The New Semester

I'm gearing up for an exciting new semester. I will be teaching six courses at Seneca College, two courses at Centennial College and two courses at Trebas Institute.

Since Trebas starts near the end of September, I will not be in the full swing of 10 courses for the fall until that time. It will be exciting and I am looking forward to it. Last semester, a year from now, I taught nine courses and that went well. I am looking forward to this extra work and the challenge of it.

The courses I will be teaching are two sections of news announcing I, one section of news announcing II, two sections of reading and writing skills, one section of English for academic purposes, global citizenship, beat reporting (where the students will be putting together an online magazine), plus the broadcasting industry and communications I. I'm really looking forward to teaching all of these courses.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GIVES MONEY

More than a million dollars will be shared between schools in Kansas, Florida and New York. The money will be given by the U.S. Department of Education to help character development and citizenship responsibilities in students. This was announced by the U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings on Friday.

The grants are called Partnerships in Character Education Program awards that will last up to four years. They are eligible to state and local education agencies to put together character education programs that teach children about civics, citizenship, justice, responsibility and respect for others, as well as for themselves.

Recipients of the grant need to show how they have implemented these core values into teacher training, as well as into classroom instruction.

The program also must involve parents, students and the community as part of the process.

The aim of the project to help students develop positive character, reduce discipline problems and improve academic achievement.

SOURCE: http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/us-department-o-8.php

Tougher Physical Education Standards in Florida

Florida students will now be required to do 30 minutes of daily exercise according to a bill signed by Gov. Charlie Crist.

Beginning in fall 2009 middle schools will offer daily physical education to sixth to eighth grade classes.

Known as the “Don Davis Physical Education Act” is named after a Jacksonville representative who died from brain cancer.

A similar bill was passed last year, however was not enforced. This bill was created to toughen up the original bill and to make sure that students receive the exercise they need.

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jrivPx1NxYHV_1dmSwFCalmI5EdwD9123KHG0

Technology in the Classroom

There is no way to escape it. Technology is making a big splash in education. It will be coming to classroom near you if it is not there already.

Many classrooms are going digital by replacing old chalkboards with electronic podiums that teachers and professors can use, as well as the students when they are doing presentations.

At the click of some buttons, electronic screens can be lowered, projectors can be turned on and PowerPoint presentations of lesson plans can be displayed to the whole class. Many of these electronic podiums also have the capacity to show VCR tapes, DVDs, play audio from the Internet, hook up a laptop and hook up a video camera. Gone are the days of the slide projectors and green, black or white chalkboards that are still in some classrooms.

This technology is making it possible for all kinds of wonderful things to happen in the classroom. Many schools also have a system called Blackboard where it is possible to post previous lesson notes to students, register the grades, create discussion forums, perform podcasts and audio assignments. Things are a lot different for students now a days than they were when many of us who may teach were at school. Things are a lot different than they were for many of us who are paying for our children to go to school.

The advances in technology will not stop. There will be many more in the making as changes are happening all the time. Many people in schools are looking forward to the day when every classroom has access to computers for the students. Some people who teach do not like this idea because computers can sometimes be a disruptive element in the classroom. With the advent of Facebook, MySpace, MSN Messenger and other social networking sites, some students spend more time communicating with their friends online than actually listening to what is going on in class. Somehow a balance between the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom will be struck.

Source: http://gminks.edublogs.org/2008/06/13/technology-must-be-transparent/

South African Education Needs More

The Ministry of Education in South Africa is planning to step up efforts to improve the outcomes in education.

Selected schools that have been under-performing in 2007 matrix exams will be targeted.

Plans include having students write more demanding national examination papers.
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The recent meeting held by the Ministry of Education also stressed having all teachers, schools and students more prepared for the exams.

The immediate support that will be given includes all students having textbooks for each subject, as well as preparation for the examination with different types of questions. The students must attend all classes every day for the next five months.

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080602191654878C192447

Sex Education in Developing Countries

Within the past five years, there have been 7,000 to 8,000 babies born to Taiwanese girls between the ages of 15 to 19 years old.

Ministry statistics in Taiwan state that only 153 girls became pregnant. The reality is different. Many people are calling for better sex education in Taiwanese schools to lower the rate of teenage pregnancies.

About one in every 10 Taiwanese girl is getting pregnant. This is four times higher than the rate in South Korea. As a developing country, lowering the teenage pregnancy rate becomes important to ensure the success of the nation.

Discussion around improving the sex education includes educating boys about proper use of condoms, as well as practicing responsibility when it comes to their relationships with girls.

Sex education is more than about passing on knowledge, it also involves passing on values. If young people in Taiwan are not receiving the education they need to know what is appropriate behaviour at their age – the teenage pregnancy rate will continue to climb. The education ministry in Taiwan is making every effort to ensure that future statistics of teenage preganancies will be eradicated down to zero.

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2008/06/14/2003414679

Rural Australian Education

There are human rights concerns for quality education when it comes to rural Australians.

The number of people who actually go to school and stay in school from rural Australia is far below the national average. The recent federal budget of the country is attempting to address the issue, however much more needs to be done.

Long-term goals have a vision up until 2020 to improve the quality of education for rural Australians. This includes opportunities in community-based early childhood learning, primary and secondary education, vocational education and training, higher education, online learning, professional development and lifelong learning.

Source: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7376