OK, I have read the introduction and the first chapter of Readicide. I'm not sure, but I do not think that Kelly Gallagher was the Campaign Chairman for George Bush. Apparently, he has problems with the "No Child Left Behind Act" and I have to say that I am in agreement with him. It is no secret from anyone that is in the classroom that the legislation has been a huge fiasco that has not helped further the education of any student. However, at least someone tried to do something about the overwhelming problem of education in this country. Also, Ted Kennedy was right along with George Bush crafting this bill so both parties have their fingerprints all over this mess. That is the problem I have with ALL politicians------they live in their own little bubble and craft solutions to problems that are not based in reality.
The most highly educated children in the world today are the kids that go to schools without the luxuries that we have in our schools. A book is highly coveted by these children and is treated as such. They realize the value of a traditional education and understand that it will improve their lot in life. Children in America do not have the same reverence. We learned in the video that we were shown in class that our kids do not like to read and will find ways to avoid it when made to do so. They will go to the computer websites that will provide the "Readers Digest" version of a novel just to get by in class. Who can blame them??? School gets in the way of texting, Facebooking, socializing, making out and many of the other extracurricular activities that are rampant in high school today. I believe that we are trying to use the ideas from previous generations to access the skills of a post technology generation. Think about it----we say students can't read or write but ask yourself, how can a child sending and receiving 4000 text messages in a month not read and write quickly?? Granted, the grammar is probably atrocious with the advent of ROTFL and WTF (OK, perhaps not the best example....I pray Dr. Webb is not hip to the lingo yet) and the use of U in the place of the word "you" but, nonetheless, reading and writing is going on.
So, Mr. Gallagher spent the first chapter suggesting that the biggest problem we have in reading education is not teaching kids to read something relevant or educational, such as the novels we were taught to read, yet they are taught to pass a test. He is right and he is wrong. We should not teach to receive a test result but are we going to have them sit and read a book? I argue that our society is quickly moving away from the printed page. If we want to see students read to find information (as most corporations are requiring), lets text them a message asking the top ten ways to cut a class or to find out which city the hottest rapper will be in next week and we will get a 2000 word texted essay with every bit of information we need in a fifteen minute time span. Reading is going on..............writing is going on..................we just do not realize it and God forbid a student should show us that they know how to do it. Do not get me wrong. I believe in the kids today but we must learn from the cultural backgrounds these kids present. After all, this is what is in this week's modules. We must teach to relate on their terms. We must use the Ipods rather than the books. We must use the computer screen rather than the sheet of paper. We must catch up and access with this technology or we will fail.
I agree with you about NCLB - it was bipartisan effort, and testing, in some form, is here to stay. That being said, I wonder if we can't do it all? So is it either - or? Can we enjoy digital text formats and social networking, and still love the aesthetic of a new book and a face-to-face conversation? Right now we have a generation of kids that are out front with technology without guidance because so many of us were hesitant about going digital. While they may be tech-savvy, many are not tech-wize. I'm looking forward to following your blogs and your insights as the course progress ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think you make very valid points with the NCLB, but I would be hesitant to go to the technology extreme. Just as standard testing ideally looks good, but is poor in practice; the technology sounds like a great idea, but there are so many glitches that would have to work out first. Initially, cost... of the equipment, and the education of the teachers to be up to date. Also, monitoring... complete immersion in technology allows for a great deal of multitasking, and leaves little confirmation that the students are on task, particularly with large classrooms... and there are certain things, like Math, that are easier written. I do see where technology should be incorporated, but not a main mode of learning
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about No Child Left Behind. I think it was sloppy legislation at best, and thrown together so that the Government(the elephants and the donkeys) could cover their butts. This has had the inevitable trickle down effect in schools following the government mandate without government funds; and now education and literacy is even more diluted in America.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you're saying about meeting the students where they are in this technological age, but I begin to disagree with you on the last point about going totally technology with learning. I feel like in english, that is equivalent to just giving students a calculator without teaching them the principals behind the calculations. Language is only valued when their are laws, rules and standards governing it; combined with the uniqueness and value of the culture it pervades. If you ditch the rules, and go with the culture, language becomes chaotic. Similarly if you ditch the culture and stick to the rules and "textbook," Language becomes devoid of the life and culture it expresses.