Bridging the Gaps in Education is packing its bags and heading to a new place:
http://lorenzeducationalpress.com/Blogs.aspx
Since we like you so much, we want you to come with us! You'll find new and improved features presented in a slick, newly designed interface. Don't worry, you'll find the same great educational content and discussion, too.What are you waiting for? Don't stand around kicking moth balls, come join us at the new and improved Bridging the Gaps!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
America: Losing Ground in the Global Education Race
It's no secret that the modern economy demands workers that are increasingly skilled, particularly in advanced, specific skills like mathematics and engineering. Another obvious fact is the poor condition of the American economy. Combine the two, however, and a surprising and troubling situation emerges. Despite high unemployment rates, the aforementioned advanced jobs are available. The problem is filling these positions with capable, appropriately educated workers. America is not producing viable candidates, and companies are forced to hire more capable candidates from other countries. Why does this gap exist? Could it be that our education system is to blame?
A recent article appearing on Education Next compares the performance of U.S. students and other countries in the areas of mathematics and reading proficiency. The results are not encouraging. The comparisons are based upon two assessment organizations that are generally considered as "report cards" of American and global students. These are the National Assessment of Educational Progress (America) and the Program for International Student Assessment (global). For a full breakdown and explanation of the comparisons and results, check out the full article. It's absolutely worth a read.
The broad findings of the comparisons are this: U.S. students are consistently performing well below students from several countries around the globe in both mathematics and reading. The gap is much more pronounced in mathematics, which is without a doubt the skill more applicable to today's economy (and likely the future's).
Perhaps most stunning is the fact that only one U.S. state - Massachusetts - has above a 50 percent proficiency rating in either subject. Many states, in fact, score far below that mark. This means that the vast majority of our students are not proficient in either mathematics or reading. Statistics such as these reinforce the increasingly obvious fact that America, once the undisputed leader in global education, is steadily losing ground to parts of the rest of the world.
The pivotal question is, of course, what will we do about it? I ask you - what can be done? What should be done? Sound off in the comments section below.
A recent article appearing on Education Next compares the performance of U.S. students and other countries in the areas of mathematics and reading proficiency. The results are not encouraging. The comparisons are based upon two assessment organizations that are generally considered as "report cards" of American and global students. These are the National Assessment of Educational Progress (America) and the Program for International Student Assessment (global). For a full breakdown and explanation of the comparisons and results, check out the full article. It's absolutely worth a read.
The broad findings of the comparisons are this: U.S. students are consistently performing well below students from several countries around the globe in both mathematics and reading. The gap is much more pronounced in mathematics, which is without a doubt the skill more applicable to today's economy (and likely the future's).
Perhaps most stunning is the fact that only one U.S. state - Massachusetts - has above a 50 percent proficiency rating in either subject. Many states, in fact, score far below that mark. This means that the vast majority of our students are not proficient in either mathematics or reading. Statistics such as these reinforce the increasingly obvious fact that America, once the undisputed leader in global education, is steadily losing ground to parts of the rest of the world.
The pivotal question is, of course, what will we do about it? I ask you - what can be done? What should be done? Sound off in the comments section below.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Forbidden Facebook?
Earlier this summer, we posted about the pros and cons of using Facebook in your classroom. Since then, the debate over social media's emerging roles in education has continued.
The Dayton Daily News (LEP's local newspaper) recently published an article about the city of Dayton Public School District's decision to ban its teachers from interacting with students via unapproved media, including Facebook and text messaging. This plan applies to the popular industry go-around of professional Facebook accounts, as well.
The move is a first in the area - neighboring districts have safety policies in place, but most of these restrict the conditions or frequency of use, rather than forbidding it outright. Early reaction seems to be positive.
My reaction? Let's call it mixed.While I applaud the district's firm stance (let's not waffle on the issue, I say - pick a side rationally and plant your feet firmly), I have to wonder if it's playing things safe on a convoluted issue. As our previous post discussed, there are many reasons to be concerned about teacher-student communication through social media. But locking the door and throwing away the key seems excessive. True, leaving that door open allows the potential passage of inappropriate communication. But closing it forever stems the gathering tide of opportunity that's knocking with ever-increasing insistence on Education's door.
