iPads replacing note pads as Asian schools go high-tech (AFP)

SINGAPORE (AFP) – Apple's iPad and other tablet computers are replacing traditional note pads in some Asian schools and making the lives of thousands of students a whole lot easier.

Soon pupils could be reading on their tablets about a quaint old communication device called "paper", especially in Asia's advanced economies where many schools are racing towards a paperless classroom.

The slim glass slabs slip easily into a bag and can store thousands of textbooks, making a fat school bag full of heavy books, pens and notepads a thing of the past.

"I like the iPad because it is portable and we do not have to carry so many bags and files around," said 13-year-old Nicole Ong, who now makes notes on her iPad during class at Nanyang Girls' High School in Singapore.

A sample group of more than 120 students and 16 teachers at the school have been given iPads, at a cost of over $100,000. By 2013, every student in the school will have one.

The number of software applications -- or apps -- that can be used for educational purposes on tablet computers is set to explode.

It's a brand new business that even media mogul Rupert Murdoch has identified as an area of huge potential growth.

Murdoch said his News Corp group is to push into the education technology market in a speech to the e-G8 conference of Internet entrepreneurs and European policymakers in Paris last month.

He described education as the "last holdout from the digital revolution" and outlined a vision for personalised learning with lessons delivered by the world?s best teachers to thousands of students via the Internet.

"Today?s classroom looks almost exactly the same as it did in the Victorian age," Murdoch added.

But many Asian schools are already way ahead of the game.

"No longer is language learning solely based on the teacher commenting on students' works -- classmates can feedback on one another," said Seah Hui Yong, curriculum dean of Nanyang.

Rene Yeo, head of the information technology department at Tampines Secondary School, also in Singapore, teaches science with his iPad. His students learn factorisation by simply moving the numbers around on the screen.

They also read about animal cells and the human brain structure by clicking on the various parts. And tablet computers make the double helix structure of a human DNA practically come to life before a student's eyes.

There are apps to learn English and maths, pupils can do cause and effect analysis on iBrainstorm, prepare for oral exams and speeches with AudioNote and even strum the guitar for a music lesson on GarageBand.

The rise of classroom technology will mirror its rise throughout society, says Sam Han, a US-based expert on the role of technology in education.

Han, instructional technology fellow at the Macaulay Honors College, City University of New York, said he expects some Asian countries to leapfrog the West.

"While the Internet was birthed in the US, Singapore and South Korea (for example) boast far greater broadband Internet access penetration and infrastructure than the US," he said.

Japan's communications ministry has given tablets to more than 3,000 under-12 pupils at 10 elementary schools and even fitted classrooms with interactive electronic blackboards under the so-called "future school" pilot project.

In South Korea, where schools have WiFi zones, the education ministry has been testing 'digital textbooks' in some schools since 2007. In 2012, the ministry says it will decide whether to supply tablets to schools nationwide.

Singapore has a hugely competitive education system known for its high level of science and mathematics instruction. The education ministry provides a grant for schools to buy this kind of equipment, as well as software and services.

Many schools already have WiFi, making it easy for students to connect to the Internet.

But some teachers acknowledged there are students who get distracted by playing games or surfing Facebook and other social media sites like Twitter.

Education psychologist Qiu Lin cautioned against schools getting carried away and promoting the blind use of technological devices, and neglecting the real goals of education.

"The trend of integrating technology into education will definitely increase," said the assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University, which is separate from the high school.

"But after one month when the novelty of iPads wears down, a good curriculum and teaching materials that can increase deep thinking and problem solving in students need to be in place."

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

NAACP, parents and activists at odds over Harlem charter schools

The NAACP and a New York City teachers' union are trying to stop 22 school closuresThe groups want to stop the expansion or co-location of 20 charter schools An NAACP official says the plan unfairly favors charters at the expense of regular schools But some, like activist Geoffrey Canada, say more charter schools are needed

(CNN) -- For decades, Harlem has been a hub of African-American culture and the NAACP. But this month, the issue of charter schools has turned the New York City neighborhood into a battleground between activists and the 101-year-old civil rights organization.

