1,263 Matching Annotations
  1. Sep 2016
    1. staff

      Interested in how this category is changing, though, as more faculty work (like advising) is getting outsourced to staff (internal and external). As courses get bought and sold as packages and some institutions think the teachers may be somewhat beside the point, I wonder if we will see more and more staff and fewer and fewer faculty. Not to pit one group against the other at all, but curious about whether all of these shapes are changing, and maybe in ways that are not always good for the intellectual project at the heart of highered?

      Hmm. Wonder if highered is an intellectual project...sigh...

    2. It seems to me that such a frame is already working within the assumptions of neoliberalism.

      Yes, there's that frame-changing again.

    3. consumers and teachers deliver content, where one must optimize processes and appeal to external stakeholders and achieve high performance to enable success.

      I am so appreciative of a space where these things appear in italics like this. I spend a lot of time in spaces where they are plain font.

    4. He has asserted the power to speak for the entire university.

      Really interesting way to think about university communications in general...

    5. doing

      Maybe rather than SAYING. Brilliant.

    6. because that's not really what the letter and similar statements are about

      Right. Love the way you point out that we can't just win the debate; when the terms of the debate are already set up to calcify certain systems, we lose when we accept them and force our arguments inside. Seems like this is an issue across a lot of conversations in higher ed...

    7. readings for homework

      Killer list. A few I haven't read, so I am really grateful and will make time.

    8. value the challenging, critical pedagogy of, for instance, Women's Studies courses and Critical Race Theory courses without valorizing the sadism of the arrogant, aggressive, noxiously macho teacher whose primary desire from students is that they worship him as a guru, and whose primary pedagogy is to beat the wrongness out of everyone who steps foot in his classroom.

      Is that really so hard? The fact that these things get conflated in safe space convos seems less like a mistake in perception and more like a studied deployment of privilege and power...Hey! I bet that's where you're going!

    9. Ever since I was in high school (at the latest) I have vehemently disliked the rhetoric of "tough love pedagogy" and "hard reality" that infuses current discussions of "coddled" students. I said on Twitter that such rhetoric seems to me arrogant, aggressive, and noxiously macho. I have not yet seen someone who advocates such policies and pedagogies do anything to get out of their own comfort zones, for instance by giving away their power and wealth and actively undermining whatever privilege they hold. I would take their position more seriously if they did so.

      Right on.

    1. we would challenge developers to ask themselves

      We talk about digital literacy for our students, but I think as faculty, we are also suffering from a lack of D.L. which makes us unable to ask the right critical questions about EdTech. Two examples: my uni recently purchased a new system that will help us manage data for accreditation processes. The dean was very excited that the system came with a free ePortfolio tool. How great to save money by getting it free with something we had to buy anyway! But of course, this ePortfolio tool is totally wrapped into and serving the accreditation process, which is really different than the kind of learner-controlled ePortfolios we were talking about initiating. Most fac and staff on the tech committee didn't know anything about the ethics of big data or how data is used by/for/against students, so we were really vulnerable to being sold a product by an EdTech company who knew exactly what we didn't really understand. Another example: our Student Success™ coaches are a bought-and-paid-for predictive analytics algorithm. Say what you will about that, most of our faculty don't even KNOW this. They think it's "personalized advising." It's hard to talk about the pros and cons of the collection of this data or the use of these predictive models with colleagues when the EdTech companies obscure their methods in the language of student-centered pedagogies. So much to love in this article, and I know I am just taking a tiny nugget here and going in a different direction, but just thinking about how to begin to talk about these issues with my colleagues, and realizing the digital literacy issue is a really significant hurdle.

  2. Aug 2016
  3. Jun 2016
    1. BAM! Hit me with some good ole Marxist awesome.

    2. Pedagogy, on the other hand, starts with learning as its center,

      Love the shift from managing bodies and assessing knowledge to thinking about "learning," which can be really unrelated to how well managed a classroom is, or even unrelated to how students do on a particular assessment (depending on how unrelated the assessment is to learning)...

    3. Critical, as in criticizing institutional, corporate, or societal impediments to learning;

      BAM! Hit me with some of that good ole fashioned Marxist awesome.

    4. Schools are not

      Schools should not be...

