The End of Cable TV? How Everyone Will Watch Television In The Future

This was an interesting article......maybe this is why cable companies are charging outrageous prices right now. I think this will be a good thing, especially for those people who don't watch a lot of television and yet they are paying quite a lot for the few channels that they occasionally watch. All of this new technology is coming out now and it's great as long as it is useful and isn't something that rots our brains. It didn't mention how much OTT costs and no one knows for sure how the cable companies are going to handle it. I think it is time for a change though.

Proffitt, B. (2012, July 31). The end of cable tv? how everyone will watch television in the future. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the-end-of-cable-tv-how-everyone-will-watch-television-in-the-future.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: readwriteweb (ReadWriteWeb)&utm_content=Google Reader

What Parents and Educators Want from Assessments

This is an interesting article. It talks about what parents and educators want from their children/students being assessed. The article broke it down but overall it seems that both think that formative assessments are more valuable when it comes to seeing how the students are progressing and they also don't think that it is very important to compare the scores to other students'. Everyone wants what is best for the students but the way we are going about it right now is not working. It is just upsetting the teachers because some classes are better (grades and behavior) than others and sometimes there are a lot of students with special needs in a classroom which will most likely bring down the overall scores of the class and make it look like progress was not made. I don't know what to do instead but maybe something like if students fall behind for a year than it needs to be looked into and see if there are several students in one class that didn't make progress, but I would not say that all students have to make a certain amount of progress each year or else......Each student is different, they come from different circumstances and I think that as long as they make a good amount of progress each year compared to their own scores last year, I think that is good enough. It's just all a big mess right now and no one knows what to do.

OBrien, A. (2012, July 30). What parents and educators want from assessments. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-assessment-parents-survey-anne-obrien

Video shows boy bullied, burned on bus

This is horrible....the poor boy is burned with a hot lighter, called names, and is trapped in his seat on the bus. I don't understand why the bus driver didn't pull that bus over or take it back to school after hearing that child screaming like that. They said that the driver had charges against her but all of them were dropped. I don't think they should have been dropped. She neglected to help that child while he was getting emotionally and physically bullied. I don't know if she just ingnored him because he was labeled "special needs" and maybe she thought he just made loud noises sometimes but she should have pulled that bus over and seperated them at least. This child has post traumatic stress syndrome now and he has been seeing a counselor or therapist because of the damage done. It makes me really angry that anyone would let something like this go on and it makes me even angrier to know that most of the parents of bullies don't think it's that big of a deal, mostly because they are too busy to be bothered with their own children. I think parents with children who are bullies should have to attend parenting classes and the children should attend anger management classes and therapy.

CNN. (2012, July 30). Video shows boy bullied, burned on bus. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/video/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: rss/cnn_topstories (RSS: Top Stories)&utm_content=Google Reader

Girls Who Code: Crashing the “Brogram”

I am seeing a trend here in the articles I have looked at today.......
Anyways, this article is about getting young girls interested in becoming programmers when they are older. The authors say that something happens when a girl is 13 or 14 and she thinks that programming and engineering is just for guys. This program is eight weeks long and I believe it is eight hours a day. They teach the girls how to program and market. This article talked a lot about how male programmers have "good looking women" around to help make deals like putting pictures with women in bikinis in their slideshow, female waitresses, or even just having the women in hot tubs. The point was that this can be done because there are so few female programmers. Twitter has joined in with the project and is helping fund it. I think this is a good one for Twitter to get involved in because I am sure more women use Twitter than men.

Devaney, T., & Stein, T. (2012, July 24). Girls who code: Crashing the “brogram”. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/start/2012/07/girls-who-code-crashing-the-brogram.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: readwriteweb (ReadWriteWeb)&utm_content=Google Reader

The WINGS Story: An After-School Program Helps Students Beat the Odds

This sounds like a good program as long as the schools have the money for it. A lot of parents are now in the mind-set that the teachers and school should be teaching their children how to respect people, appropriate behavior, and more that goes all the way to teaching their children how to tie their own shoes! It's a little ridiculous. If parents spent time with their children every day, most children would behave much better. Teachers are very busy and they have a state mandadted curriculum to teach. Students would not be so far behind if the parents spent more time with their children and teaching them. But now that parents are so busy trying to work so that they don't lose their house and so they can feed their children, it falls on the teachers to teach respect, manners and everything else because you can't teach curriculum if no one gets along and doesn't know how to respect or listen. It's great that the school is doing the WINGS program for their students but they shouldn't have to. I am one of those people who thinks that if you can't and aren't going to take care of your child than don't have them. The child suffers for your mistakes and it actually makes other children in the classroom suffer too if the child has not been taught how to sit still, be respectful, not blurt out and that they can't do whatever they want. Now there are some children who are very quiet and no one notices them and that child suffers inside. The schools feel bad for these kids and are trying to save them from living on the streets and dropping out of school even though the teachers are spent at the end of the day, everyone is under paid and schools are in jeopardy of being closed because there is not enough money to run it. I am happy that these kids are getting what they need but they should be getting it at home.

