Monday, February 20, 2006
Blogging About Rural Education and Small Schools
From Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old...
Helping Young People to Learn at Their Own Pace in a Rural Area with Moodle
The DfES in the UK has published a short but sweet case study of the use of moodle in distance education in a rural area. All students completed the course ahead of schedule. The progress of the whole group was three weeks quicker than normal, with one student completing the Process Plant Operations course six weeks ahead of schedule. However, trials would need to be conducted with a larger group to determine whether outcomes could be systematically reproduced. Students' IT skills improved through Moodle, the Pathfinder Co-ordinator referring to participants as 'great thieves of information', skilled at finding up-to-date, relevant information to inform their learning. This approach improved the ability of learners to work independently and direct their own learning. These skills gave learners the confidence to benefit from Individual Learning Plan (ILP) approaches rather than traditional Information, Advice and Guidance system. The Cumbria and East Manchester Pathfinders have shared http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?feed=795, February 15, 2006.
When Small Schools Close
Small School Movement, take heed: Whether you're becoming familiar with the debate forming in Denver these days over the news of Manual High School's closing by DPS , you're undoubtedly beginning to hear more and more about the benefits-vs-cost of the small schools movement nationwide. Concepts aside, this is real stuff! Real kids. Real money. Real politics. Where it goes or what impact it has on the larger picture, nobody knows, but the game is live and in 3-D! ***** From the Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet (from the above link):"The situation at Manual is critical. The school has lost 50 percent of its enrollment in the last four years . . . At a certain point, we knew we were going to reach a number of students in the school which would not allow us to sustain an academic program that would provide kids with the essential classes they need to earn a high school diploma . . . There will now be substantial time for us to work with the c think:lab, February 20, 2006.
From Mr. Rural ED.
Update on Colorado HR 1150
By Michael Arnold
Last week the Colorado House Committee on Education voted down HR 1150, a bill to establish statewide standards for when public schools in Colorado could start and end the school year. The bill would have required all of Colorado’s public schools to start school the Tuesday after Labor Day and end no sooner than the Friday before Memorial Day. To gain some insight into the bill, it's instructive to look at who testified in the hearing on both sides of the debate. See the previous post "Today's Nominees for Worst People in the World" for more information on the bill.
The first person to testify was one of the bill's sponsors, Representative Lynn Hefley (R). Among her comments were that having different dates set by local school districts hurts businesses and families. She also noted the impact of the current school district schedules on attendance at the Colorado State Fair—keep that point in mind.
Also testifying in support of the bill were Jerry McLain, representing the American Camp Association; Bill Darrough, representing Camp Timberline, Inc.; Kitty Clemens, representing herself; Craig Reed, representing the Broadmoor Hotel; Ilene Kamsler, representing Colorado Hotel and Lodging; and Christie O'Donnell, representing the Colorado Restaurant Association. Providing the best insight into the catalyst for the bill may have been Jim Snook, representing the Colorado State Fair as a State Fair Commissioner. Mr. Snook testified on the impact of school calendar on participation and attendance at the Colorado State Fair. Now we're getting to the real issue.
Testifying against the bill were Paula Stephenson, representing the Rural Schools Caucus; Phil Fox, representing the Colorado Association of School Executives; Jane Paxtun, representing herself as a member of board of education of Boulder Valley Schools; and Jane Urschel, representing the Colorado Association of School Boards.
To review, those in favor of the bill represented interests in the tourist industry and those who testified against it represented education organizations. Now lets not forget that tourism is very important to Colorado and to the state's children, youth and families. Until I took my first teaching job I lived in tourist areas my entire life and appreciate the importance of the industry to rural communities. But local communities are in a better position to make a determination about when their schools start and end.
A special thanks to Paula Stevens, Executive Director of the Rural Caucus, for keeping an eye on things at the state legislature and for helping defeat this terrible bill.
Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education
Helping Young People to Learn at Their Own Pace in a Rural Area with Moodle
The DfES in the UK has published a short but sweet case study of the use of moodle in distance education in a rural area. All students completed the course ahead of schedule. The progress of the whole group was three weeks quicker than normal, with one student completing the Process Plant Operations course six weeks ahead of schedule. However, trials would need to be conducted with a larger group to determine whether outcomes could be systematically reproduced. Students' IT skills improved through Moodle, the Pathfinder Co-ordinator referring to participants as 'great thieves of information', skilled at finding up-to-date, relevant information to inform their learning. This approach improved the ability of learners to work independently and direct their own learning. These skills gave learners the confidence to benefit from Individual Learning Plan (ILP) approaches rather than traditional Information, Advice and Guidance system. The Cumbria and East Manchester Pathfinders have shared http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?feed=795, February 15, 2006.
When Small Schools Close
Small School Movement, take heed: Whether you're becoming familiar with the debate forming in Denver these days over the news of Manual High School's closing by DPS , you're undoubtedly beginning to hear more and more about the benefits-vs-cost of the small schools movement nationwide. Concepts aside, this is real stuff! Real kids. Real money. Real politics. Where it goes or what impact it has on the larger picture, nobody knows, but the game is live and in 3-D! ***** From the Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet (from the above link):"The situation at Manual is critical. The school has lost 50 percent of its enrollment in the last four years . . . At a certain point, we knew we were going to reach a number of students in the school which would not allow us to sustain an academic program that would provide kids with the essential classes they need to earn a high school diploma . . . There will now be substantial time for us to work with the c think:lab, February 20, 2006.
From Mr. Rural ED.
Update on Colorado HR 1150
By Michael Arnold
Last week the Colorado House Committee on Education voted down HR 1150, a bill to establish statewide standards for when public schools in Colorado could start and end the school year. The bill would have required all of Colorado’s public schools to start school the Tuesday after Labor Day and end no sooner than the Friday before Memorial Day. To gain some insight into the bill, it's instructive to look at who testified in the hearing on both sides of the debate. See the previous post "Today's Nominees for Worst People in the World" for more information on the bill.
The first person to testify was one of the bill's sponsors, Representative Lynn Hefley (R). Among her comments were that having different dates set by local school districts hurts businesses and families. She also noted the impact of the current school district schedules on attendance at the Colorado State Fair—keep that point in mind.
Also testifying in support of the bill were Jerry McLain, representing the American Camp Association; Bill Darrough, representing Camp Timberline, Inc.; Kitty Clemens, representing herself; Craig Reed, representing the Broadmoor Hotel; Ilene Kamsler, representing Colorado Hotel and Lodging; and Christie O'Donnell, representing the Colorado Restaurant Association. Providing the best insight into the catalyst for the bill may have been Jim Snook, representing the Colorado State Fair as a State Fair Commissioner. Mr. Snook testified on the impact of school calendar on participation and attendance at the Colorado State Fair. Now we're getting to the real issue.
Testifying against the bill were Paula Stephenson, representing the Rural Schools Caucus; Phil Fox, representing the Colorado Association of School Executives; Jane Paxtun, representing herself as a member of board of education of Boulder Valley Schools; and Jane Urschel, representing the Colorado Association of School Boards.
To review, those in favor of the bill represented interests in the tourist industry and those who testified against it represented education organizations. Now lets not forget that tourism is very important to Colorado and to the state's children, youth and families. Until I took my first teaching job I lived in tourist areas my entire life and appreciate the importance of the industry to rural communities. But local communities are in a better position to make a determination about when their schools start and end.
A special thanks to Paula Stevens, Executive Director of the Rural Caucus, for keeping an eye on things at the state legislature and for helping defeat this terrible bill.
Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education
