Disqus - Latest Comments for bdleaf

Re: Information Constellation: Open Forum on Revised ACRL Info Lit Standards

bdleaf — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 23:32:18 -0000

Donna, great capture (did you use Storify?). I unfortunately was enable to attend either of the live forums, but this has been another valuable perspective. Your comments are definitely ones I tend to agree with.

Re: Oyster, the Netflix of books?

bdleaf — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 13:49:05 -0000

I call my "Netflix of books" the public library, and their ebooks/apps are free (well, I guess my taxes pay for it) on my smart devices.

Re: Information Constellation: MOOCing it up, #metaliteracy style

bdleaf — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 10:10:31 -0000

Hi, Donna! I found your blog through the feed, and I love the premise of your site. That whole authentic personal-professional integration is something I definitely try to strive for on my own. Looking forward to reading your posts for this course. (Also, completely agree with that graphic and your annotation. That is my constant problem!)

Re: Is Reading an Addiction?

bdleaf — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:15:27 -0000

I agree that there's a leap being made here, though I wouldn't necessarily make the essentialist argument. Aside from being biased toward modern Western society and evidencing mostly negative instances, literacy is conflated with use of modern communication technologies. The attack is not so much on the ability to read and write as much as it is on the methods that we're afforded.

Perhaps this goes hand in hand with the previous chapter that claims reading and writing aren't "good enough" and those insufficient activities lower the stature of literate person. But now I'm also no longer sure I grasp what the author means or how he defines literacy. If taken broadly as "visual language," then I would be tempted make the same argument as Harry Posner above. Or that it's indicative of a larger issue, but not one rooted in language.

But I'll keep reading on.

Re: Introduction

bdleaf — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:11:13 -0000

At first, I read "Literacy is a capability we privilege above all others" as "Literacy is a privilege." I caught myself before moving on, and then, almost ironically, the next paragraph of text discusses literacy as an imposition.

That was my initial reaction at least. I look forward to exploring and conversing as this thought experiment progresses.

Re: Computers Can Score Student Essays As Well As Humans, Study Finds

bdleaf — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:30:19 -0000

The problem is that it can be gamed. Computers can't assess on complexity of ideas. Use the right content-specific keywords and seemingly grammatical (but semantic nonsense) structures, and you'll probably get a good score. Assessment is ultimately a subjective practice. Back in the day, some people thought a test could determine your future occupation. Who's measuring?

While a set of human graders may be inconsistent, what they communicate to students through feedback and grades will probably be much more valuable. Fair treatment is not equal treatment--it's tending to a students' needs, and every student is different.

Re: In Ohio, Teaching is Still Largely Women’s Work

bdleaf — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:11:32 -0000

Aside from the lack of incentives or encouragement to enter the field, it's unfortunate that these boys won't have a diversity of male role models to help them through their struggle of identity in a world where gender roles aren't clear cut. Or worse, it's left to popular media to educate them.

Re: How Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee Would Work

bdleaf — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:54:17 -0000

If only there was some way to hold parents accountable (or provide incentives to parents) for their kids' reading skills too! The burden cannot solely be on the school. There needs to be programs that educate parents as well.

Re: Why Picking a Major is as Important as Enrolling in College

bdleaf — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:07:13 -0000

I think those last few quotes get at an important part of the issue: What is college for, anyway? Public schooling (K-12) was originally designed so that citizens would learn the skills they need to participate in a democratic society (be good citizens). As for college, it's been a long debate about whether it's to gain professional skills or to acquire a "liberal arts" education. I think the scale tips depending on the state of the economy.

It doesn't have to be one way or the other though. It's a balance. If you choose to get a liberal arts degree, learn hard skills while you're there too. Students (and parents) don't always realize the amount of resources that students have access to just by being enrolled and the opportunities to learn outside of their degree program. If you're an engineer, make sure you take challenging, non-technical courses as well. If you're a pop culture major, learn some programming and take math classes. Do what you like, but make yourself valuable. As an employer, I would want someone who was driven and had the foresight to pursue both sides of the equation.

Re: Daily Dashboard: Ohio University Student Ordered to Remove Hot Tub from Dorm Room

bdleaf — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:58:51 -0000

Re: Obama, GOP governors

"While Obama doesn't agree with all these actions, he and the governors have found common ground in a number of areas, including teacher evaluation systems with consequences, merit pay for teachers, holding teachers and schools more accountable for how much students learn, and charter schools, which are public schools run by an independent third party."

