where did it say that students would have portable devices? I seriously doubt this is part of his plan.

[Heather in Neverland]

This is just the beginning. The school district next to us has offered a new cyberschool option to attract more students (I mean money) to their district. It goes like this:

 

They get a free laptop

They get free internet access

They do classes online

They graduate

 

 

The district gets to count them as students and gets the per pupil amount (about $8000 each). They can pay for a laptop for the kid and internet access and whatever software they need, etc. and STILL come out WAY ahead. They don't need buildings or secretaries or janitors and only a fraction of the teachers or principals. Overhead is minimal. No discipline issues or dresscode violations. It is quite brilliant actually. If you are into things that are all about money. :glare:

 

I anticipate a huge increase in the number of kids who "graduate" now...oh yeah, and a huge increase in teen pregnancies, STDs, and crime. Idle hands are the devil's handiwork. Especially when those teenage hands are home unsupervised all day, every day. But I'm cynic. YMMV.

[Impish]

I have just one question to the Gubenator:

At exactly what date and time does Skynet become self aware?

[amsunshine]

I have just one question to the Gubenator:

At exactly what date and time does Skynet become self aware?

:lol:

[amsunshine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TraceyS/FL

So Singapore Math will be digital? Did CA go to that statewide?

 

Singapore Math is "approved" for use statewide, but to the best of my knowledge has limited penetration into schools thus far. I know the LA schools (LAUSD) are using Scott Foresman for math.

 

But the schools that have used Singapore Math have seen test-score improvements, and the Los Angeles Times did a big story about it last year, so the clamoring has begun.

 

We will see.

 

Bill

Well, at least in San Diego, there is absolutely no clamoring. SD Unified just approved this brand new Scott Foresman program for math: http://www.envisionmathca.com/

 

They were impressed with all the new digital bells and whistles, I guess, as opposed to a proven track record of just plain old good math and high test scores. Gee, I'm so glad we are homeschooling with Singapore.

Edited June 10, 2009 by amsunshine

[Spy Car]

Well, at least in San Diego, there is absolutely no clamoring. SD Unified just approved this brand new Scott Foresman program for math: http://www.envisionmathca.com/

 

They were impressed with all the new digital bells and whistles, I guess, as opposed to a proven track record of just plain old good math and high test scores. Gee, I'm so glad we are homeschooling with Singapore.

 

Oy! I watched the "movie" you linked to. My head hurts. I really think school boards fall for these "presentations". Ugg.

[EKS]

:iagree:

[laughing lioness]

Read Farenheit 451 just a few months back. Who knew Bradbury was a prophet?

[nmoira]

Well, at least in San Diego, there is absolutely no clamoring. SD Unified just approved this brand new Scott Foresman program for math: http://www.envisionmathca.com/

 

They were impressed with all the new digital bells and whistles, I guess, as opposed to a proven track record of just plain old good math and high test scores. Gee, I'm so glad we are homeschooling with Singapore.

 

:ack2:

[KarenNC]

This is just the beginning. The school district next to us has offered a new cyberschool option to attract more students (I mean money) to their district. It goes like this:

 

They get a free laptop

They get free internet access

They do classes online

They graduate

 

 

The district gets to count them as students and gets the per pupil amount (about $8000 each). They can pay for a laptop for the kid and internet access and whatever software they need, etc. and STILL come out WAY ahead. They don't need buildings or secretaries or janitors and only a fraction of the teachers or principals. Overhead is minimal. No discipline issues or dresscode violations. It is quite brilliant actually. If you are into things that are all about money. :glare:

 

I anticipate a huge increase in the number of kids who "graduate" now...oh yeah, and a huge increase in teen pregnancies, STDs, and crime. Idle hands are the devil's handiwork. Especially when those teenage hands are home unsupervised all day, every day. But I'm cynic. YMMV.

 

Which school district? I wasn't aware that anywhere in NC had an actual virtual academy as opposed to simply offering online classes to public schoolers in counties where they may not have things like AP courses.

 

I would actually consider this to be an inevitable and desirable option to add to the continuum of educational options in NC. There are tons of folks on these boards who cyberschool---it is not "teenagers home unsupervised all day, every day" by any stretch.

[mommaduck]

I have just one question to the Gubenator:

At exactly what date and time does Skynet become self aware?

 

:scared:

 

 

 

 

:smilielol5::lol: That would be good in a signature ;)

[LUV2EDU]

I have an idea ...

