Monday, July 11, 2011
Reflection
I would like to take a moment and reflect on the blogging assignment for this class as this is my first ever blog. I very much enjoyed the idea of keeping an online journal in the format of a blog. It was a nice complement to the nature of this class. So often I find myself in class wishing to continue the current discussion on but because of time restraints we move on to other topics equally deserving of our attention. The blog offers a medium in which to carry on such topics in a less formal environment. This affords each of us the opportunity to speak our mind despite certain apprehensions of speaking out. It also allows us to comment and potentially thread a discussion outside of the classroom whenever we want. This is extremely valuable, especially for those controversial topics in which there might be a lot to say. I hope that I keep using this medium to discuss current events which directly effect my future and the future of younger generations. I would also like to take this chance to express my gratitude to everyone for such an enlightening experience. My thanks go out to all my classmates for their valuable contributions.
Class Discussion
I thought today's discussion was very interesting, especially in regards to the changing notion of our industry based economy to one which is service based. After reading the Spring book and from my own personal experience, it seems as if the educational system is reactionary. The education system is always a step behind. For instance, one might say the industrial revolution changed our perspective on how education is to be conducted. Now that our country is moving away from industry the education system is inadequate. At least educational theory by the time it actually becomes practice is antiquated. Will the educational system always be playing catch up?
As the world is moving towards globalization, we can already begin to see a dropping off in our nations performance. That is if you are under the impression that our schools can be compared to the educational systems of other modernized countries. Most Americans have the opinion that Asian schools are leading in the categories of mathematics and science. Rather those countries are more effective at teaching those subjects. It should also be said that those countries education is not available to everyone. The United States is one of the only countries, if not THE only country, to provide a free and public education to all of its citizens. More and more students are continuing there education at the higher levels. However, it is well known that U.S. colleges train many students to develop general skills rather than vocationally specific skills. This results in the fact that many college graduates are poorly prepared for specific jobs or occupations. So where does the change need to take place. Does the whole education system need to be given a face lift, or should we tear it down and build a new one? Ill leave this with one parting question: Assume a world in the future with the continuing trend we see currently that more and more college graduates are obtaining McJobs. Aside from the fact that these jobs do not offer adequate pay for sustainability and financial relief, is there something negative about a population where the entire work-force has a college level degree?
As the world is moving towards globalization, we can already begin to see a dropping off in our nations performance. That is if you are under the impression that our schools can be compared to the educational systems of other modernized countries. Most Americans have the opinion that Asian schools are leading in the categories of mathematics and science. Rather those countries are more effective at teaching those subjects. It should also be said that those countries education is not available to everyone. The United States is one of the only countries, if not THE only country, to provide a free and public education to all of its citizens. More and more students are continuing there education at the higher levels. However, it is well known that U.S. colleges train many students to develop general skills rather than vocationally specific skills. This results in the fact that many college graduates are poorly prepared for specific jobs or occupations. So where does the change need to take place. Does the whole education system need to be given a face lift, or should we tear it down and build a new one? Ill leave this with one parting question: Assume a world in the future with the continuing trend we see currently that more and more college graduates are obtaining McJobs. Aside from the fact that these jobs do not offer adequate pay for sustainability and financial relief, is there something negative about a population where the entire work-force has a college level degree?
Switzerland's Educational Business
Okay keeping with the global theme, I came across this article about Switzerland and its educational system. Last week in switzerland the economics ministry took over responsibilities for its country's higher education and research. The ministry of the interior was the orignal reign holder. What's interesting about this is that research is one of Switzerland's most valuable export, amongst their raw materials. So why would the ministry of economics be concerned with such matters? This idea is a little unsettling to me. This makes me call Switzerland's motives into question. Are they looking to increase their profits on research? According to google's public data Switzerland, a country of 7.7 million people, has a gross domestic product of $492 billion and is continuing to rise steadily since mid-2009. This puts it in the top ten countries of GDP per capita. With the switching of ministries will this put an unnecessary stress on higher education and research to bring results quicker to market, so the country can increase profit and gain market control? In a larger scope, are we seeing a change in the purpose of higher education? Are more and more countries looking to the economic gain received from bettering the education system?
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The fading shade of cursive
As we continue to adopt technology in all facets of our life, certain things fall to the wayside becoming archaic. One such skill continuing to slip down the cracks is cursive writing. With the emerging acceptance of technology such as laptops, tablets, and cell phones typed text is becoming the normal medium for communication. More and more teachers are incorporating typed assignments into their curriculum, often eliminating a written option all together. I have even heard of some teachers banning the use of cursive because of some students producing illegible assignments or test answers. So it only seems natural that cursive handwriting is a skill now becoming extinct. In an article I just read, Indiana is omitting cursive from their state curriculum. Come fall Indiana schools will have the choice of keeping cursive in the classroom or move to typing instead.
I can recall my own experience learning cursive and it isn't a pleasant one. I learned handwriting in 2nd grade from Sister Louanne, a nun of the Sacred Heart of Jesus order. She was terrifying in her all white habit. They way she walked up and down the aisles was much like a stealth bomber, silently cruising up and down waiting for a student to make a mistake. If our i's weren't dotted and t's weren't crossed she would unleash fury on us, often cracking our knuckles with her ruler. We were to take extreme pride in our penmanship because if you couldn't write legibly it reflected poorly on your character. I am interested to hear about other people's experiences. Was penmanship something teachers told you to take pride in? Did your experience change how you used cursive? If you had a bad experience are you apprehensive to writing in cursive? Furthermore, is teaching kids how to write cursive a waste of time? Will cursive be like calligraphy, with only those who taught themselves able to do it? Should cursive be taught in school or should it be left up to the parents?
I can recall my own experience learning cursive and it isn't a pleasant one. I learned handwriting in 2nd grade from Sister Louanne, a nun of the Sacred Heart of Jesus order. She was terrifying in her all white habit. They way she walked up and down the aisles was much like a stealth bomber, silently cruising up and down waiting for a student to make a mistake. If our i's weren't dotted and t's weren't crossed she would unleash fury on us, often cracking our knuckles with her ruler. We were to take extreme pride in our penmanship because if you couldn't write legibly it reflected poorly on your character. I am interested to hear about other people's experiences. Was penmanship something teachers told you to take pride in? Did your experience change how you used cursive? If you had a bad experience are you apprehensive to writing in cursive? Furthermore, is teaching kids how to write cursive a waste of time? Will cursive be like calligraphy, with only those who taught themselves able to do it? Should cursive be taught in school or should it be left up to the parents?
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