Current Issue 3

General ed. teachers face special ed. realities Chris Gaetano Suburban July 6th 2006 http://suburban.gmnews.com/news/2006/0706/Schools/056.html This article calls attention to the 800 pound gorilla in the room that no one would bring to the forefront until recently; general education teachers who lack the knowledge on how to adequately provide instruction to students with disabilities. The article explores the attempts at adjustment to this reality. Chris Gaetano asserts that general ed teachers often exit college with little or no training in working with special needs students although the number of these students in general ed classes is increasing. This reverse dynamic raises issues because although general ed. teachers are expected to teach special ed. students, it is not a requirement for teacher certification. In fact teachers that serve special needs have always been difficult to find with the article citing the overall factor as lack of interest or ‘attitude problem’. Some feel as though it is not there responsibility to teach those with physical or mental ailments as it ‘gets in the way of true instruction’. Gaetano refers to the recent changes in the IDEA which now highly emphasizes inclusion which had caused states to find ways to keep up with this requirement. However, states are still at a disadvantage due to budgetary problems. We have been cut with budget cuts in all areas with no exception to special ed. Some districts have found alternative means of support such as providing workshops and professional development that address the needs of special needs students. Other districts have sought to partner with colleges to ensure that special ed. is not overlooked. The Department of Educaion recently mandated that teachers be well versed in all areas of education including special education. Although we are seemingly moving in the right direction the “unpreparedness” of colleges to provide the necessary training to circumvent this problem has far to go. This article really hits home for me. I’ve been reflecting on many of these same notions from some of the topics covered in Foundations II. This course is my first experience in looking at diverse learners (or more so special ed. students). Out of the 18 credits 100 field observation hours, and 4 months of students teaching for initial certification, it was never required of me to have a knowledge base in Special ed. nor did anyone direct my attention the overlooked population. Up until I read this article I looked at inclusion in a less than favorable light since I as well as many others was never equipped to handle it in a general ed. classroom. However the article draws attention to the fact that because we are expected to teach inclusion it is only now that teacher prep programs and professional development is up and coming in this area (sort of a reverse positive). It is my belief that all teachers should be well versed in tailoring instruction to meet diverse learners and that educational institutions, as well as public school systems, should invest the time and money to ensure that this happens.

Current Issue 3: Vocational Ed Funding

Federal Funding for Vocational Education Continues Lynne Bailey, July 22, 2006 Current Issue Report #3 Article: Deal reached on vocational education law Thursday, July 20, 2006 · Last updated 2:58 p.m. PT Author: BEN FELLER, Education Writer, Associated Press Thursday, July 20, 2006 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_Vocational_Education.html and various other publications Summary: This article reports on the House and Senate agreement for an extention of federal funding for vocational training in high schools and college under the Perkins Act through 2012. The bill changes the vocational education title to 'career and technical education' (CTE) to create a fresh perception of this kind of program and reduce any stigma associated with 'voc-ed'. President Bush wanted to eliminate these programs because he feels they are ineffective, but it is a Congressional favorite, and lawmakers are commited to it. $1.3 billion is allocated per year, the most funding for any single federal high school aid program. The deal is expected to be aproved by both houses shortly. This latest extension makes some important changes, requiring states to give students a broad base of academic skills, in addition to technical job training. States will also have to develop model sequences of courses to set a clear path for work training. They will also have to produce more direct evidence of student progress and program results in exchange for funding, reflecting current demands for rigor and resuls. Importance/Relevance of Topic: One of society's mandates for education is to give students the tools and skills to find meaningful work. Approximately 15 million students take vocational courses (high school and college), and though federal money is only a small part of the total funding, many school depend on these funds to offer those courses. So many of NYC high school students drop out and/or do not go to college, and yet the curriculum and objective of almost all of these high schools is centered upon students graduating and continuing their academic studies in college. This is very unrealistic, and more needs to be done to prepare students for work while they are still in high school, as many of them will have to do just that. Reflection: This is a topic near and dear to my heart, and I have participated in the request for CTE funding at our school. NYS has already initiated some of the changes that will be required for these funds. Two-year sequences must be outlined and for most funding some kind of certification needs to be included. Programs are judged by the number of students attaining that certification. There is a three-year development and approval process and statistics comparing students in these classes with other students in the school must be provided to gather clear evidence of the value of these programs. Regents scores, attendance, and drop-out rates are the key comparison factors. New York City does have a CTE office, and numerous high schools in the city have such programs in place. Some are at the few high schools designated "vocational" and training has been offered for teachers to improve the academic rigor of such courses in re-writing lessons that go beyond the standard curriculum to include and designate standards from other subject areas as well. For example, in a welding program students had to produce presentations to decribe the entire process. In auto-tech, activities with historical and scientific contexts might be included. The most burdensome part of this legislation, though, is following up on workplace success. It is very difficult to get post-high school information on students in the program, and there exists no database of post-high school student work and academic activities to compare it with, one of the requirements for continued funding. The only information nominally available is based on student's immediate plans following high school graduation. No extra funding is provided for this, either. It remains unclear how programs wil be able to evidence continued success, and what benchmarks they can use for comparison. Many people agree that participation in these programs does make a difference, but now administrators much quantify how great a difference that makes. Personally, I feel that this requirement, to go beyond the first post-year of high school is so burdensome as to make it virtually impossible. In what ways are students outside of these programs measured, and how can we accurately collect and report data comparing the two? The CTE office is attempting to initiate procedures to obtain follow-up information, but it will be reliant upon student cooperation after-the-fact. There are no incentives, nor can there be, to force cooperation from persons who have completed the requirements and gone on. Administrators can only ask for students to supply the information, they can get it from no other source, and there is no easy way to verify the information, so training programs ask students to mail in a form when they find work, and to include a paystub. This is the most one can do, without obtrusive tracking tactics. Therefore, the evidence required by this legislation, beyond the training itself, will undoubtedly be scant, and very difficult to obtain. It remains to be seen how this will impact continued funding of the program, or if additional funding can be obtained to track graduates.