    5. To what extent can social media function as a space of democratic participation?

      So wild to be considering this question while we use Hypothesis! Does using this social annotation app make the reading process more dialogic? More democratic? More communal? More empowering? Does it enable readers to contribute back instead of just consume?

    6. If students live in a culture that digitizes and educates them through a screen, they require an education that empowers them in that sphere, teaches them that language, and offers new opportunities of human connectivity.

      If screens are ubiquitous, then students (all of us?) need to develop literacies that will allow us to use media in ways that help us be heard.

    7. Knowledge emerges in the interplay between multiple people in conversation — brushing against one another in a mutual and charged exchange or dialogue.

      Dialogic. I wonder: is knowledge possible without dialogue?

    8. our real selves and our virtual selves,

      Do you think there is a difference?

    9. I dare someone to explain this awesome sentence.

    10. content is co-constructed as part of and not in advance of the learning.

      Ok, I think this is totally radical. To suggest that content is co-created in the class refigures what we generally think textbooks, professors, lectures, whiteboards are for... I am totally down with this, but it really changes everything if we start thinking that the content of the course is partly going to be generated by the people in the course!

    11. Far too much work in educational technology starts with tools, when what we need to start with is humans.

      I am sure you have all been in classes where you have to use some fancy tech tool because it's...well, fancy! and new! and hi-tech! But I think this point is excellent: you gotta lead with what you are trying to do, and find tools that help you do it. If we lead with technology, we fall back into banking-style robots...

    12. it is “a social justice movement first, and an educational movement second.”

      For those of you who plan to teach, do you think your future career is as much about social justice as it is about education? I guess in my mind, those two terms are often synonymous...

    13. One stupid tweet

      Completely love the idea that "one stupid tweet" does not correlate with some idiosynchratic bad decision, but with a complex of power dynamics that work against vulnerable identities. YES YES!!!

    14. truly open to the public.

      So cool to think about making people accountable when they lightly use this phrase.

    15. witter as a tactical public

      Can we all just pause and unpack the complexity and genius of this????

    16. In short, it ran like this: some people were called out in public for their speech. Some people were called out in public for their lack of speech. Some people reacted to being called out by defending their good intentions rather than owning their effects on others.

      I think about this with the Bernie Sanders #blacklivesmatter thing, too. So many parallels in how that unfolded in the world and online.

  4. May 2016
    1. They were recognized simply as “The Boston’s” or “The Boston Baseball club”.

      Please cite research at the end of each sentence, or, if a whole paragraph's worth of research comes from the same source, cite at the end of the paragraph.

    2. Ted Williams writes, “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer” (Baseball Almanac).

      This quote feels a little unrelated to the main tone and message of this paragraph...

    3. my dad saying, “stay close to me Selina.”

      So sweet....

  5. thisisformyenglishclasssite.wordpress.com thisisformyenglishclasssite.wordpress.com
    1. The bias placed on these people puts them into a catch-22 situation that is nearly impossible for them to get out of.

      Feels like we have lost the child thread. Homelessness affects kids in particular ways, no? Schooling, etc? And programs that give meals in schools might help? Would like to hear about particular challenges for kids who are homeless...

    2. 4% of those in poverty were unable to work due to being too young or too old, due to a disability of some kind, or because they simply could not find a job”

      Helpful statistic...

    3. While the child who chooses to externalize their emotions may be considered the problem child both children need help and intervention before they harm themselves or others.

      Good point.

    4. Lacking nutrients in the diet overall weakens the immune system opening children up to thing such as weight loss, gastrointestinal infections, poor brain development memory deficiency and reduced problem solving skills.

      Citation?

    5. inabilities to produce relationships with others and emotional well being and self care.

      Citation(s)?

    6. yet over 702 million people live in extreme poverty each year.

      Wow.

    7. $1.90 a day

      or less?

    8. One in five children live in poverty

      Stunning statistic...awful.

    1. fantastic documentary was made about this issue named Cowspiracy.

      One of my first summer movies will be Cowspiracy!

    2. Elon Musk has also been innovating our ways of transportation

      I drive a Chevy Volt...poor man's Tesla... :)

    3. Elon Musk says that he believes solar energy will beat every form of energy within 30 years

      So curious if this will come to pass!

    4. This belief is something I have always held close, and it is a goal of mine to apply to my future career.

      Weaving the research in with your personal passion and with these beautiful images really pulls me into the piece.

