Month: May 2005

tech.Learninghas posted a simple tutorial on the use of Blogger.com. Now that summer is here, if you want to give blogging a try and need a little help, this may be just what you need to get started.

Sometimes an issue you are interested in gets decided before you even know the issue exists. eSchool News reports that the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has rejected a proposed “broadcast flag” for digital video. Such a marker would be attached to broadcast digital video content and prevent anyone from storing and sharing video content. Educators have some opportunity to make limited use of such content under the TEACH Act. While there is obviously opportunity for abuse and it would be naive to claim that some educators have not abused opportunities to tape television programs for classroom use, this ruling appears to come down on the side of assuming certain users will use digital content appropriately.

If this issue does not make sense to you, I understand it in comparison to how Apple protects music downloaded from the Apple Music store. When I purchase a CD, as the owner of that CD I can “rip” and legally copy the music to my computer. In a way, I own my copy of that music. However, with iTunes, a song I downloaded is protected. I can actually share it with myself within limits, but there are limits. As an owner of the song, I am legally prevented from attempting to circumvent the copy protection attached to the file. In a way, I have a right to copy a resource I own for my own use (as in the case of the songs on a CD), but I do not have a legal right to defeat copy protection attached to the original (I think this is an accurate representation of the situation). I am no way advocating stealing of music. However, I purchase a great deal of music as downloads and on CD and I am frustrated by legal measures that seem to assume I will attempt to do something illegal with the music I download.

So – the legal decision here would seem to declare copy protection schemes designed to prevent the acceptable use of broadcast digital video illegal. I can’t believe this will be the end of this issue.

The issues of why gender differences in academic performance exist and increase with age was reawakened with the recent controversy involving the Harvard University president (previous blog entry).

Education Week published a recent article addressing this issue. This is a nice summary and there are links to other related articles.

The May 16th Newsweek focuses on America’s Best High Schools. Included is a ranking of the best schools based on a simple metric – the number of AP tests taken divided by the number of graduating seniors. The rationale for using the AP is presented in one article. The on-line article lists the top 1000 schools, but there is no search feature so you will have to page through the list to determine if a particular school of interest has been included.

If this issue interests you, make sure to read the author Q&A. The authors discuss their methodology and issues related to AP exams. While interesting, I do not agree with all of the authors’ contentions. One issue I feel able to comment on relates to the position of some colleges in resisting AP course credit. Among the issues raised in addressing this issue is the contention that higher ed institutions may resist partly because of revenue issues. I think this leaves the wrong impression. Passing AP exams (a score of 3) is only equated to a C college grade. If a student is truly serious about a subject area, it would be a mistake to accept passing out of an intro course with what amounts to a C grade. I agree with the sentiment that college bound high school students need to experience some more rigorous high school courses.

I do wonder about the motivation associated with AP exams. The number of students taking AP exams has tripled since 1995. Both of my daughters passed the AP calculus exam. The daughter who received the 5 took no math courses in college. For a student with real talent in this area, I wonder if this would be an outcome those pushing AP courses would want. The university math faculty had no opportunity to sell their discipline to her. Because she regarded math as simply another of the prerequisite areas she had to check off the list, she never gave them a chance. So when critics challenge the value of pushing college experiences down into high schools I am at least willing to listen.

This same article contains some data from a recent large population survey reporting that high school students are studying less than 20 years ago (34% report studying 6 or more hours per week compared to 47% in 1987).

The Mother’s Day Race for the Cure has become a tradition in our family. We participate in Minneapolis. Cindy is an 11 year (and two-week) survivor.

I commented on security issues associated with student blogs in an earlier post.

Here is a link to an article by MSNBC technology correspondent Bob Sullivan on the same topic. For those looking for data. the article contains numbers from a thesis by David Huffaker indicating the likelihood different types of information appear in a student’ blog.

Full Name – 20%
Email address – 44%
Contact information – 61%

Education Week’s special issue “Technology Counts 2005” is now available. I have not spent enough time yet to offer many comments. However, each issue of Technology Counts has had a theme. The theme of this issue, “Electronic transfer: Moving technology dollars in new directions”, is telling. One section is entitled “NCLB focuses on data tools.”

Anyway, for a start, you might consider the section describing state support for technology. The “abstract” – As states struggle with budget deficits, they try a mix of funding approaches to pay for educational technology.