Monday, April 18, 2011
How Will Your Celebrate?
Sunday, April 17, 2011
A Birds Eye View for Nature Lovers!
UStream.TV
Monday, April 11, 2011
Will Public Libraries Disappear?
Another change that may be happening in your state due to budget cuts is the closing of our public libraries. In our county, they are considering closing 13 of our 17 public libraries. I know that ebooks are gaining in popularity, but will they also contribute to the digital demise of our library systems? As a parent, my daughters and I have found memories of visiting the local library for “story hour” and happily coming home with an arm or two full of books. Will the digital native children of today tune in to a virtual library and view books being read instead? Just as we are concerned about their gaining social skills by attending "mortar and brick" schools, will this be yet another opportunity missed? Maybe because I’m a digital immigrant, I’m feeling tugs at my heart about this possible loss. I’ve attached several links that address this possibility.
Is It Time to Rebuild & Retool Public Libraries and Make “TechShops”?
Are Librarians Totally Obsolete?Cobb residents fight to save 13 libraries
Monday, April 4, 2011
Have you heard of K-12 online learning?
"Online learning through virtual schools is one of the most important advancements in attempting to rethink the effectiveness of education in the United States. The virtual school provides access to online, collaborative and self-paced learning environments—settings that can facilitate 21st-century skills. Today’s students must be able to combine these skills with the effective use of technology to succeed in current and future jobs."
I also thought that this comparison was interesting:
"the operating costs of online programs are about the same as the operating costs of a regular brick and mortar school." The report found:
"For a full-time program, results from the panel suggest that costs range from about $7,200 to about $8,300 per FTE… Full-time programs can be more expensive than those serving students on a supplemental basis because these schools are typically responsible for special needs students and for adhering to state and federal accountability requirements (including granting credits, testing students, making AYP, etc.). In addition, local virtual schools are more likely than state virtual schools to provide computers and Internet connectivity for their students, which can result in higher costs per pupil."
Check out the links below for more information about the K-12.com and some positive research.