New Literacies, Adolescent Literacy, & Teaching Literature
26
Feb
23
Feb
Secretary of Ed on Teacher Prep, Again
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Online Learning, Policy, Reform, Research, Teacher PreparationThis recent speech was posted on ED’s web site. In it, Secretary Duncan criticizes teacher preparation programs. He spoke:
In a speech last fall at the Teachers College at Columbia, I noted that education schools have long been treated as the Rodney Dangerfield of higher education. Colleges of education have traditionally been the institution that got [...]
Tags: nyc izone, secretary arne duncan
19
Feb
When my wife and I waited to learn the sex of the child months ago, I recall the weight I felt on my shoulders as the doctor told us: it’s a boy. A boy? Immediately, I began rehearsing scenarios in my imagination. The kinds of conversations all men have had but don’t [...]
Tags: Paradise Lost
18
Feb
Really, Lenovo?
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Corporations & Businesses, New Literacies, Online LearningI saw this posting this morning in an Education Week email update. “Really?” I thought. It’s that explicit? How is an educator supposed to attend this webinar and not feel like they are being pitched to the whole time to buy Lenovo’s computers? Will Lenovo list fairly what its computers can and can’t do so [...]
Tags: 1-to-1, education week, lenovo
17
Feb
Dissertation Train Leaving the Station
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Policy, Research, Teaching LiteratureJust moments ago, I submitted my second certification exam. It’s a fifty-page review of studies related to my own present and future work. In it, I ask a series of questions to guide the review:
- Why don’t policymakers read educational research? – Why don’t researchers write for policymakers? – What gaps exist because policymakers [...]
Tags: disseration writing, jon becker
2
Feb
Help Move Education Forward (and me)
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in reading; illiteracy; adolescent literacyOver the past several weeks, the blog has been quiet. In part, that’s because I have a new son and am thoroughly enjoying being a father. It’s also because I’m at a bit of a crossroads with my doctoral research and hitting a bit of a wall.
In the past, I had expected fully to [...]
2
Jan
A Response to Michael Horn & Disrupting Class
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Academic Culture, New Literacies, Online Learning, Policy, Reform, Research, Teacher PreparationI was in the hospital with my new son one night a few weeks when I saw that one of the authors of Disrupting Class, Michael Horn, replied to my previous blog posting. My son is three weeks today; his father finally has a chance to reply to Horn. Horn wrote a comment to my [...]
Tags: Disrupting Class, michael horn
25
Dec
I wanted to take a moment to say thanks: thank you (that is, you, Reader) for supporting my work. I’ve been spotty over the last few weeks with the birth of my son, Declan. In the new year, I look forward to seeing how this new being in my life will jibe with the new [...]
17
Dec
The Delivery Dilemma
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Academic Culture, New Literacies, Policy, ReformSecretary of Education Arne Duncan held a town meeting in which he demonstrates the problems with words like “creative” and “innovation” in conversations about policy. It always seems to stumble:
“We need to be much more creative and innovative in how we do things,” Duncan said. For instance, students today use cell phones and PDAs on [...]
Tags: Arne Duncan, innovation
16
Dec
The New York State Board of Regents has proposed that they improve schools in the state by lifting the cap on charter schools. They also suggest a serious effort to tie teacher pay to achievement.
It’s not unfair to liken these proposals to a dance–a choreographed one set to the tune of the USDOE’s Race [...]
Tags: NYS Regents
15
Dec
I’m elated to say that my son, Declan, was born this past Saturday. Only minutes after his birth, I started reciting the opening proem to Paradise Lost to him in the delivery room. And he wailed! I’m afraid we might have a staunch Shakespearean on our hands…
Here’s a pic from just this morning:
Thanks to Erick [...]
11
Dec
On May 15, 2009, the New York City Chancellor of Education announced the launch of NYC21C (now called iZone), which is a research and development initiative intended to strategize a city-wide plan to make 21st century teaching and learning a reality in the city’s fourteen-hundred plus schools. Several NYC Department of Education offices are collaborating [...]
