News

The Macintosh classroom, 346 Teacher Education, now sports 13 new
Apple PowerMac G5 computers. These computers run dual 2.5 gigahertz
processors, hold 1.5 gigabytes of working memory, store 160 gigabytes
of files, and contain an optical drive to read and write CD or DVD
discs. Each also comes with a 21" flat-screen CRT monitor. An
additional pair of these computers were installed in the open lab, 336
Teacher Education.

The computers replaced by this new set were moved into 330 Teacher
Education and serve as a second Macintosh classroom. This prior
generation also run duel processors (1 gigahertz), hold 1.5 gigabytes
of RAM, store 80 gigabytes of files, and have a DVD-RW/CD-RW optical
drive.

Posted by Chris Dowling on January 21, 2005

Kelly Hafermann, a student in the School of Library and Information Studies Master's program, has been hired as a Reference Assistant. Kelly has a teaching certificate in secondary social studies and was previously employed at the Wisconsin Rapids Public Library.

Posted by Jo Ann Carr on January 19, 2005

On January 4, the staff of the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse learned that their funding from the U.S. Department of Education would not continue beyond September 30, 2005. After that date, the database will be available by subscription. The staff of the CIMC invite School of Education faculty, staff, and students to provide information on the importance of this resource to their work so we may make an appropriate decision regarding a subscription to this resource. This resource is available at http://www.enc.org/

For thirteen yearsm the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse has provided access to a comprehensive database of K-12 curriculum materials in mathematics and science education; has highlighted the best science and mathematics web sites in its monthly 'digital dozen'; and has provided access to articles on education topics; and has developed resources to support teachers planning for professional development.

Posted by Jo Ann Carr on January 19, 2005

UW Madison faculty and instruction staff are encouraged to learn about 3 new concept building tools available Spring semester. DOIT’s Engage program includes LessonBuilder, ConceptTutor, and QuizImage. The cost is free; and program can be downloaded from the Engage site.

The Engage program also offers an award program of approximately 8-10 hours of consultation time for you or your project. Consultation time can include instructional design or programming to customize the technology to fit your web site or teaching materials.

Watch for more information about Engage tools this Spring, explore the Engage site, or contact Catherine Stephens for more information at cstephens@education.wisc.edu.

Posted by Catherine Stephens on January 19, 2005

Changes in CIMC staff have changed the CIMC staff who should be contacted for specific CIMC services. Recommendations for materials to add in the areas of science and math education, educational administration, and kinesiology should now be sent to Jo Ann Carr at carr@education.wisc.edu.

Catherine Stephens coordinates the CIMC's program of workshops, tours, and course integrated instruction. Please contact Catherine with questions about workshops or contact the CIMC staff member responsible for collecting materials in your subject area.

Contact information for CIMC staff and information on their ares of responsibility is available at http://cimc.education.wisc.edu/contact/index.html

Posted by Jo Ann Carr on January 19, 2005

CIMC instruction staff are pleased to announce the Spring workshop program. Details about Spring workshops, with instructions for how to register are located onlne. As you review this list, please send further suggestions for workshop topics as well as your comments to Catherine Stephens at cstephens@education.wisc.edu .

Information Literacy

Organizing Education Resources with RefWorks
Organizationg Education Resources with EndNote
Using Blogs in the Education World (new)

Technology Literacy

Introduction to Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver, Web Site Management
Dreaweaver and Cascading Style Sheets
Introduction to Learn@UW
Introduction to My WebSpace (new)
Learning Objects in Education: an Emerging Resource
Creating, Changing, and Using Digital Images
PowerPoint, Moving On
Digital Cameras & Imovie

As Spring semester draws near, CIMC instruction staff take an active role in designing effective instruction by meeting with SoE faculty who teach courses where CIMC instruction can play a role. Building relationships with faculty enables CIMC staff to design instruction which correlates to SoE course content. To arrange a meeting with CIMC staff to discuss Spring semester course work, contact Catherine Stephens at cstephens@education.wisc.edu , or visit course-related information online.

Posted by Catherine Stephens on January 12, 2005

New Books

Aligning and Balancing the Standards-Based Curriculum, by David A Squires (Corwin/Sage, 2005)

A handbook for curriculum development, instruction, and assessment through standards, supported by a Web site (http://www.balancedcurriculum.com) that stores any school district's curriculum planning and gives access to other districts' curricula resources.

The Colonization of Literacy Education: A Story of Reading in One Elementary School, by Julie L. Pennington (Lang, 2004).

Julie Pennington taught at Elena Elementary School, an inner-city school in Austin, Texas, with a predominantly minority student population. During Pennington's 14 years at Elena, the Texas Reading Initiative was enacted, a precursor to the federal No Child Left Behind Act. "Exploring how an educational policy that supported a monolithic, simply defined view of literacy education actually decreased expectations for all students, [Elena] teachers share their views and provide a basis for understanding how 'leaving no child behind' has the potential to lower the bar for many children."