Current Issue 2: Paralyzed Man Uses Thoughts to Move a Cursor

Paralyzed Man Uses Thoughts to Move a Cursor Jul 13th 2006 Written by Andrew Pollack The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/science/13brain.html?_r=1&oref=slogin This discovery if successful holds great implications for education, communication, and quality of life for those suffering from paralysis. For the physically impaired it ignites a new hope granting another realm of physical control in ones life that was thought to be incapacitated with the loss of their bodily movement This article draws on images from the matrix to describe how Mr. Nagle was able to control a computer, robot, and remote control with his thoughts. This new development works by inserting a tiny sensor into the brain and hooking the person directly to a computer through use of a cable. The imagination of movement ignites electrical signals in the brain which in turn control the thoughts of movement in the technology. Not quite as violent as the rugged cord-like mechanism thrust into the back of Neo’s neck. Yet, we are still awed by the implications this has for those who have highly limited mobility due to spinal chord injuries. Mr. Nagle was able to open email, draw, move a cursor and play a game. The article states that studies show that people with full use of mobility average one second in dragging a cursor to a targeted spot on the computer. In contrast Mr. Nagle was able to hit a targeted spot with a common time of 2.5 seconds. Although movement of the cursor was not highly controlled, the roughness decreased with increased practice. With all new findings there is always room for development. This study indicates that brain signals that were thought to be inactive with physical disability are yet still alive. Although the tiny sensors lose the ability to detect the sensors after several months, scientists are hoping to eradicate this problem and ultimately to emit these signals wirelessly. For now, it takes a half our each day for Mr. Nagle’s device to be calibrated. There are no cost associations at this time.

