Letter to the NYS Board of Regents

"Excelsior: Ever Upward" -Motto of the State of New York

Chancellor Bennett, Regent Cohen, Dr. Sullivan, and members of the Regents Steering Committee,

As you stated in your March 19 news release, the revision of New York State Learning Standards is "critically important...Meeting the standards should ensure that students are prepared for college, work and citizenship. " You have requested recommendations from a variety of stakeholders, including educators.

I am a certified School Library Media Specialist and have taught in New York for more than 20 years. My concern is that our students are not acquiring the technical skills necessary for success in school, work, and daily living in the 21st century.

Many districts struggle with budget deficits and classroom teachers work tirelessly to prepare children for mandated testing. There is little time or money for curricular add-ons. However, technology should not be an add-on; it is most beneficial when embedded in all curricula and accessible to every learner.

Unless our standards endorse necessary communication and collaboration tools, like student email accounts, blogs, wikis, and podcasts, individual districts will continue to block them and teachers will have little incentive to pursue professional development training in these areas.

Your recommendations will affect education in the State of New York for a decade or more. We need to ensure that the final product will be as comprehensive as possible. Please give our students the tools they need to acquire, manipulate, create and communicate information.

In addition to mailing my comments to the Steering Committee, I am posting this message on my blog to encourage others to enter into this dialog about our state Standards.

Thank you for offering us this opportunity to work for change.


Comments and recommendations to the Regents Steering Committee for Standards Review may be sent to: emscocis@mail.nysed.gov

The Extension of a Man's Hand

"A tool is but the extension of a man's hand, and a machine is but a complex tool. And he that invents a machine augments the power of a man and the well-being of mankind." -Henry Ward Beecher

English teacher Patrick Welsh has written a controversial editorial for the Washington Post which blames low staff morale and wasted class time on, of all things, too many "gizmos." The offending gadgets are LCD projectors, "exotic computer gadgets" (hand-held computers) and similar technology tools: items that most school districts would dearly love to possess.

Welsh bemoans the banishment of overhead projectors and suggests that the portable school pads are used solely by teachers who are "too lazy to write on the board." He assumes that Internet access is problematic and students are so bored that they play endless games on the laptops their district provides.

There is no simple answer to the issues that seem to be afflicting T.C. Williams High School. But there are a number of questions that might be raised:

• what professional development was provided for staff members in preparation for moving into such a high-tech facility?
• is there adequate technology support for hardware, software, and network issues?
• do teachers have access to an educational technologist who will help them integrate technology into their curriculum?
• are students so bored & disconnected because of network & filtering issues, because of poorly constructed lesson plans, or due to lack of necessary computer skills?
• WHY WAS THIS FACILITY CONSTRUCTED IN SUCH A FASHION WITHOUT INCLUDING ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PLANNING?

Tools change but the need to facilitate learning remains constant. It is possible to educate students without high-tech "gizmos" but when they are available, it is foolish and irresponsible not to utilize them.

Why don't the administration, faculty, and students in Alexandria realize this?

"We might hypothetically possess ourselves of every technological resource on the North American continent, but as long as our language is inadequate, our vision remains formless, our thinking and feeling are still running in the old cycles, our process may be revolutionary but not transformative." -Adrienne Rich




"Workbench" by russell.bride

A Barge Made of Ice

"If you're on thin ice, you might as well dance." –Unknown

For the second time this week, my school district has closed because of icy roads and unsafe weather conditions. So before the power lines come down and my computer winks off, I'd like to share a few random thoughts inspired by ice.

"When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty." -Samuel Ullman

Lifelong learning is a necessary choice in the 21st century, where technology, education, business, and society are in a constant state of flux. New tools offer the unexpected option to interact as an equal with virtual colleagues from all demographics without encountering prejudgment based on age or appearance. Only the vigor of your words reflects your "age".

Last night Carolyn Foote, Clay Burell, and I exchanged lines from favorite poems via Twitter. Scott Schwister has invented a new poetic form, Twitku, to fit the compressed yet eloquent Twitter format.

