Current Events

Report on Climate Change is "Eye-Opening"

2008-05-29T21:26:00.000-04:00

The federal government wanted to find out the impact that global warming was having on the United States. Thirteen federal agencies came together to sponsor a study for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. Thirty-eight scientists were involved in the study.

The scientists did not carry out any new research. They analyzed 1,000 existing studies and tried to focus their attention on what could happen in the next 25 to 50 years.

The best phrase to describe the findings was “eye-opening.” Tony Janetos, one of the authors of the study said, “I think that what’s really eye-opening is the depth and breadth of the impacts and consequences going on right now.”

Here are some of the highlights from the report:

A lack of rain in the West is making it easy for insects to destroy the trees.

The Southeast is not getting the consistent rain it usually gets so water storage is a problem and the region is now struggling with a drought.

The Southwest is getting drier weather and plants and animals in the region are facing the threats of wildfires.

Warmer weather is bringing longer growing seasons but plants have their own growth patterns so they are not yielding more crops.

The warming of the Arctic is reducing the snow and ice cover making it difficult for the polar bears to find food.

Higher carbon dioxide levels are changing the grasses and shrubs that provide food for cattle.

Peter Backlund, a director at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said, “Just to see it all there like that and to realize the impacts are pervasive right now is a little bit scary.”

Source: MSNBC

BLOG QUESTION
How should the federal government respond to this report?

Japan Worried about Kids' Cell Phone Use

2008-05-28T20:40:00.000-04:00

Are elementary and middle school students addicted to Internet-linking cell phones? Japanese government officials think that is the case in their country, and they have made several recommendations to safeguard Japanese children.

The officials are worried that students are vulnerable to cyber-crime and also are spending too many hours text messaging and overusing their phones.

According to one official, cell phones have become expensive toys and parents are not thinking about some of the problems that they can cause.

Thirty-three percent of Japanese sixth graders have cell phones and 60 percent of ninth graders have them. Most mobile phones in Japan offer high speed Internet access.

So what is the government proposing? The panel established by the government has asked Japanese phone companies to develop cell phones with only talking functions—no Internet. Also, the companies were asked to add a global positioning system (GPS) to ensure student safety.

The panel also wants better filtering of Internet access. One fad in Japan is the “30 minute rule.” If a child doesn’t respond to a message in 30 minutes, he/she is picked on by his school friends.

Source: CNN

BLOG QUESTION
Should the U.S. government set a policy that cell phones with Internet access cannot be sold to anyone 13 years-old or younger?

Gas Prices Soar; Americans Drive Less

2008-05-27T19:34:00.001-04:00

Did you stay home Memorial Day weekend? Are you planning to travel this summer? For many Americans travel plans are on hold and the reason is simple—gas prices.

With the price of gas averaging $4 a gallon, Americans have changed their driving habits. According to the Department of Transportation, drivers traveled 11 billion fewer miles this March than they did the same month last year.

The 11 billion miles is the steepest decline in driving since 1942. It is an estimated 4.3 percent decline.

The average cost of gas was $3.94 this Memorial Day weekend. Last year, it was $3.23.

Gas prices have also changed other trends. Americans are using more public transportation. Ridership on trains, buses and other forms of public transportation was up 2.1 percent in 2007. Americans took 10.3 billion trips in 2007, more trips than at any time in history.

The Energy Information Administration says that gas use from January to March of 2008 is down about 0.6 percent and summer use is also expected to go down.

So how is your family coping with gas prices? Are you staying home? Have you thought about buying a hybrid? Are you using public transportation? Or, do you think the gas crisis will go away?

Source: CNN

BLOG QUESTION
How high do you think gas prices will go and how will Americans respond?

Too Good to Play in the League

2008-05-26T15:33:00.002-04:00

When is a player too good for the competition? In Oregon, a 6’ 1” 12 year-old is averaging 30 points and can hit three point jump shots with ease. In fact, Jaime Nared is so good that the league has banned her from competition.

