Chocolate: The Natural Aphrodisiac

Women Who Eat Chocolate Daily Have Better Sex Lives: An Italian research study confirms what many women may already have suspected--a little chocolate goes a long way towards making the mood just right. (Maybe there's a new marketing campaign for the makers of Viagra here. You know. A pill for him and a box of Godiva for her.)

The article states that ...chocolate-fed women had better sexual arousal and more sexual satisfaction. Their scientific conclusion: The craving of choice for many women has some real benefits for our sex lives.

Meanwhile, a study that I've just become aware of concludes that the following food items have a profound effect on the male libido:

Steak
Hamburgers
Hot dogs
Spaghetti
Beans
Broccoli
Asparagus
Cheese
Pickles
Ketchup
Onions
Tacos
Guacamole
Chips
Beer
Beer (again)
Onion dip
Little Debbie snack cakes
Those little deep-fried jalapeno pepper things with cheese inside
Corn flakes
Raisins
Bananas
Banana-flavored popsicles
Sawdust
Rutabagas
Apple pie
Baked potatoes (no chives)
Burritos
Cheesecake
Chop Suey
Yorkshire Pudding
Plum Pudding
Chicken nuggets
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Fried Chicken
Souvlaki
Collard greens
Corn dogs
Lasagna
Anything from Stouffer's
and
Stuffed peppers

Oh yes. And chocolate.

via Teal Sunglasses

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1000 Articles and Tutorials at CommunityMX

It's been over two years since I sat in a Chicago hotel lobby with Ray West, Tom Muck, Steven Grosvenor, and a few others who had published traditional books on web design software. To a person we were amazed and appalled at the amount of work that went into writing a book and the lack of adequate compensation for pulling it off. Ray announced that he wanted to change that whole paradigm and create a subscription-based service that would put the authors in charge of their own destiny. This new venture would make each of us equal partners, allow us to share in the profits of our collective work, and be based on the publication of two new tutorials every working day for our subscribers, as well as guaranteed answers to subscriber questions in our forums. From that conversation was born Community MX.

After several months of furious discussions and a ton of back end and design work Community MX went live with its first set of tutorials on March 31st, 2003. And for every work day after that date we have produced as promised--two new articles, tutorials, or video demonstrations on web design software from Macromedia. It's been fabulously rewarding for me as I've not only learned a great deal about the whole world of web design from some of the top experts in the field, but I've also developed lasting friendships with the wacky band of authors and experts that I work with. Has it been hard work at times? You betcha. Any start up company is going to go through some growing pains and we certainly had our share. But through the dedication and drive of people like Ray, Laurie Casolino, Stephanie Sullivan, and Adrian (Jojo) Senior we've kept the core group together for almost two years now, and delivered on our promise to our customers every time. Without fail.

Today we reach a significant milestone and I'm pretty darn proud to be a part of it. My article, Slicing Fireworks Navigation Bars with Frames, was selected to fill the honorary spot at #1000. From the start we've released two free tutorials every week as a way to give back to the Macromedia community, so not only is this article #1000 overall, it also marks the 100th free tutorial that we've published.

Somehow or the other I've managed to be the most prolific of our group, with 92 articles to my credit to date. Today's free article is a Captivate video tutorial that demonstrates how to make a click-through navigation composition in Fireworks and marks number 93 for me. While most of my articles have been on Fireworks, I've also had the opportunity to write about Dreamweaver, Flash, Contribute, and Freehand. On the horizon I hope to contribute more on Captivate and Breeze Live--two other Macromedia applications that I've been spending a lot of time with lately.

So here's to us! Considering how far we've come both in terms of the amount of work that's been done in our little enterprise and our continuing economic validity, Community MX has been a terrific success. Whether you think paid content is a good thing or not, we feel that Community MX provides our subscribers with a great value. Yes, you can find plenty of free tutorials on-line, but where are you going to find so much in one place, and on such a wide range of topics? From ASP.Net to CSS to Dreamweaver to web and print graphics and everything in between, Community MX has consistently provided top-quality material that is timely and relevant to people who use Macromedia tools for web design and development. It's been a great ride so far and I'm looking forward to seeing article number 2000 and beyond.

