Comments on: Karl Marx and SIM????? http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/ A Book Discussion Group Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:14:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: Odessa Wood http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-104 Sat, 25 Nov 2006 04:01:55 +0000 http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-104 I am entering this conversation late. I hope people are still responding to it. I coached girls sports, and I have taught physical education;therefore, when one says "leveling the playing field" has a specific meaning. I can remember when I introduced lacrosse in my physical education classes in middle school. I loved it because the "field was flattened." No on in the class had ever played the game. Though it uses has basic rules that are similar to other field sports, the equipment and skills involved to play do not correlate to other field sports. I witnessed students shine in this sport who were mere spectators in others. I saw athletes frustrated because they were reduced to a beginner's status inspite of all of their athletic ability. A level playing field allows those to shine who have not in the past. I do not believe that all students are meant to be college bound. I do believe that all students have a right to the best education available. The educational community can be likened to that athlete who is comfortable in the conventional sports. Being forced out of a comfort zone can be humbling, challenging, and enlightening, but I believe that in the long run education will benifit from it. I am entering this conversation late. I hope people are still responding to it.

I coached girls sports, and I have taught physical education;therefore, when one says “leveling the playing field” has a specific meaning. I can remember when I introduced lacrosse in my physical education classes in middle school. I loved it because the “field was flattened.” No on in the class had ever played the game. Though it uses has basic rules that are similar to other field sports, the equipment and skills involved to play do not correlate to other field sports. I witnessed students shine in this sport who were mere spectators in others. I saw athletes frustrated because they were reduced to a beginner’s status inspite of all of their athletic ability.

A level playing field allows those to shine who have not in the past. I do not believe that all students are meant to be college bound. I do believe that all students have a right to the best education available. The educational community can be likened to that athlete who is comfortable in the conventional sports. Being forced out of a comfort zone can be humbling, challenging, and enlightening, but I believe that in the long run education will benifit from it.

]]> by: Mabel Norton http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-44 Sun, 22 Oct 2006 20:41:30 +0000 http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-44 Hi fellow readers, I am participating in this virtual book club as my Professional Learning Plan goal for this school year. Had I known that the first book was so long before I ordered it, I probably would have quit. Instead, I decided to listen to the book on CD as I drive the 2 hours back and forth to work. While I know that I am missing some of it, I am amazed at what I am learning. The content of this text is way over my head, so my reflections are random. One is that I used to tell my students that if they didn't get a good education, they would be digging ditches. No more. Now there are plenty of immigrants from Latin American countries to do that work. As I reflected on the influence of technology on our world, I wondered about virtual schools. The next day I received my daily bulletin from ASCD with an article about a virtual school in Colorado that is serving students who are hard to reach. Wow. I am impressed all the more with SIM as I consider the importance of teaching students how to learn and how to work in collaboration with one another. I only wish I could convince my colleagues of the need to teach children these skills. The obsession with testing and teaching content is another example of how out of touch many are with the "flat world." I think that the need for teachers may decline in the future because students will be able to learn content via computers. However, the need for teachers who can do more than teach content may increase. Maybe we will also move away from the idea that all students should receive an equal education toward providing an appropriate education for all and at an earlier age. I am a middle school teacher (special ed) and in our efforts to level the playing field for all, we are denying many the opportunity to make choices that are more appropriate for them. This applies to kids across the entire spectrum--not just kids with special needs. I hope these comments are appropriate reflections for this forum. Thanks for reading. Mabel Hi fellow readers,
I am participating in this virtual book club as my Professional Learning Plan goal for this school year. Had I known that the first book was so long before I ordered it, I probably would have quit. Instead, I decided to listen to the book on CD as I drive the 2 hours back and forth to work. While I know that I am missing some of it, I am amazed at what I am learning.
The content of this text is way over my head, so my reflections are random. One is that I used to tell my students that if they didn’t get a good education, they would be digging ditches. No more. Now there are plenty of immigrants from Latin American countries to do that work. As I reflected on the influence of technology on our world, I wondered about virtual schools. The next day I received my daily bulletin from ASCD with an article about a virtual school in Colorado that is serving students who are hard to reach. Wow.
I am impressed all the more with SIM as I consider the importance of teaching students how to learn and how to work in collaboration with one another. I only wish I could convince my colleagues of the need to teach children these skills. The obsession with testing and teaching content is another example of how out of touch many are with the “flat world.”
I think that the need for teachers may decline in the future because students will be able to learn content via computers. However, the need for teachers who can do more than teach content may increase.
Maybe we will also move away from the idea that all students should receive an equal education toward providing an appropriate education for all and at an earlier age. I am a middle school teacher (special ed) and in our efforts to level the playing field for all, we are denying many the opportunity to make choices that are more appropriate for them. This applies to kids across the entire spectrum–not just kids with special needs.
I hope these comments are appropriate reflections for this forum. Thanks for reading.
Mabel

]]> by: Mandy Horton http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-29 Mon, 02 Oct 2006 03:30:16 +0000 http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-29 Dear Sue, I totally agree with you! I would like to see all the SIM materials made virtual for projection and manipulation on various computer and SMARTBoard type technologies for classrooms and virtual classrooms. I have other ideas along these lines related to the other part of my reading instruction, too. If technology is the great equalizer for our students' educational access and achievement, then transforming SIM into virtual venues makes sense. Mandy Dear Sue,

I totally agree with you! I would like to see all the SIM materials made virtual for projection and manipulation on various computer and SMARTBoard type technologies for classrooms and virtual classrooms.

