Yesterday was the 30 year anniversary of Pac-man. Google had as their logo for the day a playable version of Pac-man.
Hopefully it will be up in their gallery soon.
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Technorati tags: pac-man
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Kind of funny
This is kind of funny, in a sad sort of way:
Like many others, the last two years has been hard for the company I work at. My group has had six, maybe seven, layoffs over the two years.
Early this year I worked on a special project. As a token of their thanks the company sent me a nice jacket. My second daughter saw it and said "Oh great, they want to make sure you are warm, when we are homeless."
(As a side note, I don't think we are in any danger of being homeless.)
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Technorati tags: economy
Like many others, the last two years has been hard for the company I work at. My group has had six, maybe seven, layoffs over the two years.
Early this year I worked on a special project. As a token of their thanks the company sent me a nice jacket. My second daughter saw it and said "Oh great, they want to make sure you are warm, when we are homeless."
(As a side note, I don't think we are in any danger of being homeless.)
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Technorati tags: economy
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Don't forget to send in your submission for the next Carnival of Homeschooling.
Mellisa will be hosting it at Bugs, Knights, and Turkeys...
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Mellisa will be hosting it at Bugs, Knights, and Turkeys...
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Under the Golden Apple Tree.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Monday, May 17, 2010
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
You have just ten hours to send in your submission for the next Carnival of Homeschooling, which will be held at Under the Golden Apple Tree.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Astronomy mysteries
I enjoy listening to podcasts while gardening or whenever, and one of the podcasts I really enjoy is Astronomy Cast. They recently had a series of podcasts on mysteries in astronomy that I found fascinating, could be a great resource for someone out there.
You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or at http://feeds.feedburner.com/astronomycast.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Does this justify laziness?
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
I sincerely believe that there is a time in life for drifting. There is a time for sitting back and getting in touch with yourself. Some of our most interesting illuminations and ideas will come when we take time to reflect, time to kick back and cruise awhile.
-Rudolfo Anaya
Bits and Pieces April 2010
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Technorati tags: reflection, Dan Galvin
I sincerely believe that there is a time in life for drifting. There is a time for sitting back and getting in touch with yourself. Some of our most interesting illuminations and ideas will come when we take time to reflect, time to kick back and cruise awhile.
-Rudolfo Anaya
Bits and Pieces April 2010
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Technorati tags: reflection, Dan Galvin
Clever things criminals do
Recently I read an article about how criminals were learning lessons from CSI and other cop TV shows. For example more crooks were using bleach to clean up crime scenes.
Bogus Jury Duty notices lead to identity theft reports on another way crooks are being more clever:
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A caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you neverreceived a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your SocialSecurity number and date of birth to be able to verify the information andcancel the arrest warrant. Giving out such information has resulted inidentity fraud in at least 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois, andColorado. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwidealerts on their websites, warning consumers about the fraud.
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The FBI's suggestion is to: "Never give out personal information when you receive an unsolicited phone call."
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Technorati tags: identity, theft
Bogus Jury Duty notices lead to identity theft reports on another way crooks are being more clever:
----------
A caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you neverreceived a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your SocialSecurity number and date of birth to be able to verify the information andcancel the arrest warrant. Giving out such information has resulted inidentity fraud in at least 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois, andColorado. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwidealerts on their websites, warning consumers about the fraud.
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The FBI's suggestion is to: "Never give out personal information when you receive an unsolicited phone call."
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Technorati tags: identity, theft
How to fix public education
Bullying can be a real problem in some public schools. It can range anywhere from students physically beating up a classmate to saying nasty things on Facebook or other places on the internet.
In a column last month JAMES TARANTO writes about a situation where a teacher was bullying the students. I love Mr. Taranto's concluding thought:
"Maybe this problem could be solved if school districts adopted a policy of hiring only grown-ups."
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Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
In a column last month JAMES TARANTO writes about a situation where a teacher was bullying the students. I love Mr. Taranto's concluding thought:
"Maybe this problem could be solved if school districts adopted a policy of hiring only grown-ups."
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Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Anyone see "The Cartel?"
Bob Bowdon & The Cartel is an interview with Bob Bowdon who produced a documentary on public education. The article makes the movie sound interesting? Has anyone watched The Cartel?
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Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
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Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
Fun - the world's largest beaver dam
We live in an amazing world.
World's biggest beaver dam discovered in northern Canada:
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Researcher Jean Thie said Wednesday he used satellite imagery and Google Earth software to locate the dam, which is about 850 metres (2,800 feet) long on the southern edge of Wood Buffalo National Park.
