RE: [school-discuss] 200 teachers lose their jobs: modest

[Gerald Logan <glogan@mail.telusplanet.net>]

First my credentials, I have been an educator for 23 years, in that time I
have been a teacher, principal central office type and Dept. of Ed.
consultant.  As a technology consultant for a school board I designed and
implemented a virtual school for Grade 3 to 9 students.  As a consultant for
the Dept. of Ed. I worked with a high school distance education project.

 From my perspective technology can only be an enhancement below grade 3. 
The main goal at this stage is to learn to read, write and do basic math. 
The students become independent enough after this point to make use of a
well designed program.  The interesting thing that I have found is that
student success is very dependent on a strong bond with their teacher and a
supportive adult helping and monitoring the progress.  The three critical
elements that must be present if an elementary student is going to be
successful in a distance education program are a supportive adult,
motivation and a bond with the teacher.  As the students get older the role
of the adult changes and depending on motivation may be removed completely. 
The technology is not even on the list and many people would argue that it
should be there, I on the other hand have seen students do well despite poor
technology as long as the other factors are in place.  I have also seen
students fail when great technology is employed but the three factors are
not considered.

I must also say the most successful elementary distance education programs
here in Alberta have the lowest student teacher ratio. I advocate for the
same ratio or lower than that found in classrooms. 
In my district we have an elementary ratio of 24:1.

>A question for the group in this vein - I heard that elementary-level
>"distance education" was being fought for in a heated conflict with the NEA.
>I understood that there was a single company making quite a bit of money,
>but the results of the program were the topic under fire.
>
>I'm not an education professional; I'm a geek who is new to the environment
>- currently the LAN Admin, power cord guy, etc.  I really don't know and am
>unqualified to judge.  But I've just started to read David Thornburg's The
>New Basics...
>
>I'd like to know, has the technology been integrated well enough to make it
>viable as an elementary education method?  I can see it either supplementing
>or supplanting home schooling, or even certain instances of regular
>education (like snowbound or remote areas).
>
>Jason H. Mervyn
>Computer Specialist
>NY & VA DDESS
>jmervyn@wps.odedodea.edu
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Leon Brooks [mailto:leon@brooks.fdns.net]
>Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 9:16 PM
>To: schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net
>Subject: Re: [school-discuss] 200 teachers lose their jobs: modest proposals
>
>On Thu, 8 Aug 2002 21:44, mike eschman wrote:
>>  the average classroom will now have 33 students instead of 28 (the
>>  official number is 30, but it doesn't add up - everyone is too upset to
>>  look 33 students in the eye.]
>
>Oh, dear. Classes become *much* less effective above about half that size.
>
>>  so kids take a beating again.
>
>Brace yourself!
>
>There is a good alternative for families that don't have both parents
>working,
>and that is home schooling. As long as it isn't being done by obsessive
>people in order to isolate their children, it works very well. There is one
>case of retarded teenagers homeschooling with great success. If home
>schooling suits 10% of your families, your class sizes are back down to 30.
>It may also be possible (IANAL) to swing a deal with existing local home
>schoolers where some school children are rotated through their families (for
>
>maybe a month or so at a time) and in return the homeschoolers get to use
>some school facilities (like maybe a gym or science lab) which are not 100%
>occupied.
>
>Not a panacea, but may a piece of a workable solution.
>
>>  if you want to know why i obsess over sea level rise, any schools that
>  > flood this huriccane season will stay closed - all janitorial O.T. and all
>>  emergncy repair fund are gone.
>
>This in a supposedly first-world country...?
>
>>  if anyone on the list has been here and gotten out alive, i could really
>  > use an inspirational story right about now.
>
>Get the older kids together to brainstorm and work out on paper, various
>ways
>of funding the school. Fetes and such are an obvious place to start, but I'm
>
>sure there are other amazing and unique opportunities. Putting these things
>together and running them is brilliant vocational training for anything
>involving public contact or business methods, and it will get the children
>more on the school's side too.
>
>Cheers; Leon


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