Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Social Media, Rudolph and Oprah [VIDEO 2:03] | Actualization

Social Media, Rudolph and Oprah [VIDEO 2:03] | Actualization:



Social Media, Rudolph and Oprah [VIDEO 2:03]




This quick video by FatAwesome suggests how the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would be different today with real-time access to social media. Here, an elf records and shares a clip of Santa saying, “We can’t have any freaks on the sleigh team. That’s for damn sure,” and the resulting reaction online goes viral and spirals out of control. It serves as a humorous reflection on how much society has changed in fifty years, but also as an indictment of how mindlessly we can follow the chain reaction momentum of social media posts to their bizarre conclusion.

Education World: Education World News Round Up: Best of 2014

Education World: Education World News Round Up: Best of 2014:



Education World News Round Up: Best of 2014


Education World News Round Up: Best of 2014
The year is coming to an end, and Education World has provided teachers with the news they need to help with professional development, technology, Common Core, trends, and more.

Education World has gathered a list of the best news items in 2014.

  1. Dunkin Donuts Promotion Causes Confusion for Educators: Back in September, a Dunkin Donuts promotion in Illinois circulated around Facebook and promised that teachers would receive free coffee every Monday that month. The enticing advertisement confused teachers all across the country and the Dunkin corporate office had to clarify that the offer was only a local promotion. 
  2. Teacher: 10 Ways to Sabotage Classroom Management: An educator from MiddleWeb displayed ten ways that teachers can sabotage classroom management. Along with the negative actions, educator Jennifer Gonzalez offered alternatives for teachers to turn to. Education World wishes you all the improvements in classroom management that 2015 has to offer!
  3. Time Magazine Cover Leaves Teachers Outraged: In November, Time magazine published a controversial headline, "Rotten Apples: It's Nearly Impossible to Fire a Bad Teacher. Some Tech Millionaires May Have Found a Way to Change." This inflammatory headline and cover left teachers all over the nation outraged, and prompted the American Federation of teachers to start a petition to ask Time to apologize for its cover.
  4. ADHD Experts Share Strategies for Teachers: ADDitude magazine, a publication for readers with ADHD, posted an informative slideshow explaining to teachers how they can approach students with ADHD. Some of the tips were to "be specific", "model and write down what good behavior looks like", and provide 'clear routines'". Education World invites teachers to provide their tips on dealing with students with challenges and we are still looking for an educator to write about what it's like to teach when you (the educator) have ADHD. Write us at editor[at]educationworld.com if you'd like to contribute.
  5. Young Women Can 'Let It Code' With Anna and Elsa on Code.org: Code.org announced a new program where students can learn how to code alongside Disney's Frozen characters Anna and Elsa. With the program, students can learn how to create coding that will make Anna draw snowflakes and make snowman perform magical "ice craft." Visit the site during your winter break if you haven't yet!
Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor
- See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_news/education-world-news-round-best-2014-866622714#sthash.E0uYpzNu.dpuf





Time Magazine Cover Leaves Teachers Outraged

Time Magazine Cover Leaves Teachers Outraged
After teachers discovered Time Magazine's November 3 cover headline, some were outraged enough to petition for Time to apologize for the "attack."

The headline, which reads: "Rotten Apples: It's Nearly Impossible to Fire a Bad Teacher. Some Tech Millionaires May Have Found a Way to Change,"  will "blame teachers for the problems in America's schools," said the pledge on ATF.org.

"Time’s cover doesn’t even reflect its own reporting," the site said. "The Time article itself looks at the wealthy sponsors of these efforts. And while it looks critically at tenure, it also questions the testing industry’s connections to Silicon Valley and the motives of these players. The cover is particularly disappointing because the articles inside the magazine present a much more balanced view of the issue. But for millions of Americans, all they’ll see is the cover and a misleading attack on teachers."

AFT finished with this statement: "TIME: apologize to America's teachers for the misleading and hyperbolic attack on your November 3 cover."

The American Federation of Teachers' Randi Weingarten said that "while the inside content is much more balanced, it's unfortunately obscured by the controversial cover," according to an article on EducationDive.com.

"The cover is particularly disappointing because the articles inside the magazine present a much more balanced view of the issue. But for millions of Americans, all they’ll see is the cover and a misleading attack on teachers," she said.

New York University education historian Dave Ravitch, the article said, called the cover "malicious", and "is asking teachers to write letters to Time, and a whole slew of teachers are taking to Twitter and other forms of social media to make their voices heard."

Ravitch, the article said, is "less concerned with the rest of the content and more focused on the message the cover spreads."

"She argues that the bigger issue is not teacher tenure but rather retention. With all the teacher bashing, enrollment at teacher colleges is declining and teachers are retiring earlier. Why would anyone want to go into a field when they are automatically viewed as the enemy?" the article said.

Read the full story. 
- See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_news/time-magazine-cover-leaves-teachers-outraged-1109874514#sthash.uKHcfJm8.dpuf

Video: Diane Ravitch, University of Arizona, December 14, 2014 The Network For Public Education |

The Network For Public Education | Diane Ravitch, University of Arizona, December 14, 2014:



Diane Ravitch, University of Arizona, December 14, 2014







npe circle logoThe Network for Public Education is an advocacy group whose goal is to fight to protect, preserve and strengthen our public school system, an essential institution in a democratic society.

Our mission is to protect, preserve, promote, and strengthen public schools and the education of current and future generations of students. We will accomplish this by networking groups and organizations focused on similar goals in states and districts throughout the nation, and share information about what works and what doesn’t work in public education.


The Network For Public Education