EDUCATION BLOG

Reuters - South African police are investigating alleged abuses at billionaire U.S. television magnate Oprah Winfrey's all-girl leadership academy, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

AP - Even before the bell rings each morning, students at Centennial High School are lined up to get into the library. But they aren't necessarily looking for books.

AP - The U.S. should pay teachers a minimum of $40,000 a year, add a federal student arts program and cover student loans for two years in exchange for national service, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson told supporters Monday.

AP - It's a nickname no principal could be proud of: "Dropout Factory," a high school where no more than 60 percent of the students who start as freshmen make it to their senior year. That dubious distinction applies to more than one in 10 high schools across America.

Reuters - Educational publisher Pearson said on Monday it has been awarded a new five-year contract by the U.S. Department of Education to score the country's national test for measuring the progress of students.

I just started teaching another online Art Appreciation class for Wayne Community College. WCC is one of my favorite freelance teaching jobs. I was checking the new student introductions and noticed a post from a Broland Johnson. The thing that amazed me was the fact that he is taking my online class from the front lines of Afghanistan. The following is his initial introductory post to my course.

"Hello everyone. I’m SrA (senior airman) Broland C.T. Johnson. I’m a 22 year old medical technician. I’m currently located at FOB (forward operating base) Clark in Khost, Afghanistan. Today is my second day reading the assignments. The 22nd was the day my book arrived. My login had gremlins, and through patients and some help in the states I gained access around 1a.m. on the 23rd. That didn’t last long. The computers go down for 24 hours when there are casualties. Today is my second day, and I enjoyed reading everything through a fire hose. "

That is one of the reasons I love to teach online. Just think about it? I live in Morehead City, North Carolina. I teach as an adjunct for Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, NC - 100 miles away, and I have a student on the front lines in Afghanistan - on the other side of the planet. Here are 2 photos he attached to his post.

Broland reading his Art Appreciation Textbook out in the field in Afghanistan.

All I can say is be safe and God speed Broland! The internet and the new and very powerful tools and applications in online course management systems like Blackboard enable me to share my knowledge and passion for art with students anywhere in the world. Distance is no longer a factor when it comes to teaching and learning. I feel empowered as an educator like never before. I can only imagine what the future holds for online teaching and technology in general in the coming years.

Now I better get back to my class.

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I'm in an amazing session with Alan November at techForum in Palisades, NY and he's articulating so well an idea I believe in. In a nutshell, the best thing we can do to improve student achievement is to get parents involved by leveraging our technology to keep them in the loop.

Alan defines automating as adding technology to existing processes. Using our laptops to do the same thing we've been doing makes the laptop a $2000 pencil. Writing an essay can be done with pen and paper. What can we do with technology that we couldn't do without -- that's what we should be doing. Read the rest of this entry »

AP - Public schools in Mount Vernon are being disinfected after a worker and a student showed signs of an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, authorities said.

AP - Antioch College board members postponed a decision Saturday on whether to reverse their decision to temporarily close the college, telling about 200 alumni, faculty and students that they'll continue debating for several more days.

AP - An eastern Kentucky school district with one confirmed case of antibiotic-resistant staph infection plans to shut down all 23 of its schools Monday, affecting about 10,300 students, to disinfect the facilities.