Create On-line Content Easily, Quickly and Painlessly

Here's some fun ideas to try with students (or to try at home). I liked the talking otter. . .Check out Larry's list here:

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/02/09/the-best-ways-for-students-and-anyone-else-to-create-online-content-easily-quickly-painlessly/

New Blogs

A couple of new blogs have been posted on our blog. . .They have received awards for best edublogs. .

Check them out:

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

http://langwitches.org/blog/

2010 - Best List for English Language Learners

This is a great resource!

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2010/11/23/the-best-the-best-lists-for-english-language-learners-2010/

THE POWER OF ONE!!

Like the author of this article, I started out (in high school) not speaking English. Over the years, I've had many great teachers, but it often came down to the ONE who saw what no one else saw in me and believed that I could accomplish more than was expected of me. Each ONE nurtured and encouraged me, showing me ...that I could reach my goals and dream much bigger. Each degree, each triumph is due to ONE teacher who, by words or actions, said "Go for it!".

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-lam-teacher-20101017,0,3854065.story

Drop the High School Exit Exam??

GO, Krashen, GO!!!

In a letter sent to the Long Beach Star Telegram, October
11, 2010, Dr. Krashen again states: "

There is no scientific evidence showing that increasing testing
increases student learning." As an educator with 40 years of experience, I can attest to that!

Dr. Krashen also touches on the issue of the ever-shrinking budget and suggests a way of reducing our deficit by 5% per year:

"All we have to do is drop the high school exit
exam: According to analyst Jo Ann Behm, the exit exam costs the state about
$600 million per year. Studies of high school exit exams show that they are useless:
They do not lead to higher employment, higher earnings, or improved academic
achievement. In fact, researchers have yet to discover any benefits of having a
high school exit exam."


While we're looking for that non-existing money for our schools, how about cutting some of that useless fat??

Newly Added Websites

Check out the new websites just recently posted to our blog. There are some great second language acquisition resources, as well as, GLAD strategies resources.

Also, check out the new website for L&M Educational Consulting. It's still under construction, but our contact information is there.

Thanks!

Turning Schools Into Robot Factories

Just this year, my school-loving 8 year old doesn't want to go anymore. "It is boring", she says. It's a lot of work. So. . . .I am beginning to wonder if pacing-guides have replaced inspiration and creativity in her third grade classroom. I even had a discussion today with my hard-working high school sophomore who thinks that her younger sister has "too much homework." I reminded her that there is a tremendous amount of pressure on teachers to cover 22 years of standards in 12 years so they keep stapling more math problems, grammar practice and reading logs together to send home.

I am not sure that more homework at third grade is the answer. What about discovery and imagination?

Check out this link to a thought-provoking article.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/elementary-school/-this-post-was-written.html

Value-added analysis

We've been following the debate of value-added analysis as a measure of teacher effectiveness. Can test scores really be an accurate measure of how well we teach? Where do the other "important" factors fall - poverty, literacy, access to books and materials, etc. - Teacher evaluation is too important and way more complicated than compiling a list of test scores for us to allow a once-a-year "event" dictate who is doing a good job in the classroom. I welcome accountability. All professionals should expect to be accountable for doing a good job. But is this the way to do it? Any thoughts?

Welcome!

Welcome to the L&M Educational Consulting blog.