Average beaver dams in Canada are 10 to 100 metres long, and only rarely do they reach 500 metres.
First discovered in October 2007, the gigantic dam is located in a virtually inaccessible part of the park south of Lac Claire, about 190 kilometres (120 miles) northeast of Fort McMurray.
Construction of the dam likely started in the mid-1970s, said Thie, who made his discovery quite by accident while tracking melting permafrost in Canada's far north.
"Several generations of beavers worked on it and it's still growing," he told AFP in Ottawa.
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Just amazing.
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Technorati tags: beaver, dam
World's biggest beaver dam discovered in northern Canada:
---------
Researcher Jean Thie said Wednesday he used satellite imagery and Google Earth software to locate the dam, which is about 850 metres (2,800 feet) long on the southern edge of Wood Buffalo National Park.
Average beaver dams in Canada are 10 to 100 metres long, and only rarely do they reach 500 metres.
First discovered in October 2007, the gigantic dam is located in a virtually inaccessible part of the park south of Lac Claire, about 190 kilometres (120 miles) northeast of Fort McMurray.
Construction of the dam likely started in the mid-1970s, said Thie, who made his discovery quite by accident while tracking melting permafrost in Canada's far north.
"Several generations of beavers worked on it and it's still growing," he told AFP in Ottawa.
---------
Just amazing.
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Technorati tags: beaver, dam
Warning: The Constitution is bad for children
Wilder Publications warns:
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This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work.
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The Volokh Conspiracy explains:
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The book involved? A reprint of The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation. The language is apparently boilerplate from the publisher, and appears on (among other things) The Wind in the Willows, The Federalist Papers, Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil (good idea, there, especially as to “interpersonal relations,” though have views really changed so much since then?), and Marx & Engels’ Manifesto of the Communist Party. Thanks for the pointer to Walter Olson (Cato@Liberty), and to Cory Andrews.
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I love this line:
"Mike suggests that school is trying to inoculate our children against 'Reading for Pleasure,' since that has been known to stimulate thinking. *gasp*"
- Kate Collins
Maybe that is the issue with the Constitution, if children read it, then they might ask embarrassing questions about what in the world is our government trying to do.
With homeschooling you can expose your children to dangerous books in the safety of your own home. :-)
(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
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This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work.
----------
The Volokh Conspiracy explains:
----------
The book involved? A reprint of The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation. The language is apparently boilerplate from the publisher, and appears on (among other things) The Wind in the Willows, The Federalist Papers, Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil (good idea, there, especially as to “interpersonal relations,” though have views really changed so much since then?), and Marx & Engels’ Manifesto of the Communist Party. Thanks for the pointer to Walter Olson (Cato@Liberty), and to Cory Andrews.
----------
I love this line:
"Mike suggests that school is trying to inoculate our children against 'Reading for Pleasure,' since that has been known to stimulate thinking. *gasp*"
- Kate Collins
Maybe that is the issue with the Constitution, if children read it, then they might ask embarrassing questions about what in the world is our government trying to do.
With homeschooling you can expose your children to dangerous books in the safety of your own home. :-)
(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
Would you like to be on the Today show?
The Today Show is asking Do you have experience with home schooling?
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Do you home school your kids? Were you home-schooled as a child? Tell us why you or your family chose that option and how it has worked out. Share your stories and experiences and we may use them in a future story for TODAYshow.com.
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They have a form to fill out. If you are interested, go to the link and write about your experiences.
(Hat tip: Home-ed mailing list)
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
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Do you home school your kids? Were you home-schooled as a child? Tell us why you or your family chose that option and how it has worked out. Share your stories and experiences and we may use them in a future story for TODAYshow.com.
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They have a form to fill out. If you are interested, go to the link and write about your experiences.
(Hat tip: Home-ed mailing list)
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Get some candy, go to detention
Judy Aron recently posted on Facebook a link to Jolly Rancher lands Brazos ISD third-grader in detention for a week:
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ORCHARD, Texas – A third-grader at Brazos Elementary was given a week’s detention for possessing a Jolly Rancher.
School officials in Brazos County are defending the seemingly harsh sentence. The school’s principal and superintendent said they were simply complying with a state law that limits junk food in schools.
But the girl’s parents say it’s a huge overreaction.
“I think it’s stupid to give a kid a week’s worth of detention for a piece of candy,” said Amber Brazda, the girl’s mother. "The whole thing was just ridiculous to me."
