=============================================================
THE EDUCATION COMPANION NEWSLETTER
June 1999 Issue
#3
=============================================================
The
companion newsletter to Mrs. Young's Super Charged
Educational VoyageJanet Young, Newsletter Developer, Editor and Co-Author
Text
version.
Subscribe: http://educationcompanion.listbot.com/
Archives: http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/archives.html
=============================================================
==== IN THIS "EDUCATION COMPANION"
NEWSLETTER ==========
+ Welcome Message / Announcements
~ Janet R.
Young
+ Team Member Updates
+ Mrs. Young's "New Pages On..."
+ The Education Companion Survey
~ Last month's poll results
~ The June
poll: Summer Homework
+ CONTENT AREAS --- Current trends,
opinions, tips, etc.
~ Bonnie Bracey's Information Superhighway
~
THE INTERNET IS TRULY
INTERNATIONAL
~ Dr. Robert Kizlik's Teacher Education 101 ~
HOW TEACHERS ARE EDUCATED- IMPROVEMENTS
NEEDED!
~ Life is One Big Classroom with Joan Berger
~
SPRING HAS SPRUNG
~ Audrey's Library Connection ~
"HOW-TO" BOOKS SPARK
CREATIVITY
~ Technically Speaking with Kathleen A.
Catapano ~
GET ONLINE FOR SUMMER
TRAVEL
~ Including the Physically Handicapped with
Sheila Estes ~
DUPLICATES
~ Steve McCarty's East-West Perspectives from
Japan ~
CULTURE-CROSSED
+ Try This
~
"LINE UP BLUES" SOLUTION
~ SUMMER LETTER WRITING - WITH THE
TEACHER
+ Call for Ideas
==== WELCOME MESSAGE / ANNOUNCEMENTS
==============
I'm sure That I don't speak only for myself when I say-
"WHOOPIE- Summer
is coming!" This brings to mind, iced
tea, sleeping late, toes wiggling
in the sand, warm evening breezes, time to
read all those books you've put
on the back burner, and oh, yes, formulating
your plans for next year.
For those with summer learning on their minds, Joan
Berger has great
summer science activities to keep the mind active and
happy. Dr. Robert
Kizlik points out some interesting figures with
us on the upcoming
supposed teacher shortage. Bonnie Bracey brings to
focus the fact that
Internet technology is a welcome facilitator to education
via her visit to
New Zealand. Steve McCarty begins his journey with us
with a
culture-crossed article. While you're musing about travel, make
sure you
check out Kathy Catapano's article on traveling through the
Internet!
Sheila Estes shows us how a little thing like providing an extra
set of
books to a special needs student makes a world of difference.
Looking for
a great camp or fall project? Perhaps a summer project will
keep those
little idle summer hands busy with constructive
activity! Check Audrey
Ciuffo's "how-to" article on
using "HOW-TO' books!
~ Janet Young (AKA: Mrs. Young)
>>>Feel free to forward this to friends and colleagues, if
copied in its
ENTIRETY. <<<
==== TEAM MEMBER UPDATES
============================
~ This month we welcome Steve McCarty to our line of authors.
His
wonderful cross cultural life in Japan, as a Japanologist will awaken
a
world of wonder for us each month!
~ Congratulations to our own Michelle Young's son Kim. Not
only does he
hold the impressive honor of being the youngest graduate of his
high
school (with HONORS...) but he also received numerous awards
for
outstanding achievement is sports (tennis!) Congratulations to
all!
==== MRS. YOUNG'S NEW FINDS...
==========================
~ Holidays Around the World ~
There
is a wonderful site on holidays around the world. It is bright
and
engaging. http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/holidays.html
~ Summer Activities ~
If you are trying to make summer plans, then make sure you visit-
"The
Children's Summer Activity Calendars!" I put it on the
"homework" page
since it can help with some of those summer school
assignments...
http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/homework.html
~ Discover Learning ~
You will find
plenty of quality educational opportunities on the pages of
this site.
Content changes often and there is such a variety of topics,
that there is
sure to be something for everyone. A cool place to surf
over the
summer!
http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/lessplns.html
~ Calling all Camp Drama Counselors!
