Summer Internship

Summer term starts today, June 1, 2010. I will be doing my "Capstone Project" as a writing assistant for the Business and Learning Internship Program. I will keep everyone posted as I move forward to August 7th graduation.

Small Business America

When I think of Small Business America I think of my childhood home. The trips to the tiny grocery store, trips with my dad to the corner barber shop, that no matter what time of day or day of the week, the same old gentlemen were always there. You could tell they did not need a trim but that was just the place to be, and they always solved all the world’s problems and then they would all get up and leave at the same time.

Going to Mr. Pete’s grocery store with my friends, racing on our bicycles with baseball cards attached to our back tire made us sound like drivers at the Friday night short track. But in small town America that’s what we did. We would ride by Horace’s tire store and check the air in our tires. I think he enjoyed us coming by as much as we did the attention. His favorite thing to say to us was “you boys aren’t getting into any trouble are you?” We would always say “no sir” (by the way something you don’t hear from kids today), and he would always respond “well the days not over yet and we would all laugh out loud even though we heard it hundreds of times.

What has happened to this icon of America? “Small businesses represent the backbone of our economy. Every community benefits when the work force is strong.” According to John Kerry, Former Presidential Candidate and Chairman of Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, the federal government has done an abysmal job of ensuring that small businesses get their fair share of federal contracts. Without a doubt this country cannot succeed with large corporate business and small town business. There is no question that there is a place in America for both and we must preserve this history and tradition for survival.

I am a product of large corporate business; but it did not start out that way. The company I work for was started on a living room table between two relatives 57 years ago and has grown to the twenty-fifth contract foodservice in the United States. In my opinion this is what small business should be, giving one a chance to succeed. The small business owners I know are special people. Sometimes I wonder if they do it for the money or just the thought of helping someone. So, next time you need something for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Christmas, drive a little farther, you might have to go out of your way but find the little corner store and help out the small business owner. After all, this is the heartbeat of America.

One Step Closer

Another great semester at BAMA. No doubt it was the hardest one yet but now I am only the "Capstone Project" away from graduation on August 7th.

Behavior

As I continue with my readings I found this very interested breakdown of behaviors and the famous people they use for each group. See which group you fall in.

Funding Technology: Does it Make Sense?

Good articles even though they go back to 2003.

Technology In the Classroom

Technology is ubiquitous, touching almost every part of our lives, our communities, our homes. Yet most schools lag far behind when it comes to integrating technology into classroom learning. Many are just beginning to explore the true potential tech offers for teaching and learning. Properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy.

Integrating technology into classroom instruction means more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals.

Many people believe that technology-enabled project learning is the new plus ultra of classroom instruction. Learning through projects while equipped with technology tools allows students to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what the modern office looks like. Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information they've found online.

The myriad resources of the online world also provide each classroom with more interesting, diverse, and current learning materials. The Web connects students to experts in the real world and provides numerous opportunities for expressing understanding through images, sound, and text.

New tech tools for visualizing and modeling, especially in the sciences, offer students ways to experiment and observe phenomenon and to view results in graphic ways that aid in understanding. And, as an added benefit, with technology tools and a project-learning approach, students are more likely to stay engaged and on task, reducing behavioral problems in the classroom.

Technology also changes the way teachers teach, offering educators effective ways to reach different types of learners and assess student understanding through multiple means. It also enhances the relationship between teacher and student. When technology is effectively integrated into subject areas, teachers grow into roles of adviser, content expert, and coach. Technology helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun.

Technology and Academic Achievement

During the Clinton Administration a presidential committee on educational technology noted there was too little research being conducted on the impact of technology in the classroom and called upon researchers to accept the challenge. Some researchers, perhaps too few, have accepted this responsibility. They are finding that it is difficult to isolate technology as a variable in good instruction, but they are finding that in the right circumstances, technology plays a positive role in enhancing academic achievement. Educators are increasingly focusing on this research, but must also be mindful of the circumstances in which research studies show technology has been a powerful learning tool. With this understanding of the context for success, educational leaders can shape programs that prepare teachers to use these powerful new learning tools effectively.

One of the programs targeted by NCLB is Title II-D-1&2 - Enhancing Education Through Technology (Ed Tech). The goal is to improve student academic achievement through the use of technology (The Facts About…, 2002). The plan is to teach children how to effectively integrate the technology available to them to improve student achievement and to become technologically literate by the 8th grade.

Technology should enhance learning. There is no value in just having access to it but more important how it is used. The ED Tech initiative plans to constantly develop new ways of applying technology into teaching and learning. In order to educate the public about the NCLB act, U.S. Secretary of State Rod Paige embarked on a 25-City No Child Left Behind Tour Across America. Paige (Denver, CO - Tour Stop 15, 2002) believes that "By harnessing technology, we can expand access to learning and close the achievement gap in America." One way is by e-learning which is a powerful option for parents and schools. With a click of a mouse button any student anywhere has the opportunity to learn. It increases flexibility for schools and promotes individual instruction to meet the needs of each student. Paige (New York, NY - Tour Stop 25, 2002) had a similar message in New York where he believed that "Technology is connecting parents to teachers, and, it is helping connect parents to assessments so we can measure the progress of every student".
The need for technology in the classrooms for improving literacy is also seen in the national and state standards.

Think about this!!
It makes no sense to buy 5,000 computers, network them and drop them into classrooms without providing substantial funding for staff development and education. There is a very good chance that 60-70% of those computers will be used less than 20% of each school day.

Return on Investment (with weak staff development)
3500 x 20% = 700 computers
1500 x 75% = 1125 computers
Total Effective Computer Use = 1825 computers
You'd be far better off buying 3,500 computers and spending the rest of the money on staff development so that most of the computers will be used most of the school day.

Makes sense to me.....