Leighann Adair, 10, was eating lunch Monday when a teacher confiscated the candy. Her parents said she was in tears when she arrived home later that afternoon and handed them the detention notice.
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The state allows parents to send candy with their children, but the school was upset that Leighann got a piece of candy from a friend.
Mind boggling.
I hope the parents consider pulling their daughter from school. With homeschooling the parents would never have to worry about their daughter having a piece of candy. (At least for now, who knows what kind of crazy laws the government will be passing in the future.)
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
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ORCHARD, Texas – A third-grader at Brazos Elementary was given a week’s detention for possessing a Jolly Rancher.
School officials in Brazos County are defending the seemingly harsh sentence. The school’s principal and superintendent said they were simply complying with a state law that limits junk food in schools.
But the girl’s parents say it’s a huge overreaction.
“I think it’s stupid to give a kid a week’s worth of detention for a piece of candy,” said Amber Brazda, the girl’s mother. "The whole thing was just ridiculous to me."
Leighann Adair, 10, was eating lunch Monday when a teacher confiscated the candy. Her parents said she was in tears when she arrived home later that afternoon and handed them the detention notice.
----------
The state allows parents to send candy with their children, but the school was upset that Leighann got a piece of candy from a friend.
Mind boggling.
I hope the parents consider pulling their daughter from school. With homeschooling the parents would never have to worry about their daughter having a piece of candy. (At least for now, who knows what kind of crazy laws the government will be passing in the future.)
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Another reading milestone
When Baby Bop arrived at our home 2.5 years ago (at the age of 14 months), he had no interest in story books. We suspected that he had very little language development due to hearing loss and general neglect.
I began reading to Baby Bop while I fed him his bottle. He would tolerate it as long as he was drinking. To keep his attention, I would point out the objects in the pictures that went along with the text. It was quite a laborious process.
From this experience, I became aware of all the little things that parents do (or don't do) that effect brain development of their children and their long term consequences.
Over time and with substantial effort, Baby Bop began to show more interest in books. Fast forward to today and it is quite another picture. Books, books, books. He can't get enough of books.
Baby Bop made two steps recently on the pathway to reading. He is now able to listen and following a story line without pictures. We've added books on tape at bedtime in addition to our regular bedtime/story time routine. We started with the Magic Tree House series from the library. Listening to books above a child's reading or speaking level is a great way to building vocabulary and more sophisticated grammar usage.
A few days ago, we crossed into another new realm. Our nap time routine goes something like this. I read 3+ picture books to Baby Bop while he sits on my lap. He then gets into his bed and I read aloud from a variety of books. The rule is that I will read as long as he doesn't move too much and keeps his head down. We've learned from experience that Baby Bop will quickly go to sleep if we can get him to stop moving.
Yesterday he lay quietly in the bed with the covers over his head, but I could see that his head wasn't completely down. I asked him to put his head down. A few minutes later I would notice that his head was back up. I repeated this process three or more times, but he still wasn't going to sleep.
I was puzzled why Baby Bop's head lay in such an odd position. Finally, I pulled back the covers to find that Baby Bop had two books under the blanket that he was "reading." This reminded me of the covert reading habits (flashlight under the covers or a towel on the floor to block the light under the door) of my other children.
This morning while I ran an errand with my oldest daughter, I told her about "what cute thing Baby Bop did yesterday." Her response was, "He is so one of us."
From our experience, I know that a love of books can be nurtured in any child. However, I don't know how you do it well in an institutional setting. It is a 24/7 type lifestyle. That is one of the reasons why universal preschool, Sesame Street or full day kindergarten will not erase the educational divide. It takes a family to educate a child.
This reminds me of something I read in School Figures: The Data Behind the Debate. A study by Caroline Hoxby (Chapter 6: Students and their families) found that
In other words, (surprise-surprise) family is the greatest determining factor for educational achievement.
If schools want to increase academic performance of children (which is debatable and something for another post), educational remedies should begin and be directed by the parents. In a real sense, all schools should be parent co-ops, not daycare centers.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
I began reading to Baby Bop while I fed him his bottle. He would tolerate it as long as he was drinking. To keep his attention, I would point out the objects in the pictures that went along with the text. It was quite a laborious process.
From this experience, I became aware of all the little things that parents do (or don't do) that effect brain development of their children and their long term consequences.
Over time and with substantial effort, Baby Bop began to show more interest in books. Fast forward to today and it is quite another picture. Books, books, books. He can't get enough of books.