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An End to 30 Years of Forced Busing in My Hometown

Yesterday the Palm Beach County School Board approved new boundaries for my high school alma mater that effectively ended 30 years of forced busing of African Americans in Delray Beach. Well. That only took 30 years. Amazing progress in our education system and our society.

I don't consider myself a geezer, but when I was in the classroom and would relate to my students the fact that I attended segregated schools right up through the 8th grade they found it all a little hard to believe. "You mean there were laws that said black kids and white kids couldn't go to school together?" Why yes there were, along with a long brick wall that separated the white side of town from what everyone then called Colored Town. There were laws that said black folks couldn't be downtown after a certain time each night. Granted, there was one girl in my elementary classes who had dark skin, but her name was Maria and she had a Spanish surname and processed hair. So, I guess it wasn't so much the skin color as it was the heritage. Or culture? It didn't make all that much sense back then as a kid, and makes even less now.

Florida in those days was a far different place than it is now. We were still part of the Deep South and had plenty of attitudes and laws that made us more akin to Alabama than the decidedly Northeast culture that exists here today. A huge influx of retirees and immigrants from New York and other states--Yankees all--have changed the culture of our area significantly in the last 20 years. but many of our Deep South roots and attitudes have persisted.

In the late 60's and early 70's this was still the South with a capital S. Our school board fought tooth and nail to keep the races segregated, but finally in my 8th grade year the federal courts had their way and the desegregation of Palm Beach County schools was forced on all of us.

And by all of us I don't just mean the white parents and politicians who opposed it, but also the black families who had fought so hard and for so long to develop and maintain their own communities. Part of the plan that was implemented saw an end to the black high schools in our county. Despite the history and pride that those schools felt they were closed down, torn down, or converted into something else altogether. In my hometown of Delray Beach, Carver High School--winner of the state football championship the year before and a center of the community it served--was converted to a middle school. Seacrest High School where my brothers attended, and where I was scheduled to go, was converted to Atlantic High School and accepted students from all over town, regardless of their color.

But there was another component to forced busing in Delray Beach. In order to comply with the court order the high school in Boca Raton also needed to be integrated. One small problem. Not enough African Americans actually lived in Boca back then, and so the black community in Delray Beach was split down the middle. Those of you who live south of this road? Sorry about this, but you're going to have to ride the bus for an hour or so each way so we can balance the racial population at this school. Oh, you don't like that plan? You think it will undermine your sense of community and be detrimental to your kids? Well gee, sorry about that, but look at the bright side. You get to go to school with white kids and learn in a building that's newer and nicer than the one you're in now.

It all seems silly looking back on it now. Was that really the best we could do? Or was it the politician's way for punishing those uppity black folks for agitating for change?

And now? Well, the new high school building has been built closer to the traditionally black community in Delray Beach and the new boundaries for the south end of the county will bring all of those kids back together at one school. A school that's closer to their parents' homes and work, and a location that won't make attending parent conferences and school events prohibitive for black parents. That's progress. It's a shame it took us 30 years to get here.

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Macintosh: The Devil's Work

OK, either someone has an elaborate April Fool's Day joke online, or this pastor has been dipping into the Holy Water, if you know what I mean. Seems he thinks that Apple computers are just a front for secular humanists bent on conquering the world with an insidious "Switch" campaign. From an article titled "Evolutionism Propaganda" we learn:

Lets look for a moment at Apple Computers. Founded by long haired hippies, this company has consistently supported 60's counter-cultural "values". But there are even darker undertones to this company than most are aware of. Consider the name of the company and its logo: an apple with a bite taken out of it. This is clearly a reference to the Fall, when Adam and Eve were tempted with an apple by the serpent. It is now Apple Computers offering us temptation, thereby aligning themselves with the forces of darkness.

