News Stories #2

Plans to move exams online receives positive feedback
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10880715&ref=rss
Online lessons and exams are the future, but what to do about the easy access to information?  How to avoid cheating?   Suggestions:
1) Have exams at monitored sites with computers, community centers that allow colleges, universities, and other organizations to rent time, allowing the community to keep it up and use it for other projects during off times.
2) Video connection to observe students with a movable camera to look around the student for other monitors as well as an audio connection and a program that dominates (full screen) the computer while testing.
Regardless, start your children using these resources ASAP.

State Ed should pay attention to concerns about tests
http://www.buffalonews.com/20130429/State_Ed_should_pay_attention_to_concerns_about_tests.html
There are a lot of ways that administration and teachers min-max the testing process to give themselves the best scores.  When you see such abuses, it is the ethical thing to do to report it, if only for the sake of your child in that school.  If they are doing that, they are cutting ethical corners elsewhere.  You decide what kind of school you have by what you tolerate.

New Methods to Explore Astrocyte Effects On Brain Function
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130429164917.htm
Calcium - it's not just to "do a body good".
Your brain does depend on it.

Pop culture quiz: Educators use media trends in the classroom as teaching tools
http://www.lohud.com/viewart/BK/20130429/ENT/304290009/Pop-culture-quiz-Educators-use-media-trends-classroom-teaching-tools
All intelligence is based on connections.  Memory is based on strong connections with past events.  Creativity is the ability to connect two or more things normally not connected.  Using cultural references is an effective way to connect concepts for your students.   The more connections, the more powerful your child's mind works.

VolsTeach: A 'new direction for teaching math and science'
http://www.oakridger.com/article/20130429/NEWS/130429936/1001/NEWS?rssfeed=true
The future of education will focus on students learning to: "observe, experience, record, compare and evaluate,", while trimming unnecessary memorization.  Our children have access to huge amounts of data at the touch of their fingertips.  There is one concern I have.
As our memorization skills drop due to lack of use, how do we effectively connect concepts we aren't able to hold in our heads?  What about when or if we lose all that electronically stored data?  Do not sacrifice memorization as a skill - make it an essential, even as the topic for memorization changes.

Englewood teacher surprised with Golden Apple Award
http://cltv.com/2013/04/29/englewood-teacher-surprised-with-golden-apple-award/#axzz2RyuIz0pq
Just a thought: In the four decades as a classroom educator I never saw the huge list of educational techniques and ideas of "teachers of the year" individuals from my school, my district, my county, my state, my country. 
Why not?  Why aren't we collecting all of these into a single location for teachers to use?

Add your own thoughts.
Keep the dialogue on education going.

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