That’s right. Jaime is a girl playing in an all-boys’ league and now the league is saying she can’t play. Jaime has played in the boys’ league since second grade. She’s traveled with the team and there’s never been a complaint or a problem.

But, now league officials have banned her under a rule that prohibits mixed-gender teams. Officials say that it is not because parents complained or because she is showing up the boys. Simply, it is because she is a girl.

The director of the league said that the boys were playing differently against Jaime. They had been taught not to push a girl, so they weren’t fouling her hard.

The league’s decision came after one particular game that apparently caused some problems. Jaime scored 30 points and on one play, she stole the ball, dribbled down the court and made a behind-the-back pass to her teammate who missed the shot. Jaime grabbed the rebound and scored. The next day she was told she could not play on the team.

The decision is a real problem for Jaime. She’s too good to play with only girls. When she played with the girls, her team won 90-7.

What’s a girl to do?

Source: MSNBC

BLOG QUESTION
Do you think Jaime should have been banned from playing with the boys?

Another Split Decision for Obama and Clinton

2008-05-21T17:02:00.001-04:00

For Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton the finish line for the Democratic nomination for president is in sight. On Tuesday, the two candidates split victories again. Mr. Obama won in Oregon 59 to 41 percent and Mrs. Clinton took Kentucky 65 to 30 percent.

But the big race continues to be the delegate count. For the first time Mr. Obama has the majority of pledged delegates. According to the New York Times, he has 1948 and Mrs. Clinton has 1766. The candidates need 2,026 delegates to clinch the election and neither is expected to reach that number.

The race is still expected to be decided by the “superdelegates”—party leaders who will make their final decision at the Democratic convention in August.

So where does it stand right now? Mr. Obama leads in the number of states won and in the popular vote but he has not been able to declare victory because he does not have enough delegates.

Mrs. Clinton has not given up. She can still win the nomination at the convention if enough superdelegates vote for her.

And then there is the pesky issue of Florida and Michigan. Both states were stripped of their delegates for scheduling their primaries too early. Clinton claims that she won both states. Neither of the candidates campaigned in Florida and Mr. Obama’s name was not even on the ballot in Michigan.

Mrs. Clinton points to her victories in the big states as proof that she has a better chance to defeat John McCain.

Mr. Obama seems to be aiming his campaign at the national election instead of the primaries. He is focusing his attacks on Senator McCain while praising Senator Clinton.

There are only three more primaries left. Puerto Rico is scheduled for June 1 and Montana and South Dakota are on June 3. The end is really in sight.

Source: CNN, New York Times

BLOG QUESTION
Should Senator Clinton drop out of the race and agree to run as Senator Obama’s vice president?

When is a Zero Really a 50?

2008-05-20T21:33:00.002-04:00

Here’s a math problem for you to solve. In 7th grade math class John gets a score of 70 on his first three math quizzes but on the fourth quiz, he gets a zero. What grade should John get? If you answered an F because he has an average of 52.5, you would be right in some schools. But, in other schools John would get a D because he has an average of 65.

How did that happen? Schools all over the country are implementing a policy that the lowest grade you can get is a 50.

Here’s their argument. The mathematical difference between an A and B or a B and C or a C and D is only 10 points. Why should there be a 59 point difference between a D and an F.

By making 50 the lowest possible grade, schools are giving some students a better chance of passing. Students who get zeroes in a marking period could get into a situation where they have no chance of passing.

But not everyone agrees with the zero to 50 change. Critics say that giving students credit for something they did not earn is grade inflation. They worry that it teaches them that by doing absolutely nothing, you can still get half credit.

Thomas Guskey, a professor at Georgetown College in Kentucky, is an expert on grading systems. He likes the minimum-50 policy but he admits that there are no studies that suggest that the strategy has an effect on passing rates.

Source: USA Today

BLOG QUESTION
Do you think your school should adopt a minimum-50 policy?