The strain was as clear as the signs and chants during a rally Thursday in Harlem -- "NAACP, Don't Divide Us, Unite Us!"

About 4% of New York City's roughly 1 million students currently attend charter schools -- which are paid with public funds but typically have different mandates, approaches and staffing arrangements that traditional schools. Another 50,000 students are on waiting lists.

A proposal to expand access to charter schools and allow charters to co-locate -- or be based in the same building -- as regular schools has turned some traditional allies against each other.

The rift accelerated in May, when the NAACP and the United Federation of Teachers -- a union of 200,000 New York City teachers and school staff -- filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court. Besides asking to stop 22 school closings, the lawsuit urged halting the plan to expand or co-locate 20 charter schools.

On its website, the teachers' union calls the initiative illegal and claims it would give "charter school students more access to school facilities, including libraries, auditoriums and lunchrooms, than students in the public schools that would share the buildings."

While a teachers union opposing charter schools is hardly unprecedented, leaders of the local NAACP said they decided to step in and support the lawsuit in order to best ensure a level playing field for all New York City students.

Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP's New York chapter, said the group is fighting for equal education for all -- similar to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on Brown v. Board of Education, which mandated equal education regardless of race.

"The facilities should be in good condition on both sides," said Dukes. "There should not be a 10 o'clock lunch hour and a 12 o'clock lunch hour. There should be one 12 o'clock lunch hour."

Yet Geoffrey Canada, a nationally renowned educator who is the president and CEO of Harlem Children's Zone, thinks more charter schools in New York City are the solution -- not the problem. That's why he joined parents Thursday calling for the NAACP and teachers' union to drop the lawsuit, or at least the part pertaining to charter schools.

Aisha Moore, who attended the rally, said the NAACP's stance is counterproductive if its goal is to support the rejuvenation of New York City schools.

"The NAACP has always backed minorities and African-Americans, so it's just surprising they're moving against us now," she said. "It's like moving backwards, when we should be pushing forward."

Keona Moore, a single parent whose daughter attends a charter school, said that the trickle-down effect of closing schools and limiting options could be devastating.

"I'm not going to put her in a failing public school," Moore said.

Zakiyah Ansari said that's where the efforts should be focused: on making sure no existing public schools are failing, not to create more charter schools at the expense of traditional ones. The mother of eight insisted that those rallying in Harlem on Thursday and those behind the lawsuit -- like herself -- have more in common than they might think.

"Now we're engaged with parents and having them come out in busloads to fight against other parents fighting for the same thing -- the right for a quality education," said Ansari, an organizer with the Alliance for Quality Education. "We're not asking for more."

CNN

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Three high schools vie for Obama for commencement

Announcement will be made Monday on which school has won the challengeMemphis high school's graduation rate has risen from 55% to 82%High Tech High in San Diego touts creative learningAll seniors at school in Washington state have been accepted to college this year

Washington (CNN) -- Three academically competitive high schools from different areas of the country are competing for a lofty prize: an appearance and a speech from President Barack Obama at their spring commencement ceremony.

Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Tennessee, is in an inner city school with high teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS rates and a history of violence. But the school's graduation rate has risen from 55% to 82% in the past four years.

Bridgeport High School in a rural district of Washington state is 90% Hispanic, and the majority of the students are the first to graduate high school. With a graduation rate of 100%, this year's crop of seniors have been accepted to college.

High Tech High School in San Diego, with a graduation rate of 99%, is not so much a technology school as its name implies. It's a place that pushes its students to think creatively and to understand and solve problems without the use of textbooks.

One of the three schools will learn Monday that they won the right to hear the commander-in-chief deliver a commencement speech at their graduation.

Many more U.S. schools initially applied for the distinction, but the academic rigor, high graduation rates and college expectations of these three institutions made them finalists in the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge. For the competition, public schools through essays, statistics and videos showed how they promote college and career readiness, and increased student achievement for their students. The public voted online to narrow the six semi-finalists to the top three. It's up to the White House to make the final decision. The contest is sponsored by the White House, Viacom and the Get Schooled Foundation.

