Nov 16, 2006 @ 02:28 pm by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
Qualitatis sine modem – - Quality without standards.
Excellence in medocrity
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of students (and some faculty) involved in some project/assignment/work get to a point where they sigh and proclaim, “Well, that’s good enough.”
Unfortunately, good enough probably isn’t. And that’s what’s become an issue with education in American society. Stakeholders have accepted “good enough” as the standard to which they’ll aspire. No longer is “excellence”, “perfection”, “superior work”, or “outstanding” the goal . . . “enough to get by”, “that’ll do”, “well, no one else makes me do it again”, and “but I’ve always gotten As in my classes” are the accepted standards.
Several years ago, I listened to a speaker discuss a program for creating excellence in public schools called “TESA,” an acronym for Teacher Expectation-Student Achievement. I believe when we as teachers (both faculty members at teacher preparation institutions and public school teachers in practice) expect more, set the bar higher, our students will achieve to the standards we set.
Try it . . . expect more, accept no less than the best work.Â
And never say “good enough” again.
Nov 09, 2006 @ 02:59 am by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
Today, I wore a blue shirt and blue jeans to work! Why not!?!? Democrats won a resounding victory and took control of the U.S. House of Representatives. What a great step for progressives in this country.
And if that wasn’t enough, just minutes ago, AP, Reuters, and CNN reported that Webb won the senatorial race in Virginia! That means a 51-49 vote majority for Democrats in the Senate.
So tonight, I’m headed out to do the grocery shopping and happen to tune in to the last few minutes of Market Place on our local NPR affiliate (WVPE, Elkhart-South Bend). Here’s a transcript of what I heard:
KAI RYSSDAL: There’s grist enough out there for days of poltical analysis about why the Republicans lost so decisively. But in the end it’ll all probably come down to just a couple of key issues. Iraq. Corruption. Or maybe the economy. Commentator Steve Moore offers his choice.
STEPHEN MOORE: Yes, the Iraq war is very unpopular. And yes the parade of sex and money scandals of the past two years damaged the Republicans severely.But so did the busting of the bank. Republicans came into power in 1994 as revolutionaries promising to clean up the swamp in Washington. And as the old saying goes, they discovered it was a hot tub.
The real scandal in Washington is that conservatives waited 40 years for a Republican House, Senate and White House, and the GOP produced the biggest spending orgy ever. The budget is up nearly 50% over George Bush’s presidency.
Exit polls found that only one-in-five voters said Republicans will do a better job to “keep government spending under control” than the Democrats.
When the Republicans came into power there were 1,500 pork projects. This year there were 15,000. That $300 million Alaska bridge to nowhere is an enduring symbol of the 110th Congress.
Republicans can only win when they support tax cuts and smaller government — not Washington insiders.
Now to win back voters, they must enact a bold pro-growth, counter-agenda to that of the Pelosi Democrats. This agenda should include reform of the budget process, a flat tax, market-based health care, and protection of private property rights.
The Republicans were corrupted and seduced by power. They forgot why voters elected them. Perhaps now they will remember.
I couldn’t have said it better.
Today, I’m really proud to be an American citizen; and I’m really happy to be a liberal, progressive Democrat.
Nov 01, 2006 @ 05:59 pm by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
I wish I knew who to credit for the following “cut-and-paste” that I’ve kept in my inbox for several months. I do not . . . but if you read this and can add a comment about the originator, I’d really appreciate it!
Defining instructional technology in broad perceptive helps educators, especially inexperienced teachers understand the pedagogical issues to be considered when using technology to enhance teaching and learning. Leh (2005) also calls for the “the national organizations involved in teacher standards to recognize that teachers need to … develop a foundation upon which to build their understanding of technology integration†(p. 46). It is also necessary that teachers consider how the technology selected fits into the objective of the lesson, methods of instruction, evaluation, feedback and follow-up initiatives. Fletcher (1996) explains thus:when you go to the hardware store to buy a drill, you don’t actually want a drill, you want a hole, they don’t sell holes at the hardware store, but they do sell drills, which are the technology used to make holes (p.87).
That’s what I do . . . I help you pick out the best drill for the job . . . and I love what I do!
Oct 27, 2006 @ 10:29 am by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
Yesterday, I took Transpo (the public transportation system in South Bend) to University Park Mall to get my hair cut.
The trip took 2 hours and 45 minutes. Here’s the breakdown:
- 8:45-8:50 – Home to the IU South Bend bus stop (a 3-block walk)
- 8:50-9:00 – Wait at the IU South Bend bus stop (bus was 5 min. late)
- 9:00-9:10 – Bus ride to South Street Station
- 9:10-9:20 – Wait at South Street Station*
- 9:20-9:50 – Bus ride from South Street to UP Mall via Notre Dame
- 9:50-10:00 – Wait for Master Cuts to open
- 10:00-10:20 – Haircut at Master Cuts (always a great cut, Jen!)
- 10:20-10:50 – Wait for bus at UP Mall (The #7 leaves the mall at :17 and :47 of each hour . . . couldn’t get a haircut and back to the stop in just 17 minutes.)
- 10:50-11:15 – Bus ride from UP Mall to South Street Station via Notre Dame
- 11:15-11:20 – Wait at South Street Station for the #9
- 11:20-11:30 – Bus ride from South Street Station to IU South Bend bus stop.
