Michigan Republicans: Let's Privatize Public School Teaching
Mother Jones
Sept. 1, 2011
Old news but a reminder that it's out there.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Soccer Moms and other sport parents
What Makes a Nightmare Sports Parent—and What Makes a Great One
The Post Game
Feb. 15, 2012
"College athletes were asked what their parents said that made them feel great, that amplified their joy during and after a ballgame.
The Post Game
Feb. 15, 2012
"College athletes were asked what their parents said that made them feel great, that amplified their joy during and after a ballgame.
Their overwhelming response: "I love to watch you play.""
Monday, August 5, 2013
Changing nutrition and marketing is difficult, Obama finds
Michelle Obama's nutrition campaign comes with political pitfalls
LA Times
July 20, 2013
"But when food and media companies — including many that supported her anti-obesity campaign — mounted a fierce lobbying battle against the [new] guidelines in 2011, the first lady went silent. It wasn't until earlier this year, after the guidelines had been blocked, that Obama resumed her call for more responsible food marketing."
"In 2009, Congress approved a Harkin-sponsored measure to set up an interagency working group to write voluntary nutrition standards for products advertised to children."
You know....in Scandinavia no advertising is allowed to be targeted to children aged 7 or under. I would have to think that would help, here. Not that it's even imaginable in our corporation-happy culture here....
LA Times
July 20, 2013
"But when food and media companies — including many that supported her anti-obesity campaign — mounted a fierce lobbying battle against the [new] guidelines in 2011, the first lady went silent. It wasn't until earlier this year, after the guidelines had been blocked, that Obama resumed her call for more responsible food marketing."
"In 2009, Congress approved a Harkin-sponsored measure to set up an interagency working group to write voluntary nutrition standards for products advertised to children."
You know....in Scandinavia no advertising is allowed to be targeted to children aged 7 or under. I would have to think that would help, here. Not that it's even imaginable in our corporation-happy culture here....
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Bee theory going back to pesticide problems
Scientists discover what's killing bees, and it's worse than you thought.
Quartz
July 24, 2013
Is this a reputable source? The author's Twitter tag is @greenwombat?
"But in a first-of-its-kind study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture have identified a witch’s brew of pesticides and fungicides contaminating pollen that bees collect to feed their hives...
"When researchers collected pollen from hives on the east coast pollinating cranberry, watermelon and other crops and fed it to healthy bees, those bees showed a significant decline in their ability to resist infection by a parasite calledNosema ceranae. The parasite has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder though scientists took pains to point out that their findings do not directly link the pesticides to CCD. The pollen was contaminated on average with nine different pesticides and fungicides though scientists discovered 21 agricultural chemicals in one sample. Scientists identified eight ag chemicals associated with increased risk of infection by the parasite."
Quartz
July 24, 2013
Is this a reputable source? The author's Twitter tag is @greenwombat?
"But in a first-of-its-kind study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture have identified a witch’s brew of pesticides and fungicides contaminating pollen that bees collect to feed their hives...
"When researchers collected pollen from hives on the east coast pollinating cranberry, watermelon and other crops and fed it to healthy bees, those bees showed a significant decline in their ability to resist infection by a parasite calledNosema ceranae. The parasite has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder though scientists took pains to point out that their findings do not directly link the pesticides to CCD. The pollen was contaminated on average with nine different pesticides and fungicides though scientists discovered 21 agricultural chemicals in one sample. Scientists identified eight ag chemicals associated with increased risk of infection by the parasite."
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Random stories for around your gourmet water cooler
The Decline and Fall of the Book Cover
The New Yorker
July 16, 2013
Lovely story for you visual folks, and studiers of social trends.
Toys for tight schedules
Wall Street Journal
July 23, 2013
"Toymakers are increasingly creating playthings aimed at busy kids who only have bite-size bits of time to play—a trend some in the industry are calling "snack toys."
"School-age children are increasingly playing in short bursts of time between organized activities—whether on the sidelines of a sibling's soccer game or at home, between piano lessons and homework. And while many parents default to their smartphone or another electronic device as a quick diversion, toy companies are working hard to maintain their market by refreshing traditional games and playthings to be shorter-playing, more portable and faster to clean up."
$20 for a bottle of water? Your water sommelier will bring the menu right away.
Los Angeles Times
July 18, 2013
"Martin Reise is the water sommelier -- yes, there is such a thing -- for the Patina Group of Retaurants. He's launching a water menu Monday at Ray's and Stark, the restaurant at LACMA, where he is also the general manager. Some of the bottles will be priced as high as $20. "
How Chinese ingenuity destroyed salad bars at Pizza Hut
Kotaku
July 19, 2013
Creative salad sculptures give "all you care to eat" a run for the money. Why not just charge by the pound?
Friday, August 2, 2013
LAUSD and iPads
Oh, this whole thing just fries me. They have $434 MILLION for these useless things that have to be maintained, updated and wrestled with, but no money for a PE teacher at every school? Or an art teacher? Children learn with their hands on, building things, moving their bodies. That's how they build the neural pathways for future growth. Not by sitting on their butts drawing their pointer fingers over something they have to watch.
This is all about putting corporations before kids. Jesus. This whole thing makes me want to homeschool.
LA will give all 640,000 students a $678 iPad by the end of 2014
Electronista
July 26, 2013
"The bulk of the total cost is the $678 per iPad fixed cost, which will come pre-loaded with Pearson e-textbooks and other educational apps that make up the remainder of the money.