~
Teach your kids (maybe learn a bit yourself on the fabulous
site. I am
touching on the cinema area, but there are tons of different
topics from
which to choose.
http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/lessplns.html
~ DramaWest ~
This next site comes from Kim from Western Australia! It is a
site for
Drama Education - it has a range of resources, including lesson
plans...
http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/lessplns.html
~ Web Site Productivity Survey ~
http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/survey.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"THE EDUCATION COMPANION
SURVEY!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE RESULTS OF THE LAST
POLL
THE QUESTION WAS:
Do you believe that
(in light of the recent rash of school shootings by
students,) schools should
profile students?
POLL RESULTS:
The votes were, 6:0 in favor of NOT profiling students!
(ED Note: I was very surprised at the
results. Most of the people I spoke
to were split 50/50. However,
the ones who replied to the poll were not
divided at all. It was
unanimous.
Here are come comments by readers:
------------------------
'Concerned in
Kenosha' wrote:
I think if you are looking for a foolproof way to provide safety in
the
schools, that you will be looking for a long, long time. Any
public
establishment lends itself to a variety of probable problems. To
profile
a student may give an indication of that student's potential to
be
dangerous to others, but our laws protect individuals until they
are
proven guilty of a crime. Just because someone has all the
wrong
tendencies is not grounds to indict them. What will profiling
accomplish
in means of virtual safeguards within schools?
I wish I had a suggestion to make to help the cause, but I have
trouble
thinking like a criminal or sociopath. Therefore, I could not
predict the
actions of such people. Should we go into the correctional
institutions
and ask how to best protect ourselves from such an outrage
again? We may
uncover things that would be difficult to accept, and
then, appropriately
deal with. Once we discover a source of potential
danger, we have an
obligation to try to render the situation safely.
Are we equipped as
educators to do that?
------------------------
'H. Foster, Boonville, NC'
wrote:
You "profile" serial murderers; you shouldn't
"profile" children. This
idea is akin to the pigeon holing of
students by test scores. It's
ridiculous.
Children can be cruel. They learn this cruelty from their parents,
their
television programs, their peers and society in general. This is the
way
it's been for time untold. Doesn't mean it's right, but it surely does
say
something about whether or not the human race has evolved --
pathetically.
Unfortunately, teachers spend more time with children (in many
cases) than
the parents. Therefore, the brunt of "child rearing" is
being forced upon
our schools. It's unfair, but it's a fact.
If we want children to grow to be responsible in society, then
society as
a whole must rear them. There is no one or a single group that
is
responsible for the Columbine massacre or Paduka or Pearl, Mississippi.
We
are "all" responsible for the disenfranchisement of those
students!
Therefore, it is our responsibility to work together to grow a
more
tolerant youth that will blossom into a more tolerant, mature,
"adult"
society. All children deserve our time, our patience, and
compassion.
>>>END<<<
If you have an opinion you would like posted, indicate it at the
top your
"Poll Vote" message. Make sure that you state 'how'
you want your
comments signed.
And now...
----------------------------
THE JUNE
POLL!
----------------------------
There is a trend by some schools, to assign homework over the
summer
vacation. What do you think? Should children be given
homework
assignments to be completed while they are on
vacation?
Here are two
views.
1: YES: American students are
behind many other countries in academics.
The two summer months are wasted
learning time. Assigning homework during
this vacation period will help
students to better retain the skills
learned during the school year, provide
opportunities to increase their
knowledge fund, and keep their higher level
thinking skills honed.
2: NO: Children work hard all year
and need a well-deserved rest from the
pressures of school and
homework. They need time to BE children. They
deserve the free
time frame to go to camp and be free from the pressures
of school.
Parents also need a break from homework pressures. They need
time to
re-bond with their children- to take a break from the job of
homework
taskmaster.
How do you feel about this?
Share your opinion now!
To vote YES-
GIVE STUDENTS HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS OVER THE SUMMER- click
here:
E-mail: mrsy@jrydevelopment.net?subject=June_YES
To vote NO-
DO
NOT GIVE STUDENTS HOMEWORK OVER THE SUMMER, click here:
E-mail: mrsy@jrydevelopment.net?subject=June_NO
The survey results will be posted in the next issue of The Education
Companion!
If you have an idea for a "POLL" send it in! Your name will go with
the
posting!
Click here: poll_idea@jrydevelopment.net?subject=Poll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
==== THE CONTENT AREAS
==================================
~ Bonnie Bracey's Information Superhighway ~
THE INTERNET IS TRULY
INTERNATIONAL
The Global Information Infrastructure exists in interesting ways. I
am
currently sitting in an Internet Cafe, in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Because
of the efforts of George Lucas and Edutopia on the website www.glef.org, I
am here sharing technology
information.