I’m not complaining about the time factor: I had the time to make the trip and I did some work proofreading some handouts on the bus (and listened to tunes on my iPod). But what struck me was that had I chosen to drive my own car, the trip would have taken under an hour!
So my post today isn’t about the lack of public transit, but my thoughts about those who absolutely must use public transit and how time in their lives is different than time in my life. If public transportation is the only means by which some people can navigate the city, how difficult it must be to coordinate with the bus schedules.
That I can choose to take the bus and that I have the time to do so, I am grateful. That I have a great bicycle and can choose to ride rather than walk or bus it, I’m also grateful (though in South Bend, there are places, many places, where bicyclists aren’t welcome). That I have a car and can afford the costs of keeping it and driving it, yeah, grateful too.
But yesterday’s experience also taught me that those might just be luxuries in our lives, and we should be thankful.
*What’s up with Transpo’s South Street Station?!?!? Posted all over the place are signs indicating there is to be no smoking on Transpo property. But while waiting for my busses yesterday I had to move twice to get away from someone smoking. People get off the bus with cigarette in mouth and as soon as foot hits concrete, they light up! Come on Transpo! Enforce your rules! I deserve clean air!
Oct 17, 2006 @ 09:44 pm by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
I was moved to tears. Literally.Â
It generally doesn’t take much to raise a lump in my throat. You know the feeling: that hard-to-swallow-pain-tears-welling-in-your-eyes feeling you get when something touches you deep inside. Well, this video did just that.
Free Hugs on YouTube
Enjoy.
Â
Oct 16, 2006 @ 01:05 pm by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
OK, AECT is in its final day (for me). There are still some post-conference workshops set for tomorrow, but I’ll be heading home.
A colleague of mine from Oklahoma State University, Dr. John Curry, blogged on his site about being “a member of the club” and how much he enjoys the social aspects of the conference. I, too, am delighted to be in that club as well. Though we get together just once a year, the relationships and professional connections we make here turn into real-world research projects and help us become contributing members to the field of instructional/educational technology.
We are a diverse group! We range from uber-geeks whose role is deep behind the scenes making sure that the hardware and network operations function flawlessly on a day-to-day basis to researchers who ask questions about what we do and (maybe more importantly) why we do what we do to those like me: faculty member who use technology and encourage others to use technology wisely and in ways that make sense.
Another AECT annual conference is “under our belts” and I’m taking away a number of great ideas, a renewed excitement about what I do, and sense of “being in the club.”
Â
Oct 11, 2006 @ 04:15 pm by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
Those of you who know me know I love Chipotle! And now, with one open in Mishawaka, a Chipotle burrito is just a few minutes away.
If you haven’t had one, get out there and get one! It’s on Main St. right near The Home Depot.
Check ‘em out online: www.chipotle.com
Oct 11, 2006 @ 04:11 pm by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
I’m listening to John Couch, VP for Education at Apple Computing. Apple is a tremendous friend of education and I’m always amazed at their willingness to work with educators on advancing student learning. Couch talks heavily about a “digital” student who creates and distributes digiital content. But my experience doesn’t support his assertions.
I might agree that students are wired. In my classes of undergraduates, the moment I announce a break for 10 or 15 minutes, a large number of my students immediately turn their attention to FaceBook. There, they post photos of and commentary on their lives. These digital life portfolios are updated constantly; it is fast becoming the communication medium of choice for students.
What is bothersome, though, is how unable students are to transfer their knowledge of FaceBook (or MySpace or Friendster or other social networking software) to what we faculty believe are the common tasks for completing work in an educational technology course.
IU South Bend is a LiveText school. All students subscribe and are taught basic LiveText skils in the foundational technology course. Yet students struggle mightily with simple skills such as attaching a file to LiveText document.
Students can easily create slide shows of digital photographs from FaceBook . . . but to create a PowerPoint slide show is stretching their skills.
Students “blog” their life activities on FaceBook, but reflection on academic work beyond a single sentence such as “this activity was fun” is beyond them.
Why are our future teachers so digitally skillful outside the classroom, but so digitally timid inside the classroom? What can we as faculty do to better engage students in their digital environment while maintaining our desire to align to standards, evaluate dispositions, and produce teachers who are skills, knowledgeable, and professional?
Oct 10, 2006 @ 08:35 pm by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
trackstar.4teachers.org
TrackStar is a great tool for leading students to the exact spot on the web you want them to be . . . no more hunting and clicking and off-task behavior.
Oct 10, 2006 @ 08:06 pm by Dr. Bruce Spitzer
So, what’s up with drivers in South Bend, IN???
Here’s the scoop:
- in South Bend, 35 MPH means it’s OK to drive 45;
- in South Bend, even though the traffic lane is marked for 1 lane, if 2 cars fit so be it;
- in South Bend, S-T-O-P means slow just a bit, then cruise through the intersection
- in South Bend, bicycles and their riders are road hazards meant to be ridiculed and threatened;
- in South Bend, yellow lights and red lights only apply the driver behind, but not me.
Never before have I lived in a place where traffic laws and regulations are routinely ignored by both civilians and police officers alike.
What’ll it take to wake people up and drive safely???