I started this blog as a class assignment. The class is about electronic resources available for teachers. But in prisons, the existence of the Internet is a closely-guarded secret, so many of the resources are not available for my day-to-day work.
Perhaps, though, that is why I enjoy classes like this so much. I would never normally have a reason to start a blog or develop a Web site.
In this class, I have subscribed for the first time to podcasts, netserv lists, rss feeds, and newsgroups. I have posted my first blog (this one) and I have posted a PBwiki. I have greatly improved my knowledge about my faithful companion, Microsoft Office. I have finally added other search engines to my one and only Google, like Alta Vista, and Lycos, and metasearch engines like Dog Pile. I have met Ms. Dewey, and I have stockpiled a whole bunch of valuable resources with del.icio.us that I can now access at the prison as well as at home.
I am not a digital native by any stretch of the imagination, but I am not afraid of new-fangled gadgets. I am, however, skeptical at first; I have to be convinced that they are worth the time and effort to learn and use. For that reason, I am not too sure yet about blogging and podcasting. It reminds me of the old adage that when everybody is talking, nobody is listening. Some of the educational podcasts we looked at in this class, like Grammargirl and Tech Tip Chicks are very useful, but finding more will take a lot of time. And I will probably wait for the rise and fall of the popular sites before I really get on board with things like Facebook. Already, with instant messaging, I have installed MSN, Yahoo, and AOL - and still I have no one to talk to! Where do you draw the line?
Now, one gadget that really impressed me was the electronic response device for students. These little remote controls just struck me as so very useful for teachers. They allow students to respond individually using a device that looks like a TV remote. Students can respond anonymously, but the teacher knows who's who. And the results can be shown on a screen for all to see, Family Feud-style. They are very cool, and relatively cheap at less than $100 per device. ("Relatively" compared to buying a computer per kid, anyway.) I can think of worse ways to try to get students to pay attention in class. I don't know if they would be acceptable in prison classrooms (our department supervisor was told today that answering machines are against prison rules, so his new phone has to go - and no, he can't have a secretary instead!) So probably e-clickers (from einstruction.com) have no chance, but I have to ask...
This class, and others like it that I have taken, keep me "with it." I can pass on news of developments in electronics to my students, even if they can't use it right now. I can explore new Web sites and find new items to download that can be taken to my classroom on good old-fashioned paper, or even on disks, if the files are small enough (we don't have CD burners!)
I can feel that I am on a par with my colleagues in the public schools, and I can talk it up to my colleagues in the prison. If I ever leave the prison, I believe my new knowledge will be directly relevant to any other teaching job I go to. But even if I don't, I already am reaping the benefits of this class. Hey, Shift Happens. Thank you Dr. S.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Things Inmates Say!
The other day, an inmate student looked up from his GED language book and sighed. "There are too many rules! You got pro nouns... reflective nouns.... obsessive nouns...too many to learn!"
I'd say that we both have a lot of work left to do.
I'd say that we both have a lot of work left to do.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tested to the Limit
This week, inmates are being tested again. We had the TABE today (Test of Adult Basic Education). Those who "pass" with a grade equivalent of 9.0 or better will take the pre-GED on Wednesday. If they pass that test they can look forward to the actual GED next Monday. It is a gruelling schedule, especially since they know that those who don't qualify get to stay in bed. As good teachers, we all immediately start reciting the long-term benefits that will out-weigh this short term "reward" for not making the grade. It doesn't wash with inmates.
Teachers in public schools have the lofty goal of avoiding teaching to the test. They want their students to learn more than how best to tackle multiple-choice questions, and they want education to be more meaningful than a grade. Interestingly, however, the more tests students fail, the more they have to take. When students fall behind on the FCAT, they are immediately subjected to reading inventories, and math diagnostic tests. If they fail there, Title One and Special Education teachers step in with a whole new battery of tests to pinpoint deficiencies. Once the IEP is written, students have to prove their progress (or lack thereof) on tests as often as every three weeks -the government wants concrete proof that no child is being left behind.