Rubenstein, G. (2012, July). The wings story: An after-school program helps students beat the odds . Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/stw-social-emotional-learning-after-school-wings-story?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: EdutopiaNewContent (Edutopia)&utm_content=Google Reader

Thank You, Sally Ride

This article was interesting because it is true that a lot of girls for some reason don't care as much about science as boys do. I am starting to see however, that boys aren't as interested in science anymore. Science lessons are becoming a bore or are rushed because of the lack of time. The students don't get to really explore anymore, rather they are told what to do and what the end result is. I know some of it is because of the lack of money and time because there are so many topics that need to be taught before the end of the year. But these kids are not enjoying science. I am glad to hear that Sally set up a summer science camp for girls. Girls do need that extra confidence and push to go into fields that are mostly male dominated. It's sad that Sally died at such a young age from cancer but at least she left a lot behind to help other girls to possibly follow in her footsteps one day.

Urry, M. (2012, July 24). Thank you, sally ride. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/24/opinion/urry-sally-ride/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: rss/cnn_topstories (RSS: Top Stories)&utm_content=Google Reader

Twitter's Credibility Problem

This article was talking about how people are saying that the articles on Twitter are not as credible as if they read the same article somewhere else. There was a study done and they are still not sure as to why people feel this way but they are now aware of this. One source posting articles on Twitter is the New York Times and apparently it is hurting them. The only thing I can think of is that people view Twitter as a means of communication with other people and not very serious communication. I don't have a Twitter account so I don't really know much about it but it seems like Twitter is a place to let everyone know what you are doing at the moment. I don't think the majority of people log on to Twitter to read the news. Twitter does not seem like a serious communication tool. Maybe that is why people seem to think that news stories that are published on there are not as credible.

Copeland, D. (2012, July 17). Twitter's credibility problem. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/twitters-credibility-problem.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: readwriteweb (ReadWriteWeb)&utm_content=Google Reader

Is the Cell Phone the new Pencil?

I think that the cell phone is the new pencil. Most people, including young students, have cell phones now and they are on the phones all of the time. The children are technically "writing" throughout the day by texting their friends and family. However, I don't think it really counts because there aren't many people that type an entire word, use correct punctuation or even grammar. The skills they use on the phone are not comparable to ones they use when they actually sit down and write in school. If the students want something similar, I say let them write letters to their friends throughout the day. Yes, typing skills are valuable and texting kind of counts towards that but because of how it is done, I would have to say that no, the phone is not the new pencil.

Grabill, J. (2012, July 12). Is the cell phone the new pencil?. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/is-cell-phone-new-pencil-jeff-grabill?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: EdutopiaNewContent (Edutopia)&utm_content=Google Reader

Alaska drilling: From 'hell no!' to ... 'OK'

This is a very controversial topic. Drilling in Alaska could have so many benefits but there are also a lot of things put on the line if they drill. There is a lot of wildlife in the water there and that wildlife helps the culture survive. I would not want to be the person faced with this decision. I did notice that the Eskimo leader made his decision as he was leaving office. The Eskimo leader gave the "ok" to start drilling and I am glad that the company will stop if the whales are near the sites but there is one thing that raised a red flag for me. The article said that because of the ice they had to delay the work and now they are in a time crunch because they have to stop by October. From what I have seen, companies care more about profit than anything else and even though they promised to take every precaution and to treat this with extreme care, I could see them rushing to get as much done as possible so they are not too far behind and don't lose money. I could also see this "rush" creating mistakes in putting things together to drill and having another leak occur. I hope they do keep their word and handle this location with extreme care......even though they should technically be doing that for every location because the effects of a spill are devastating.

Vercammen , P., & Patterson, T. (2012, July 17). Alaska drilling: From 'hell no!' to . 'ok'. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/17/us/alaska-offshore-drilling/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: rss/cnn_topstories (RSS: Top Stories)&utm_content=Google Reader

Teens: Stop Photoshopping models

I think this is a great thing! I agree that teen magazines should stop photoshopping the models to make them look "perfect" because it sends the wrong message not just to the girls but also to the boys. Both of them see at least the covers of those magazines and that seems like it is the norm and that is beautiful. So the girls try to be like that but they can't because our bodies were just not made to be like that and the boys think that is how every girl should look and he may start to put the pressure on his girlfriend because she doesn't look like the girls in the magazines. I think it would help stop a lot of the eating disorders for teenage girls. The two girls that put the petition together are just amazing. It would be nice if this even went for all magazines. If all magazines stopped photoshopping the models so we look at real people and not half a person and half a computer made person. I myself and tired of seeing the false images out there and I am not ugly, overwieght or anything but they even make me feel bad about my looks. I can't even imagine how it makes others feel. The girls have their petition online and are trying to get more magazines to stop photoshopping. If you think this is a good idea watch the clip below to find their link and sign the petition to help them!

CNN. (2012, July). Teens: Stop photoshopping models. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/video/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: rss/cnn_topstories (RSS: Top Stories)&utm_content=Google Reader

Teachers: Are You Taking Time Off This Summer?