    5. we have always known that our selfish decisions would affect future generations to come

      yes-- so interesting...

    6. bazar

      Not the right word...

    1. students who had taken a year off had consistently higher GPAs than those who didn’t”

      Wow-- that is impressive info.

    2. The twitter page

      Not sure what this means...

    3. Jules decided to take the gap year for their own benefits.

      I always thought of a gap year as being about the privileged people spending money, but I see a new side now-- that for folks who struggle with the cost of college, the gap year can be a wise investment!

    4. Recently students are becoming more interested in taking a gap year recently

      Not sure why you didn't fix the errors based on Joelle's grammarcheck comments....

    5. The year off was meant to help students travel before they went to college and by the time they graduate it will be difficult for them to travel because they will need to find a job. Most students do not have time to go and travel after college.

      This paragraph seems to have started with one idea and moved quickly to a different idea...

    6. The gap year can be a helpful way of saving a lot of money and then going to school when you figure out what it is you want to do for the rest of your life.

      Good point!

    7. from the British

      I didn't realize this came from the Brits...

    1. but had six of his murders covered up by the FBI,

      Wow.

    2. James Bulger was a lot of things, one of which is a murderer.

      This paragraph seems to be drifting around a bit...

    3. Someone like James Bulger, whom had rap sheet longer than the Lord of the Rings credits by the age of sixteen, was not going to find a job that he could live off of.

      Good point.

    4. Places like the Southie Projects in southern Boston make for the perfect storm. Many of the residents in the 1970’s were impoverished and uneducated European, African, or Asian immigrants. There was never much of a turf war in the Southe Projects. It was always predominantly Irish immigrants and decendants.

      This seems a little confusing/contradictory.

    5. James “Whitey” Bulger’s Mug Shot from an arrest in his early years.

      Cool photo.

    6. Billy Bulger, the brother of Whitey was the President of the Massachusetts Senate.

      I never knew this!

    7. Whitey Bulger’s criminal activity was about to become much more serious.

      Nice transition!

    8. Starting in the 1940’s and ending recently, Boston has been the hub for Irish organized Crime. One man took his small Southie based gang to complete control. James “Whitey” Bulger was born September 3, 1929. Little did anyone know this man would change Boston

      I am wishing this was a bit more robust as an introduction...

    1. The same way peers influence adolescents to make bad decisions, they can influence them to make good ones too

      The way you weave the science in with your personal story is terrific, and makes for a very engaging essay!

    2. independents

      independence?

    3. but the powerful force compelling him to “do the right thing” is his respect for his mother.

      Very interesting!

    4. The adolescent years are  also key because this is when cliques are most likely to be formed

      I don't think all the sentences in this paragraph go with the topic sentence here...

    5. This causes them to be more likely to drive without a seat belt, drive recklessly, give into peer pressure, and chose friends that won't benefit their future.

      Fascinating!

    6. I can see a warm fourteen year old boy in his blue apron and white dress shirt anxious to escape the dark world he entered

      Beautiful writing....

    1. Here in the United States, we are competitive. No offense to any other country, but the United States has always been a hands on, get it done country.

      This seems to suggest there is a homogenous United States, where we are all mostly one way or another. But I am not sure that seems accurate, given the vast differences in how we live from one to the other...

    2. The morality of capitalism is completion, and can be found in other places other than politics. For example, sports.

      Interesting! I never thought about this before...

    3. Now, if you haven’t picked up a history textbook recently, I will be more than happy to summarize how Stalin’s USSR turned out.

      Your tone is amusing and makes me want to read on. I like that you are serious but also a little irreverent.

    4. Do what you do best, and if you give nothing less than one hundred percent, you will succeed.

      Are there instances where people try their best and work their hardest and truly contribute but still can't make ends meet?

    5. t is more than ridiculous for governments to chose what we want, it should be considered government theft.

      Despite the comma splice, this is a really interesting argument.

    6. As the government exchanges our earned money for perks, our work becomes devalued.

      Interesting idea-- I had not thought of it this way before.

    7. First, under socialism, taxes are increased significantly. Now don’t get me wrong, we need taxes to be a country, but when they increase too high it leads to disaster. Bernie’s proposal, is that the rich in America, pay anywhere from thirty-seven to fifty percent of their income.

