The internet could play a key role in education reform at the K-12 level, and Greenfield, MA could be opening the flood gates.
I'm not opposed to online classes at the college level, but to think that grammar school kids would have the same education online is insane.
I’m not saying that kids can’t be taught math, science or history through online classes but the K-12 experience is much more than textbooks and calculators.
Kids need to learn how to behave in social settings and that cannot be taught via the internet.
This generation knows how to communicate on facebook, myspace, and text messages, but many struggle with face to face conversations.
We are teaching kids that being lazy is okay, and parents are spoiling kids a ridiculous rate. It is not okay to get out of bed at noon, do a few online exercises and call it a day.
Getting up early, and getting to school every day shows responsibility and is a part of life that is impossible to teach online.
Online class would add to the number of bad habits that exist throughout our country and only adds to the laziness of our youth. It’s a bad idea.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Story Ideas
Story Idea #1
What is your story's news hook? (That's another way of saying Why now?)
- I think a good story idea would be to talk to UMass students living off campus, and how they deal with snow. More specifically, I would find out who shovels the driveway, and how they get to class when its snowing; bus, car, walk etc. I need to find out if they aer satisfied with the snow removal at their residence. Why now? Because it's winter in Amherst.
Who is your audience, and why will that audience find this story interesting?
-My audience would be UMass students. It would appeal to students who live off campus and students who live on campus but are thinking about moving off. Students who live on campus don't have to worry too much about snow so it would inform them about what to expect, if they decide to move out of the dorms.
Who are your sources? Write at least three full names, and tell me why they would be good to interview for this story.
Brad Linnehan- He lives off campus in a duplex on Main St.
Phil DiSantis- He lives in Pufton. I think the Pufton management takes care of snow removal, but I would want to talk to him about their effectiveness of the removal.
Jenna Ryan- Lives on Lincoln St. in a big house, that is broken into five or six smaller apartments and her driveway always has about ten cars in it.
Kendrick Property Managers- They manage the house I live in and a number of other houses in the area. It would be good to get their perspective on how snow removal works as compared to the view of the students.
Story Idea #2
What is your story's news hook? (That's another way of saying Why now?)
- What are students doing for Spring Break? Its a tough economic time for the entire country and college students have plenty of bills, I want to find out if people are going away on break and where they are going and how they are paying for it.
Who is your audience, and why will that audience find this story interesting?
-Once again it would be targeted to college students, but I would try not to keep it specific to UMass.
Who are your sources? Write at least three full names, and tell me why they would be good to interview for this story.
-I would want go to the travel agency on campus, and talk to someone who works there about the number of students who are going away for break and where they are going. I would try to get some names from the person who works there and talk those students. Then I need to find someone who isn't going away, and ask them what they plan on doing for spring break and their reasons for not going are.
What is your story's news hook? (That's another way of saying Why now?)
- I think a good story idea would be to talk to UMass students living off campus, and how they deal with snow. More specifically, I would find out who shovels the driveway, and how they get to class when its snowing; bus, car, walk etc. I need to find out if they aer satisfied with the snow removal at their residence. Why now? Because it's winter in Amherst.
Who is your audience, and why will that audience find this story interesting?
-My audience would be UMass students. It would appeal to students who live off campus and students who live on campus but are thinking about moving off. Students who live on campus don't have to worry too much about snow so it would inform them about what to expect, if they decide to move out of the dorms.
Who are your sources? Write at least three full names, and tell me why they would be good to interview for this story.
Brad Linnehan- He lives off campus in a duplex on Main St.
Phil DiSantis- He lives in Pufton. I think the Pufton management takes care of snow removal, but I would want to talk to him about their effectiveness of the removal.
Jenna Ryan- Lives on Lincoln St. in a big house, that is broken into five or six smaller apartments and her driveway always has about ten cars in it.
Kendrick Property Managers- They manage the house I live in and a number of other houses in the area. It would be good to get their perspective on how snow removal works as compared to the view of the students.
Story Idea #2
What is your story's news hook? (That's another way of saying Why now?)
- What are students doing for Spring Break? Its a tough economic time for the entire country and college students have plenty of bills, I want to find out if people are going away on break and where they are going and how they are paying for it.
Who is your audience, and why will that audience find this story interesting?
-Once again it would be targeted to college students, but I would try not to keep it specific to UMass.
Who are your sources? Write at least three full names, and tell me why they would be good to interview for this story.
