21,000 Oregon School Workers Join AFT

From the OSEA Website:

February 5, 2008, will be remembered as a historic day in the history of the Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA). On this day, the League of Women Voters informed President Merlene Martin that an overwhelming majority of votes cast by OSEA members had approved the OSEA-AFT Affiliation.

Welcome to the AFL-CIO!

Yes on Proposition 92!

Proposition 92 will help community college students. This proposition is backed by students, educators, business groups and labor. Check out the long list of endorsements.

This is a win-win for both students and employees. Check out the website for more information.

Time for Back to School

California Superintendent of Public Instruction: Jack O'Connell



Read for fun
Schoolbooks aren't the only books you can read. Learn to read for pleasure. You'll do better in school and be a learner for life.

Turn off the TV and get creative
Develop your own creativity by playing games, acting in your own plays, drawing, playing a musical instrument, singing, cooking, sewing. The only limit is the limit of your own ideas. Challenge your imagination everyday.

Get plenty of rest
You can't learn if you are not focused and rested, so always get enough sleep.

Eat healthy and exercise
Staying active and staying fit will help you stay sharp in school. A good breakfast every morning can help you get an "A." Don't miss the most important meal of the day.

Don't give up, ask for help
If you get a bad grade, ask for help and give it another shot.

Learn by helping others
You can learn so much by helping others. Volunteer to help a new student get settled in your school. Volunteer in your community.

Make friends who are different
Learn about classmates from other cultures and respect their differences. Open your mind and expand your world by sharing customs, holidays, games, and family stories with someone whose background is different than your own.

Schedule time for homework every day
Create a well-lit, organized, and quiet place where you can do homework or work on long-term projects. If you don't have homework on a particular day, read or create a special art piece. Make this time a part of your daily routine. Always be organized with your notes, assignments, projects, and test dates.

Volunteer to be a mentor
Mentoring or tutoring a younger student will reinforce what you know, increase your confidence, and make you feel great!

Set your sights high
When you set high goals for yourself and work toward them each day, you'll be amazed at what you'll achieve!

MySpace Bill... Bad for Education

In an article, "Bill calls for MySpace age limit" on eSchool News Online, Robert Brumfield, reports:

Concerned about the increasing number of online predators reportedly contacting children through the use of popular social networking sites such as MySpace.com, a Pennsylvania congressman has proposed federal legislation that seeks to restrict the use of social networking technologies by children in schools and libraries. Critics of the bill say it would prohibit educators from exploring educational benefits of the technology, and they advocate instead for teaching students how to use these sites responsibly.

The legislation would force any school or library that receives government funding to block access to any web site that "allows users to create web pages or profiles that provide information about themselves and are available to other users, and offers a mechanism for communication with other users, such as a forum, chat room, eMail, or instant messenger." The bill, which contends these resources expose students to obscene and objectionable materials available on the sites of other users, also seeks to limit access to personal networking web sites to people who are 18 or older.

"[Such legislation] will take away our responsibility of teaching students the educational benefits of such technology and how it can be used in responsible and worthwhile ways," said Ann Davis, instructional technology specialist at the Georgia State University College of Education and a regular contributor to eSchool News Online's Ed-Tech Insider blog.

"The ability to make connections and share ideas and information is essential for learning," Davis continued. "We cannot afford to be isolated in our solitary classrooms. Actually, I believe it will make our children less safe, as we educators need to be educating them about the dangers online, rather than being forced to bury our heads in the sand and just pretending they don't exist. Banning the use of personal networking sites is a knee-jerk reaction to problems in our society."
(Emphasis Mine)

MySpace pranks?

Well, it looks as if using MySpace to try to get back at people has made it to the news. A teacher was suspended when on a MySpace profile there was information containing references to homosexual fetishes and other raunchy details. Given the gravity of the matter school officials wanted to find out if the teacher was involved or if it was a student pulling a prank. The teacher was eventually found innocent.

Administrators said neither a student, nor anyone associated with Pender County Schools was the author of the website. Administrators are not releasing the persons name who did it. The teacher will be back at school when students return Tuesday.

This was reported by NewsChannel 3 WWAY, Wilmington, NC