I have other ideas along these lines related to the other part of my reading instruction, too.

If technology is the great equalizer for our students’ educational access and achievement, then transforming SIM into virtual venues makes sense.

Mandy

]]> by: Sue http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-28 Sat, 30 Sep 2006 23:29:15 +0000 http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-28 I had an interesting conversation with some teachers this past week when I was in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I was working with them on writing strategies, and there were several upper elementary teachers present. There was a technology teacher there as well. Part of our conversation was about kids handwriting and how poor it is. The middle school teachers there talked about kids\' handwriting as well, and how poor it is. Most schools have access to computer labs nowadays, so editing and rewriting is much easier than it once was. The teachers said that the amount of time being spent on printing first and then cursive writing later has really faded away. Much less time is devoted to writing because of the increasing content demands. Most elementary schools have writing labs as well. Is this something we should be cutting or something we should be worried about? There was no clear agreement or consensus on this idea from the teachers in the room. I believe that it is more and more important for people to communicate digitally, so I would vote for more of our writing to be taught using technology. I have concerns about schools in some of the urban districts where I have been recently. In some of those schools, the teacher doesn\'t even have access to their own computer. There are many elementary schools in more depressed districts that don\'t have working computer labs for their students. These children are not having opportunities for writing using a word processor. Our SIM writing strategies are set up to be written worksheets. I think I would continue to have those available, but I would love to see the writing strategies come in an electronic format so they could be practiced online. We have to have materials that respond to this electronic format. Sue Woodruff I had an interesting conversation with some teachers this past week when I was in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I was working with them on writing strategies, and there were several upper elementary teachers present. There was a technology teacher there as well. Part of our conversation was about kids handwriting and how poor it is. The middle school teachers there talked about kids\’ handwriting as well, and how poor it is. Most schools have access to computer labs nowadays, so editing and rewriting is much easier than it once was. The teachers said that the amount of time being spent on printing first and then cursive writing later has really faded away. Much less time is devoted to writing because of the increasing content demands. Most elementary schools have writing labs as well. Is this something we should be cutting or something we should be worried about? There was no clear agreement or consensus on this idea from the teachers in the room. I believe that it is more and more important for people to communicate digitally, so I would vote for more of our writing to be taught using technology.

I have concerns about schools in some of the urban districts where I have been recently. In some of those schools, the teacher doesn\’t even have access to their own computer. There are many elementary schools in more depressed districts that don\’t have working computer labs for their students. These children are not having opportunities for writing using a word processor.

Our SIM writing strategies are set up to be written worksheets. I think I would continue to have those available, but I would love to see the writing strategies come in an electronic format so they could be practiced online. We have to have materials that respond to this electronic format.

Sue Woodruff

]]> by: Patty Brus http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-26 Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:05:31 +0000 http://stratereaders.kucrl.org/2006/09/28/karl-marx-and-sim/#comment-26 what to keep ... the personal touch. Education is a people business. what to loose ... any repetitive, redundant task that we can gratefully delegate to a machine (the computer) what to emphasis ... personal, one-to-one time with students. They live in a noisy world where no one stops to listen to them; they barely have time to listen to themselves think through a problem. ( great book - David Elkind, The Quiet Child) Instead of another program, or another specialist, there are students who benefit by a kind, caring person simply listening to their thoughts. Don't our students just need time to mature? We can help them with thinking strategies and mastery routines. They need time to digest them and opportunities to apply them. They need support during the application phase of real people who listen and care. We can't outsource that to machine. what to keep … the personal touch. Education is a people business.
what to loose … any repetitive, redundant task that we can gratefully
delegate to a machine (the computer)

what to emphasis … personal, one-to-one time with students.
They live in a noisy world where no one stops to listen to them;
they barely have time to listen to themselves think through a problem.
( great book - David Elkind, The Quiet Child) Instead of another program, or another
specialist, there are students who benefit by a kind, caring person simply
listening to their thoughts.

Don’t our students just need time to mature? We can help them with thinking
strategies and mastery routines. They need time to digest them and opportunities to
apply them. They need support during the application phase of real people who listen and care. We can’t outsource that to machine.

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