Skype opens new worlds for students and teachers

April 6th, 2011

It used to be considered a shiny new toy for teachers, used more for entertaining students than educating them. But Skype has evolved into an instructional tool that teachers are increasingly using for new purposes.

“It’s great for oral language practice for my English language students,” said Alice Mercer, a computer lab teacher at Oak Ridge Elementary in Oak Park.

Skype, a free video calling site, also is being used to take students on virtual field trips and as a resource for teachers to share ideas.

“It takes down the walls of the classroom,” said Fay Crooks, a second-grade teacher in New Jersey, as her video and voice streamed into Mercer’s Oak Park classroom.

Mercer and Crooks have paired their second grade-students as pen pals since October.

Both teachers have used the students’ relationship to teach geography, writing, reading and other skills. They also talk about time zones and how the Oak Ridge students are beginning their day, while Northfield Community School has already had lunch.

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Judges say interns aren’t ‘highly qualified’ teachers

September 24th, 2010

Teaching interns can no longer be counted as “highly qualified” teachers under the No Child Left Behind law, a federal court ruled today.

The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals comes in response to a 2007 lawsuit filed by Public Advocates, a San Francisco-based public interest law firm. The suit alleges that a loophole in No Child Left Behind allowed the government to misrepresent how prepared teachers are for their jobs, perpetuating a pattern of clustering inexperienced teachers in the neediest schools.

The suit said that about 59,000 teachers across the country — including 10,000 in California — are considered “highly qualified” by the government even though they don’t yet have a teaching credential. The majority work in schools where at least 90 percent of students are nonwhite, the lawsuit said.

No Child Left Behind, a sweeping federal law intended to close the achievement gap and improve poor children’s math and English skills, requires that all public school students have “highly qualified” teachers in core academic subjects.

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Milwaukee teachers fight for Viagra drug coverage

August 3rd, 2010

The district gave layoff notices to 482 teachers in June, but recalled 89 of them last month. Additional teachers may be called back, but these are still the first layoffs of Milwaukee teachers in decades.

At least one lawmaker questioned why the union is fighting for Viagra while teachers are losing their jobs. A consultant for the school board has estimated that reinstating the drug benefit would cost $786,000 per year — the cost to keep perhaps a dozen first-year teachers employed.

State Rep. Jason Fields argues that the money could be better spent any number of ways — including saving jobs.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Fields, a Milwaukee Democrat. “The fact that is the point of contention is kind of frightening. What are our priorities? I’m all for love and peace. But almost 1 million dollars? And you go to court over this issue?”

Union spokeswoman Kris Collett declined comment. But its lawyer Barbara Quindel said the case was worth fighting despite the district’s grim finances. Qui

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