Baby Bop made two steps recently on the pathway to reading. He is now able to listen and following a story line without pictures. We've added books on tape at bedtime in addition to our regular bedtime/story time routine. We started with the Magic Tree House series from the library. Listening to books above a child's reading or speaking level is a great way to building vocabulary and more sophisticated grammar usage.
A few days ago, we crossed into another new realm. Our nap time routine goes something like this. I read 3+ picture books to Baby Bop while he sits on my lap. He then gets into his bed and I read aloud from a variety of books. The rule is that I will read as long as he doesn't move too much and keeps his head down. We've learned from experience that Baby Bop will quickly go to sleep if we can get him to stop moving.
Yesterday he lay quietly in the bed with the covers over his head, but I could see that his head wasn't completely down. I asked him to put his head down. A few minutes later I would notice that his head was back up. I repeated this process three or more times, but he still wasn't going to sleep.
I was puzzled why Baby Bop's head lay in such an odd position. Finally, I pulled back the covers to find that Baby Bop had two books under the blanket that he was "reading." This reminded me of the covert reading habits (flashlight under the covers or a towel on the floor to block the light under the door) of my other children.
This morning while I ran an errand with my oldest daughter, I told her about "what cute thing Baby Bop did yesterday." Her response was, "He is so one of us."
From our experience, I know that a love of books can be nurtured in any child. However, I don't know how you do it well in an institutional setting. It is a 24/7 type lifestyle. That is one of the reasons why universal preschool, Sesame Street or full day kindergarten will not erase the educational divide. It takes a family to educate a child.
This reminds me of something I read in School Figures: The Data Behind the Debate. A study by Caroline Hoxby (Chapter 6: Students and their families) found that
"....the combined explanatory power of school input variables and neighborhood variables (such as the education, income, and racial composition of the local population) do not come close to matching that of family background variables."
In other words, (surprise-surprise) family is the greatest determining factor for educational achievement.
If schools want to increase academic performance of children (which is debatable and something for another post), educational remedies should begin and be directed by the parents. In a real sense, all schools should be parent co-ops, not daycare centers.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The May Flowers Edition
The Tutor is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Apollos Academy.
She starts with:
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April showers bring May flowers.
Has the weather where you are been as topsy-turvy as it has been here? If so, you probably received your May flowers in April and your April showers in May like we did. Here at the Carnival of Homeschooling, we may not have the power to change the weather (although it would be nice since we've gone from 70 to 90 to 50 and back to 90 in a span of about 5 days here), but we can enjoy some May blooms.
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Our weather hasn't been quite so crazy, but we did have rain on Mother's Day.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
She starts with:
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April showers bring May flowers.
Has the weather where you are been as topsy-turvy as it has been here? If so, you probably received your May flowers in April and your April showers in May like we did. Here at the Carnival of Homeschooling, we may not have the power to change the weather (although it would be nice since we've gone from 70 to 90 to 50 and back to 90 in a span of about 5 days here), but we can enjoy some May blooms.
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Our weather hasn't been quite so crazy, but we did have rain on Mother's Day.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day!
I am so grateful to my mother. Love you mom.
And I am so grateful to my wife, who is a wonderful mother to our children. Love you Janine.
I hope all the mothers reading our blog have a wonderful day today, and wonderful days throughout the year.
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Technorati tags: Mother Day
I am so grateful to my mother. Love you mom.
And I am so grateful to my wife, who is a wonderful mother to our children. Love you Janine.
I hope all the mothers reading our blog have a wonderful day today, and wonderful days throughout the year.
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Technorati tags: Mother Day
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Boarding School for Foster Children
Since I'm a foster parent, this article caught my eye.
State boarding for care children
This idea is a bit horrifying to me, but I find the concept of boarding school appalling anyway. I simply can't imagine why loving parents would send their adolescent or younger children away to school and only see them on occasional weekends and holidays, unless it were for drug treatment or some other psychiatric residential treatment program.
I read a report that the number of children sent to boarding school is booming in the Commonwealth and is seen as a springboard to future success. If you are coming from that perspective, sending foster children away to boarding school would seem magnanimous.
The article mentioned "state funded boarding schools." I'm not clear if that would mean a voucher system for private boarding schools or that the government would actually run the schools. If the government sets up boarding schools for foster children (which sounds suspiciously like orphanages), nothing good will come of it. Years ago when the United States and Canadian governments tried the same tactics with children from Indian reservations, the reports of child abuse were staggering.