The TUANZ group of New Zealand sponsors NetDay in this country.
They have
wired schools all over New Zealand. They have also created
conference
possibilities for teachers for training. I am privileged to have
been
available to volunteer to participate in the outreach for
the
understanding of the use of information technology.
We showed and shared the Information Superhighway, in Aukland,
Wellington,
and Christ Church. There is a movement here to educate Principals
First..
that is to let the principals of the school be involved, and serve
as
leaders to help with the integration of technology into the
classroom.
One of my Maori friends had a Dig Day. It signals a use of
information
technology, and use of resources within that cultural community.
When
working with teachers from other countries, it is always so interesting
to
meet people who have been online in listservs, who have been just a
name.
Today, I was treated to a whale watch on Milford Sound. The teacher
knew
that I studied the Voyage of the Mimi, and that there are lots of
teachers
at the National Geographic who would like to have a report from
this
wonderful area of the world. So with my little digital camera, I
descended
from a plane into the sound. The teacher was saying thank you. I
am
overwhelmed... and overjoyed. It is a small world after all.
~ Bonnie Bracey, Arlington, Virginia
USA
Independent Consultant http://www.bracey-pearl.org/
US
Educationalist & Presidential Advisor on Education & Technology.
The
President's National Information Infrastructure Advisory Board,
URL: http://www.iitf.doc.gov/members/members.html
read:
Minutes of the Committee on Applications and Technology.
URL: http://www-12.nist.gov/cat/cat-min/941027.html
Member
of Vice President Gore's Globe Institute
A member of the Challenger Center
Faculty:
A Christa McAuliffe Educator for the National Foundation of
Education.
URL: http://www.technos.net/journal/volume1/sb3grewa.htm
Author
of The Challenge of Introducing Technology.
=============================================================
~ Dr. Robert Kizlik's Teacher Education 101 ~
TEACHER SHORTAGE: IS IT REAL OR REALLY A
FANTASY?
I am in the teacher education business. That means I teach people
who
desire to become teachers at both the elementary and secondary
levels.
Each semester, my classes are filled with young men and (mostly)
women who
have chosen to go through a program that they believe will
guarantee them
employment in a public or private school. I think they
come to believe
this primarily because of the numerous stories in print
on on television
about the teacher shortage in the schools of America. The
question is
whether there is such a shortage, and if so,
how is it to be
reduced? To be sure, many, if not most of the students
I've had over the last
decade who completed degrees in elementary and
secondary education are not
teaching. The job market in even such a
rapidly growing area such as south
Florida is not really very good for
elementary education majors, and only
marginally better for secondary
education majors, especially those with
English or social studies
specialties. I am, in the current popular jargon,
conflicted about this.
In researching this subject, I came across the web site of the
National
Center for Education Information. Based in Washington, DC, it is
a
private, non-partisan research organization specializing in
survey
research and data analysis. Dr. Emily Feistritzer, the Center
Director,
wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal on January 28 1998. Let
me quote
from her story, which is posted on the Center web
site.
"The first problem with the claim that we'll need millions of
new teachers
is in what exactly "new" means. When most people
hear those words, they
think it means teachers who have never taught before.
Well, that is not
what it means.
An NCES analysis shows that, of the 139,000 "new" public
school teachers
hired in 1993-94 (the latest year for which data are
available), 42% had
just finished a college program and had never taught
before. Twenty-four
percent were doing something other than going to college
the year before
teaching but were teaching for the first time. The remaining
34% of "new"
teachers were actually former teachers coming back
into the profession.
Six years ago, the figure was even higher: In 1987-88,
52% of the "new"
teachers were re-entering the profession. "It
is not clear how much of
this shift was due to changes in the relative sizes
of the supply pools
and how much was due to the policy preferences of schools
to hire
first-time teachers at lower salaries," NCES analyst Mary
Rollefson noted.
The largest teachers' union, the National Education Association,
reported
last year that of the 2.2 million people working as teachers in
the
academic year 1995-96, only 2.1% were teaching for the first time.
Thus
the nation is hiring -- and is projected to need to hire --
approximately
45,000 newly trained teachers per year. That is a far cry from
the 200,000
the "crisis" proponents would have you
believe.