This teacher has a very busy summer but it seems that she likes it that way. Even if you like to stay busy, you eventually need a break. I know I was feeling that this year with everything I had going on. There were only three weeks left of school and I wanted a vacation now, not in three weeks, but right now. I was burnt out and my patience were gone. I like to stay busy like this woman  (maybe not quite as busy) but I know when it's time for a break. You need to re-energize for the new school year and you need to have some fun. Things are crazy throughout the school year with everything that is going on and I think in order to be a great teacher, you need to rest during your time off. I do know that things need to be done during the summer like house work or projects that have been put off during the school year, Just make sure you know your limits and you get enough relaxation so you don't end up being the teacher that loses their mind.

Aguilar, E. (2012, July 6). Teachers: Are you taking time off this summer?. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/summertime-work-rest-vacation-elena-aguilar?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: EdutopiaNewContent (Edutopia)&utm_content=Google Reader

.How Google+ Has Morphed Over The Past Year & What We Can Expect in 2013

About six months ago I saw that some of my friends on Facebook were inviting people to join them on Google+. I have not seen or heard anything about it since then. It seems as if they don't really use it anymore and they went back to using Facebook. I never used Google+ myself so I don't really know what it is all about. I would agree that Google+ is probably just helping out the other Google apps. I don't really think it is going to go anywhere on its own. It's good that it is helping out its other sites like YouTube, the search, Blogger, and Gmail. I would say it was a good step for them to make sure that Google stays alive and isn't forgotten. Google+ isn't doing horrible, it still has about 75 million using it daily. I would say it wasn't a waste of time but I don't really see it going anywhere after this.

Macmanus, R. (2012, July 1). .how google has morphed over the past year & what we can expect in 2013. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how-google-has-morphed-over-the-past-year-what-we-can-expect-in-2013.php

It is Time to Hack the Future of TV

This article talks about how developers have connected just about every piece of technology together with an exception to the television. The television can get movies from Netfilx but other than that it is just a TV. Developers are thinking about hooking televisions up to IPads and IPhones. They are trying to replace the remote control with one of these devices too. It sounds like they would like the television to be more interactive and to have more features than just to play shows. Developers are also trying to get Tablets and IPads to do split screens to watch TV on one side and to play with other apps on the other side. I guess this would be a good idea and the next appropriate focus but I don't think it is really necessary. I also think that a lot of the technology that we have now is not necessary, like watching movies on your phone. Why would you want to watch a movie on that small of a screen? If your answer is to keep your children occupied while running errands, I still don't think it is a good idea because I believe that makes them more prone to becoming ADD or ADHD. They also become bored with anything that is not electronic. Like I said before I see this as an ok thing but it's not necessary.

Rowinski, D. (2012, July 2). It is time to hack the future of tv. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/mobile/2012/07/it-is-time-to-hack-the-future-of-tv.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: readwriteweb (ReadWriteWeb)&utm_content=Google Reader

How to Develop a Welcoming Culture

This was an interesting article. It talked about how students who cause problems in the classroom are ones who need better social skills. That these students don't know how to behave and they need to practice correct skills. Dr. Curwin was saying how if a child misses a shot in basketball we don't tell them that they can't try again until they get better. We tell that child to keep practicing until they get better and he says that we should use the same strategy with misbehavior. He says that we shouldn't take the child out of the social situation like we tend to do. We should let them practice the correct behavior. I agree with this but it is very difficult to do with the size of classrooms that we have now. There are so many children (typically) in just one classroom that misbehaves and needs to be taught how to act appropriately. Teachers just don't have to time to do it and it's basically physically impossible since there are so many students and only one teacher. I have been in a lot of classrooms where just learning how to act appropriately would be what the students would learn for at least a week or so and that would be excluding everything else. I do know from experience that if you make a student feel welcomed and secure that they will have better behavior but sometimes no matter what you do they won't change because they have been so badly wounded.

Curwin, R. (2012, July 1). How to develop a welcoming culture. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/welcoming-all-children-richard-curwin?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: EdutopiaNewContent (Edutopia)&utm_content=Google Reader

Police investigate remains found in Montreal park

This is just a sad and sick story.  A guy named Luka killed a man named Jun. After killing him he dismembered his body and did nasty things to it while video tapping it. As if that wasn't enough, he then posted it on YouTube so all of the world could see what he had done. Right now they say he is in prison and he is locked in his own private cell 23 hours a day. They are afraid to put him with the other inmates because they don't know how they will react to each other. I know I don't have the entire story but things like this make me wish we had the death penalty. Why let him rot in a cell while we take care of him pay for it when we could just bury him in the ground and be done with it. I think it is a pretty black and white case. Luka was caught red handed because he video tapped what he did and posted it. Why does it matter if he is not stable? He is not a safe person to have around and he did a horrible thing. It's not like what he did was an accident, he had fun. I think we should make sure that he is never released and put back in with society.

CNN Wire Staff. (2012, July 2). Police investigate remains found in montreal park. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/02/world/americas/canada-body-parts/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: rss/cnn_topstories (RSS: Top Stories)&utm_content=Google Reader