I suppose that a motivated foster child might do better academically in a well-run (private) boarding school, away from a negative family environment. But, it still sounds pretty cold and lonely to me.
On the education/parenting continuum, homeschooling is at one end and boarding school is at the other. From where I stand at my end of the continuum, I can't imagine what that would be like. However, in the next few years as my children leave for college, I will get a glimpse of it.
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boarding school government school parenting foster care
State boarding for care children
A new range of Academy boarding schools would be created by a Conservative government to improve the life chances of looked-after children in England.
Mr Gove said he wanted to set up new state-funded academies so that academy providers could open schools with a residential facility "so that children in the greatest need can secure a placement which offers them the very highest standards of education and care".
This idea is a bit horrifying to me, but I find the concept of boarding school appalling anyway. I simply can't imagine why loving parents would send their adolescent or younger children away to school and only see them on occasional weekends and holidays, unless it were for drug treatment or some other psychiatric residential treatment program.
I read a report that the number of children sent to boarding school is booming in the Commonwealth and is seen as a springboard to future success. If you are coming from that perspective, sending foster children away to boarding school would seem magnanimous.
The article mentioned "state funded boarding schools." I'm not clear if that would mean a voucher system for private boarding schools or that the government would actually run the schools. If the government sets up boarding schools for foster children (which sounds suspiciously like orphanages), nothing good will come of it. Years ago when the United States and Canadian governments tried the same tactics with children from Indian reservations, the reports of child abuse were staggering.
I suppose that a motivated foster child might do better academically in a well-run (private) boarding school, away from a negative family environment. But, it still sounds pretty cold and lonely to me.
On the education/parenting continuum, homeschooling is at one end and boarding school is at the other. From where I stand at my end of the continuum, I can't imagine what that would be like. However, in the next few years as my children leave for college, I will get a glimpse of it.
---------------------------
boarding school government school parenting foster care
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
In all the distractions of Mother's Day, don't forget to send in your submission for the next Carnival of Homeschooling, which will be held at Apollos Academy.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Friday, May 07, 2010
Update: Family History and Homeschooling
In my Family History and Homeschooling post, I briefly describe an event I attended recently. Portions are now available on line (though I am waiting anxiously to buy the DVD of the entire event when it becomes available.)
So, here's the opening segment, A Celebration of Family History "Woven Generations".
They have a few other segments available on line, but this is my favorite one.
--------------------------
Tags : homeschool , home education , public school , family history , parenting , education , David McCullough
So, here's the opening segment, A Celebration of Family History "Woven Generations".
They have a few other segments available on line, but this is my favorite one.
--------------------------
Tags : homeschool , home education , public school , family history , parenting , education , David McCullough
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
fatter and stupider
While this is NOT a funny topic, I thought this was a funny opening statement
"....watching television makes toddlers fatter and stupider....."
Watching TV 'makes toddlers less intelligent'
Most of these finding are pretty intuitively obvious. However, I was surprised by the correlation between television viewing patterns at two years old and being a target of a bully in the classroom years later. Is it more than just a weight issue (more tv means less activity, which means heavier kid, which means more likely to be targeted by a bully)?
Even the researchers were a bit surprised by the long-term negative effects of television watching in early childhood.
I wonder how content effects this trend. My older children use tv or computer for a large percentage of our homeschool efforts. Of course, they aren't 2 years old, but I can't help but worry that this has a negative influence on older students as well.
I can also see a logical weakness in connecting television viewing at age 2 and later problems. Most likely, if a child watched that much television at a young age, that trend would continue through childhood and adolescence. Could it be that the negative outcomes are a result of the sum total of television viewing over childhood, and not just at one particular age or stage?
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, public school, public education
"....watching television makes toddlers fatter and stupider....."
Watching TV 'makes toddlers less intelligent'
....Scientists who tracked the progress of pre-school children found that the more television they watched aged two-and- a-half the worse they were at mathematics, the more junk food they ate, and the more they were bullied by other pupils.
....The study found that for every extra hour of TV a week the two-year-olds watched there was a 6 per cent decrease in maths achievement (though not in reading), a 7 per cent decrease in classroom engagement, and a 10 per cent increase in "victimization" by peers, such as teasing, rejection and assault. Each extra hour also corresponded with 9 per cent less exercise, consumption of 10 per cent more snacks, and a 5 per cent rise in body mass index.
Most of these finding are pretty intuitively obvious. However, I was surprised by the correlation between television viewing patterns at two years old and being a target of a bully in the classroom years later. Is it more than just a weight issue (more tv means less activity, which means heavier kid, which means more likely to be targeted by a bully)?