Why don't we put all the kids in a big room (bigger than a gym) with rows of computers. The kids sit down and do the lessons on the computer, no interaction with each other. The "teachers" will be walking around and make sure the kids stay at there desks.

 

There done.

 

Mass education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a joke

 

Soon homeschoolers will be saying to public school students,"You go to a public school?:001_huh: What about socialization?":lol::lol::lol:

[Peela]

I don't understand- is the Californian govt dedicated to providing every child with a computer and internet access? Has that already happened? Even underprivileged kids?

 

I do think a lot of learning can happen effectively on the computer and online...and many of us homeschoolers are testimony to that. I make use of all the resources I can afford, and since i am in Australia, and most homeschooling resources are produced in the U.S. (and the exchange rate often sucks, and postage is expensive), some online resources are excellent for us However, I also have an issue with reading from a screen and don't like to read textbooks or novels off the screen. It can't be good for the eyes, either.

The policy seems shortsighted....however, I also understand that California is in a desperate financial state.

[Carrie12345]

I would actually consider this to be an inevitable and desirable option to add to the continuum of educational options in NC. There are tons of folks on these boards who cyberschool---it is not "teenagers home unsupervised all day, every day" by any stretch.

 

Right. My 10 year old is home with me and his homeschooled sisters all day.

 

I don't know why Heather chose to put the word graduate in quotes. My kid is required to complete assignments, study, take tests, and work with his teacher and classmates using a state approved curriculum. It's just as legit as regular public school. It's also just as legit as my dds' homeschool.

 

For the record, most districts in PA HATE cyber charter schools (except the districts that have started their own cybers, which is still pretty rare). They moan and groan about the charters taking away their students.

 

Educational OPTIONS, people!

 

Personally, I don't like the cyber charter thing for my family, because I know the joy of homeschooling. Circumstances make the cyber charter the best OPTION I have for ds, and I assume the rest of the parents who use it feel that it's their best OPTION, too.

 

I'm too tired to get into the money aspect. :tongue_smilie:

[laughing lioness]

So, hypothetically say that CA spends about $8000 per student in their system. Say, hypothetically, that about $600 of that ends up in the classroom. Has anyone considered, instead of taking away $100 per student that actually makes it to the classroom in the form of books, cutting some of the heavy administration that makes up the system? Just a wild thought.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Gov send his kids to private schools? Gotta continue the monarchy;)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Sure there are some subjects, especially in science where the date of the textbook might indicate an older understanding and perhaps even incorrect information. We cheerfully used a set of Prentice Hall Science Explorer books that had been deaccesioned by a school for being (gasp) eight years old. Funny, volcanoes still work the way that the book described.

 

But grammar, literature, spelling, math, history? Do these books really get outdated before they simply wear out?

 

And while a dirty, dog eared and sprung spine textbook can still be used, especially if a little care is taken between issuing the book to use book cleaner on the cover, apply glue in the spine, put mending tape on tears, it doesn't take much abuse to render a digital device broken.

 

If you have a sunk cost into books and then have budget cuts, you still have the books. If you buy a limited time license for digital material, then have budget cuts, you either have to spend money and cut elsewhere or do without.

 

I'm not a total Luddite. We use software for foreign language and research. But I question the longterm wisdom of using digital as the 100% solution for an entire state. Sounds a bit more like a jobs program for the software industry than the best choice for the state's schools.

 

Aside: Given that states like California, Texas and New York have incredible influence over printed textbooks, I wonder what the impact of schools going heavily digital would be on the educational software products. Right now, I think that individual families still buy a lot of the products as supplemental materials. If that changes, then the value of the products available might also change. Not sure, but I wonder.

[Sara R]

So, hypothetically say that CA spends about $8000 per student in their system. Say, hypothetically, that about $600 of that ends up in the classroom. Has anyone considered, instead of taking away $100 per student that actually makes it to the classroom in the form of books, cutting some of the heavy administration that makes up the system? Just a wild thought.

 

 

:iagree:

 

Still, I understand that every little cut adds up. The best thing to do would be to continue using existing textbooks until they absolutely fall apart. If they must buy new textbooks, they can specify that they don't need color graphics in math books and so on. That would reduce the prices without affecting educational quality.

[Heather in Neverland]

Which school district? I wasn't aware that anywhere in NC had an actual virtual academy as opposed to simply offering online classes to public schoolers in counties where they may not have things like AP courses.