This company is well known for its cult-like following. It isn't much of a stretch to say that it is a cult. Consider co-founder and leader Steve Jobs' constant exhortation through advertising (i.e. mind control) that its followers should "think different". We have to ask ourselves: "think different than whom or what?" The disturbing answer is that they want us to think different than our Christian upbringing, to reject all the values that we have been taught and to heed not the message of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Good Lord! I've been subverted and didn't even know it. Gosh, I sure hope there isn't some subliminal message being beamed into my brain as I sit and type this at my iMac. (Surrender. Surrender to the Dark Side! Do it now! Subvert authority. Give in to your impulses and your urges for free love and communal living.)

I bought a refrigerator magnet a few weeks ago that says, "Dear Jesus. Please protect me from your followers." Now I remember why.

via FLAmous in New Zealand.

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Blue Collar and Proud Of It

We in the education field often have an unspoken bias when talking to kids about their future jobs. We assume that just because we went to college that college is the logical next step for our kids. But the fact of the matter is that not every student is going to go on to college and a career is in a white collar job, and there's nothing wrong with aspiring to something else. My own father raised 6 kids and lived a very fulfilled life as the owner of a cabinet and furniture making business, and not once do I remember hearing him say he wished he'd been an insurance adjuster.

Blue Collar and Proud Of It celebrates those who choose to be trades people over a job that requires college and provides support and guidance for those seeking jobs in those fields. The jobs are certainly out there, and those who choose that career path need the same kind of advice and guidance that we so readily provide the college-bound. With information on trade schools, starting your own business, and the kinds of jobs that are in demand, this is a great resource for students seeking work in the blue collar world.

via Stephen Downes' Edu_RSS.

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Thar's Gold in Them Thar Voucher Schools!

Kimberly Miller writes in The Palm Beach Post today of the purchase by an investment firm of a Florida voucher school company. "A private investment firm that owns the largest ice manufacturer in the United States, makes plus-sized clothes and oversees a leading cabinet company has been educating Florida's disabled students — and doing it with taxpayer dollars."

On how many levels is this wrong? Here in Florida First Brother Jeb has been pushing voucher schools for well over 6 years now, insisting that it was all about the kids. We have to get those poor children out of the failed factory schools that are doing them a disservice. Never mind that we won't fund those schools properly, that we have no vision for improving the schools other than slapping a failing letter grade on them, and that our approach to oversight is to turn the kids over to a for-profit school with nearly zero oversight. Let's pull the money out of the public system, give it to entrepreneurs, and let the marketplace decide. The marketplace economy is a fine place to decide what kind of car you might buy or what soda you might drink, but to make those kinds of decisions with the lives of children is flat-out wrong. And yet we persist.

But hey, accountability is on the way. One proposal before the Florida legislature "would force private schools taking vouchers to give students standardized tests, and would require schools to hire teachers with a bachelor's degree or three years of teaching experience." Oh. I feel so much better now.

Let's close with a few quotes from the article shall we?

"It's not brand new with this administration, but there is no question that education is seen by some entrepreneurs as the next frontier," said Elliot Mincberg, vice president of the People For the American Way Foundation. "When there is an opportunity for profit with minimal accountability, private enterprise will see education as a cash cow."

"This program was always rife to be a profit-driven program as opposed to a program that will improve education for children with disabilities," said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Pembroke Pines, who as a state senator sat on a board charged with making suggestions to improve the McKay program.

"Obviously, a private investment corporation has decided that this law was designed to help people make money," she said. "It should have been designed to help kids."

Gosh, I am just so darn proud of the vision and leadership of stewards of our children's lives here in Florida.

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Farewell Hunter S. Thompson

Reading Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was a watershed moment in my young life. Having led a fairly sheltered small town existence centered around work, school, and church, that book opened my eyes in a big way. Not that it made me want to rush out and ingest lots of illegal substances, but that there were people that were so weird and flat-out crazy in the world and that they could write about their craziness and be funny while doing it.