      When you cite specific stuff that is not common knowledge, you need to hyperlink to or cite your sources.

    8. The moral principle behind socialism, is that the government is responsible for providing both necessities and benefits to its citizens.

      Seems like a solid, clear basic definition.

    9. presidential,

      ? maybe the president? rather than the presidential?

    10. However, you might notice a significant cut in your paycheck, which might influence you to read this article and see for yourself why electing a capitalist president is best.

      You know I disagree, but I love this sentence-- provocative and a perfect way to engage your reader!

    1. A third study was done

      Your research is thorough and persuasive. This is probably the most detailed essay on this topic I have read by an undergrad. Impressive.

    2. The common characteristics that all of these tragedies share are the games that each child engaged with.

      Wow.

    3. It makes the winner feel like they have accomplished a goal and leaves them with feeling very satisfied about themselves.

      A helpful paragraph! I learned a lot!

    4. The reason people got so upset over this game is because every time someone got hit they would hear an ‘ahhhk’ sound and a gravestone would pop up.

      ha ha! That seems so tame today!

    5. Pac Man,

      These are a trip down memory lane for me. :)

    6. The first video game was invented in 1958 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory located in Upton, New York (Kudler, 2000-2016). This video game was invented by physicist Willy Higinbotham (Kudler, 2000-2016). He created a table tennis game which involved two players who would turn a knob to adjust the ball’s angle and push a button to hit the ball towards the other player

      So interesting!

    7. susceptive

      Again, not sure you want that word.

    8. manipulative people, mostly children and teens,

      I am not sure you mean "manipulative" here.

    1. It was the first time in my life I felt what it felt like to be in love with someone, and how strong and nice that feeling is. It took me forever to be able to openly talk about my sexuality without getting embarrassed.

      This is beautiful!

    2. It was very hard for me that someone so important to me in my life couldn’t accept me for who I was.

      A heartbreaking story, and sharing this really pulls me into the essay, and makes me want to understand the topic as much as possible.

    3. not inconclusive

      I think you mean NOT CONCLUSIVE.

    4. hen people were unable to replicate the study they realized it was more of a coincidence than a cause.

      Very interesting to hear about this!

    5. I plan to explore both of these theories as well as incorporating my own experiences on homosexuality that way I can offer insight to people.

      Blending the personal story with the research is a great way to engage your readers.

    1. If the family wasn’t already in poverty because domestic violence they many times end up in it.

      Not sure I understand the how and why of this.

    2. They many times overpower women and put them down because they believe that is how the roles are suppose to be. Many women are looking for a way out of this sort of abuse, but many can’t escape because they don’t have the resources to do so.

      Again, a complex issue that you explain sensitively and carefully.

    3. Constant exposure to domestic violence may lead child to believe that any sort of affection or intimacy should be linked to violence. When put into these environments at such young ages children grow up knowing the opposite of right and wrong.

      This is really well explained, and also so tough to think about.

    4. participial is

      ?

    5. I won’t go into details, but I will go as far to say that I know exactly how it feels to be surrounded by domestic violence.

      powerful opening to your paper.

    6. Another type of domestic violence that tends to occur a lot is economic. This involves making or attempting to make the victim financially dependent on them.

      Interesting, and not something everyone is familiar with.

    1. I’m sick of people discouraging other people’s futures. I live in a world where people think creativity and expression is unimportant or unsuccessful.

      Amen!

    2. Phil Lonergan

      I hear that guy is AWESOME.

    3. would have been able to pursue her dreams sooner rather than later

      Interesting point!

    4. Not only do people go to college to learn, but they are also given access to materials and professors who have lived through the career and know the experience and tactics it takes to make it a living. This is needed for a lot of careers.

      Good, but can you link this to the art issue here in this paragraph? How is this teaching convo related to the idea of getting a degree in art?

    5. College is also a place to find yourself, find what you want to be, and to make a plan for the future. If only making a plan for a future didn’t cost more than buying a house.

      Seems like it drafts to a new point here?

    6. Drowning in debt

      Will you share stats here? Seems like they would add credibility...

    7. college may be your best bet.

      Helpful info here.

    8. Most fine artists pursue post secondary education to earn degrees that can improve their skills and job prospects

      Don't let a quote stand on its own!

