I Think Education Is Like The Difference Between M.D. and D.O.

Gena Haskett — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:30:21 -0600

Medical Doctors treat symptoms and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine treat the whole body system with the person included.

So long as we see kids education as a system to be cured and packaged instead of a holistic benefit to society approach we are gonna get this kinda crap no matter who is in office.

This might require a cultural shift in what we believe k-12 education and beyond should convey.

I'm taking the osteopathic approach to education myself.
Gena - Out On The Stoop

Education Continues

JC — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:42:53 -0600

I believe education helps to keep the brain young. As part of my midlife crisis, I went back to school, taking online classes, and I have to say I've done pretty well. There's always something new to learn.

Don't get me started about NCLB. I've ranted about this subject on my own blog. I don't believe we serve our children well by cutting out the arts and narrowing what they're exposed to. There's got to be another way (or many better ways) to teach our children.

Here's a shout out for a kids' math site I really like: coolmath4kids.com.

Best wishes for the new year!

http://www.storyrhyme.com/jcsblog

Some of The UK Magazines Have Free Video Samples

Gena Haskett — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:32:39 -0600

That is how I learned about her web site. I sometimes pick up the Photography or the computer tech magazines and it is great to see what the book is talking about.
Gena - Out On The Stoop

It is Also Good For Brain Health

Gena Haskett — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:30:34 -0600

When you learn a new skill, either physical or mental it forces new pathways to develop. I have a long list of things I haven't learned.

I'll stay busy until 99 3/4 years of age. I might slack off after that but I doubt it.

Gena - Out On The Stoop

Creating Lifelong Learners is Important

theivyleaguetutor — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:54:42 -0600

Being in a PhD program, I've committed myself to becoming someone who wants to keep learning and expanding the mind. And outside of everything I read for my academic program, I agree that ed2go is a good learning module for anyone to learn something new - I'm learning Spanish right now. But I think the future of education will involve lifelong learning because it will be more and more important to stay competitive.

I can vouch for

Virginia DeBolt — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:55:57 -0600

your recommendation of lynda.com and smashing magazine for great source for visual design ideas and software tutorials. Good places to learn.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology Contributing Editor
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

A 1988 Template Into The Future – Educational Trends

Gena Haskett — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:59:37 -0600

I was about 10 years old. I had just finished a science fiction story that had flying cars, food everywhere and dome housing. I wanted to know if I had a chance to see it in person. I added my current age decade by decade until I hit 2008. I couldn’t get that old, could I?

Would the world really be like it was in the science fiction book or more like Star Trek? I wasn’t the only person thinking about the future. The World Future Society has been looking at the current conditions the society is in and tries to project the paths that could change our society in the years to come. I have a copy of the 1988 report with some interesting predictions about the 21st Century. I’ve selected a few predictions from the 1988 Education related section. Let’s see how well they did guessing our futures.

Accountability

Educational institutions will be more concerned with ways to assess outcomes and effectiveness of educational programs.

When I thought of this statement No Child Left Behind popped into my head. The intent was fine but the implementation and funding? If you really want to get a handle on what the program is and where does the money go then read this report from George Mason University.

Allison Ohle, gained experience working for Teach for America has an opinion on the program. Yoga Mom looks at NCLB from a parent’s eyes. Joanne Jacobs has a post on Proficiency Promotions that might better serve young students instead of age progressive promotions.

What kind of adults do we want to create anyway? Do we want them to fit a certain kind of mold that is impossible to live up to? Do we want generations of kids that learn or do enough just to pass a very limited hoop? The word “Automatons” comes to mind.

Hannah at Students2Oh.org makes her case for just being who you are, not what a college application wants her to be. There seems to be a lot of pressure to mold young people into perfect college students and adults. Hannah shouldn’t have to “save the world” in order to improve her chances of going to college.

Mass Media Gets Personal

Mass media will be more personalized as consumers use pa-to-view television to select their entertainment. Viewers will download their choices from a tele-delivery service, paying for the program when they want to see it.

Educational programming on broadcast television has all but disappeared or morphed into edu-tainment. There are a few educational programs that are delivered on cable television but the Internet has broadened the scope and reach of education. Many of the resources are free or low cost to anyone that wants them.

Part of my challenge in 2009 is to find more goodies out there but to get you started:

Maria Miller’s Homeschool Math Blog helps homeschooling parents find tools and techniques to teach math. Denise at Let’s Play Math has a list of free and low cost math resources for homeschoolers or anyone else in need of brushing up on the skill set.

One of my favorites learning shows is the chemistry Periodic Table of Videos. You can also visit the Periodic Table of Videos on their YouTube channel. Those rascals are constantly causing chemicals to react in very visible ways. Plus I dig the Professor’s hair. You should also be aware of TeacherTube.

Sometimes you want to learn or improve upon a hobby or skill. Candi Cane Canncel on Expert Village has a series of videos that basically teach you how to sew. Or you could visit Craft Gossip for more inspirational stitching ideas. For general interest type tutorials you can watch HowCast.com.

No time to read the software manual? Maybe a video tutorial would work for you. There is also a great graphics and software learning web site at Lynda.com for all sorts of graphic software tutorials. Maybe you need access to free video help such as this page from Smashing Magazine that list 80 Photoshop video tutorials.

The Economy and Keeping Up Educationally

Because of fundamental changes in the economy, there will be fewer and fewer well-paying jobs not requiring advanced training. and Education cost will continue to rise; Heavy pressure to control cost will emerge. Loans rather than grants will constitute the main source of financial aid.

Right again, but there would be no way in 1988 to factor in other causes such as war, corporate fraud and the cost of fuel. And there is a block of college students that are in heavy debt due to their educational loans. So what do you do when you can’t afford to go back to school or take time off work in order to obtain those advanced skills? There is always a way.

Ed2Go.com is a series of six week online classes. You can learn a language, becomes a romance writer, get parenting advice, find professional development skills and more. I have taken a few classes with Ed2Go and it was a good experience. There is an instructor and you get to interact with your classmates in your pajamas. These not for credit classes are inexpensive compared to tuition at some local colleges.

If you do want to attend college or want a head start you should visit iTunesU. You don’t need an iPod player or an iPhone. There are a number of colleges and universities that have posted audio or video lectures online. This is a great opportunity to sample a subject to see if you would be interested in it before you plunk down money for the class.

Don’t want to use iTunesU? Not a problem. Check out your local college or university web site. Many schools have podcasts or videos on academic subjects for example the University of California Channel, all academia, all the time. And yes, you can use YouTube to find other colleges and university academic content.

Well the World Future Society did pretty good with these educational predictions. So what about 2009? Only time and careful observations will tell.

Gena Haskett is a Contributing Editor and when it is warm she is Out On The Stoop or at PCC LibTech