Now, just how many newly minted teachers is the country already
turning
out each year?
Every year in this decade, colleges and universities have been
awarding
more than 100,000 bachelor's degrees in education, and the
numbers
continue to grow. There were more than six million people holding at
least
a bachelor's degree in education in the U.S. in 1993, according to
the
Census Bureau. What's more, only about three out of four current
teachers
have a bachelor's degree in education. In all, there are plenty of
people
who are fully qualified to teach who are not teaching: at least
four
million of them."
Who to believe? Is there a shortage of teachers or an overabundance
of
people holding education degrees but not teaching? Billions of dollars
are
at stake, and many, many college of education faculty positions depend
on
the answer to that question.
~ Dr. Robert Kizlik, Boca Raton, Florida,
USA
Associate Professor, Florida Atlantic University
Social
studies, curriculum, educational technology, thinking skills
Member, Phi
Delta Kappa, ASCD. Editorial Board, International Journal of
Instructional
Media Publications include articles on dropout prevention,
thinking skills,
writing objectives, teacher education and the popular
culture, curriculum
innovation and using standardized test scores to
predict academic
success.
My web site is ADPRIMA: Serious
educational tools and information.
URL: http://www.adprima.com
E mail: bobk@adprima.com
======================================
~ Life is One Big Classroom with Joan Berger
~
AHH, SCIENCE IN THE
SUMMER!
Summer is almost upon us and our thoughts turn to the beach,
vacationing, and that diet we always said we'd try when the summer
rolled around. It's a great time to do all the things you've put
aside
during the school year, like really working on those
computer skills and
trying to incorporate the Internet into your
daily curriculum.
To help you along, I have created some science Internet
activities for you to try out. These activities can be used in a
whole
class lesson, as a team effort for two or three students, or
as an
individual project for your children. You don't have to be a
classroom
teacher to utilize these...parents seem to love them as
wonderful
explorations when they hear that whine of, "Ma, I've got
nothin' to
do!" Try this one on for size:
ACTIVITY TITLE: DR. FRANKENSTEIN, I
PRESUME?
SUBJECT AREAS: Human Body (brain), Art
YOUR
INVESTIGATION:
You are going to build the world's newest
"Frankenstein"! You
have the robotic body, but you are going to
have to figure out
what to do about the master control, the brain. You need
to search
out models of the brain and its parts to use as your guide to your
new creation.
Do 5 of the activities in the site to demonstrate the
principles of a working brain. Share with your classmates.
Draw a final
version of your new "Frankenstein" to
accompany your
presentation.
QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOU:
1. What are
the parts of the brain?
2. What are the functions of each part?
3. What is
the weight, size, and texture of the brain?
4. How does a retinal image
occur?
5. How can you demonstrate neural transmission?
SITE TO SEARCH:
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~chudler/neurok.html
And how about this one:
ACTIVITY TITLE: INTERGALACTIC
EXPLORERS
SUBJECT AREAS: Astronomy, Space Studies
YOUR
INVESTIGATION:
Earthlings are slowly destroying their planet through abuse
of
their natural resources. You and your team have been
commissioned by the
United Earth Alliance to conduct an
exploration of the moons of the solar
system to locate
sites for possible colonization. Create a chart showing
the moons you will choose and the attributes they have
that support your
choice.
QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOU:
1. Which
moons will be too hot or too cold even
for biodomes?
2. Is there any form
of water on any of the moons?
3. Is there any atmosphere injurious to
man-made
materials? Where will a difference in gravity be
a
problem?
5. Are there any natural resources we can use?
6. Will the moon's
orbit cause any difficulties?
7. What other factors can you discover to guide
you in your choice?
SITES TO SEARCH:
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/
nineplanets/nineplanets.html
http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets
And yet another fun search:
ACTIVITY TITLE: TOUCHY! TOUCHY!
SUBJECT
AREAS: Neuroscience, Recording and analyzing
data
YOUR
INVESTIGATION:
These humans! They need to do everything with their
hands and
fingers. Their brains have not evolved beyond the primal level as
ours have. I manipulate matter with my mind, while they must rely
on
those long, skinny appendages extending from their arms. I must
find out
more about how sensitive these appendages are if I am
ever to send back a
comprehensive study to my homeworld of Beta
Reticulae. I will try 5
experiments to see how this sense of touch
works. Then I will create a log
of my studies to send to my fellow
Reticulaens. I must take the form of a
human and try these
experiments with some younglings who won't suspect who I
am.
QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOU:
1. What kinds
of "stimuli" affect the skin?
2. How do the receptors send messages
to the brain?
3. Where are we more sensitive to touch?
4. What is the
detection threshold?
5. Do humans vary in their sense of
touch?
SITE TO SEARCH:
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~chudler/neurok.html
These type of lessons are easy to create and very effective in
the
classroom. Here are the major steps to follow to create a
curriculum
Internet activity:
* Check sites for URLs in your field of study
* Browse
several URLs to get ideas for an activity
* Compose a scenario in which the
student needs to solve a
problem, or come to an equitable solution to a
situation.
* List questions to guide the problem solving. The questions
should be based on the information given at the site you are
using.
*
Cite the URLs you want the student to use to find the solution
to the
problem.
* Tell some way the student should share results with the
class.
Your activity should be able to be used three different ways: as
an independent activity for the student, as a cooperative group
activity
for 2 or 3 students, and as a teacher-directed lesson for
the whole class.
The activity should be direct and to the point
and take up less than a
page.
So now you have your entire summer all planned for you,
right??
:)
~ Joan Berger, Roslyn, New York
USA
Internet Educational Consultant
fax (516)826-0358
E-mail:
jberger5@concentric.net
http://www.concentric.net/~jberger5
======================================
~ The Library Connection with Audrey Ciuffo ~
"HOW-TO BOOKS SPARK
CREATIVITY
I am always looking for topics to involve children using their
creativity.
One of the most enjoyable ways for me to help foster that with
the
children I serve is by promoting "How-To" books. As a
librarian, I am
constantly trying to encourage children to read the different
genres.
"How-To" books really sell themselves with just a little
promotion.
Children like to make things that they can show off to
others. Using that
particular genre is a very painless way to involve
reading skills. It
also helps to improve listening and speaking skills
as well. Children
learn the steps for writing a how-to report.
They write a topic sentence.
This tells the reason for the directions.
Then add detail sentences.
They are taught time-clue words to show the
correct order. They tell what
materials are needed. They are told
to state the information simply
and clearly, and to keep to the topic.
After a child has made their
project, they can report on it to the
class. They must speak properly and
sequentially so that all the steps
are noted. The audience can then be
encouraged to try their luck at
replicating the project after listening to
the report and seeing the finished
project. It will be a testament to the
speaker if the audience can
create the project properly. Once a child has
successfully completed a
"How-to" project, they are generally hooked on
doing more!
When a teacher collaborates with me on a project such as this
with a class,
the outcomes are even greater. We then have a "show" in
the
library to demonstrate the "masterpieces" that the students
have created.
I'd like to list some suggested books for use with this
genre. There is
no limit to the number of books or types of creations
that can be
accomplished.
Here is a short list of recommended books:
"Traditional
Crafts from Africa" by Florence Temko, Lerner Books
1996
"Paper" by Helen Bliss, Crabtree Publishing
1991
"Draw 50 Sharks, Whales, and Other Sea Creatures" by Lee
J. Ames,
Doubleday 1989
"Crafts for Kids Who Are Wild About
Rainforests" by Kathy Ross, Milbrook
Press 1997
I hope this gives some helpful ideas to spark your
students!
~ Audrey Ciuffo, New York, New York
USA
Teacher, Mentor, Library Technologist
http://www.ps161.com
E-mail: aciuffo@ps161.com
======================================
~ Technically Speaking with Kathleen A.
Catapano ~
GET ONLINE FOR SUMMER
TRAVEL
As summer approaches, your thoughts are probably not turning to
hours of
relaxing at the computer or long trips to who-knows-where via
the
Internet. Actually, the summer is a great time to check out all the
places
on the web that you don't have time for in the more harried moments of
the
school year. However, whether you are traveling or staying at home,
the
web has something for you.
If you are fortunate enough to be traveling this summer,
travelocity.com
(http://www.travelocity.com) is a great
source for airfares, discounts and
schedules. Bargain hunters often seem to
find what they are looking for at
cheaptickets.com (http://www.cheaptickets.com ) or at
priceline.com
(http://www.priceline.com). Choosing hotels
online is a real pleasure.