    9. inflict their creativity on others

      Ouch?

    10. special four-inch microfiber mattress pad

      I just love the details that make this relatable and funny. :)

  6. zacharymatthewsblog.wordpress.com zacharymatthewsblog.wordpress.com
    1. Work Cited

      Should just be a list of citations in MLA (or APA) style.

    2. This article is on CTE. CTE is a new found disease found in the brain of one that has had a traumatic brain injury, or repetitive contact over the course of years. The study in the article was ran by members of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University. The test was on NFL players after they have died and even studies on the brain of all the current NFL players. Also they say 79% of all players have this disease.

      Not sure why this is in your Works Cited. Seems more like notes?

    3. I know this because it happened to me.

      This topic sentence really made me interested! Not sure why you don't share your story here, but I think it would add credibility and interest to the piece.

    4. These new helmets

      Picture? Link?

    5. Said by the Mayo Clinic Staff

      Remember to hyperlink or use parenthetical citations for all quotes/research.

    6. She asked to have her brain donated to science after her death to be examined for CTE.

      I didn't know this!

    7. killing themselves due to the effects of CTE.

      So sad. I never knew it was this detrimental to mental health.

    8. Research indicates that there are 4 stages of the illness.  In Stage 1, isolated spots of tau build up mostly around the frontal lobe of the brain.  An individual would normally notice no symptoms at this stage.  In Stage 2, symptoms such as rage, impulsivity and depression begin to appear as defective tau protein affects more nerve cells in the brain’s frontal lobes. By Stage 3, an individual is experiencing confusion and memory loss as the tau deposits expand from the frontal lobe to the temporal lobe of the brain.  By the time an individual reaches Stage 4, they are suffering from advanced dementia.  It is at this stage that the brain becomes deformed and brittle, and cognitive function is severely limited. Once at the final stage of the CTE process, tau deposits have overwhelmed the individual’s brain, killing many nerve cells and shrinking the brain to half its normal size.  At this point, the victim no longer has any memory and will not remember even their closest family members.

      I found lots of this in direct quotes all over the internet. Not sure why you don't cite your sources, since most of this is not your own language.

    9. The NFL did not publicly acknowledge the link between concussions sustained in football and CTE until December 2009, seven years after Omalu’s discovery. Omalu has also discovered CTE in the brains of military veterans, publishing the first documented case in a November 2011 article.

      Most of this is lifted right out of Wikipedia, word for word, though you don't quote it. (See, for example, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennet_Omalu.)

    10. a.” Sean Conboy.

      What citation style are you using?

    1. affects

      Yup. You definitely have an issue with this one all through the paper. :)

    2. After my brother had received so many concussions

      The way you weave in your brother's story keeps me so engaged in the essay.

    3. When the tests came back it was shown that the group with multiple concussions indicated poorer performances compared with other groups.

      Does this paragraph drift a bit from the topic sentence?

    4. twice as likely to commit suicide as military personnel and more than three times as likely as members of the general population

      Whoa.

    5. I remember it like it was yesterday. My heart dropped and tears began to fill my eyes. The thought of not being able to enjoy something I loved killed me.”

      Powerful.

    6. If this band becomes successful this could be a major breakthrough.

      I really find this new technology so fascinating! Glad you worked it into the essay!

    7. only protect the skull from cracking

      Interesting!

    8. 64-76.8

      Of all concussions? Or of all players who play? Not sure what this stat shows us...

    9. If it means taking a hit in football or diving for the ball in rugby just to win a game, we would do it and because of this,  “The management of mild traumatic brain injury in athletics is currently one of the most compelling challenges in sports medicine” (Relationship 1).

      Good point.

    1. but when should you draw the line from benefiting and harming?

      I am wondering if maybe this essay would work better as a whole bunch of benefits of technology and then a whole bunch of challenges or drawbacks? It's a little hard to follow the overall organization, though each section is organized within itself.

    2. When you really think about it that does not leave a lot of time for other activities such as family time, homework, and outside activities.

      Seems like we are drifting a bit away from the topic sentence?

    3. The amount of time children ages 8 to 18 devote to entertainment media (including computer and video games) each day has increased from 6.19 hours in 1999 to 7.38 hours in 2009

      WOW!!!