Even the researchers were a bit surprised by the long-term negative effects of television watching in early childhood.
"Although we expected the impact of early TV viewing to disappear after seven-and-a-half years of childhood, the fact that negative outcomes remained is quite daunting.
...A New Zealand study which went up to the age of 26 demonstrated that childhood viewing was "significantly associated" with leaving school without qualifications, concluding that the link was clear regardless of early problems or socio-economic status.
I wonder how content effects this trend. My older children use tv or computer for a large percentage of our homeschool efforts. Of course, they aren't 2 years old, but I can't help but worry that this has a negative influence on older students as well.
I can also see a logical weakness in connecting television viewing at age 2 and later problems. Most likely, if a child watched that much television at a young age, that trend would continue through childhood and adolescence. Could it be that the negative outcomes are a result of the sum total of television viewing over childhood, and not just at one particular age or stage?
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, public school, public education
Funny thought about phones and computers
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
I have always wished that my computer would be as easy to use as my telephone. My wish has come true. I no longer know how to use my telephone.
Bjarne Stroustrup - computer science professor, designer of C++ programming language (1950- )
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Technorati tags: computers, phones, Bjarne Stroustrup, Dan Galvin
I have always wished that my computer would be as easy to use as my telephone. My wish has come true. I no longer know how to use my telephone.
Bjarne Stroustrup - computer science professor, designer of C++ programming language (1950- )
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Technorati tags: computers, phones, Bjarne Stroustrup, Dan Galvin
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Marriage Edition
MrsMamaHen is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at MrsMamaHen.com. She writes about some of the similarities between marriage and homeschooling. She starts with:
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Homeschooling and Marriage have some similarities that may not be obvious at first, but with some reflection, they are pretty clear.
For instance. A marriage has to have good foundations. Trust, compassion, compromise.
Homeschooling has to have good foundations as well.
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Drop in and enjoy.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
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Homeschooling and Marriage have some similarities that may not be obvious at first, but with some reflection, they are pretty clear.
For instance. A marriage has to have good foundations. Trust, compassion, compromise.
Homeschooling has to have good foundations as well.
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Drop in and enjoy.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Monday, May 03, 2010
In the News
This article caught my eye.
Experience Doesn’t Teach
I hardily support the end of teacher tenure. It's one of the many reasons we've opted out of the public school system. Too many good teachers are let go while really bad teachers keep their jobs.
Even if my children do not go to public school, my tax dollars do. I like to see them used well.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, public school, public education
Experience Doesn’t Teach
....wide body of research shows that on average, teaching experience beyond three years contributes little or nothing to student learning. In fact, according to a review of the research literature by Stanford economist Eric Hanushek, only 41 percent of “high-quality” estimates—analyses that account for prior student proficiency—could distinguish any relationship between the amount of time a teacher has spent in the classroom and his or her effectiveness....
The results of a study by Hanushek, Steven Rivkin, and John Kaine published in Econometrica, one of the world’s most prestigious economics journals,.... found that the teacher to whom a child gets assigned is the main school-based factor determining the size of his test-score gains during a given year. Seeking to identify the characteristics of the most effective teachers, they found that experience and credentials accounted for only about 2 percent of a teacher’s contribution to a student’s test-score gains.
....Since the number of years teachers spend in the classroom hardly explains why some of their students show lots of progress and others show none at all, it makes almost no sense to decide, entirely based on seniority, whom to let go and whom to retain.
.....A recent National Bureau of Economic Research paper by Brian Jacob and Lars Lefgren found that principals are quite good at identifying the best and worst teachers in their schools. Just as other scholars have, Jacob and Lefgren found that teacher experience was unrelated to the size of student test-score gains. However, principals’ subjective rankings of their teachers correlated well with measures of teachers’ influence on student scores. Principals struggled to distinguish one moderately effective teacher from another, but they could accurately identify the best and worst teachers in their schools..
I hardily support the end of teacher tenure. It's one of the many reasons we've opted out of the public school system. Too many good teachers are let go while really bad teachers keep their jobs.
Even if my children do not go to public school, my tax dollars do. I like to see them used well.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, public school, public education
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
You have just about ten hours to send in your entry for this week's Carnival of Homeschooling, so act now, don't hesitate, submit your post before you forget or get distracted.
MrsMamaHen will be hosting the carnival tomorrow.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
MrsMamaHen will be hosting the carnival tomorrow.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
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