I do not think it wise to ignore social media's potential positive impact upon students, teachers, and the communication that tethers them. The gap between educator and educated should be bridged whenever possible, the ultimate goal being a unified classroom that thrives together. It's a difficult commitment to make, and the process must be supervised and adjusted in order to craft a properly functioning tool. But, oh, the things that tool might fix!
The Dayton Public School District has decided to ignore that tool's presence. My question? What will they do when they realize how badly they need it?
The Dayton Daily News (LEP's local newspaper) recently published an article about the city of Dayton Public School District's decision to ban its teachers from interacting with students via unapproved media, including Facebook and text messaging. This plan applies to the popular industry go-around of professional Facebook accounts, as well.
The move is a first in the area - neighboring districts have safety policies in place, but most of these restrict the conditions or frequency of use, rather than forbidding it outright. Early reaction seems to be positive.
My reaction? Let's call it mixed.While I applaud the district's firm stance (let's not waffle on the issue, I say - pick a side rationally and plant your feet firmly), I have to wonder if it's playing things safe on a convoluted issue. As our previous post discussed, there are many reasons to be concerned about teacher-student communication through social media. But locking the door and throwing away the key seems excessive. True, leaving that door open allows the potential passage of inappropriate communication. But closing it forever stems the gathering tide of opportunity that's knocking with ever-increasing insistence on Education's door.
I do not think it wise to ignore social media's potential positive impact upon students, teachers, and the communication that tethers them. The gap between educator and educated should be bridged whenever possible, the ultimate goal being a unified classroom that thrives together. It's a difficult commitment to make, and the process must be supervised and adjusted in order to craft a properly functioning tool. But, oh, the things that tool might fix!
The Dayton Public School District has decided to ignore that tool's presence. My question? What will they do when they realize how badly they need it?
Friday, August 26, 2011
Friday Forum: New Year, New Standards?
School is back in session in classrooms around the country. I've witnessed the annual signs: children skipping along sidewalks, bouncing bright backpacks as they go; yellow school buses weaving in and out of morning traffic; parents lingering for one last look as their kids disappear through doorways. Familiar sights, all. But inside those classrooms, things are looking decidedly different, thanks to the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
The initiative continues its seemingly inexorable takeover of U.S. education. 44 states have adopted the standards, and the world is taking notice. 'Common Core' is officially an industry buzz term, and its presence in discussions continues to increase, along with pressure for companies like LEP to align our products to the standards.
This apparent changing of the guard has us curious - what about our audience: you teachers, parents, and administrators? How is the shift to Common Core affecting you?
Are you approaching your lessons differently? Have you trashed the old ones to build a new foundation on Common Core? Or will you stud your existing framework with the new standards?
More importantly, how does it all make you feel? Is this a good thing for education? Is it a bad thing for you? Let's get a discussion started in the Comments section below.
The initiative continues its seemingly inexorable takeover of U.S. education. 44 states have adopted the standards, and the world is taking notice. 'Common Core' is officially an industry buzz term, and its presence in discussions continues to increase, along with pressure for companies like LEP to align our products to the standards.
This apparent changing of the guard has us curious - what about our audience: you teachers, parents, and administrators? How is the shift to Common Core affecting you?
Are you approaching your lessons differently? Have you trashed the old ones to build a new foundation on Common Core? Or will you stud your existing framework with the new standards?
More importantly, how does it all make you feel? Is this a good thing for education? Is it a bad thing for you? Let's get a discussion started in the Comments section below.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Why Interactive Whiteboards Work
While attending an informational seminar last week, I learned an interesting statistic: approximately 45% of today's classrooms are using interactive whiteboards. In some ways, this came as a shock; in other ways, it did not. For years, it seems, IWBs (interactive whiteboards), from manufacturers such as SMART and Promethean, have been touted as the next big thing in education. Despite that assertion, they haven't seemed to fully catch on. So I was a bit shocked to learn that nearly half of classrooms are sporting the technology now.
