How many of you have heard of the 65-percent rule? It is a national funding proposal that seems to be gaining momentum throughout the country. The rule would require schools to spend 65 percent of their operating budgets on in-classroom expenses. So what qualifies as an in-classroom expense? From what I have read, the bulk of the money would go to teacher salaries and benefits, classroom aides, and instructional materials. Texas has already put the rule in place, and California is looking to put it on the ballot for voter approval in 2008. All in all, 20 states are seriously considering the rule. Some argue that you can’t put such a rule in place since there is little evidence that there is a direct correlation between student performance and in-classroom spending. Few things are ever black and white, but it sure seems to make sense that since most learning takes place in the classroom, at least 65 percent of the school budget should be aimed at the classroom.

Read about the details of this program at: American Association of School Administrators

Look with suspicion at students wearing wigs and unusual clothing on high-stakes test days. Police in Hanoi, Vietnam, uncovered a cheating ring in which students wore wired wigs and shirts when taking college entrance exams. In a recent raid, police found cell phones, earphones, and smart cards as well as wigs and shirts. Only 10 percent of the students in Vietnam gain entrance into college, so apparently some will go to great lengths to get admitted.

See: Thanhnien News story

I consider myself lucky. When I taught school, all telephones were wired to a wall. The only way kids could communicate with one another was to pass notes – notes that I often intercepted and read to the class. Imagine doing that today. I probably would be hauled into court for violating some privacy act.

In New York City, schools have placed a ban on the use of cell phones. That may make sense to most people who understand how such distractions interfere with the learning a teacher is trying to accomplish in the classroom. Cell phones are used to take pictures in locker rooms, cheat on tests, deal drugs, and carry on a constant stream of busy talk and text messaging. I can’t imagine trying to teach a lesson on any topic with kids connected to their cell phones while disconnected from a teacher’s delivery of a lesson.

But the ban didn’t go over well with a group of parents who are suing the district, saying that the ban places their child’s safety in jeopardy. It is difficult to deal with an issue that juxtaposes safety with learning, but there must be some common ground here. How about if the kids who need phones for safety reasons when going to and from school check their phones in as they enter school and retrieve them as they leave? Too simple? One parent group has challenged students to offer solutions to the problem. Now that could be interesting.

NY Times article (registration required)

I recently attended the National Educating Computing Conference in San Diego, and was blown away by how technology is affecting education. I attended sessions on webcasting, podcasting, and blogging. I was impressed with how easily engaging classroom activities can be implemented with the software tools available to teachers. I also saw impressive demonstrations of interactive white boards and other new technologies.

Here are a few websites on podcasting that you might find of interest.
Edupodder.com (www.edupodder.com)

The Podcast Directory (www.podcast.net)

iPodder.org (www.ipodder.org)

Weblogg-ed (www.weblogg-ed.com)

Podcasting Resources for Educators (www.stager.org/podcasting.html)

Also at NECC, I sat in on a keynote address and a panel discussion on the topic of one laptop per child. A project spearheaded by Nicholas Negroponte plans to place 150,000,000 laptops into the hands of children in developing countries by 2008. While there seems to be a genuine commitment to rolling out this project in a big way with the so-called $100 laptop being developed by MIT, the panelists seemed to agree that the most difficult aspect of the project would be assuring that educators in developing countries are adequately trained to deliver the appropriate resource instruction. Content needed to meet the diverse needs of students was also a challenge addressed. This aspect of the project could cost hundreds of billions of dollars, far more than the cost of supplying computers to children.

Read more about the $100 laptop and view images of the concept designs.