As students you have all had experiences with standardized testing.  Now you are all future teachers in training. Please post your ideas and perspectives on the efficacy of standardized testing on our students.  Feel free to post the positive and negative effects that you have personally experienced as students and as teachers.

To help prompt your thinking, you may watch the Dan Rather Reports, "Teaching to the Test" Excerpt below:

Standardized Testing Discussion

Many of you in the café know that I am an advocate and instructor of literacy.  I have finally pursued a 20 year dream to open my own reading practice.  It is called Reading Café.

Research tells us that when schools develop strong working relationships with families and community partners such as Reading Café, it supports students' academic success.

The Reading Café will be hosting learning events in the near future.  We will be inviting students for reader's theater, family nights, read- alouds by authors and community leaders,as well as other learning events. 

For those of you who are my education students and for those of you in the Sarasota area, I would like to invite you to view the announcements regularly on the Reading café home page to come and take part of the literacy events.

Reading Cafe is conveniently located in downtown Sarasota on Main Street. The web site is: http://www.reading-cafe.com.

We encourage students and parents to make regular visits whenever possible to the Reading Café in downtown Sarasota. The Reading Café is a warm cozy environment where students can make themselves at home when they enter. The Café offers barista style free teas, hot cocoa and coffee for older students and parents. The work space is modern and comfortable with a study lounge and comfortable study space.

Imagine a Seattle coffee house where everyone is involved in a think tank!

Please use this link to see the Global Education Conference:

Global Education Conference

Sanfeer's magazine Outre was launched this week by a prominent Member of Parliament of India Former Under Secretary UN Dr. Shashi Tharoor.  Click on the link to learn more. Congratulations Sanfeer!

What are 21st Century skills?

According to ASCD, 21st century skills include changes in teaching, learning, and leadership that adequately prepare students for the 21st century.  Specifically, these skills include:

We proudly support this statement from ASCD and are actively involved in every aspect of 21st century skills.  Join us in this endeavor.

Please be aware that while we collaborate globally, it is important to keep your identity private.  Please be protective of your private information while logging on to any web site, including this one.

Use fake information for birthdates; do not give your address, phone number, school or job locations or any other identifying information.  It is wise to use a secondary e mail address that is not your primary address whenever you log on to social web sites.

For more information on protecting yourself and your identity, please see the following web page: http://www.atg.wa.gov/InternetSafety/Adults.aspx .

Be smart, be safe,

Prof. V.

Webinar with Prof. V's Class from Troy Hicks on Vimeo.

Webinar with Prof. V's Class from Troy Hicks on Vimeo.

Dr. jaikiran has sent this photo from a city called Kandy, the old capital of
the country where the tooth of Buddha is preserved