Read more: http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/07/26/apple.contract.will.kick.off.with.31000.ipads.covers.all.k.12.students/#ixzz2ajY1UGlo"
Apple to replace LAUSD iPads if broken, stolen or damaged
LA School Report
July 30, 2013
With a link to the contract, which also details the Pearson software on the iPads
Low Income schools getting first wave of new iPads
LA School Report
July 31, 2013
Controversy Awaits $30m iPad Vote
LA School Report
Note at the writing they thought it would be only 31,000 iPads for $30million, which actually only covers the frist 49 schools.
This is all about putting corporations before kids. Jesus. This whole thing makes me want to homeschool.
LA will give all 640,000 students a $678 iPad by the end of 2014
Electronista
July 26, 2013
"The bulk of the total cost is the $678 per iPad fixed cost, which will come pre-loaded with Pearson e-textbooks and other educational apps that make up the remainder of the money.
Read more: http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/07/26/apple.contract.will.kick.off.with.31000.ipads.covers.all.k.12.students/#ixzz2ajY1UGlo"
Apple to replace LAUSD iPads if broken, stolen or damaged
LA School Report
July 30, 2013
With a link to the contract, which also details the Pearson software on the iPads
Low Income schools getting first wave of new iPads
LA School Report
July 31, 2013
Controversy Awaits $30m iPad Vote
LA School Report
Note at the writing they thought it would be only 31,000 iPads for $30million, which actually only covers the frist 49 schools.
"The district received 13 bids for the contract, three of which were found to be within “competitive range.” Superintendent John Deasy defended the decision to go with Apple. ”It is the best product that went through the bidding process,” he said.
"However, the LA Times‘s Steve Lopez pointed out that Deasy appeared in an Apple video in January of 2012, promoting the use of textbooks on iPads."
Recent teaching and education stories
'Hair on Fire' guy has new book out for teachers
Two Wise Gals
July 18, 2013
Says what all experienced teachers know: keep quiet in the meetings then do what you want in the classroom.
LAUSD parents fighting mainstreaming of special needs kids
Larry Mantle's Air Talk
July 25, 2013
An interesting discussion. In some cases, moving kids from special schools will deny them amenities that make their lives easier.
Two Wise Gals
July 18, 2013
Says what all experienced teachers know: keep quiet in the meetings then do what you want in the classroom.
LAUSD parents fighting mainstreaming of special needs kids
Larry Mantle's Air Talk
July 25, 2013
An interesting discussion. In some cases, moving kids from special schools will deny them amenities that make their lives easier.
Standardized testing—recent news
How much time do school districts spend on standardized testing?
Washington Post Answer Sheet
July 25, 2013
"The grade-by-grade analysis of time and money invested in standardized testing found that test prep and testing absorbed 19 full school days in one district and a month and a half in the other in heavily tested grades. The Midwestern district spent $600 or more for standardized testing per pupil in grades 3-8; about $200 per student for grades K-2; from $400 to $600 per student for grades 9-11. The Eastern district spent more than $1,100 annually on testing per student in grades 6-11; around $400 per student in grades 1-2; between $700 and $800 per student for grades 3-5."
"Students can spend 60 to more than 110 hours per year in test prep in high-stakes testing grades.
"If testing were abandoned, one school district in this study could add from 20 to 40 minutes of instruction to each school day for most grades. The other school district would be able to add almost an entire class period to the school day for grades 6-11. Additionally, in most grades, more than $100 per test-taker could be reallocated to purchase instructional programs, technology or to buy better tests. "
New Common Core Tests—worth the price?
Washington Post Answer Sheet
July 24, 2013
"On Monday, the 21-state Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, announced how much it would cost for the Core-aligned test: $29.50 a student for summative math and reading tests. More than half of the states in the consortium now pay less for their current assessment tests. When officials in Georgia heard the numbers, they pulled out of the consortium, given that they now spend a total of $12 a student for math and reading tests. (They also cited concerns about having the technology to give all the tests to all students on computer.) Oklahoma left PARCC too."
Regular bedtimes important to child development
New Study Shows Why You Should get the Kids to Bed on Time
WSJ
July 30, 2013
Says that a regular bedtime may be more important than the exact time of bedtime.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Juice boxes can get MOLDY inside
Why I stopped buying juice boxes
Underground Health
July 27, 2013
Since many juice box and pouch products don't have preservatives, it just takes a little bit of air inside to start the science happening.
I think I'm going to focus more on drinks that come in clear bottles from now on. GROSS.
Underground Health
July 27, 2013
Since many juice box and pouch products don't have preservatives, it just takes a little bit of air inside to start the science happening.
I think I'm going to focus more on drinks that come in clear bottles from now on. GROSS.
photo: Underground Health
Beware of sand holes at the beach
The worst five minutes of my life
Earth Chick Knits
Jul. 16, 2007
Horrifying story about how her son was swallowed up in a sand hole while playing at the beach — so quickly that no one saw it happen.
"After our accident, I learned that sandhole collapses are a more frequent occurrence than I would’ve dreamed, and that the majority of them end in death. There are four easy things you can do to prevent such a tragedy:
1. When you arrive at the beach, always check nearby for any holes left by others, and fill them in.
Earth Chick Knits
Jul. 16, 2007
Horrifying story about how her son was swallowed up in a sand hole while playing at the beach — so quickly that no one saw it happen.
"After our accident, I learned that sandhole collapses are a more frequent occurrence than I would’ve dreamed, and that the majority of them end in death. There are four easy things you can do to prevent such a tragedy:
2. Do not dig holes any deeper than knee-high of the shortest person in your group. Yeah, I know this sounds extreme. If this feels more extreme than your group can accommodate then perhaps you can at least stop at waist-high.
3. If you do dig holes, fill them in before you leave. The hole my son fell in had been left by other children.
4. Make sure any children you go to the beach with know that holes and trenches can be dangerous, and that they should let you know if they see any abandoned holes."
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