This week in CEP 812 I was asked to evaluate and expand my infodiet. Many of us use the internet as a tool to find information that we have interests in and rarely expand from there. The internet not just a tool to find quick facts, but a tool for evaluative, critical thinking. As a teacher (particularly a technology teacher), I really should be modeling the many powers of the internet. Right now my infodiet is very limited. I get on facebook, pinterest, check the weather, my e-mails, the news and that's about it. Aside from what I am asked to do for classes I rarely expand what I use the internet for. In fact, sometimes when I am bored I might check the same 6 sites over and over. There is an endless amount of information on the internet that should be able to keep my brain entertained, but yet I don't get out of that comfortable zone. My students probably go on more sites than I do!
So to begin my search I thought of topics that generally gain the most interest from myself. They included formative assessment, my school district being restructured, and common core. (Do I continue to transition? Do I not? Does our state government not realize that good teaching takes time to plan!??!) When searching I found some very interesting articles.
The first item that I found to expand my infodiet is Csv Tchrs of America
As my search continued I found another site that does not support the common core. The site is called Hoosiers Against the Common Core. This website has several articles from different standpoints about the common core. Some ideas that I had read were that the pilot test in New York was too hard for the students and could have unintended consequences, teachers are "bound" to silence when talking about the common core though contractual agreements, and that the common core embraces a "trade-school mentality."
The last website I am going to speak to is a website posted by @freedomworks that was stated testimonials about why the common core fails by teachers and parents. When I reached the website, I found the title "Common Core Fails." This gave very quick blurbs about merit based pay, not being internationally competitive, special interest groups writing the tests, etc. All seemed very short with little or no references. However, to a parent or someone not educated within the educational field this could be very concerning. It gave links for people to find groups fighting against the common core.
Overall, I found expanding my infodiet for opposing very frustrating. When reading some of these articles I was astonished. However, at the same time it did open my eyes to some opposing arguments that exist. I do only have a one sided view of the common core, based on what my administrator has taught me or conferences that I have been sent to.
References
Hoosiers against common core. (2013). Retrieved June 09, 2013 from http://hoosiersagainstcommoncore.com/
Freedom Works. (2013). Common core fails. Retrieved June 09, 2013 from http://commoncore.fwsites.org/category/the-facts/
Howard County Public Schools. (2012, Sept 03). Technology education. Retrieved June 09, 2013 from http://lrhs.hcpss.org/Departments/technology
Spunkypundit. (2013, May 30). Jeb bush in mi peddling common core. Red State. Retrieved June 09, 2013 from http://www.redstate.com/spunkypundit/2013/05/30/jeb-bush-in-mi-peddling-common-core/
Indiana has been really opposed lately to the Common Core. Michigan is following in their footsteps. The legislators want state control. The teachers just want to have a common curriculum so that when students are being moved during this transient time they don't have to catch up or are not ahead of their classmates. Plus, teachers really like the common core now as the students have to think and not just memorize facts and regurgitate them. At first teachers around me were against it, but now many are feeling it really makes sense. We spent millions on it and now we will have to spend millions on something else. If the state wants to run their schools like a business, they are not doing a good job in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteNice job expanding your info diet!
I agree that it can be very challenging and aggravating to read opposing viewpoints, but I always try to look at it as though I'm getting a glimpse into someone else's mind and I remind myself that we're all entitled to our opinions. Then, sometimes, I play a little game where I try to figure out what made that person think in this way. It normally takes me back to their family, where and when they were raised, and what schools they attended. Obviously, this takes a long time, and normally this is reserved for my students in my classroom, but it's always an interesting "thought travel" (as I like to call it, modeled after "time travel"). So when I read your blog, I agreed with you in a lot of your points, which makes me think that we have at least two major things in common, so we think in a similar way. I liked this exercises because it reminded me that I shouldn't just surround myself with people who think like me, because (as we learned) we need to learn to be open-minded and mindful of the people around us.
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