On the other hand, this development is wholly expected - overdue, even. The potential of this innovation is enormous, the possibilities unlocked by its tools and applications seemingly limitless. Why wouldn't schools pony up the cash to deck the walls with IWBs?
It's the little things that help make IWBs such valuable classroom assets. During our seminar, our presenter showed us a sample 'page' from an interactive lesson plan designed specifically for IWBs. It looked like a snapshot of one or two paragraphs from a typical supplemental workbook. But then a Flash animation kicked on, and a diagram was drawn before my eyes, adding a unique element to an otherwise stagnant stream of information. On another page, what appeared to be a photo of a cute dog positioned on a laptop computer turned into a short video of a cute dog positioned on a laptop looking even cuter because he looked at the camera and quivered oh so adorably. Numerous additional bells and whistles were added to most every page, until I was interested (and dare I say excited) to find what trick or bit of fun awaited me with each new block of information.
These details might sound like digital knick knacks, but consider this: if such trinkets can catch and maintain hold of a 27-year-old's attention, what might they do for the open mind of a 12-year-old student?
But we're only looking at the little things - what about the BIG things? Well, let me assure you, they're even better.
Imagine inviting students to the board not just to write words or solve math problems, but to manipulate shapes and objects; to sort categories of pictures or words by dragging and dropping them into boxes; to touch an instrument and immediately hear its sound. And imagine all of these actions, along with so many more, made possible by a student's finger.
Like an iPad or a Nintendo Wii, IWBs are undeniably cool. They ooze fun from each circuit. And students take notice. They are compelled to discover the uniquely interactive elements of an IWB lesson, and each new slide engages them in new and unique ways. It's truly a game-changing moment to witness children using an IWB.
While attending a presentation at a local elementary school, I was thrilled to watch students flinging their hands into the air when asked to volunteer a visit to the whiteboard, to see them bound from their seats and attack problems with wide eyes and wider smiles. Quite a switch from the chalkboard visits of my youth, to be sure. Watching their passion for learning helped remind me of why we're all in this industry, and it made me wonder: why in the world haven't the remaining 55% of classrooms joined in?
On the other hand, this development is wholly expected - overdue, even. The potential of this innovation is enormous, the possibilities unlocked by its tools and applications seemingly limitless. Why wouldn't schools pony up the cash to deck the walls with IWBs?
It's the little things that help make IWBs such valuable classroom assets. During our seminar, our presenter showed us a sample 'page' from an interactive lesson plan designed specifically for IWBs. It looked like a snapshot of one or two paragraphs from a typical supplemental workbook. But then a Flash animation kicked on, and a diagram was drawn before my eyes, adding a unique element to an otherwise stagnant stream of information. On another page, what appeared to be a photo of a cute dog positioned on a laptop computer turned into a short video of a cute dog positioned on a laptop looking even cuter because he looked at the camera and quivered oh so adorably. Numerous additional bells and whistles were added to most every page, until I was interested (and dare I say excited) to find what trick or bit of fun awaited me with each new block of information.
These details might sound like digital knick knacks, but consider this: if such trinkets can catch and maintain hold of a 27-year-old's attention, what might they do for the open mind of a 12-year-old student?
But we're only looking at the little things - what about the BIG things? Well, let me assure you, they're even better.
Imagine inviting students to the board not just to write words or solve math problems, but to manipulate shapes and objects; to sort categories of pictures or words by dragging and dropping them into boxes; to touch an instrument and immediately hear its sound. And imagine all of these actions, along with so many more, made possible by a student's finger.
Like an iPad or a Nintendo Wii, IWBs are undeniably cool. They ooze fun from each circuit. And students take notice. They are compelled to discover the uniquely interactive elements of an IWB lesson, and each new slide engages them in new and unique ways. It's truly a game-changing moment to witness children using an IWB.