 

I would actually consider this to be an inevitable and desirable option to add to the continuum of educational options in NC. There are tons of folks on these boards who cyberschool---it is not "teenagers home unsupervised all day, every day" by any stretch.

 

I'm in Michigan now. I just can't figure out how to change my screen name. :D This is a poor, inner city district and I use to teach at the high school that is now offering this Trust me, these kids ARE unsupervised all day, every day if they are not at school.

[Heather in Neverland]

I don't know why Heather chose to put the word graduate in quotes. My kid is required to complete assignments, study, take tests, and work with his teacher and classmates using a state approved curriculum. It's just as legit as regular public school. It's also just as legit as my dds' homeschool.

 

:

 

I put "graduate" in quotes because these are NOT kids being "homeschooled". These are public school kids taking classes online with no parental supervision. Parents who homeschool make a commitment to be involved. These parents do not have to do any such thing. These kids are basically set loose with a laptop. I taught these kids and I guarantee these laptops will be pawned or broken or stolen. The parents will let their kids sign up for this just so they can get a free laptop and free internet.

 

There is a difference between a choice you, as a parent, make to homeschool your child and a school district saying "hey, want a free laptop? want free internet? want to stay home all day? then come to our district! We'll take your $8000 and you are on your own. See ya at graduation!"

 

I think it is dishonest for the district to take $8000 per kid, per year and say they are using it to educate the kids when they are NOT.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Except that California is one of the hardest states to homeschool in.

You have to get permision.

 

No permission is needed to homeschool in California. You either register as a private school (no permission needed, you just tell them you are starting or continuing your private school), or you tell them you are tutoring your children (teacher credential required for this), or you join one of the hundreds of private umbrella schools (which handle your paperwork for you). No permission needed for any of these options.

 

And, it's not hard to homeschool in California. There are no state regulations. Some school districts get a little testy, but they have no jurisdiction.

[Mom0012]

Soooo.... all the kids will be learning electronically. Will they even still need teachers? Will this be the begin the doom of brick-and-mortar schools? Just thinking through the natural consequences of this...

 

 

No, we will still need brick and mortar schools for socialization.:)

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

I agree that more screen time is NOT the answer. But what is? The state of California is deeply in debt. Hard cuts need to be made. Does anyone here have a better plan to save $400 million in the schools?

 

While I don't like the idea of online textbooks at all, I do think it might make even more families turn to homeschooling for a better education. And I don't see that as a bad thing.

 

Well, will it really be cheaper to set up a whole new system? I think it would make more sense to require the schools to use the textbook that they already have. How is it cheaper to throw away all their books and invest in a totally different way of doing things?

 

Lisa

[RegGuheert]

There is NO WAY this option is cheaper. The question is then which special interest groups this really serves:

 

1) California's computer and software industries certainly would appreciate the revenue.

2) Firms which license learning software will benefit.

3) Publishers of text books will benefit since I'm sure they will reduce their costs more than they will reduce their prices.

4) Anyone who wants to have an easier path to "update" what is being taught to children will benefit from this trend. ('nuff said.)

 

Unfortunately, of the interest groups that I can imagine possibly benefiting from this change, I do not find either students or taxpayers. It's pretty sad...

[Dirtroad]

[quote=Soph the vet;1002420.

I was hoping the OP was going to announce that Arnhold was ditching textbooks for real literature and primary source material....then I would have applauded!

 

:iagree:

 

Can you imagine, actually reading real books! The computer will be the same product only on screen & not on paper.

[Carrie12345]

I put "graduate" in quotes because these are NOT kids being "homeschooled". These are public school kids taking classes online with no parental supervision. Parents who homeschool make a commitment to be involved. These parents do not have to do any such thing. These kids are basically set loose with a laptop. I taught these kids and I guarantee these laptops will be pawned or broken or stolen. The parents will let their kids sign up for this just so they can get a free laptop and free internet.

 

There is a difference between a choice you, as a parent, make to homeschool your child and a school district saying "hey, want a free laptop? want free internet? want to stay home all day? then come to our district! We'll take your $8000 and you are on your own. See ya at graduation!"

 

I think it is dishonest for the district to take $8000 per kid, per year and say they are using it to educate the kids when they are NOT.

 

I don't understand. Are you saying these kids don't have to pass their classes in order to graduate?