-I would want go to the travel agency on campus, and talk to someone who works there about the number of students who are going away for break and where they are going. I would try to get some names from the person who works there and talk those students. Then I need to find someone who isn't going away, and ask them what they plan on doing for spring break and their reasons for not going are.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Bullying
Social media sites are at the height of their popularity, and for all the good the sites do, they create plenty of trouble when misused. In the tragic story of Pheobe Prince, the South Hadley teen who committed suicide recently, investigators are looking into bullying as the possible reason for Prince taking her life.
Bullying at school has always been a problem, and recently the internet and more specifically online bullying has complicated the problem. Students are no longer free from bullies when they return home, they now deal with threatening emails, instant messages or facebook posts.
The internet and communication devices are becoming more portable, kids are spending more time online, and this is resulting in more opportunities for cyber bullying. According to a New York Times article, kids spend almost every minute of the day online.
It is a situation that is virtually impossible to control without the cooperation of the kids.
It’s sad that it takes a tragedy such as the one in South Hadley to bring bullying to into the forefront. But it shouldn't ever come to that point, the numbers speak for themselves.
Nobody should ever take thier own life because of a bully.
Bullying at school has always been a problem, and recently the internet and more specifically online bullying has complicated the problem. Students are no longer free from bullies when they return home, they now deal with threatening emails, instant messages or facebook posts.
The internet and communication devices are becoming more portable, kids are spending more time online, and this is resulting in more opportunities for cyber bullying. According to a New York Times article, kids spend almost every minute of the day online.
It is a situation that is virtually impossible to control without the cooperation of the kids.
It’s sad that it takes a tragedy such as the one in South Hadley to bring bullying to into the forefront. But it shouldn't ever come to that point, the numbers speak for themselves.
Nobody should ever take thier own life because of a bully.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
What Does Scott Brown's Victory Really Mean?
Scott Brown’s stunning victory in the Massachusetts special election last month has been dissected for the past three weeks. One year after President Obama took 62% of the vote in the historically liberal state; the people went against tradition and elected Brown with 51.9% of the vote.
But is Brown’s victory a metaphor for the problems with party politics our country is now facing? The victory was monumental for blocking (at least temporarily) the President’s health care bill.
Obviously, all the chips had to fall into place for Brown to pull off the upset, and about three weeks before the election it became apparent that Brown had a realistic chance to win.
“As a republican, I wasn’t paying much attention at first,” explained John Collias, “I thought it was a done- deal; she (Martha Coakley) thought it was a done deal.”
Collias, a Fall River resident, said he always votes but, like many other Massachusetts Republicans, he didn’t start paying close attention until the polls starting coming out.
One of the earliest polls (conducted by Suffolk University) on September 16 of last year showed Coakley holding a commanding 30 point lead over Brown. The Boston Globe reported Coakley's lead had been cut in half on January 2.
“People think the fix is in. People get mad when they think their vote is taken for granted, and I think that's what happened here” Collias said.
And when Brown, now famously, explained that the seat he was running for did not belong to Ted Kennedy, but rather belonged to the people of Massachusetts he got more attention.
People voted for him, and the healthcare bill was blocked.
“I love my country, I want to see the president get things done,” Collias said. “But I think the Republicans just want a chance to fine tune the (healthcare) bill, before it passes.”
Time will tell whether Brown’s victory will be just another Republican vote in the Senate, or if he will be able to break down party lines the way he did in Massachusetts.
But is Brown’s victory a metaphor for the problems with party politics our country is now facing? The victory was monumental for blocking (at least temporarily) the President’s health care bill.
Obviously, all the chips had to fall into place for Brown to pull off the upset, and about three weeks before the election it became apparent that Brown had a realistic chance to win.
“As a republican, I wasn’t paying much attention at first,” explained John Collias, “I thought it was a done- deal; she (Martha Coakley) thought it was a done deal.”
Collias, a Fall River resident, said he always votes but, like many other Massachusetts Republicans, he didn’t start paying close attention until the polls starting coming out.
One of the earliest polls (conducted by Suffolk University) on September 16 of last year showed Coakley holding a commanding 30 point lead over Brown. The Boston Globe reported Coakley's lead had been cut in half on January 2.
“People think the fix is in. People get mad when they think their vote is taken for granted, and I think that's what happened here” Collias said.
And when Brown, now famously, explained that the seat he was running for did not belong to Ted Kennedy, but rather belonged to the people of Massachusetts he got more attention.
People voted for him, and the healthcare bill was blocked.
“I love my country, I want to see the president get things done,” Collias said. “But I think the Republicans just want a chance to fine tune the (healthcare) bill, before it passes.”
Time will tell whether Brown’s victory will be just another Republican vote in the Senate, or if he will be able to break down party lines the way he did in Massachusetts.
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