In the prison system, academic testing reaches new heights. No one pretends that there are other goals than the acquisition of a certificate. An inmate with a GED and a vocational certificate or two is far more likely to stay out of prison than an inmate with no proof of education. Inmates are tested, retested and tested again. There is no room for art or music in the prison classroom. Teachers may lament that they are teaching to the test, but heck, what else can they do? The number one question from inmates at the beginning of each lesson: Will this be on the test?
About thirty percent of prison inmates are eligible for Special Education. They are used to being tested to death. Amazingly, most of them take it in stride and very few refuse to take tests. But how must it feel to take test after test, knowing that you are below average, not making adequate progress, and getting too old for school? That's gotta hurt.
Sometimes teachers throw up their hands when an inmate fails to show up for a test, or "Christmas trees" his answer sheet. "He was so close!" they say. But for the inmate, it was just another test point on a long continuum of failures. It's not important to him any more to try his best because the results can be just as bad whether he tries or not.
A psychologist once showed our staff members a test result of an inmate who had killed his mother. It showed that he was perfectly normal. "What does this tell us?" she asked. "That you gave him the wrong test!" someone replied. But really, did they need a test at all? Perhaps tests aren't that reliable after all, and perhaps we don't need a test for everything!
We do need tests to see what a student is capable of, and we need tests to provide statistics on how good a job we are doing. But do we need them to keep proving that a student cannot perform up to a certain standard? Why can't certificates have no minimum requirement? Why not simply state a level of achievement and leave it at that? Leaving no child behind should not mean that we will whip them on until they reach an arbitrarily set, one-size-fits-all standardized test. It should mean that we will adjust to their tested strengths and make a place for them in our society.
Teachers in public schools have the lofty goal of avoiding teaching to the test. They want their students to learn more than how best to tackle multiple-choice questions, and they want education to be more meaningful than a grade. Interestingly, however, the more tests students fail, the more they have to take. When students fall behind on the FCAT, they are immediately subjected to reading inventories, and math diagnostic tests. If they fail there, Title One and Special Education teachers step in with a whole new battery of tests to pinpoint deficiencies. Once the IEP is written, students have to prove their progress (or lack thereof) on tests as often as every three weeks -the government wants concrete proof that no child is being left behind.
In the prison system, academic testing reaches new heights. No one pretends that there are other goals than the acquisition of a certificate. An inmate with a GED and a vocational certificate or two is far more likely to stay out of prison than an inmate with no proof of education. Inmates are tested, retested and tested again. There is no room for art or music in the prison classroom. Teachers may lament that they are teaching to the test, but heck, what else can they do? The number one question from inmates at the beginning of each lesson: Will this be on the test?
About thirty percent of prison inmates are eligible for Special Education. They are used to being tested to death. Amazingly, most of them take it in stride and very few refuse to take tests. But how must it feel to take test after test, knowing that you are below average, not making adequate progress, and getting too old for school? That's gotta hurt.
Sometimes teachers throw up their hands when an inmate fails to show up for a test, or "Christmas trees" his answer sheet. "He was so close!" they say. But for the inmate, it was just another test point on a long continuum of failures. It's not important to him any more to try his best because the results can be just as bad whether he tries or not.
A psychologist once showed our staff members a test result of an inmate who had killed his mother. It showed that he was perfectly normal. "What does this tell us?" she asked. "That you gave him the wrong test!" someone replied. But really, did they need a test at all? Perhaps tests aren't that reliable after all, and perhaps we don't need a test for everything!
We do need tests to see what a student is capable of, and we need tests to provide statistics on how good a job we are doing. But do we need them to keep proving that a student cannot perform up to a certain standard? Why can't certificates have no minimum requirement? Why not simply state a level of achievement and leave it at that? Leaving no child behind should not mean that we will whip them on until they reach an arbitrarily set, one-size-fits-all standardized test. It should mean that we will adjust to their tested strengths and make a place for them in our society.
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