  7. ecfontaine.wordpress.com ecfontaine.wordpress.com
    1. He states that people with ADHD have a higher rate of substance abuse due to the disorder, not the medications. He also says that Ritalin reduces this risk of substance abuse to the same risk as the normal population, which contradicts other sources.

      Very interesting.

    2. I feel like it is counterproductive to have to take a non-stimulant to balance out the side effects cause by the stimulants

      Whew. Really.

    3. We just have to find the way that they learn best and accommodate our lessons to help everyone succeed.

      Love this.

    4. They should not be deprived of going out for recess

      This really burns me. Taking away recess seems like the worst possible thing you could do for certain "disruptive" kids.

    5. $0.6 billion to $6.7 billion in just 10 years (Mayes).

      Again...WHOA!!!

    6. From 1970 to 2006, the number of kids diagnosed with ADHD increased from around 2,000 to nearly 8-10 million.

      WHOA!!!

    7. how do doctors determine what is overly hyperactive versus what is “normal kid behavior”?

      Yes, I always wonder about this.

    8. The last type of ADHD is ADHD-Combined Type.

      Very helpful. I never knew these three different kinds...

    1. This is so hypocritical because McDonald’s does not care about the well being of children. All they care about is making money and growing as a business. They don’t care that they are constantly feeding children crap that makes them obese and ultimately sick. Yet they pretend that they care about other children that are sick to make America believe that McDonald’s has our best interest in mind.

      I don't disagree with you, but I am wondering if we need more evidence for this. Can we find a stronger way to demonstrate that the charity work is ultimately part of an industry that does more harm than good? Does the charity actually enable the harm?

    2. This is an industry that both feeds and feeds off the young.”

      Powerful quote.

    3. and your dollar can really stretch for the amount of food you get with it.

      That seems so important...

    4. “beef extract”

      Er, ew.

    5. The typical American now consumes approximately three hamburgers and four orders of french fries every week

      Seriously, these stats are blowing my mind.

    6. two thousand new ones each year

      WHAT?! OH MY!!!

    7. twenty-eight thousand restaurants worldwide

      WHOA.

    1. Together we can erase the negative stigmas that are attached to mental illness and be one step closer to accepting everyone for who they are.

      Your passion is truly inspiring. This is an incredibly moving paper.

    2. Although there are other reasons this may be true;

      There are a few fragments throughout, so try to check on those!

    3. 3rd leading cause of death for people aged 10–24.

      That's so shocking and heartbreaking.

    4. Specific phobias refers to many different phobias that can range from phobias of the outdoors to phobias of cars. Specific phobias can be of anything which makes it one of the highest anxieties affecting 19 million, or 8.7% (ADAA). The many variations of anxiety can make it hard to understand because no two people struggle in the exact same way or can be treated in the exact same ways.

      Again, all of this is very informative!

    5. Social anxiety is a more specific anxiety where those who suffer become anxious in social settings

      Helpful info!

    6. physically

      Seems like this should go up top with symptoms? And then you would move into links with other illnesses like depression? All good info, but seems like it could be a bit more structured to be clearer...

    7. us

      If you want to use the "us," you may need to explain that...

    8. three or more symptoms

      Not sure if you will talk about these somewhere, but I am wishing they were listed closer to here, when you bring them up...

    9. Have you ever looked around a room and noticed someone that wasn’t acting like themselves? Sometimes you will notice when someone doesn’t feel well; other times they are silently battling harder than you may know.

      I like this opener for this section. Really got my attention.

    1. As far as following my IEP, the charter school helped me a lot more. They actually followed my IEP and they accommodated me correctly. In public school, it was a constant battle with the school to follow my IEP.

      Persuasive...

    2. can transfer

      maybe can't?

    3. Considering teachers were not guaranteed a job

      That seems like it could have pros and cons. Could also really stress teachers who are concerned about providing for their families, or cause them not to take risks with progressive pedagogy if they think they could lose their jobs easily (the academic freedom argument).

    4. Cons of Charters

      This feels a bit more like a list rather than a developed essay. Would love to hear each of these things full explained.

    5. Sturgis did not teach towards any standardized tests. 

      Also another really big area that I would love to hear more about.