Long before any of us were born, Samuel Ullman retired from a successful business career and reflected on a lifetime of fearless activism in his poem, "Youth". An early 20th century man with a 21st century mindset, Ullman inspired both General Douglas MacArthur, during WWII, and the Japanese citizens struggling to rebuild their lives and country after that same war:

"Whether seventy or sixteen, there is in every being’s heart a love of wonder;
the sweet amazement at the stars and starlike things and thoughts;
the undaunted challenge of events,
the unfailing childlike appetite for what comes next,
and the joy in the game of life.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt;
as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear,
as young as your hope, as old as your despair."

"When I go out on the ice, I just think about my skating. I forget it is a competition."
-Katarina Witt

Although the drive to succeed is often a powerful motivator, the collaborative spirit is a vital component of the new millennium. A teacher in Maryland can set up an online resource for teachers, be actively promoted by a virtual colleague in another state and gather contributers from around the world. Information is freely shared, credit is given where due, and everyone benefits. A successful workshop or conference conducted by one member of the community is praised and endorsed by all. New voices are encouraged, invited to step into, even usurp, the spotlight. Everyone shares, everyone benefits. We are focused on the "ice" (educational outcome) rather than the competition.


"My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate -- that's my philosophy." -Thornton Wilder

Ice in its domesticated incarnation is ice cream. While it's impossible to live entirely in the moment, an occasional stop to smell the roses, or eat the ice cream, is not only permissable but mandatory for good mental health.


So today I will do a little work, enjoy some "fun books", catch up on Reader and Twitter, and eat some ice cream.

“We are afloat
On our dreams as on a barge made of ice,
Shot through with questions and fissures of starlight
That keep us awake, thinking about the dreams
As they are happening. Some occurrence. You said it.” -John Ashbery

"c-c-c-chilly" by time stands still

The Becoming of a Person

"Only passions, great passions can elevate the soul to great things." -Denis Diderot

"According to a preview of unpublished research on the online activities of higher education institutions, a significant percentage of colleges and universities sometimes dig into would-be undergraduates’ social-networking profiles." -Scott J. Crech, Online Profiles a Factor in College Admissions, Education Week Online

As students become more comfortable with creating and sharing online content, colleges and prospective employers are beginning to utilize this information for assessment and decision-making.

Young adults who have been taught the essentials of responsible digital citizenship and cyber safety will take care to only post appropriate text, photos, audio, and video clips. This remains the prudent course to follow when constructing an online persona.

But such a deliberate orchestration might exclude one key element: passion.

Vinnie Vrotney's latest posting explains the reasons why blogging is an important means to explore and share personal passions.

"We blog so that we can share and allow others the chance to know who we are, what we are passionate about, and what we think. We build up the currency of thoughts and ideas which is becoming more valuable in this information age that we are living. We are establishing our portfolio to share with the world."

Colleges and businesses must look deeper than Facebook or MySpace to discover and evaluate an applicant's passion for an activity, an avocation, or a cause. And young people should recognize blogging as an opportunity to establish themselves as a unique presence in the world.

The contributing staff of Students 2.0 understands the joy and passion of blogging. Surely their individual and collaborative blogs will serve as impressive selling points in their educational and professional futures. Other students would be well advised to follow their lead.

"What is passion? It is surely the becoming of a person. Are we not, for most of our lives, marking time? Most of our being is at rest, unlived. In passion, the body and the spirit seek expression outside of self." -John Boorman

"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark." -Henri Frederic Amiel


"Laptop desks in the computer science building" by maebmij

Everything I Need to Know About 21st Century Skills I Learned from Tina Turner

"What do we do with our lives
We leave only a mark
Will our story shine like a life
Or end in the dark
Give it all or nothing"
-Tina Turner, We Don't Need Another Hero



Be Flexible in a Changing Environment/Never Be Afraid to Re-invent Yourself
Tina Turner is a singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. After her professional and personal life hit rock bottom, Ms. Turner engineered a stunning solo comeback to achieve international stardom.

Have a Global Outlook
While her career languished in the States, Tina Turner continued to sell out venues in Europe and other parts of the world. She has become the "face" of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand.

Collaborate
Although she now limits solo appearances, Tina Turner has teamed up with various musicians (Phil Collins, Herbie Hancock, Santana) on recordings and contributed her voice to numerous charity concerts.

Be a Lifelong Learner
Tina Turner has risen from poverty to spectacular success by intelligently assessing her options, studying her chosen field and carefully orchestrating her career moves.



"Tina Turner" by Rob!