 

What your describing is (in my unfamiliar-with-your-district opinion) a parenting failure, not a cyber charter failure. The fact is, we as homeschool parents are just as "allowed" to leave our kids to their own devices as we cyber charter parents are. (Both of me, lol)

 

There are aspects of cyber charter funding that I disagree with. With our system, the districts receive 100% of student funding and are responsible for paying the charter school (around 60% of the total in my district for the charter we use). The district keeps the balance. Why? I have no idea. And many districts try to avoid paying.

The districts also complain that the charter fee is too high. That cracks me up, since they're making a $4,000 profit off of my child, and there are hundreds of cyber charter students in our district.

[Heather in Neverland]

I don't understand. Are you saying these kids don't have to pass their classes in order to graduate?

 

What your describing is (in my unfamiliar-with-your-district opinion) a parenting failure, not a cyber charter failure. The fact is, we as homeschool parents are just as "allowed" to leave our kids to their own devices as we cyber charter parents are. (Both of me, lol)

 

.

 

A couple of things:

 

1. You still have the mindset (I assume) of a homeschooling parent and I would think that even if your children are left unsupervised for periods of time, you are still checking to see how they are progressing, looking for ways to help them if they need it, etc. You are INVESTED BY CHOICE in this cyber option.

 

This new "cyberschool" that the district is offering will be used by a bunch of parents who are NOT invested in PERSONALLY overseeing their child's education. They are used to the schools doing that and the only difference now will be that the kid will be home all day alone. These parents do NOT have the mindset of a homeschooling parent that has personally chosen to oversee their child's education

 

2. This isn't about cyberschools. I am a huge fan of technology and use it in my sons' education daily and I also don't think that going digital for textbooks is the worse thing that could ever happen. This is about a school district using technology in an irresponsible way for no other reason than to get more money. They are offering this not only to students in their district but to students all over the county (this is the same county that houses Detroit Public Schools). They will have thousands of students sign up for this JUST TO GET FREE INTERNET AND A LAPTOP. They know this but all they see are dollar signs.

 

These kids know how to work the system. The first thing they do is figure out how to cheat. With no one (including parents) personally invested this the kids will actually learn very little...they might "pass" as in cheat their way through it and they will "graduate" but then we are sending out thousands of uneducated kids into society. Yes, many schools already do that but now these kids will be out on the streets all day wreaking goodness-only-knows-how-much havoc.

 

I guess you would have to work in these schools to believe it.

[Renai]

I found California to be the easiest state I have lived in to homeschool. Harder ones were or are NM, OH, FL, and VA. There are easier ones like TX and OK and a number of others. But CA has to be up there since there is no attendance, no testing, no descriptions of curriculum, no portfolio.

 

Actually, it's not hard at all in NM. They require a notification (not permission), but most folks, at least in the City Different, don't even do that. You are to keep attendance, vaccines, and high school diploma on file, but I've never heard of anyone asking to see them.

[TravelingChris]

Yes, you are right about NM. I was thinking about when I started homeschooling there when you needed to get a notary to sign your NOI and you needed to send in tests. I remembered that you no longer needed to send in tests by the time I left but forgot about how the notification was done by computer and didn't need the notary anymore. So now I would classify NM and CA as equally easy and states like TX and OK even easier. States like FL, VA, MD, AL, and many more are harder. States like PA and NY are incredibly hard.

[Jolash]

I was hoping the OP was going to announce that Arnhold was ditching textbooks for real literature and primary source material....then I would have applauded!

 

:iagree: That's what my first thought was too!

[KarenNC]

Interesting....this appears to be the project that Heather in NC is referencing

 

http://www.wwschools.net/buildingwebs/cyberhighschool/com_how.html

"Westwood Cyber High School is a year round educational program that offers two learning options for students and families. Both paths are constructivist, project based, on-line learning experiences. All learning experiences are individualized to meet student needs. Student progress is monitored and supported by mentors, experts, and project team leaders to ensure student success. Students will have access to a computer work station and internet connectivity at their home, which Westwood Community School District will provide.

 

My School will service students who have displayed a pattern of failure falling behind on obtaining High School graduation credits. It requires that students utilize a tech center within the district a minimum of twice a week, and more face to face meetings with experts and mentors, to ensure students remain engaged in the project based learning environment.

