AU Blogspot

                    Thanks to Olivia for permission to use this Photo. 

George Siemens is acknowledged as being one of the most innovative minds in the education field.  Through his groundbreaking analyses of how educators can use technology to their advantage rather than fearing its’ radical capabilities, Siemens has had a major impact on how teachers, students, and just about anyone involved in the education field perceives how our traditional learning models must evolve in order to effectively provide the knowledge and skills most vital in tomorrow’s “connected” world.  In the following slideshow presentation, Siemens outlines some of his main thoughts on what tomorrow may look like if we begin taking the necessary steps to reform our educational system today.  This presentation is a solid introduction to George’s theories.  We’d like to thank him for being an Ashworth University contributing blogger and would like to encourage everyone to check out his amazing elearnspace Blog.  Thanks George!

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

In yet another sign that the home school education movement is gaining mainstream acceptance, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has denounced a court ruling restricting the rights of parents who want to home school their children.  The following article outlines the details of this developing story.  Scharzenegger referred to the ruling in question as “outrageous” and stated that “parents should have the right to decide what’s best for their children.”  We here at Ashworth University applaud the Governor’s stance against the governmental regulation of parents’ rights and are happy to see the home school movement continue to gain momentum on the national stage.  As always, if you have any questions about Ashworth University’s Home School initiatives, please feel free to contact us at any time.  Dr. Lisa Bryde, our manager of Research and Curriculum Development, will be happy to advise you on what homeschool options best fit your family’s needs. 

You can contact Dr. Lisa Bryde at: 

lbryde@ashworthuniversity.edu

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

Making students accountable for test scores works well on a bumper sticker and it allows many politicians to look good by saying that they will not tolerate failure. But it represents a hollow promise. Far from improving education, high- stakes testing marks a major retreat from fairness, from accuracy, from quality, and from equity.
- Sen. Paul Wellstone (1944-2002)

Standardized testing is quite the hot topic, to say the least. I remember spending pretty much the entire semester of Tests & Measures in college debating the validity of standardized tests.

A lot of educational institutions are being accused of “teaching to the test”. If you have to teach to a test, then obviously the test isn’t really testing what it should be, right?

Standardized tests are used for different purposes. We won’t get into the political purposes right now, but we all know that those exist. In elementary, middle, and high schools, they are used to make sure that students are performing at an appropriate level, and they are used to place students in appropriate courses at the appropriate level. These tests should be testing grade-level knowledge, reasoning and problem solving ability, writing skills, etc. A well constructed test does just that – it tests whether or not the test taker has certain knowledge and skills and can apply that knowledge and those skills.

Special thanks to SideLong for permission to use this photo.

I have seen student records where a student is earning decent grades in math courses like Algebra and Geometry, but then they are unable to pass a state exit exam in math. What is the problem here? Is it that the students are not actually learning the material? Are grades being “given” to students? I find it impossible to believe that a student can earn a B in Algebra I and Geometry and then fail a math exit exam that most likely only skims the surface of basic Algebra and Geometry. Is the test bad or are the courses bad?

The only thing I really have to go on to answer that question is that the tests are standardized while the courses are not. We see students across counties and states performing at or above level in their high school courses and then failing exit exams. What are these tests actually testing? I’m not saying the courses themselves are perfect, I doubt they are. Improvements on these courses that are being made are based on how students are performing on these tests though, and that is a little scary. Courses should be designed so that the student learns and understands the material, and the tests should be designed to make sure they have done just that.

If we are teaching to tests, especially bad tests, we are really failing our students.

Nicole Burris
Associate Registrar
Ashworth University

 
              Thanks to juanjoseixas for permission to use this Photo.

With the public school system failing, one wonders whether the federally mandated emphasis on pass/fail standardized testing (reactive) rather than ian investment in the comprehensive reform of our educational models (proactive) is anything more than a political “red herring.”  The following video features an influential educator by the name of Ken Robinson.  Mr. Robinson eloquently discusses the creativity crisis that our schools are suffering from and proposes possible alternatives to policies that undermine student creativity rather than provide an environment conducive to its’ development.  At Ashworth University High School, we take great pride in our ability to customize our program studies to meet the diverse learning styles of our students.  We’d love to hear from our home school parents out there.  Please share your perspectives in the comments section of this post.  We’ll talk again soon.

Ryan Rode
Ashworth University

 
             Thanks to Chunyang Lin for permission to use this Photo.