Just pull up a search engine such as excite.com
(http://www.excite.com)
and type in
"hotel" and your destination. The results will give you
lodgings,
photos of rooms and surroundings, as well as maps showing
locations. A friend
told me that she found and emailed several hotels in
Europe about their rates
and the availability of rooms. She received
personal email responses from all
of the hotels, many while she was still
online browsing!
Staying home does not mean you can't travel. You can take virtual
trips to
almost anywhere. The museums worldwide offer wonderful tours and you
don't
have to wait online. Try the Smithsonian (http://www.si.edu) and visit
their Anacostia
Museum and Center for African American History and
Culture. The Franklin
Institute of Science Museum
(http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/welcome.html)
offers a grand ocean tour in its
"Undersea and Oversee " exhibit.
Or how about a trip to the museums
(http://www.paris.org/Musees) of Paris?
The Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay
both have online exhibits from their
collections. You can just go on and
on.
Another advantage of being home this summer is that you can spend
time
mining the Internet for material for your classes. The Eisenhower
National
Clearinghouse (http://www.enc.org)
is a great resource for all kinds of
lessons, especially math and science.
Classroom Connect
(http://www.classroomconnect.com)
always has exciting projects to explore
and issues to discuss. And don't
forget our own Mrs. Young offers
connections to current information on many
critical issues in education on
her website. Linking to places from the
Super Charged Educational Voyage
(http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/)
is a trip in itself.
Wherever you are, enjoy one of the real benefits of
teaching…summer!
~ Kathleen A. Catapano, Brooklyn, New York
USA
Educational Technology,
Medgar Evers College - CUNY
E-mail:
catapano@mec.cuny.edu,
======================================
~ Including the Physically Handicapped with
Sheila Estes ~
DUPLICATES
With just three more school days left in this semester, I find
myself
scurrying around to get as much done as possible before Nate will be
home
full time. Because he requires a great deal of physical assistance
the
interruptions are frequent when he is home. Projects that
require
extended concentration are difficult for me to accomplish during
the
summer months. Although he is a lot of company for me, I miss having a
few
hours of time just to myself.
For the past few years the school has provided one set of books
that
remains at the school and another set to remain in the home. This
has
proven a great help on many occasions. Prior to this solution, his
helpers
were sending home either too many books each day or forgetting
the
necessary ones for homework. At the beginning of the school year, as
Nate
attends each class, that teacher gives him the duplicate book.
During
these last three days of classes, we will be returning them. Since
the
school is on block schedule programming, he has the same set of
classes
every other day while alternating with the remainder of those on
his
schedule. This makes it easier to return them since all of them will
not
be sent on the same day.
A duplicate set of textbooks is a simple yet helpful solution to
providing
an easier environment for homework.
Sheila Estes, Greentown, Indiana
USA
Writer and Guest Inspirational Speaker.
Mother, caregiver and
personal slave to son with Muscular Dystrophy
Creator and author of Mr.
Leviticus, the Library Kitten.
E-mail: sher51es@netusa1.net
======================================
~ Steve McCarty's East-West Perspectives from
Japan ~
Culture-Crossed
Being a Japanologist in Japan is like shipping coals to
Newcastle.
But it has been wonderful living in the area of my
specialization.
Now the Internet has made it possible for me to think
globally and
act globally, while continuing to act locally and nationally
(whew!).
With the new millenium it seems high time to bring back
the
treasures that I have researched on location, along with a
perspective that I call East-West biculturalism. For despite
Kipling,
East and West can be united within oneself. Of course
such a bridge takes
arduous discipline to construct, as expressed
in an emoticon used on
Japanese-language mailing lists: (^_*;;
Having studied the language in graduate school before
arriving,
I could communicate with everyday people and choose my own
companions, not confined to the foreigner-handlers who could
speak
English. My young wife was a midwife, and she still shuns
English. After
eight years of marriage, Chisato said in effect
that I could start speaking
English to her on the rare occasions
that she was not either haggard from
the kids or in a grouchy mood.
Yet, there are some universals even if the family is international
and an English question is usually answered in Japanese. I arrive
at work
when the high-rise college opens, then if I stay late to
get more volunteer
work done after classes, I come home tired
and my sons 'tack their ole papa
like a pack o' wil' dawgs.' They
are growing up in a blur before my
overworked eyes. An innocent
game I invented for them,
"bang-zoom," in front of the women
relatives quickly degenerated
into their innovation, "flash-moon."