As I recall the reaction I had at the time was one of those "Oh my Gosh!" sort of things--amazed at his free flow rapid fire delivery, his spiraling descent into near tragedies, and the equally dizzying ascents into spectacular literature that the original Gonzo journalist was able to pull off. His writing was spectacular and scary all at once and reading his early books was like taking a ride on one of those wooden roller coasters. You hang and hope that the whole thing doesn't come apart on you.

Sometime this week I'll pour myself a stiff Jack Daniels and put on Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" at an ear-splitting volume to commemorate his life. I'm sad to see him go.

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Internet Usage: Is it Just Black vs. White?

Paul Chenoweth takes the Pew Internet & American Life Project to task for focusing on the differences between black and white users of the Web. With significant differences in several cultural groups he's right to wonder why the focus in the study seems to be along racial lines.

...in terms of reporting, this is not an issue of discrimination of one race over another and the very hint of such in the exclusive black vs white comparison in the articles only propagates stereotypical cultural differences and historical prejudice. Internet connectivity is not a race to the finish line between two cultures any more than it is an effort of one race to become more technologically superior over another. Internet connectivity is a societal and cultural challenge that crosses many boundaries, and race is perhaps one of the least of those.

For those of working the in field of educational web publishing the differences in groups are important benchmarks to keep in mind. While the Pew studies are generally quite good at focusing on scientifically collected data, I agree with Paul that at times the conclusions that the researchers draw are bit off the mark. Certainly we should keep an eye on how different groups use the Web and the implications those trends have in our work, but as Paul says it's important not to fall into a simple black and white comparison.

via Teaching and Developing Online

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Copyright and Fair Use in Plain English

Copyright and Fair Use Overview: This guide from Stanford University is one of the best that I've seen for explaining in simple terms the ins and outs of copyright and fair use where it applies to print, music, and the Web. Written as a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), the authors clearly define the concept of copyrights, fair use of materials, when it's OK to quote from sources (and when it's not), and the educational use of copyrighted material.

(I landed on this page after it was cited by Michael Bates in recounting an attempt by the Tulsa World newspaper to force him to stop linking to the online version of the paper and quoting stories in his blog.)

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Comments are Enabled Again

Thanks to the fine folks at pMachine Services the blog here has been converted over to pMachine Pro, which gives me some new tools to combat the comment spammers of the world. So, with a clean comment database and high hopes for the future, I'm turning comments back on. Hope to hear from you soon!

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You Know There's a Budding Geek in the House When...

...your 12 year-old produces her Valentine's Day cards to Mom and Dad in PowerPoint.

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When a Laptop for Every Student Isn't Enough

Chris Adamson goes on a bit of a rant over at his O'Reilley Developer Blog about the $70 million initiative in Cobb County Georgia to purchase laptops for students. As he says:

...while there are details about the gradual roll-out of the computers, parental deposits and liability, and the software to be included... I cannot find anything indicating what the point of this venture is. Is it to teach programming? (don't laugh - that's what computers were for in my early 80's high school... you actually got in trouble for using them for word processing) Is it to teach basic computer skills? Are there going to be e-texts available so the kids don't have to lug 40 pounds worth of textbooks around?

I think for $70 million, there at least ought to be a specific, attainable goal for this program. (Emphasis added.)

I came around to this line of thinking years ago, when I read of high schools that were closing down their band programs so they could afford the support costs on their computer labs. That's a damned outrage.

More...

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Twenty Valentine's Days

Today is the twentieth time that my beautiful wife and I have celebrated Valentine's Day together. Whew! Where did all those years go?

I knew almost immediately that my wife and I were destined to be together. Maybe it wasn't exactly love at first sight, but it was certainly close to to it. Our first date--a blind date set up by a client of mine who was a friend of my wife's--went amazingly well. We talked and talked and talked, and seemed to be on the same wavelength right from the start. Never mind that I fell asleep during the movie that we went to see (and snored, loudly), considering that it was "Jumping Jack Flash" with Whoopee Goldberg and wasn't a particularly good movie, my wife seemed to forgive me. She told me later on that she wondered why I didn't make an attempt at a good night kiss, but I was always a little shy, so I didn't try anything quite so bold. But, she agreed to a second date, and then a third, and then finally a fourth.