"It was humbling to have hundreds of extraordinary schools apply to the challenge, and knowing how hard they work every day to serve their students and communities makes the president's decision of choosing just one very tough," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

"Even though they live in the poorest zip code in the city, the educational outcomes that they are producing are among the highest in the city," Memphis Schools Superintendent Kriner Cash said of the Booker T. Washington students.

The inner-city school has a student body that is 100% African-American with 98% of their students eligible for free or reduced lunch.

They had a "culture of failure" according to Cash.

Then three years ago, the school system adopted a menu of reforms that the Memphis high schools could implement to address that problem.

The principal at Booker T. Washington liberally enacted many of the suggestions including gender-based classes for freshmen; assigning the best teachers in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science; and increasing the number of Advanced Placement courses offered to the students.

AP courses are considered a good way to prepare students for the rigor of college.

The school now has the lowest number of serious violence incidents, and the highest attendance rate of all of the Memphis high schools.

As for winning the Commencement Challenge, "it would mean so much to the students," said Cash. "Just to get up sometimes and come to school with what they face the night before or the day before, you and I couldn't do it."

The town of Bridgeport sits on the Columbia River in rural Washington State. Its main industry is agriculture, specifically apples and cherries.

The closest college is Wenatchee Valley Community College 80 miles away, making it difficult for the student to conceptualize going to college, according to Principal Tamra Jackson.

In 2003, Bridgeport High School offered only one college-level course in English. Now, they have 16 courses that students can take to earn college credit.

Jackson said that the school system upped the offerings by taking teachers who already had master's degrees -- which are generally required for college teaching.

It sent them to Wenatchee Valley Community College to get certified to teach colleges courses at the high school.

It brought the teachers back to Bridgeport and started offering the college-credit courses to the students.

This year, all of the students in the senior class have applied and been accepted to college and many are starting out with college credits already under their belts.

The school now has a "college-going philosophy," according to Jackson. "You aren't cool if you aren't taking at least one AP or college course," she said.

High Tech High School in San Diego doesn't have the high poverty or rural issues that the other two finalists face. They instead point to their innovative approach to learning that pushes students to think for themselves.

"We don't have the traditional high school textbooks, but our students do read a lot," said Dean of Students Melissa Agudelo. Students are pushed to read up-to-date information on their area of study from a variety of sources.

"We don't want our students to read just one viewpoint out of a textbook, we want them to be critical. Being confident enough to be critical is what creates in kids the willingness to be original and innovate," said Agudelo.

She admits that all three of the finalists in the Commencement Challenge appear to be excellent schools, but if Obama is looking for a school that is pushing innovation to keep the U.S. competitive in the 21st century, then High Tech High School does it best.

Senior Rishika Daryanani, who co-chaired the school's initial application, said she is ecstatic that High Tech made it this far in the competition and she can't wait to see if they win. If they do, she said she thinks she will cry.

Back in Washington State, Bridgeport Principal Jackson is excited but a little wary. The Bridgeport students have AP testing scheduled for Monday, so they will need to focus on their school work while emotionally dealing with either their win or loss in the Commencement Challenge.

CNN

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

California Senate Bill Mandates Gay History in Schools

Associated Press

Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people would be added to the lengthy list of social and ethnic groups that public schools must include in social studies lessons under a landmark bill passed Thursday by the California Senate.

If the bill is adopted by the state Assembly and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, California would become the first state to require the teaching of gay history.

Supporters say the move is needed to counter anti-gay stereotypes and beliefs that make children in those groups vulnerable to bullying and suicide.

Opponents counter that such instruction would further burden an already crowded curriculum and expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable.

The legislation, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco, passed on a 23-14 party line vote. It also would add disabled people to the curriculum.

The bill gives school districts flexibility in deciding what to include in the lessons and at what grades students would receive them.

But starting in the 2013-14 school year, it would prohibit districts and the California Board of Education from using textbooks or other instructional materials that reflect adversely on gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

Appealing to colleagues for support, Leno said gay children still struggle routinely with verbal and physical abuse at school, even though society is more accepting than when he was a gay youth in the 1960s.

"We are second-class citizens and children are listening," he said. "When they see their teachers don't step up to the plate when their classmate is being harassed literally to death, they are listening and they get the message that there is something wrong with those people."