You can't beat the food over here, though. I like super-spicy
"ramen"
(Chinese: "la mien") with garlic topping and the
hottest "kim chee"
straight from Korea. In China, they have farms
to cultivate scorpions.
They squeeze the venom out for folk medicines and
then dip them in
liqueur. A Japanese TV reporter, not to be outdone by the
Chinese,
cocked his head up and downed a scorpion, alive and
wriggling,
then he said his mouth was numb for an hour. I'll stick to
sushi.
This month's selections for further reading and
enjoyment:
A family photo at my Website in Japan
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/pic1-3.gif
"CULTURAL LIBERATION: East-West Biculturalism for a New
Century"
University of Virginia, Multicultural Pavilion (March 1998)
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/multicultural/papers/mccarty.html
"Turning Online Education into a New Professional
Discipline"
Technology & Learning Community (TLC): From the Field
3/99
http://www.leaguetlc.org/information/field/
"Online Education in Japan"
Educause, Educom Review
(May/June 1999)
http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm.html
~ Steve
McCarty
President of the World Association for Online Education until the
year 2001. Steve's multilingual Website Bilingualism and
Japanology Intersection is an Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library 4-star
site.
English-Japanese-French-Spanish-Dutch
Guide to Shikoku, the Pilgrimage Island of Japan
Technology &
Learning Community (TLC): From the Field 3/99
"Turning Online
Education into a New Professional Discipline"
The League for
Innovation in the Community College.
"An International
Family" (autobiographical article)
WAOE Electronic Bulletin (March 28,
1999)
E mail: steve@kagawa-jc.ac.jp
==== TEACHER TIPS- TRY THIS!
=========================
~ END OF DAY LINE UP BLUES: A SOLUTION
~
Get those little ones on line for dismissal
QUIETLY!
Play "The Tip-Toe Game!"
This (or a variation- I can't remember) was shared with me by our
own
Audrey Ciuffo:
When it is time to line up at the end of the day, calm them down
by
playing a game. Children love games, and it takes the daily routine
and
makes it fun. Have the children play "The Tip-Toe Game"
to complete the
organizational tasks at the end of the day. They have
to be completely
quiet when going to the closet, packing their book bags,
putting their
chairs up, and getting on line. Make the reward something
tangible for
your situation. Stickers to the winners,
etc.
~ SUMMER WRITING TO THE TEACHER!
~
Keep those writing skills growing by writing to the teacher over
the
summer. Teachers do like to keep a part of their lives private, and
may
hesitate to offer up their E-mail addresses to students. This
is not
without reason. Students have been known to make phony phone
calls to
teachers at home, and (the cyber version...) to broadcast valuable
email
addresses to unscrupulous friends...
To the rescue is the wonderful freebie called "the free email
account."
These are ISP (Internet Service Provider) free email addresses
from places
like HotMail, Yahoo, and Deja News, which provide safe email
addresses.
Should the address fall into the wrong hands, it is easy to delete
the
account and open a new one. AOL offers five email aliases, which
can be
changed as needed. Students will enjoy keeping in touch over the
summer,
and the teacher can enjoy continued opportunities to reinforce
writing
skills learned over the school year! Write
on...!
Send in your ideas. Do you or a friend/colleague have a great
time saver?
Share a tip with us! Your name (and your friends) will
accompany the
posting!
To send in your tip to: tips@jrydevelopment.net?subject=Tips
==== CALL FOR IDEAS
===================
Do you have tips or opinions on current theories/methodologies to
share?
Do you have a great site you think I should add to Mrs. Young's Super
Charged Educational Voyage? Submit
it!
E-mail: mrsysuggestions@jrydevelopment.net?subject=Suggestion
=======================================
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~~
<<
----------------------------------------
The
contents of the newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
Mrs. Young's Super Charged Educational Voyage, Janet Young,
or her
company, JRY Development Corp.
Mrs. Young's Super Charged
Educational
Voyage, Janet Young, or her company, JRY Development Corp. make no
warranties, either
expressed or implied, about the truth or accuracy of
the contents of the
Mrs. Young's Super Charged Educational Voyage Web
Site
and The Education Companion
Newsletter.
-----------------------------------------
These pages
are copyrighted ©1999 under JRY Development Corp., AS WELL AS
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author's name.
-----------------------------------------
~~ End of Mrs. Young's Super Charged Educational Voyage
"Education
Companion Newsletter"
~~
____________________________________________________________________________________