Tags: Disrupting Class, iZone, NYC21C, NYCDOE
11
Dec
It is the gift-giving season and I have a treat for you: Paradise Lost in its entirety; right here, right now. Even if you don’t have the time to read the whole thing, give Book 1 a read. Happy Holidays! -TLL
Tags: gift, holidays, Paradise Lost
11
Dec
Rigor without Vigor
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Academic Culture, Assessment, Policy, ReformRigor is a tragic word in education. On the one hand, it has gravitas–it conveys a history of academic excellence and challenge. On the other hand, it gets volleyed around in educational politics with the whim and witlessness of a group of school children playing hackysak during lunch.
This is the word that is being [...]
Tags: common standards, NCLB, Race to the Top
10
Dec
I came across this statistical overview of the US’s education system according to UNESCO. Take a look:
Notice anything strange? Look again, here:
I appeal to my teacher friends and colleagues here: Of the last ten distinct classrooms you’ve walked into (even counting your own), how often did you see fourteen students per single teacher? [...]
Tags: education statistics, UNESCO
10
Dec
I was speaking with a teacher recently at a school where she has been using netbooks with students in class. It was a planning meeting. As we started to discuss the possibility of using Google Maps for part of the project, the teacher expressed that she’d love to–but she didn’t trust most of her students [...]
Tags: Don Tapscott, Lisa Nielsen, Mark Bauerlein
8
Dec
This article explores reasons why education doesn’t get the press coverage it deserves. And when it does, it joined at the hip to political topics:
Tags: education and journalism
8
Dec
How to Make Teachers Quickly
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Online Learning, Policy, Reform, Teacher PreparationPearson Evaluation Systems has created a totally computer-based test to license teachers.
I’m all for experimentation in new ways of teaching and learning. I have a hard time buying the idea that Pearson “developed the NES program to help states make sure the educators they certify are prepared to teach effectively in 21-st century classrooms.” [...]
7
Dec
Is this what it comes down to: more time in school = better learning? No, it isn’t. Though supporters of longer school days and years would like to argue the prior, it is more accurate to say this: more time in school (preparing for exams) = better learning (preparing for exams).
I’m not saying I [...]
5
Dec
There are few things better than a great speaker. As my wife and I watch West Wing cover-to-cover I reminded of this: President Bartlet is now running for re-election and when he speaks (with or without a speech) he dazzles crowds. Our current president isn’t so bad himself.
More than that, I’m struck by how [...]
4
Dec
Charters vs. Public Schools: Fight
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Charter Schools, Policy, ReformThe Times reported on recent flair ups between public school advocates and charter school supporters. Jenifer Medina writes:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has made charter schools one of his third-term priorities, and that means that in New York, battles and resentment over space — already a way of life — will become even more common. [...]
2
Dec
Educational Research for Sale
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in New Literacies, Online Learning, ResearchA new survey reports that online learning courses are growing quickly and does a state-by-state comparison. Ed Week notes that
Most of the 26 states that have online programs have seen significant growth in enrollments in recent years, with a dozen of them reporting jumps of 25 percent or more since 2007.
The full report is more [...]
1
Dec
The Institute of Education Sciences new director John Q. Easton. It’s expected that there will be a shift in the kinds of educational research the government supports. Education Week writes:
The shift “is kind of an interesting next step for IES,” said Gerald E. Sroufe, the director of government relations for the Washington-based American Educational [...]
25
Nov
The Department Comes to Elementary Schools
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Academic Culture, PolicyIn this piece from Harvard Education, school leaders grapple with bringing the system of departmentalization to elementary schools. (Gerald Gaff writes extensively about departmentalization’s role in secondary and college.) Opponents say that learning is more than just conveying content to students; it’s social, emotional, and communal. In these testing times, however, even our youngest learners [...]
Tags: departmentalization, gerald-graff, Harvard Education, platooning
21
Nov
Great session with Troy Hicks and Bud the Teacher. See tweets for more.
20
Nov
This morning I presented on re-reading as a way to engage disengaged readers. We had a fantastic gathering of ~150 participants. You can access the site I created for the talk here. It was especially helpful to me as a professional to be in a room with colleagues and share ideas and experiences. What’s more, [...]