That fourth date was The One--the one when I decided that she was The One for me, and without thinking anymore about it I asked her to marry me. Amazingly enough, she accepted, and we've been together for 20 years. Yes, we've had plenty of ups and downs like any marriage, but I know that there is no other woman in the world that is as right for me as she is. No other woman lights up a room for me like she does, makes me feel like she does, or makes me feel like I am in the right place to be when I am with her.

And so I just want to say that I love you Kayleen. Happy Valentine's Day.

Update: My wife tells me it's nineteen years. See, there's another reason to love her. She's always ready to keep me straight on things like this.

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Awesome News Visualizer

10 X 10: Now this is just too cool. 10 X 10 is a Flash-based news visualization service that scans the latest RSS feeds from major news outlets every hour, evaluates the keywords in each feed, then builds a grid of 10 pixel by 10 pixel images culled from news sources. Rolling your mouse over the quilt of images provides a pop-up that lists the news story as well as the selected key word. The images change hourly and are archived so you can go back in time for an overview of the keys news items from last week or last year.

via Digital Media Minute

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Teachers as Free Agents

I've been on this kick this week about how we (the U.S. educational system) fail to properly capitalize on the best teachers that we have, fail to bring together the right combination of direction and resources to allow them to succeed, and how school systems in general fail to see how an economic solution to the question of teacher excellence would be the best approach. The other day I wrote about what a difference it would make if teachers were marketed in the same way that textbooks and technology for schools are.

My fevered little brain has been working on that idea off and on for a few days, and the real solution seems to be not in marketing teachers and their abilities, but in treating them like we do sports stars--as free agents. Imagine if a school were given a set budget for staffing their teacher cadre--a salary cap if you will--and then it was up to the principal to recruit the best teachers they could within the constraints of their budget. You might end up with something like this:

February 12th, 2005: Jefferson Middle School announced today the free agent signing of Mr. John Butler to assume the duties of science teacher on Team B. Mr. Butler had previously taught at Jackson Middle School for six years.

Principal Gloria Jones had this to say about Mr. Butler. "Mr. Butler is an outstanding educator, and we are delighted that we have been able to acquire his rights for the next three years. He is Nationally Board Certified in Science and his students have consistently scored far above the national average on standardized tests. He has also been active in working with the Parent Advisory Committee at his former school, is certified as a master trainer in four different staff development areas, and comes with the highest recommendations from parents, students, and co-workers. While we realize that we're making a big investment in Mr. Butler, we believe that his abilities are well worth the premium that we'll be paying."

Mr. Butler's salary was not officially disclosed, but it is believed that he will be paid $120,000 per year, making him the highest paid science teacher at the middle school level. If the amount of the salary proves to be correct Mr. Butler's salary will have a large impact on the staff budget at the school.

"We realize that the whole concept of free agent salaries can be a bit touchy", said school district negotiation specialist Mary Trumble, "but we're learning that bringing in high quality teachers like Mr. Butler has a profound impact not only of the students, but also on fellow staff. When we get a teacher of this quality working in a school and training our other teachers the results are dramatic. And yes, sometimes there is a bit of grumbling from other staff who aren't paid at the same level as some of our free agents are, but we believe they're a good example of how a teacher can improve their own salary by working hard and improving their skills. This has really worked out well for our kids as we find teachers working harder than ever to improve their teaching skills so they too can cash in on the higher salaries that free agents get. It's simple economics. Teachers who can prove their worth get paid more money."

A teacher's union spokesperson was not available for comment.

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My Life as an Alpha Male

There's just no question that I am an Alpha Male--at least in my own mind. Trust me when I say that I can produce testosterone, and suffer from the occasional testosterone poisoning episode, with the best of them. I'm a Guy kind of guy, you know?

