Cell phones have become so popular that we cannot remember how we got along without them!  Do we rely too much on our cell phones now?  We recently started allowing students to carry their cell phones on our annual Washington DC trip.  We travel to Washington DC with seven busloads of 8th graders.  This trip has always been an important part of our students learning experiences because it combines learning about our Nation’s Capital as well as giving kids the opportunity to develop some experience in independence.  The cell phone has all but taken away that part of the experience.  While I agree that there are some advantages to having students have their cell phones with them, the downside is that they stay in constant contact with their parents during the trip.  Just a few short years ago, we waved goodbye to the parents in the parking lot at 6am on Wednesday and both parents and students had to go without contact until Friday night.   Now parents call their kids to check on them and kids call them back when they encounter the slightest bump in the road.  The results are usually that parents lose a night’s sleep and kids resolve their problems and go back to enjoying themselves.  I think that three days without a security blanket with adults that know and care about you are a great way to learn independence.  What’s your take?

Recently Editor Davis Smith asked this of teachers:  With things like YouTube, Napster, ripping and burning, Gnutella and BitTorrent, do today’s students understand copyright and the limits of fair use?   Has peer-to-peer file sharing, self-publishing technology and the mashup culture caused a media free-for-all?  What do you think?  How do you define plagiarism?  Do you respect intellectual property or think that ideas, writings and music should be free to share? What is your take?

It was just announced that a group in New York City is putting $1 million dollars in a fund to “pay” students who do well on Advanced Placement exams.    High school students who get a top score of 5 on the exam will get $1000, a score of 4 will get them $750, and a 3 will be worth $500.  In addition, participating schools will receive $2000 and be able to apply for additional grants of up to $10,000.  The goal is to increase the number of students who perform at a high level on AP tests.   Another school just announced that they are rewarding students who get good grades with cell phones.  While some think this will be a great incentive for kids to study hard for these exams, or work harder in school, others think that the money would be better spent in preparing them with better materials, teachers, tutors, etc. Should cash or prizes be used as incentives to help student achievement? What do you think?

Group projects have become the norm at every level of education, grade school through college.  In truth, many projects out in the real world are a product of group work.  Group projects such as the Mars Rover, may have more than 5000 people working on it.  Other group projects such as this web site, may have team members that live on opposite ends of the country.  Learning to work with a group is a crucial skill for the 21st century.   Still, students, parents, and teachers all have concerns about these assignments- equal workloads, responsibilities, assessments, etc.  One of my classes recently spent an entire marking period working on various facets of a robotics competition where they were judged on– building and programming a robot, completing a research project, developing their own plans for saving energy, making a presentation, technical knowledge and teamwork.   When asked what they would change for next year, they had different opinions on how the group should work and how they should be assessed as individuals.  What is your take?  What are some of the issues that concern you about group work?  What are some of the best practices you have seen?

Six years ago, New Jersey enacted a new graduated license for teen drivers.  The license limits the hours teens can drive and the number of passengers they can have in the car.  Last year thirty-three 16 and 17 year olds died in accidents in New Jersey, up 37% from 2001.  The governor has authorized a Teen Driver Study Commission to determine what can be done.  Experts see a number of reasons why teens have so many accidents, among them:  immaturity, distractions, inexperience, and the feeling that they are invincible.  Some people feel that the license law needs to be enforced more but officials say that provisional drivers are hard to identify.  The commission will be holding three public hearings over the next few weeks to allow people to share their thoughts and ideas on what can be done.  This problem is not unique to New Jersey.  What is your take?  What are some of the issues that may contribute to teen driving accidents?  Do you have any recommendations for reducing teen crashes and saving lives? 

There was a recent story in the news involving cheating in schools.  Students had broken into a school and stolen tests and sold the answers to others.  Their parents were concerned that their future college admissions might be at risk if they were convicted of burglary.  Why would these students take such a risk?  Papers are for sale on the Internet.  Teachers see evidence that parents do some kids’ homework.  Homework is shared through e-mail.  Cheating seems to be rampant.  A report last year by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, found that 98% of 36,122 high school students thought it was “important to be a person with good character.”  At the same time 60% of these same students said they cheated on a test in the past year.  How can the two go together?  Do some people believe that you have to cheat a little to get an edge and be successful?  What is your take?

Did it seem like your summer vacation went too fast? Maybe it did. Many schools have been starting earlier and earlier in the last couple of years. Some schools have started as early as the first week in August. School administrators argue that they will be able to get more uninterrupted class time in before the winter break. They also feel that it will help prepare students better for testing that occurs in the spring. Test scores are important when it comes to funding. Everyone likes to see good test scores. Parents and the tourism industry have started to put pressure on their states to restrict when school can start. Some states have enacted laws stating that classes may not begin until the fourth week in August. School administrators do not think that the state should dictate school calendars for local school districts with different needs. The tourism industry is upset because they lose income and student workers when school starts early. Towns lose tax revenue when people’s vacations are cut short. Parents want more vacation time with their family. The school year is not increased by these early starts. Students on average still attend 180 days. What is your take?

Americans are captivated by sports records and statistics, but what about those records that have a dark cloud of steroid use hanging over them? Should records and statistics count, at any level -professional to high school- when steroid use is suspected? When it comes to dealing with the growing problem of steroids at the high school level, there are many points of view. A recent study showed school policies vary from state to state. They range from students signing a contract promising they won’t use them, to mandatory testing.

Many schools are looking at testing programs that may save students from the serious physical and mental health issues that result from steroid use and help them detect “cheaters.” Check out the testing programs in some states are doing at http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=216783. These programs can be costly and may result in legal issues. What about student rights? Who would be tested, random students or star athletes? Who should pay? Is it necessary? What is your take?