In the spirit of this blog’s commitment to providing home school parents with the most comprehensive information on today’s social media/educational technologies, we’d like to bring your attention to another series of instructional yet entertaining series of videos.  Principally developed to train librarians on the web’s most popular 2.0 resources, the “Learn More” video series serves as an excellent primer for people new to these resources, but who are eager to learn.  Click here to check out these great videos for yourself.  As you begin gaining knowledge and experience working with them, drop in for a few minutes to share your comments with our home school community. 

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

Schools across the country are eliminating technical or general level diploma tracks in high schools, and forcing all students to take college prep level courses. I remember reading this article a while back, concerning the issue, and it really shocked me.

High school tech classes to vanish by 2009

While I see nothing wrong with improving the quality of general and technical courses in public high schools, I see a big problem with eliminating them.

Not everyone goes to college.

Someone who has absolutely no plan of attending college in the future should not have to take a college prep English course. In the workplace, you do not need to know how to write an analytical essay on Shakespeare or know how to do Calculus. You do need to know how to write, and you do need math skills, but not necesarily the skills you would acquire in a college prep course, or college prep diploma track. On the same note, I do want to stress that I see nothing wrong with someone who does not plan to attend college gaining analytical skills. I just think that we all learn differently, we all have different goals and plans, and courses and diploma tracks should reflect this.

I believe in options. Without options, students will become discouraged and be more likely to drop out of school. We can’t expect everyone to fit into a box.

Special thanks to sooperkuh for permission to use this photo.

Don’t worry, Ashworth University High School has no plans of eliminating our general program, and we actually hope to add a technical diploma in the future. We believe that is it important to work with the diverse student population that is out there, not try to force them into a “one size fits all” education plan.

Nicole Burris
Associate Registrar
Ashworth University

 
               Thanks to Kafkaesque for permission to use this Photo.

Forbes magazine recently featured a commentary piece by Bill Gates on expanding educational opportunities.  Gates speaks very candidly about his concerns for education– which include a lack of skills based training, a shortage of qualified teachers, and his overarching belief that our education model/system suffers from what he terms a “problem of scale.”  Fortunately, Gates’ feels confident that technology and all its’ potential applications can be the most effective tool in balancing issues of scale.  Many of us often overlook the philanthropic contributions of the world’s richest man.  We must note that he has literally invested billions of dollars in educational incentive programs.  Let us know what you think about Gates’ prescription for change.  You may be surprised how inspiring his vision for education turns out to be.

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

     
              Thanks to Joline Anthea for permission to use this Photo.

I wrote a blog post yesterday on the brilliance of wi-fi access in the car.  I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but an added detail won’t hurt.  To make a long story short, as wireless router technology advances, so are the spaces, from airplanes to hotel bathrooms, where we can connect to the Internet.  Subsequently, the following story about wi-fi enabled school buses in Arkansas, never a state at the top of the educational charts, struck me as a surprisingly timely and positive educational adoption of web based applications.  The students profiled are mainly classified as “gifted”; I must confess to a slight cynicism when school systems seem to “test” such technologies on their highest performers rather than the crowd at large, so-called “average” students whose’ participation will arguably be a more accurate indication of general acceptance than the gifted or “exception” student body.  I shouldn’t be cynical though; this initiative will open up more doors than it will close.  From this perspective, education is a numbers game.    Are the school buses in your area equipped with wi-fi?  If so, please let our home school community know how it’s working out. 

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

 
                   Thanks to AZ for permission to use this Photo. 

Financial incentives don’t do much to improve long-term scores of low achievers, reports Eduwonkette, who’s now an Ed Week blogger. In one study, researchers offered students money based on their performance on math, reading, writing, social studies and science tests. These incentives increased test scores only in math, but not in any other subject. And the kids who gained the most from receiving the incentive were those already performing at higher levels, not the lowest performing students.

Here’s the kicker: The study was multi-year, such that some students were given incentives in one year and not in the next. Advocates of incentives argue that while students will react to the cash at first, when the incentive is taken away, they will learn “for learning’s sake.” (more…)

               Thanks to Jason V for permission to use this Photo.

I like John Connell’s statement in Our Duty to Protect through Education: “how do we teach our young people to make responsible use of the web tools and resources at their disposal if we are completely unable to access them in school?”

I fully understand and respect the need for security in schools.  

But, as John indicates, schools are about preparing people for the world…not protecting them from the world. My children are currently “blog-less” in school, which is to be expected as we are still in the early stages of a hype cycle (actually, we are well past the early stages in my eyes, but classroom reality suggests otherwise).  

While still young, they realize that access has been removed. (more…)