Current Issue Report #2

Portable Reading Device Lynne Bailey, July 16, 2006 Current Issue Report #2 Article: A Scanner-Reader to Take Along Anywhere http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/technology/13blind.html?ei=5070&en=8876b42f023eff93&ex=1153540800&emc=eta1&pagewanted=print Author: J. D. BIERSDORFER, New York Times, July 13, 2006 Additional Article: Device reads printed words to the blind Dallas: Breakthrough innovation is talk of conference this week Wednesday, July 5, 2006 By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-blind_05met.ART0.North.Edition1.23ed512.html Check out the video: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer.php?vidId=73785&catId=104 Summary: What do you get when you combine a digital camera, a PDA, OCR (optical character recognition) and text-to-speech software? ... the biggest hit at the National Federation of the Blind convention in Dallas last week - the Kurzweil-National Federation of the Blind Reader - a handheld text reader. It snaps a picture, scans the text and reads it aloud. Weighing in at 15 oz, it can go anywhere. Using this device, blind people can now 'read' menus, mail, food labels, recipes, receipts, posters, newspapers, magazines and more books without assistance from another person. Information processed by the device can be saved for later use. Just introduced, the portable Reader costs about $3,500, including a removable 1GB SD card and headphones. Importance/Relevance of Topic: How great is this? For someone who is blind, it's phenomenal. While there are some drawbacks, it's a momentous step forward for the visually impaired. What's particularly novel is that you don't need another computer to use it, though you can use a computer to access additional files for the device to read. The data is captured with the camera/scanning device. It is also a great example of the evolution of technology, with the convergence of serveral technologies into a single device, this time to meet a very specific need. The availability of portable text readers became a reality with MP3 players. If you can save the audio file, or capture the text-to-speech output, it can be played by an MP3 player. A portable talking/recording PDA, the Voice Mate AND a talking MP3 player, the BookCourier can be found athttp://www.accessableworld.com, and these cost about $500. FYI.. Kurzweill also has two software products, Kurzweill 1000 and Kurzweill 3000 (for Windows and MAC) and this new handheld gadget capitalizes on their OCR and speech synthesizer expertise. Reflection on Personal Practice: While looking at the fact sheets for this device, I become more and more aware of the reading software available and wonder why I have not seen this technology used in the high schools I have taught in. Perhaps there is the assumption that most high school students can read and write higher than a 6th or 8th grade level? (excepting ELL) It has been my sad experience to find that many students do not, and have great difficulty summarizing information they just read, or asking questions about what they are learning. In class one can read aloud, and have students read aloud, stopping along the way to identify new words, summarizing and asking questions about the text. But still, many struggling students aren't prone to take notes either. Would it be good idea to record the classroom texts as well, for students listen to as they read along or to review at home? MP3 players and interchangeable memory cards open up that possibility, having the cool factor over older and bulkier audio cassette tape.

This device in particular is so expensive a) because it's new and b) because of its ability to capture and interpret printed materials outside of the classroom and away from computers. I would hope to see more portable devices at lower pricepoints that have direct Internet connections offering text-to-speech and podcasts without needing a computer. Schools could conceivably provide such devices for students with language difficulties who could benefit from this type of learning enhancement. Even if you need a computer to assemble files, the memory cards could be loaded and loaned to students for later review.

MOM of 22 YEAR OLD QUADRIPILEGIC SUES NYC DOE for DIPLOMA SHAM

Current Issue 1 Article: Disabled girl wins round on ed funds Authors: BY THOMAS ZAMBITO and ERIN EINHORN Publication Date: July 5, 2006Source: Daily News https://mail.nycboe.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/432531p-364484c.html Summary: MOM of 22 YEAR OLD QUADRIPILEGIC SUES NYC DOE for DIPLOMA SHAM Alba Sonoma joined School of the Future in 1993 after her twin sister asked Bill Clinton why Alba could not attend the same school as her during a television press conference. Alba and her twin sister were both born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. However, Anastasia is able to speak using normal speech. Anastasia was admitted to general education while her sister Alba, who communicates through tapping, attended a school for Special Ed students. Both girls graduated with honors and headed to college. Anastasia excelled in Georgetown College while it became obvious that Alba was not academically fit when enrolled at Queens College. In accordance with IDEA which requires that students receive suitable education at no cost until the age of 21 Mrs. Sonoma petitioned that Alba 18 receive remediation to get her back on track. The state provided the remediation at a 1.2 million dollar cost. Now at age 22 Alba reads at the 4th grade level. The state refused to provide 2 years of additional remediation as requested by Mrs. Sonoma citing that they have met their obligation and are not required by law to provide any additional education. Mrs. Sonoma is suing the NYC DOE on the grounds that Alba graduated with honors but could only read at the 4th grade level and acquired ‘A’ equivalent grades in classes that she never attended. Importance and Reflection: Referencing today’s class discussion, while NCLB requires that all children receive equal education, however there is evidence that educators have not held students with disabilities as academically accountable as general education students. Andrew gave a good example when he shared with the class of how he witnessed a student known for high absence rates and frequent outbursts receive a diploma with gladness notwithstanding the fact that her academic performance was evidently lacking. The above article highlights this problem from a global perspective. It is plainly clear that a problem with academic accountability exists in special education and yet this ‘hot topic’ continues to miss the radar of higher education officials. As stated by Dr. McPherson, it is important that ‘we’ become advocates for diverse learners. They are more often the minority and we lend them a voice when accept notions as Universal Design and Differentiated Instruction employing them into our classrooms. We must begin to identify and take care to each student’s individual needs; tapping into what information we can about diverse learners whether it come from their IEP plan or instructor collaboration. We should aim for it to be the norm to see a classroom where ‘preparedness’ for class means that all students are equipped with individual tools for learning just as much as we are equipped with the delivery of a lesson.