There's a saying among teaching & learning folks: "Teach what you grade, grade what you teach." One of many assumptions that these measures make (or at least this article doesn't address) is that current student assessment measures are sufficient for gauging learning. If those are inherently flawed, one may be rewarding teachers for the wrong type of behavior (e.g. teaching to the test instead of the learning, etc).

Even if that's not a problem, one also needs to examine the nature of teacher evaluation systems. What do they take into account? Given some teachers' already limited resources and time, is merit pay the right sort of incentive? What about those in low-income or low-status schools who already work 80-100 hours a week? The problems can't just be solved with money. At some point, the costs severely outweigh the benefits.

Whether it's a state mandate (or if you prefer, federal mandate), the way schools are structured and assessed is probably going to be more important than just having it there. People talk about "great teachers" making difference. Unless you are well-off or deal with small class sizes (and it differs significantly by subject too--being a P.E. teacher is different than being a math teacher), to name a few, being a "great teacher" is not a sustainable lifestyle.

Re: Alternative Schools Work to Educate At-Risk Students

bdleaf — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:14:07 -0000

There's no doubt in my mind that a great teacher can make a significant impact. The numbers speak for themselves. Unfortunately, the infrastructure of most schools and "mainstream" assessment don't allow for the type of one-on-one work that would improve learning or give at-risk students the attention they need. It goes far beyond training teachers to identify and treat.

Increased pay or training does not address the lack of school resources and time that teachers get to deal with these issues. Manage 120-150 students on not just an academic level, but emotional, psychological, and health issues. Grade papers knowing that despite several years' growth within a year, the student will still be labeled a failure because their growth doesn't matter as much as their performance on standardized assessment.

There aren't bugs in the system. It's the system itself that is flawed. I think alternative schools can be a solution, especially if they operate on more progressive models. But all they can really do is temporarily alleviate the workload, not fix the problem--not that I'm downplaying their value at all. We need to give our kids every chance.

In response to the other (guest) comment, socialization is a non-issue in my mind too. It sounds nice, but going to school doesn't ensure that your student is going to gain "normalized" social skills. And being home-schooled doesn't mean your child is going to be abnormal. Plus, there are other outlets like community groups as well as simple measures like supporting and interacting with your child. But if I had to choose, I think the long-term benefits of being successfully academically are a little more concrete.

Re: Your Guide to the GOP Presidential Hopefuls’ Views on Education

bdleaf — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:41:35 -0000

None of these candidates seem remotely qualified to speak about this. Anyone who has done semi-serious research knows that Brooks is pretty accurate with the brief expertise he lended to this article, but these politicians aren't even close to being to able to talk on that level of discourse, let alone the real issues in education.

Re: Blame Universities—Not Wall Street

bdleaf — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:21:09 -0000

I don't think it's just universities--it's education itself, which assumes a one-size-fits-all model for students moving through K-12 and rewards cultural assimilation instead of critical thought. College faculty lament the preparation of incoming students as much as employers complain about the unprepared college graduate. Reform is necessary at all levels, but the 'how' is complex. Where is that balance between a liberal arts education that fosters creativity and one that provides essential skills for the workplace? There was an interesting relevant conversation in the Chronicle of Higher Ed this past week that some may find interesting: http://bit.ly/os1c0h

Re: Teachers Work Fewer Hours than Other Professionals (And We’re Not Counting Summer Vacations)

bdleaf — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:22:20 -0000

There is a glaring error in this report: ATUS is a time-use survey, not a diary. It is a telephone interview in which respondents receive advance notice, and they are not required to do any pre-work (no diary!). Check out the ATUS FAQ.

Also, the two considerations expressed by Krantz-Kent are based on what data exactly? It seems to be a bit of a leap from the original data. The reporting here seems a little biased.

The headline is certainly attention-grabbing, but may do more harm than anything else. When drawing a conclusion, you don't rely on one or two studies or incomplete data. There aren't enough factors parsed out here (some have been echoed in the comments) that could potentially impact findings.This article isn't doing anyone justice, and the topic deserves a lot more coverage (and study, probably) than it's given.