While attending a presentation at a local elementary school, I was thrilled to watch students flinging their hands into the air when asked to volunteer a visit to the whiteboard, to see them bound from their seats and attack problems with wide eyes and wider smiles. Quite a switch from the chalkboard visits of my youth, to be sure. Watching their passion for learning helped remind me of why we're all in this industry, and it made me wonder: why in the world haven't the remaining 55% of classrooms joined in?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
For Your Consideration: 6 Top iPad Apps
After attending the ISTE convention last month, we've been reminded time and again that this year's hot piece of educational tech is the iPad. Students want it. Parents love it. Teachers use it. I wish I had it...
Best of all, it works. The iPad offers a wealth of educational opportunities, most of them geared to be flashy, fun, and rewarding. We've compiled a short list of some of the most popular educational apps being downloaded and used right now. Each of the apps below appears on the July 27 edition of appannie's Top Charts for Educational iPad apps (check out the full chart here)
FREE APPS
1. Era of Dino HD Lite
What student - or parent for that matter, don't lie - doesn't want to learn more about dinosaurs? This free app will introduce users to over 300 different dinos. Also covered are the specific eras in which these creatures lived. Slick, colorful graphics complement a wealth of interesting material. (Average rating: 4.5 stars)
2. NASA App HD
Take a tour of the galaxy - and beyond - with this fascinating app from NASA. Official video and imagery (some of which are live) enhance in-depth explorations of planets, stars, current missions, and more. Children and adults alike will lose hours in this virtual solar system. (Average rating: 4.5 stars)
3. ScreenChomp
This versatile teaching tool is like having a digital whiteboard at your fingertips. Create your own lessons with the intuitive interface. Math problems, Venn diagrams, brainstorming webs - this app can handle them all. Even cooler is the ability to record and upload your lessons to the app's website or Facebook. (Average rating: 5 stars)
PAID APPS
1. Stack the States
Students can learn about each of the United States of America with this fun app. By the time they're finished, they'll be familiar with state capitals, shapes, and locations. Bonus games, full-color pictures, and tons of questions are included. (Average rating: 5 stars)
2. Math Bingo
This popular app will make math practice much more entertaining. A balance of fun gaming and rich educational content has landed Math Bingo on several top-app lists. It's simple - students must answer math problems correctly in order to complete rows on a Bingo chart. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are included. (Average rating: 4.5 stars)
3. Alphabet Fun
Invaluable for early learners, Alphabet Fun teaches and reinforces letter and number recognition and formation. It also teaches users to recognize and identify colors. Pronunciations provide clarity and speaking practice. (Average rating: not available)
What do you think of the iPad? Are you using it with your children or students? Have you tried any of the apps above? Do you know any other must-haves? Start the discussion in the comments section below!
Best of all, it works. The iPad offers a wealth of educational opportunities, most of them geared to be flashy, fun, and rewarding. We've compiled a short list of some of the most popular educational apps being downloaded and used right now. Each of the apps below appears on the July 27 edition of appannie's Top Charts for Educational iPad apps (check out the full chart here)
FREE APPS
1. Era of Dino HD Lite
What student - or parent for that matter, don't lie - doesn't want to learn more about dinosaurs? This free app will introduce users to over 300 different dinos. Also covered are the specific eras in which these creatures lived. Slick, colorful graphics complement a wealth of interesting material. (Average rating: 4.5 stars)
2. NASA App HD
Take a tour of the galaxy - and beyond - with this fascinating app from NASA. Official video and imagery (some of which are live) enhance in-depth explorations of planets, stars, current missions, and more. Children and adults alike will lose hours in this virtual solar system. (Average rating: 4.5 stars)
3. ScreenChomp
This versatile teaching tool is like having a digital whiteboard at your fingertips. Create your own lessons with the intuitive interface. Math problems, Venn diagrams, brainstorming webs - this app can handle them all. Even cooler is the ability to record and upload your lessons to the app's website or Facebook. (Average rating: 5 stars)
PAID APPS
1. Stack the States
Students can learn about each of the United States of America with this fun app. By the time they're finished, they'll be familiar with state capitals, shapes, and locations. Bonus games, full-color pictures, and tons of questions are included. (Average rating: 5 stars)
2. Math Bingo
This popular app will make math practice much more entertaining. A balance of fun gaming and rich educational content has landed Math Bingo on several top-app lists. It's simple - students must answer math problems correctly in order to complete rows on a Bingo chart. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are included. (Average rating: 4.5 stars)
3. Alphabet Fun
Invaluable for early learners, Alphabet Fun teaches and reinforces letter and number recognition and formation. It also teaches users to recognize and identify colors. Pronunciations provide clarity and speaking practice. (Average rating: not available)
What do you think of the iPad? Are you using it with your children or students? Have you tried any of the apps above? Do you know any other must-haves? Start the discussion in the comments section below!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Turning Great Ideas into Books: Part Two
When last we left Project Genius, it was a stack of paper. The content was there, lovingly penned by Jonathan Gross. Time to slap the pages on a spine, sandwich 'em between two flashy covers, and mass-produce those babies...right?