 

Not School is 100% virtual learning experience and will service disengaged students who have dropped out of school, or who are phobic, sick, or can no longer attend school."

 

This is indeed quite different in approach and intent from the virtual schools that are set up in most states from what I can tell. They do have measures of progress to determine whether credit is given. Honestly, I don't see that, particularly in "not school", there is likely to be any increase in teens being unsupervised and creating havoc. I am quite certain there are those who will try to work the system and get something for nothing---this involves human beings and some will do that regardless of the situation.

 

I would have to agree that such is indeed a personal failure on the part of the student (with perhaps attendant parenting failure, though sometimes even the best efforts of a parent do not guarantee a good result) rather than a cyberschool failure.

[KarenNC]

Actually, where did it say that students would have portable devices? I seriously doubt this is part of his plan.

 

According to the San Jose Mercury News there is a currently a bill pending in the CA legislature to provide just that option, though I can't seem to find a specific bill number to read the original text

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12562499?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.coms

 

" A bill pending in the California Legislature would approve electronic readers such as the Kindle as acceptable alternatives to traditional textbooks. "

 

This is part of an article that raises some of the same questions we are raising here. If the textbooks are entirely digital, how are the children expected to access them? This means they will need *something* ---portable reader, computer, etc. Something that require maintenance, tech support, is much more fragile than a textbook, etc. Something that not all children will automatically have equal access to at their school or home because of technology or funding limitations.

 

I find it interesting that the person quoted in the article, who is rom a foundation to promote free online texts, says "content shouldn't cost". Nice on the surface, but doesn't address how that content is going to be generated or accessed. Without folks to write it, you don't have content (something I don't think a lot of newspapers who are going online actually fully realize). I'm sure the folks who generate the content need to eat and live just like anyone else.

 

Other links:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/nation/story/69553.html

http://www.aepweb.org/pdfs/GovRelations/LegBrief_5-09.pdf

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=58861

 

There are potential advantages to digital resources. It could improve access to the material by children who have disabilities, for instance. I just don't see a way that you can make such a wholesale change and expect it to *save* substantial amounts of money.

[Heather in Neverland]

This is indeed quite different in approach and intent from the virtual schools that are set up in most states from what I can tell. They do have measures of progress to determine whether credit is given. Honestly, I don't see that, particularly in "not school", there is likely to be any increase in teens being unsupervised and creating havoc. I am quite certain there are those who will try to work the system and get something for nothing---this involves human beings and some will do that regardless of the situation.

 

I would have to agree that such is indeed a personal failure on the part of the student (with perhaps attendant parenting failure, though sometimes even the best efforts of a parent do not guarantee a good result) rather than a cyberschool failure.

 

I guess we are not following one another. I never said this was a cyberschool failure. As I mentioned, I am in favor of technology in education. I said this is a failure on the part of the school district who knows EXACTLY what this will lead to and doesn't care. One thing this article doesn't mention (of course) is that the REASON they are doing this is because the schools there are so bad that they are losing students to other districts (this is a big school of choice area). If they offer this then the kids will NOT go to other districts (taking their dollars with them) but they will also not go to school (but they won't be truly homeschooled either).

 

As far as them wreaking havoc...like I said you would have to work there to understand...you would have to break up gang fights and watch your students go to jail or get pregnant at age 12 or be threatened by gang members to see that these kids NEED supervision.

[Sahamamama]

Oy! I watched the "movie" you linked to. My head hurts. I really think school boards fall for these "presentations". Ugg.

 

Just watched it here, too. Some thoughts...

 

1. The teacher can determine -- "within the first 5 minutes" -- whether or not a student understands the concept? Wow. It's great that Scott Foresman has figured out a way to break math apart into 5-minute chunks. When I was doing math, back in the Paper-N-Pencil Stone Age, some concepts just took longer to sink in. Wow. I am impressed.

 

2. I have nephews, ages almost 12 and almost 14. They are NEVER unplugged. It's either the cell phone or the e-game thing or the computer games or something. I am so excited when I think that NOW they will get to go to SCHOOL and get more screen time. This is exactly what "today's generation" needs. :glare:

 

3. And finally, I really loved the scene in which the teacher announces, "Okay, class. Today we are going to study adding fractions with unlike denominators." The soundtrack slows her speech down to about 16-speed (remember record players?) and the picture is in black-and-white -- in other words, "Isn't this sooooooooo boring? Isn't this approach sooooooooo, like totally dated and OLD?" Scott Foresman is really onto something here. Let's move along, to something hip, cool, rad, like dude, like whatever-the-word-is-today to sound "with it." Gag me with a spoon.