Now, my claim of being a true Alpha Male would probably be met with peals of laughter if I were to disclose it to the women in my life, but for one set of household inhabitants my position is undisputed. That's right, the four legged ones unequivocally recognize me as the Lord and Master, Bringer of Food, Taker of Walks, Giver of Head Rubs, and all around Human in Charge.

I got a chance to think on this after another Thursday night sleeping in my daughter's bed. (I get home late from teaching at the community college on Thursdays and we seem to have gotten into a pattern where wife and daughter sack out in our bedroom and I get relegated to sleeping in the bed with the collection of stuffed animals and assorted dolls.)

At 4:30 in the morning a strange pressure develops on my chest, followed by a low, almost imperceptible sound. Cracking open an eye I find the cat's face inches away from mine, her motor running as she purrs me awake. "Hey, I'm hungry/want attention/need to go out/just wanted to bother you. Aren't you supposed to get up now?"

Rolling to my side I find another furry face a few inches from mine. The dog. "Hey boss, I need to go outside and make sure that no squirrels/raccoons/UPS trucks/bicyclists are invading our territory. Aren't you supposed to get up now?"

And so I roll out of bed, my feline and canine retinue trailing obediently behind me, knowing that for at least a few hours I am master of the whole household domain. No one will dispute my position at the top of the heap around here. All will obey and honor me, the Alpha Male.

At least until my wife and daughter wake up.

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Best Geek Novel Ever?

I've just finished reading Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, a rollicking 900 page novel that knits together multiple plot lines that take place during World War II and the present time. The book is as impressive as it is massive, and may well lay claim to the title of best geek book ever. Now, that may be a little off-putting, especially if you're not of the geekish variety, but this is one of those books where the talent of the author shines on nearly every page. The breadth and scope of his characters, the intricacy of the plot, the humor in his writing, and his mastery of language make this one of the best books I've ever read, period.

This isn't an easy book to characterize in terms of its genre. Stephenson is generally thought of as a science fiction writer, mostly due to previous books that he's written. As he says in an interview at Reason Online:

Labels such as science fiction are most useful when employed for marketing purposes, i.e., to help readers find books that they are likely to enjoy reading. With that in mind, I’d say that people who know and love science fiction will recognize these books as coming out of that tradition. So the science fiction label is useful for them as a marketing term. However, non-S.F. readers are also reading and enjoying these books, and I seem to have a new crop of readers who aren’t even aware that I am known as an S.F. writer. So it would be an error to be too strict or literal-minded about application of the science fiction label.

I use a fairly simple method when choosing new books by authors I'm not familiar with. Head to the local bookstore and look for books that are released in hard cover editions. That's a good indicator of an author's popularity since the publisher has to recoup their investment and isn't likely to do so with marginal authors. Straight to paperback is the functional equivalent of straight to video movie releases. In the case of Stephenson, he has a well-deserved following that I was unaware of when I decided to pick this book up.

Clearly, Stephenson is a master, and I look forward to reading The Baroque Cycle and enjoying more literature from this incredibly talented writer.

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Marketing Our Teachers

I was thinking a bit this morning about the post I made yesterday -- Unused Technology Has No Impact on Learning -- and the more I thought the more bothered I was by the implications of this story. Not that a school district has wasted money on a tool that doesn't pan out, but that we continually fail to see the obvious right before our eyes. Study after study states that it is teacher quality that has the greatest impact on student performance. Not the quality of the textbooks, computers, software, technology, or even the school building. Want to raise student achievement? The answer is simple. Get good teachers.

And yet we spend enormous amounts of money devising new schemes for grading schools and assessing student performance. Politicians on both sides of the political spectrum pull and push for their own agendas. Attractive model-quality sales girls and sales boys are trotted out with slick marketing materials to tout the latest and greatest technology/book/tool/device that will transform learning if your school district will just buy from our company. Trade shows with expensive dinners are conducted to showcase all the awesome products that will make a difference in the learning of your students. Sign here, and here, and here please, and our company's products will change the educational environment in your town/county/state.