Not so fast, dear reader. Before any of the above can take place, Project Genius has to undergo a little something called editorial. Read on to learn all about it (and about Jonathan squirming under the relentless onslaught of the all-powerful Red Pen).
PART TWO:
Ream of Paper + Editorial = Shiny (and Grammatically Correct!) Shelf-Ready Content
The process of creating a book is a lot like taking a flight. First, you have to pack - you gather all of the things you want to have with you when you arrive at your final destination. You shove all of these items into a suitcase - this is like a completed manuscript. It contains all of the material an author wants to reach a teacher or child.
But you can't just hop onto your plane and take off, can you? You must first pass through security. This process confirms that you are aircraft-ready - you aren't carrying any prohibited items, your credentials check out, your socks don't smell overly offensive... In the same sense, editorial confirms that a manuscript is shelf-ready. Over the course of an editorial review, a manuscript will be scrutinized for prohibited items (misspellings, typos, incorrections), acceptable credentials (national and state standards, focused and grade-appropriate content), and even smelly socks (less-than-acceptable writing, overdone prose, wrong answers).
By the time the manuscript enters the terminal that is design and production, LEP is certain that the content within is complete, correct, and valuable to our customers. The editorial process ascertains that our words are ready to fly into developing minds around the world.
So...what actually happens? Well, once we have a completed manuscript in our hands, we submit it to a professional editor. Depending on a project's focus, we might give it to a number of additional experts and so-called beta-readers. These include subject experts, teachers, and parents. These reviewers have a specific amount of time to read, analyze, and suggest revisions or corrections.
It's at this point that the infamous Red Pen enters the fray. Well, it might be blue...or green...or pink - you get the idea. The editor combs through a manuscript's pages and marks his or her changes in a variety of keywords, symbols, and shapes (seriously, we publishers could probably found a worldwide language of our own).
The collectively tattooed project is then sent back to us for an internal review. We must consider every change. Some are obviously necessary (2 plus 2 will never equal 5, for instance; and George Washington is highly unlikely to have lived until 1899). Other suggested changes must be debated by our team. Do we want to remove a particular block of text to make an activity simpler? Does this page's language need to be raised to a more challenging caliber?
Ultimately, we make the revisions that we must, as well as those we feel make the project better. It's not uncommon for a manuscript to loop through the internal review more than once. We are trying to create the best product possible, after all. It can be difficult to move something on, giving up our ability to make adjustments and slight improvements.
But the show must go on. When that time comes, we fully approve a manuscript's content. It passes through the last scanning device, its words not to be patted down again. It strolls into the production terminal, leaving Red Pen and its endless supply of ink behind. It glances at the departure time monitors and finds the flight scheduled to land in Book Land. It heads for Gate D: Design. But that's a story for another day...
Stay tuned for our exploration of Project Genius's design process. We'll explain how the words take on a final shape, how they acquire pictures and graphics, and reveal the faces and creative minds behind our stunning covers.
And now, for your entertainment, we present Jonathan Gross: Reactions to His Edited Manuscript.
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