Tags: NCTE conference
19
Nov
This piece in Digital Directions explores how schools should decide whether to use netbooks or laptops. It takes the discussion simply cost differences, which, it seems, is often the primary factor for principals.
18
Nov
This piece from the NY Times makes a terse argument for the use of iTunes U to share courses with others, even if it seems counter-intutive to traditional university business practices. Make learning free; make learning easy to access; make learning portable. Here’s the argument, in brief:
Other universities say that limited resources, copyright concerns [...]
18
Nov
Here’s what I read on Ed Week:
The state Board of Regents on Monday approved a reform plan for teacher preparation that would place far more emphasis on classroom experience.
OK. Few would argue that giving pre-service teachers more time in the classroom is a bad thing. In my work with graduate students in a teacher [...]
18
Nov
The New York City Department of Education’s system for assessing schools’ achievement comes under fire again from the New York Times. Disregarding that this piece comes out well after the mayor’s election is safely secured, the article points out that not all schools are held to the same standard, even though the systemic differentiation is [...]
Tags: NYCDOE, school report cards
17
Nov
Games in Education for Money
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Academic Culture, New Literacies, Policy, ResearchIf only students could just play games and learn, all our problem would be solved.
I mean that with a wink an a smile, of course.
Still, this piece in Ed Week this morning caught my eye. It’s about various game-based learning sites that help students learn about financial literacy. This seems to be becoming [...]
Tags: Florida Virtual School, Gee, Institute of Play, Prensky, quest to learn
16
Nov
In a piece from Education Week, Pedro Noguera of NYU School of Education criticizes the Secretary Duncan’s recent scolding of teacher preparation programs. The most notable quote from Professor Noguera, as Ed Week notes as well, is the following:
It makes no more sense to blame schools of education for the failings of public schools [...]
Tags: Arne Duncan, Pedro Noguera
16
Nov
A NY Times article recently explored how the New York State Board of Regents is considering opening up “alternative” programs to granting teachers certification. On the one hand, thinking out of the box is more often than not a good thing for bureaucrats to do. On the other hand, it makes teaching seem like training, [...]
15
Nov
Next Monday I’m presenting at an all day session at NCTE on publishing student work. This page has some online resources. If others have ideas, send them along!
14
Nov
Secret Google Ed Meeting Revealed
Posted by tomliamlynch Published in Academic Culture, New LiteraciesLast week I tweeted whether or not anyone knew about a Google meeting devoted to education. Thanks to Lucy Gray, now there’s a video summary (over an hour and a half) and also her own narrative. The full video is below:
Tags: google education, lucy gray
13
Nov
The feds want to hear from others about what Web 2.0 learning could look like.
[...] even though today’s Web 2.0 tools can spread information broadly and quickly and foster collaboration on such projects, the effort has apparently been slow in attracting recommendations from educators and ed-tech experts that could help guide its development, some [...]
Follow Me HERE
- Share and mark up documents online | crocodoc http://bit.ly/9s9tIT @tomliamlynch 2010/02/26
- Completed literature review and now begin preparing for proposal: http://tinyurl.com/ydcajfv @tomliamlynch 2010/02/17
- Nearing a dissertation topic, but hitting a wall http://tinyurl.com/yjlc4cc @tomliamlynch 2010/02/02
- RT @felixsalmon: Nicholas Negroponte: "There are more school districts in the United States than in all the rest of the world combined." ... @tomliamlynch 2010/01/28
- @bradygun you're money. Best of luck to Jill! @tomliamlynch 2010/01/14
Tags
Recent Entries
Recent Comments
- custom writing in Open Access Curricula
- Tom Liam Lynch » Post Topic &… in Help Move Education Forward (and me)
- tomliamlynch in Help Move Education Forward (and me)
- Jon Becker in Help Move Education Forward (and me)
- michael_horn in A Response to Michael Horn & Disrupting Class
- Tom Liam Lynch » Post Topic &… in My Son Was Born
- Tom Liam Lynch » Post Topic &… in My Son Was Born
- classroomscribbling in My Son Was Born
- michael_horn in Disrupting Gaps (a draft for peer review)
- Dana in The Gift of Pardise Lost To You!