Recent Websites

The Teachability Index: Can Disadvantaged Students Learn? by Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster (Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, 2004).
PDF http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_06.htm

"Systematically measures the teachability of students by examining sixteen social factors that researchers agree affect student teachability. Combining these factors into a single Teachability Index provides ... measurement of whether schools are facing a student population with greater challenges to learning"--Executive summary.

Asian Educational Media Service
http://www.aems.uiuc.edu/index.las

Website includes a searchable database of educational audiovisual media for use in learning and teaching about Asia. It also includes lesson plans and links to selected K-12 online resources.

Accountability left behind: while children and schools face high stakes testing, tutoring companies get a free ride
http://www.acorn.org/fileadmin/ACORN_Reports/Accountability_Left_Behind.pdf

The report evaluates the No Child Left Behind supplemental services, a system of free tutoring offered to some low income children in Title I schools.

Posted by Vince Jenkins on January 12, 2005

Looking for funds to make an innovative teaching proposal possible? Seeking a reward for outstanding teachers or students in your classroom? CIMC staff continue to update our online education funding sources, with links to current funding resources for teachers. Sources include both private and non-profit, government, fellowship and award programs targeted at Education. To contribute additional sources for funding, please contact Catherine Stephens at cstephens@education.wisc.edu.

Posted by Catherine Stephens on January 12, 2005

Public lectures by Kati Haycock, Director of the Washington-based Education Trust, and by Elizabeth Burmaster, Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction, will highlight a conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, February 2-4, on the No Child Left Behind Act and its consequences.
“The No Child Left Behind Act and the Federal Role in Education: Accountability and Equity in America’s Public Schools,” is sponsored by the Department of Educational Policy Studies in the UW-Madison School of Education. The conference – to be held at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street – is free and open to the public. Prior registration is not required, and attendance at either part or all of the conference is encouraged.

The conference will open at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 2, with a keynote presentation by Kati Haycock, Education Trust, titled "Achievement in America: The Need for a Strong Federal Role." The Education Trust is a national non-profit organization working to improve student achievement and to close gaps between students of different backgrounds. The organization emphasizes consideration on the needs of poor and minority students and the schools that serve them. The organization played a significant role in the discussions leading up to the No Child Left Behind Act. The Education Trust also has actively monitored the implementation and enforcement of the law and released commentary on it.

On Thursday, February 3, at 7:00 p.m., Superintendent Burmaster will give a public lecture on "The New Wisconsin Promise: Closing the Achievement Gap by Doing What We Know is Best." Burmaster is responsible for guiding Wisconsin’s schools and for developing and implementing Wisconsin’s plans in response to the federal law.
The conference also features panel presentations and discussions during the day on Thursday, February 3, and on Friday morning, February 4. A complimentary continental breakfast will be provided starting at 8:45 a.m. both days. Morning sessions will start at 9:15. The afternoon session on Thursday will start at 1:15.
The Thursday morning panel, "Historical and Contemporary Perspectives," will deal with the history of the accountability movement, the costs of implementing the No Child Left Behind Act, and the symbolic messages the law sends to schools and to the public. Participants include Adam Nelson, assistant professor of educational policy studies; Michael Fultz and Mary Metz, professors of educational policy studies; and Andrew Reschovsky, professor of applied economics and of public affairs.

The Thursday afternoon panel, "Politics and Practices," will explore the role of private organizations in the law’s implementation, the law’s relationship to bilingual education, the politics of school choice in the law, and principles used to justify high-stakes testing. Panelists include Adam Gamoran and Michael Olneck, professors of sociology and educational policy studies; Patricia Burch, assistant professor of educational policy studies; Francis Schrag, professor of educational policy studies and philosophy; and Michael Apple, professor of curriculum and instruction and educational policy studies.
Friday morning, a panel on "Debates and Directions for the Future" will consider the prohibition of “social promotion” from grade to grade, the meaning of the provisions in the law intended to ensure that every classroom has a highly qualified teacher, and the narrow range accountability mechanisms required by the law in the light of an array of possible forms of accountability. Participants include Harry Brighouse, professor of philosophy and educational policy studies; Melissa Roderick, associate professor and co-director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago; Gloria Ladson-Billings, professor of urban education, curriculum and instruction and educational policy studies; and John Witte, professor of political science and public affairs.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology and the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, and was made possible by funding from the UW Anonymous Fund and the University Lectures Committee.
For more information about the conference, visit:
http://www.education.wisc.edu/eps/news/upcomingConferences.asp

Posted by Jo Ann Carr on January 11, 2005