Meanwhile, back in the classroom, the teachers are the ones working with the kids. The teachers are the ones attempting to implement these tools that were bought for them. The teachers are the ones truly making a difference. And you know what? Professional teachers who care about their kids and teaching can get by just fine without all these fancy new initiatives and technologies.

The shame of our education system is that no one is marketing our teachers. They are routinely taken for granted and left out of the equation. Why did the initiative in Los Angeles fail? The teachers didn't have enough time to work the program into their busy day. Too many other initiatives and directives were forced on them and they simply lacked time--not ability or initiative--to use the tools that were given to them.

So what's the problem? Simple. There is no economic incentive to change the system. Teachers have unions, but in many cases they exist to protect the lower quality teachers. Imagine if experienced high-quality teachers were marketed the same way that textbooks and technology are:

"Quality Teacher Corporation is proud to announce that Mrs. Elmira Q. Jones is now available to transform the learning environment in your school's classroom. With 15 years experience in working with students from kindergarten through 4th grade, Mrs. Jones has shown in every environment that she can raise student achievement in remarkable ways." (Insert full-color graph of student scores compared to non-Mrs. Jones taught classrooms here.) "Just read what some of Mrs. Jones former students and their parents have had to say about her work and the change it made in their lives:" (Pictures of cute kids and attractive parents with quotes about how loving yet strict Mrs. Jones was, and how the child was able to blossom under her guidance. Be sure to include a full range of cultures and ethnicities.) "Your school can take advantage of the experience and proven track record of Mrs. Jones by signing her to a long term contract today! Please contact a sales representative to discuss pricing and availability."

Sure, we can continue to spend plenty of money on tools, but if we ignore the one factor that really matters, the quality of the individual teacher who has to use those tools (and who coincidentally could get great results without them, thank you very much), then we are failing to take action that could really transform our schools.

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Shocking News: Unused Technology Has No Impact on Learning

Reading Program Didn't Boost Skills: Here's big news. If you buy an expensive software program and then fail to allow teachers the time or opportunity to use it, the impact on learning will be minimal. Seems that one of the largest school district's in the nation, Los Angeles Unified, learned that lesson the hard way after spending $50 million on a software program to teach reading to younger students. No one seems to dispute that the software has great potential, and that it has been used successfully elsewhere, but competing priorities, lack of clear direction, lack of support for hardware, and most importantly, failure to give teachers the time needed to implement the program led to its failure. I found this to be especially troubling:

....two district evaluations found that teachers didn't have enough time for the demands of the computer program as they struggled to cover a rigorous reading curriculum, introduced by the district only a year before. Teachers were forced to devote most of their mornings, and some afternoons, to those scripted lesson plans.

So while one group at the district office is promoting and planning their project, a different group is rolling out their own initiative. Caught in the middle? Kids, teachers, and taxpayers.

Typical.

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Dummies Books at the Pharmacy

I'm standing in line at the local pharmacy last night, waiting to pick up a prescription, when a huge rack of books catches my eye--just as it was intended to do. But the titles were pretty funny, at least to me. In the popular yellow and black color scheme I see:

"Pregnancy for Dummies"
"Menopause for Dummies", and
"Heart Disease for Dummies".

Uh, am I missing something here? Just how smart do you need to be to get pregnant? Shoot, stupid people have been managing it for eons. Without a lot of instructions either I might add.

And "Heart Disease for Dummies"? Seems like the instructions would be pretty short.

1. Develop bad habits. (Smoking is a good place to start. Or blogging.)
2. Eat too much fatty food.
3. Don't exercise.




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How to Kill Creativity in the Clasroom

Marvin Bartel writes of the Nine Classroom Creativity Killers in an article that's been around a few years. I recognize myself and some of my past experiences in this one. The challenge, whether you're teaching art with traditional mediums--or technology-centered artwork as I've done--is to move past the tools and focus on the creative process. How do you get kids to experiment, to use the tools in creative ways, to think past what the "right" way to use a tool is and focus on the end result? It's a tough challenge at times, but when you get it right as a teacher the rewards for yourself and your students are astounding.