PodCasting

Lynne Bailey, July 11, 2006 Article: Podcasting 101 -- How Educators Can Use This New Technology http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189500866 Author: Mike Dionne, TechLearning: Educator's E-Zine, July 1, 2006 Related Article: Colonial Williamsburg turns to podcasting to tell its story http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14958945.htm Author: Unknown; San Jose Mercury News, July 3, 2006 Summary: In this article, Mike Dionne sums up what podcasting is all about, and provides resources for creating and publishing them. Podcasts, a new word in the dictionary, is an amalgamation of broadcasting and iPod (Apple's portable music player). He points out that it is relatively easy and affordable to create podcasts; most any computer with a sound card and microphone can be used. He posits that integrating podcasts into the curriculum would engage students in a very positive way, and get parents involved as well. Podcasting is a bit different than just creating a sound (MP3) file, because one can subscribe to a podcast and automatically receive updates. It's the modern equivalent of a radio show on the Internet, with a twist - you can listen to it at your own convenience. Some of the themes Dionne suggests are classroom news, storytelling, school announcements, interviews or any classroom activity. Teachers can construct activities to write and produce the show in a number of ways, in groups or individually. They can brainstorm with students or introduce predetermined themes, distribute graphic organizers for outlining and allow students to determine the show's name and content. Importance/Relevance of Topic: The use of podcasting and the popularity of MP3 players, like iPods, among students make this topic particularly relevant. Even without a computer, podcasts could be copied onto an MP3 player from school and played at home, and MP3 players can be purchased for less than $50. More and more adults are jumping in on the portable music craze as well. Here is a technology that many students are already using, and the ability to be on the producing end presents a wonderful opportunity for leveraging the technology in a very personal and educational way. The related article on Colonial Williamsburg further highlights the way podcasts are rippling through our society. More and more institutions (and businesses) are using this tool as a way to reach wider audiences. Even if you do not create podcasts in the classroom, you can access them for students. For students with reading difficulties, this can provide another means of enriching their experiences in a variety of topics, and they can listen privately. Reflection on Personal Practice: I have to agree that producing podcasts in class could be very exciting and involve most students in a number of ways. A wide variety of talent is needed: writing, speaking/recording, setting up the computer hardware and software, directing, contributing music (digital or live) and sound effects, interviewing, and project planning to name a few. Students at very different levels of learning and skill levels can all participate productively. ELL students could translate the podcast into their own languages; some students could create musical interludes. In conjunction with the podcasts, artistic children can create advertising posters; others might develop a website or pages with information on the podcast or the script. Creating podcasts ideally would be an ongoing class activity to share updated news and student work in a new medium. For students with learning disabilities there are aspects which they might excel in. One does NOT need expensive equipment or extensive training to get involved. If you have the resources, you can move on to create video podcasts as well. Students can create their own educational podcasts that other students could listen to, and there is no more powerful learning tool than teaching others. This is an excellent tool for integrating technology in the classroom and involving all students in a constructive and creative endeavor with a project that can be easily shared locally with other students, parents, the community, and, thanks to the Internet, globally.

Welcome to the NYIT at the UFT Summer 2006

This blog is for sharing your current issue assignments. You can tell your classmates about the article and why you thought it interesting. Be sure to include the name of the article, source and date. You can comment on the articles others post and your classmates can comment of yours. This is a good way to share information about current issues regarding diversity, learning and technology.