    6. When a school is not bound by union rules

      This seems like a big area worth talking about in more detail, perhaps in its own paragraph. What do teachers' unions say about charters?

    7. Hillary Clinton spoke out

      If you have links to their comments, it would help add credibility to the paragraph...

    8. Comparing Test Scores

      This is hard to follow. It sounds like you are saying charter schools don't improve test scores and then that they do? Is it just that there is conflicting evidence? Maybe a stronger topic sentence and conclusion to the paragraph would help clarify this a bit, since it is very interesting and I would love to undnerstand...

    9. A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently from the public school system. A public school is one that receives government funding and is run by the state.

      Helpful and clear definition!

    10. Photo by Alan Levine

      Alan is a friend of mine! This made me smile! He takes great photos...

    1. One final trick

      I find all of these helpful! Thanks!

    2. you are better off and will feel more rested if you just wake up 30 minutes earlier.

      Fascinating!

    3. Children often watch these things right before bed, decreasing the natural melatonin and not allowing for a rested brain. 

      Not sure if this is related to obesity? Not quite sure what the main takeaway of this paragraph is...

  8. Apr 2016
    1. portals

      This word is the word I have been using to describe how I'd like my students to think about their web spaces. It has a trace of the "portfolio," but functions more as a space to that people can enter, a space that can funnel work out into larger spaces... Love the way this essay fits with that vision... And love thinking about how collaboratively trading ideas needs to be organized into a structure than can facilitate collective action. Will think about that...

    1. These are only a few of the reasons we should really try to transition from textbooks to e-textbooks. 

      What about cost? "Open" textbooks are digital and also free. Check it out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_textbook

    1. career credit and reputation assessment

      Though I also think there is a difference between impact, reputation, and access. Academia.edu has something to offer in each of these areas, perhaps, but the benefits are different in each one, and the drawbacks and hidden problems are also different in each one.

    2. The question one must always ask when dealing with any private interest on any level is, as Jason Kottke recently pointed out, “who’s the customer?” For a startup, the focus is on building value for the company’s investors rather than serving the needs of the users or the research community.

      Yes-- this seems like the crux of the issue to me. This is what I want to understand about any EdTech company I use/endorse/explore.

    1. the “Lab”

      I love that we are all nerdy enough to equate "lab" with "fun." :)

    2. here are no texts

      I was just talking with students this evening in a class where we relied heavily on Twitter, on PLNs. We talked about weaving threads together to make custom textbooks out of dynamic feeds of information and analysis. In some places the threads connected us as learners in a class, in others they separated us or tied us to others outside our classroom. A new way of thinking about text, textbooks. It's theoretically interesting to me, but I also am starting to see it actually happen in my courses and it's amazing, if messy and sometimes clunky.

    3. Access and “open”

      I am thinking both words work better as verbs than they do as nouns. Always a movement towards something, never an arrival at a pure state of open. Some might see that as a movement that's always failing, but I think it's a movement that's always self-critical (or should/could be), a movement that gestures rather than masters.

    4. No need to lie or elaborate

      Sometimes I wonder where the motivation for those lies/elaborations come from. Sometimes, a profit motive. Sometimes, blind privilege. Sometimes maybe desperation. Would love to study some of the over-the-top claims to understand the competing motivations that people have for characterizing EdTech (in particular) as a cure for all that ails us.

    1. Outgrowing Your Social Media

      After reading this, I am just so confused about whether the line between the digital and f2f worlds is more porous or more impermeable than I thought before. Or whether they are two worlds at all. Or if they are two worlds, which one might be the real one... If the f2f world is the authentic world, what makes it so? So many questions here...

    1. distributed

      I really need to ask someone to explain this term to me.

    2. shortcomings

      And again, I wonder how many of these shortcomings are only "short" when measured against standards that are already problematic where learning is concerned.

    3. for-profits that consume rather than generate knowledge.

      So interested in this. Is it bc they are for-proft that they consume? Would love help unpacking this phrase a bit more because I love it, but don't fully get it.

    4. question of offering recognition

      Yes. It is a question in so many ways. I wonder, in a more radical vein, what is to be gained by decredentialing education altogether? (And what oppressive repercussions that seemingly liberating idea could have...)

    1. the tension between wanting to own our words and wanting to share them with the world.