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You Know Your Kid is Growing When...

Last night I got home late from teaching a course at the local community college to find my wife and daughter already comfy and snuggly in our bed. Hey, no problem. I still needed to eat some dinner, wind down a bit, and after that I'll sleep in the daughter's room for a change. Goodnight girls.

When my internal alarm clock went off this morning it was time to stumble out of bed, put on the t-shirt I'd left beside the bed last night, get some coffee going, and make my morning ablutions. After stumbling around the house for a bit and coming to a little more, I noticed that my t-shirt was feeling a little snug. Hmmm, what's this? Am I getting bigger or is this shirt getting smaller? Wander into the bathroom to check things out and lo' and behold I'm wearing a Winnie the Pooh t-shirt. Not a pretty sight, but certainly a funny one. I'd picked up one of my daughter's shirts by mistake and put it right on. The bizarre thing is that I was able to get it on at all, and it took me a good ten minutes to figure it out.

Good gravy! What am I going to do to get that girl to stop growing so fast?

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Taking Out The Trash

Comment spam. Good God! What a royal pain it is to clean all of this dreck out of the old blog. But this morning it's been another round or cockroach removal here at Brainfrieze headquarters. Still more to go, but I've gotten most of these poker postings cleared out. I'm probably looking at another hour of repetitive clicking, confirming, and refreshing to go before I get all of it removed.

The good news is that I'll shortly be moving to a more robust blog service that allows greater control over my banned IP blacklist and the addition of some other controls to make sure that only humans are posting. But for someone who essentially does this as a hobby, it's onerous to give up my time to tend to this kind of maintenance. Oh well, if you're going to run with the big dogs you have to learn to pee on tall trees I suppose.

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Wishing for the Classroom..and Student blogs

Somedays I wish i were back in the classroom, and specifically, teaching social studies. I miss the opportunity to engage with kids, to introduce new ideas to them, to get their feedback and listen to their discussions about Things That Matter. And if I were in the classroom today, I'd most definitely want to have student blogs as a means for them to write their thoughts in a forum that allows for sharing and critiquing by others. blogs in other words.

Two articles I've read over the last few days made me wish for those days. The first was an interview by a local school board member here in Palm Beach County. Dr. Debra Robinson proposed last year that the school district seek to promote the idea of a "green language", in other words, a manner of speaking that allows kids to fit in and be accepted--and taken seriously--in the world of business.

...Last year, I held a series of what we call reading roundtables. We had experts from the school district come together to talk about issues related to secondary reading, and to the lack of performance by children in general, and children of color, specifically. And one of the administrators said at the first meeting: "Vocabulary is a hidden tool of the middle class."

And when I thought about that, I realized again that a lot of people are not allowed in the door because of what is viewed as poor language skills.

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Selling our Birthright in South Florida

I have this image in my head. Juan Ponce de Leon wades ashore on this new land that he's discovered. Landing during the Feast of the Flowers in 1513, our man Ponce struggles through the surf near what today is St. Augustine, claims the land for Spain, and names it La Florida.

Right behind Juan is his right hand man--and well-known deal maker--George de Lucasio. "Juan", he whispers, "this place is little more than a swamp. What is the Kind going to want with this place? Tell you what. Let me go ahead and make some improvements here and there and we'll be able to present the King with something truly worth having. Whaddya say? And I won't charge the King a cent. Just let me have some bits and pieces off to the side there for some modest condominiums (Spanish for large dwelling residence with many miniature dogs and rules to follow) and everyone comes out a winner."
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Free African-American History Resources

There are a basketful of resources from Thomson Gale covering African-American history. You'll find a terrific listing of well-written biographies of famous and influential African Americans, a timeline of black historical moments, and a downloadable calendar. Just in time for the many reports kids will be doing this month.

Over at In Motion: The African American Migration Experience a terrificly interactive experience is offered by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the New York City Public Library. What a great use of technology to tell a story! The graphics, interface, and information are clearly presented in a highly engaging format that is sure to hold student's attention. (via Zeldman)

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