Republican Sen. Doug La Malfa of Butte opposed the bill.

"I'm deeply troubled kids would have to contemplate at a very, very early age, when many of us are teaching abstinence ... what is sexuality," he said.

California law already requires schools to cover the contributions to the state and nation of women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, entrepreneurs, Asian Americans, European Americans, American Indians and labor.

Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet View ArticleLeave a CommentSort: NewestSort: Oldest Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. You must login to comment.

View Article

View All Comments

Latest Politics VideosMore »

View the Original article

NYC schools chancellor steps down after 3-month stint

Cathie Black is leaving her post amid a string of recent resignations by high-level city officials. STORY HIGHLIGHTSCathie Black leaves as New York City schools chancellor after three monthsDuring short stint, Black oversaw the nation's largest school systemDeputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott will replace Black, Mayor Michael Bloomberg saysRELATED TOPICSNew York CityNew York City Department of EducationCathie Black New York (CNN) -- Cathie Black, the publishing executive turned New York City schools chancellor, is stepping down after three months in office, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters Thursday.

"This has not worked out as either of us has hoped or expected," Bloomberg said.

Once dubbed the "First Lady of American Magazines," Black was appointed the city's first female schools chancellor, but was criticized by opponents who were skeptical that her business acumen would translate into effective public leadership.

In her short stint, she oversaw the nation's largest school system, including 1,600 schools, 1.1 million students and 136,000 employees.

She became Bloomberg's controversial choice in November. Black leaves amid a string of recent resignations by high-level city officials.

The former Hearst Magazines chairwoman took the post with a deputy chancellor as her second in command, but she had struggled to build consensus among education leaders.

She will be replaced by Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott, Bloomberg said.

Black replaced Joel Klein, who had held the chancellor's post since 2002 and who entered the private sector as an executive vice president at News Corp.

Klein was the city's longest-serving education chancellor.

View the Original article

Ex-D.C. schools chief '100%' behind test scores probe

By Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP

Michelle Rhee, then-D.C. public schools chancellor, talks to third-grader Kmone Feeling at J.O. Wilson Elementary School on Aug. 23.

EnlargeCloseBy Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP

Michelle Rhee, then-D.C. public schools chancellor, talks to third-grader Kmone Feeling at J.O. Wilson Elementary School on Aug. 23.

In a taped interview to air this weekend on Bloomberg Radio, Rhee, a national figure in education reform, said she "absolutely" supports the decision to investigate high rates of answer changes on standardized tests during her tenure. "If there were isolated instances of this, those should be dealt with properly and we should actually discount those scores in those classrooms," Rhee said in the interview, according to a press release issued by Bloomberg.

D.C.: Digging deeper into test score irregularitiesREVIEW: Score gains called 'plausible'The USA TODAY investigation, part of a national examination of standardized testing, found that D.C. public schools showed statistically improbable rates of changed answers— from wrong answers to right ones — on student tests from 2008 to 2010, during Rhee's time as schools chief. The high test scores earned Rhee and the school system national recognition, but some teachers and parents interviewed by USA TODAY said the abilities of students didn't always match their high test scores.

On Monday, when USA TODAY published its investigation, Rhee released a statement that USA TODAY's story was "an insult to the dedicated teachers and schoolchildren who worked hard to improve their academic achievement levels."

TESTING: USA TODAY's investigationDOCUMENTS: A look into years of testingAlthough Rhee has given interviews to PBS, The Indianapolis Star and Bloomberg Radio, she has not agreed to be interviewed by USA TODAY, despite more than a dozen requests that included an offer this week to interview her in Columbus, Ohio, where Rhee was meeting with state officials.

Rhee told Bloomberg that "the vast majority of teachers in our system ... would never think to do anything like that. Can I guarantee that every single person held that same high standard? No, I can't." The full interview is scheduled to first air today at 10 p.m.

Acting D.C. schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson called on D.C.'s inspector general Tuesday to review district test scores from 2009, one of the years that USA TODAY examined. That year, district officials brought in an outside firm, Caveon Test Security, to investigate testing issues at eight schools. The company found no evidence of cheating but has said it could have gone deeper with its data analysis.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters

View the Original article