      This is so well-crystallized. I wonder if "ownership" is less about protection, though, and more about the space to be heard. If ownership in open digital spaces has something to do with communication, then I wonder how it might be compromised by closing down communication channels. How is ownership of a blog post different than ownership of a physical house (for example)? People don't need an invitation to come into your blog, and the expectation of the blog is that you will impact your readers...that you will have readers. There is no expectation that you will have guests into your home, ever...not if you don't want to. Anyway, I appreciate tools like the LMS (in education) that carve out private or protected online spaces for collaboration, or ePortfolio platforms like Mahara that offer students spaces to store and protect their work privately. But on the open web, what does "ownership" mean? (Related note, Robin: define the "open web.")

    1. they’re perfectly innocuous

      I don't think that non-harrassing notes are necessarily perfectly innocuous. There is a lot of power and subversion enabled for nondominant voices by web annotation. I am concerned that if we focus on disabling annotation tools, this will become more helpful to the dominant voices than it is for the vulnerable people we think we are trying to protect. Which is generally the way it goes when speech is foreclosed. I am really conflicted about all of this, since it's not like I don't understand the problem here or the dangers of allowing abusers and harassers to invade personal digital spaces where brave speech is taking place. But I think our "blocking" tools need to be more nuanced than this...

  9. Mar 2016
    1. but it’s a bit of a low blow to attack blogs.”

      Huh. "Attacks" are a low-blow, oftentimes. And I don't condone attacks that are oppressive or violent. But I never thought of a blog as a safe space the way a journal might be. The WEB part of the webblog is always fraught, but I don't really see how you get the benefit of the public space without the danger, challenge, and offense. Again, not to condone abuse. Finding ways that our tools can evolve to minimize and reject abuse is important. But rejecting tools because abuse can happen through them...not sure that ultimately has the outcome we would want. Especially when the tools are communication channels, and we shut them down. Really interesting conversation. Glad to be thinking about it...

    1. What follows are but a few of the changes and challenges we must address:

      Collaboration, technology for networks, transdisciplinary partnerships, understanding of the knowledge economy. How are these key points reflected in university planning?

    2. New public governance

      I think it is key that public universities start articulating how all of this relates to our mission. If there is a crisis in public higher education right now (I would argue yes, but I know this is not a given), then I am skeptical about trying to solve it by turning to private funding models. I like that this article asks us to think of how the "public" matters, and how we might integrate language about public commitments into our structural planning. Any public university that doesn't have the word "public" in its mission or vision is partly responsible for letting public education slip away in this country.

    3. Collaboration has changed how knowledge is being created, where the work is being done, and who is contributing to the effort.

      Yes, and I think so much of that is connected to the role that technology and networked learning play in facilitating collaboration, which is changing the shape of our universities.

    4. community partners learn with us

      This is why I like the idea of keeping our planning out in the open as well. As a public university, I think it's important not only to share our outcomes and products, but to engage with our communities to design the projects and structures that we will use for learning.

    1. we who work in higher education do have a certain level of expertise around what's possible.

      Yes, but I think it's less about our expertise and more about the inappropriateness of the customer-service model when applied to students. "The customer is always right" is an unfortunate approach for universities, where failing and experimenting need to be valued. If anything, the professorial expertise might be best at revealing mastery and consumerism as flawed models for critical inquiry and research.

    2. And if we lock all our content away behind paywalls and password protection, we're not giving the public an opportunity to see the work of a university either.

      Yes. I think of this is terms of open access to research, and the role institutions should play in supporting gold and green OA, but also in terms of the operating procedures of our public universities. As schools switch to slicker but more internal communications platforms (Slack, Yammer), I wonder if we will become even more insulated. Love the idea of public universities operating in the open: teaching, research, and administration.

  10. livehappy113.wordpress.com livehappy113.wordpress.com
    1. it’s

      it is

    2. life isn’t always fair

      When something is not fair, is it best to accept it or to work to change it? Is it unfair that some people cannot afford to go to college?

    3. facor

      ?

    4. choices, if

      CS

    5. “This Is What Happens To Students When They Go to College for Free”

      add hyperlink

    6. eat three meals a day

      Would food be free, too? Is all food free at public high school?

    7. it’s

      = it is

    8. consiquences

      sp

    9. school, you are not babied, you

      comma splices

    10. furture

      ?