 

Did I date myself enough with this rant? :lol:

[Spy Car]

Just watched it here, too. Some thoughts...

 

1. The teacher can determine -- "within the first 5 minutes" -- whether or not a student understands the concept? Wow. It's great that Scott Foresman has figured out a way to break math apart into 5-minute chunks. When I was doing math, back in the Paper-N-Pencil Stone Age, some concepts just took longer to sink in. Wow. I am impressed.

 

2. I have nephews, ages almost 12 and almost 14. They are NEVER unplugged. It's either the cell phone or the e-game thing or the computer games or something. I am so excited when I think that NOW they will get to go to SCHOOL and get more screen time. This is exactly what "today's generation" needs. :glare:

 

3. And finally, I really loved the scene in which the teacher announces, "Okay, class. Today we are going to study adding fractions with unlike denominators." The soundtrack slows her speech down to about 16-speed (remember record players?) and the picture is in black-and-white -- in other words, "Isn't this sooooooooo boring? Isn't this approach sooooooooo, like totally dated and OLD?" Scott Foresman is really onto something here. Let's move along, to something hip, cool, rad, like dude, like whatever-the-word-is-today to sound "with it." Gag me with a spoon.

 

Did I date myself enough with this rant? :lol:

 

Yes. Add 15 or 20 years and you have my reaction :D

 

Bill

[Lovedtodeath]

Yes. Add 15 or 20 years and you have my reaction :D

 

Bill

:lol: :lol:

[Audrey]

Honestly? I stopped caring what the public schools were doing a long time ago.

 

If they think it will save money, they're wrong. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts the textbook companies will charge through the roof for licencing fees and updates. They'll either have to pay up or lose access, then.

 

No matter. It's a big :001_rolleyes:whatever:001_rolleyes: issue to me.

[Lovedtodeath]

Honestly? I stopped caring what the public schools were doing a long time ago.

 

If they think it will save money, they're wrong. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts the textbook companies will charge through the roof for licencing fees and updates. They'll either have to pay up or lose access, then.

 

No matter. It's a big :001_rolleyes:whatever:001_rolleyes: issue to me.

I care when they start using my tax dollars for it, and I get nothing in return.

[Audrey]

I care when they start using my tax dollars for it, and I get nothing in return.

 

 

Nope. Still doesn't bother me. That's a red herring argument anyway. Everybody pays taxes. That's life. And no one gets to pick what their taxes go towards, either.

 

Most places I can think of, if you pay property taxes, you're paying education taxes. There are plenty of people paying into the education system who get nothing in return. (Think seniors, childless people, for ex.)

 

And I would argue that even if you did send your kids to ps, chances are you'd still get nothing in return.

[Lovedtodeath]

Nope. Still doesn't bother me. That's a red herring argument anyway. Everybody pays taxes. That's life. And no one gets to pick what their taxes go towards, either.

 

Most places I can think of, if you pay property taxes, you're paying education taxes. There are plenty of people paying into the education system who get nothing in return. (Think seniors, childless people, for ex.)

 

And I would argue that even if you did send your kids to ps, chances are you'd still get nothing in return.

:lol: You've got good points there.

[Audrey]

But.....what about socialization????? :tongue_smilie:

 

 

I'll come around every once in a while to steal their lunch money, pass around nasty notes about them, and give wedgies or pants them randomly. Or hire some drop-outs to do it. Problem solved.

Edited June 11, 2009 by Audrey

[elegantlion]

I have just one question to the Gubenator:

At exactly what date and time does Skynet become self aware?

 

Funniest thing I've read all day!!!

 

I'm already signed up with the resistance...:lol::lol::lol:

[Wildiris]

I'm sure this post will be buried amid the others, but it is sooooo shameful to be a Californian.

 

With school choice becoming more privatized and falling under the control of business interests via $$, regular school hopelessly under-funded and failing to meet the needs of students in a rapidly changing global society and an economy floundering, how do we Californians define what it means to be educated?

 

To take money away from those who will suffer the most be they the children, the indigent, and the old will cost a lot more in the long run than if taxes were raised on pre-proposition 13 property. Talk about an inequitable system. My property tax rate is higher than Disney Land's.