Is Global Warming Making Hurricanes Worse?

2008-05-19T18:07:00.001-04:00

Have you noticed how stories about violent weather seem to be in the news every day? Why are we getting so much violent weather? Why do our hurricanes seem worse than in the past? Ever since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many climate experts have blamed global warming for the severe weather conditions.

But, a new study released yesterday says that global warming is not to blame for the recent jump in hurricanes.

Tom Knudsen is a federal research meteorologist with the National Oceanic and atmospheric Administration in Princeton, New Jersey. In the past he believed that global warming was having an effect on storms.

His new study which is based on a computer model suggests that the increase in hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean is not a result of global warming. According to Knudsen, warmer temperatures actually reduce the number of hurricanes.

Knudsen is predicting that the number of hurricanes that actually hit land in the U.S. will drop by about 30 percent. He also predicts that by the end of the century, the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic will drop by 18 percent.

Other scientists disagree with Knudsen’s computer model and his predictions. Kerry Emanuel, a hurricane specialist out of MIT, called his conclusion “demonstrably wrong.”

For sure, Mr. Knudsen’s study will stir up a debate on global warming and hurricanes.

In a normal year there are about six hurricanes and two of them are usually big ones. On average, about five hurricanes hit the U.S. every three years.

The hurricane season begins on June 1 in the Atlantic and according to the forecast this could be a very active hurricane season.

Source: Associated Press

BLOG QUESTION
Are you the type of person who relies on the weather forecast every day or do you think weather forecasts are just guesses and are usually wrong?

Was There Ever Life on Mars?

2008-05-18T18:52:00.002-04:00

Was there ever life on Mars? That’s a question scientists have debated for centuries and they are hoping that the Phoenix will bring back the answer.

The Phoenix Lander is a robotic spacecraft, equipped with a backhoe and a chemistry lab. It was launched on August 4, 2007 and is expected to reach Mars next Sunday. But, this mission is no picnic. The Phoenix has to separate from the rocket and then dive at 12,600 mph for 7 ½ miles into the Martian atmosphere.

If it makes it that far, a parachute will open and rockets will fire reducing the speed to 5 mph. If all of that works, Phoenix will touch down on the north pole of Mars.

This is not NASA’s first try at the Mars plan. There have been 13 landing attempts on Mars by the U.S., Russia and Britain and only 5 have been successful. NASA has all five but also had a crash in 1999.

If Phoenix makes it next Sunday, NASA could be seeing images from Mars the next morning. Scientists at the University of Arizona will direct the Phoenix to analyze the soil dug by the 8 foot arm of the robotic spacecraft. They will try to determine if there is any sign of conditions that would suggest there was once life on the planet. They are looking for organic molecules made up of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen.

The Mars mission is a multinational event that will cost $457 million.

Source: Houston Chronicle

BLOG QUESTION
Do you think missions like this trip to Mars are worth the money?

France's Child Obesity Numbers Leveling Off

2008-05-15T20:52:00.002-04:00

Childhood obesity is a problem in Europe just as it’s a problem in the United States. In 2007, it is estimated that three million Europeans were obese with 85,000 more children becoming obese every year. But, the big news yesterday was that the childhood obesity problem in France is leveling off.

So what strategies are being used in France to combat childhood obesity? France eliminated all vending machines in schools in 2005. In addition, the French health minister called for a voluntary halt to advertising of certain foods on children’s television.

While two new studies found that the same rate of obesity existed among seven to nine year-olds in France in 2000 and 2007, the researchers could not prove that the new strategies are the reason for the leveling of the numbers.

French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said, “Public health policy has changed a lot in France since 2000, but we cannot prove that the stabilization is due to these interventions.”

One of the researchers suggested that France has paid a lot of attention to the issue of childhood obesity and possibly, the overall awareness has had an impact.

The authors of both studies said that more work needs to be done to determine the impact specific strategies have on the problem of childhood obesity.

One additional finding was consistent in both studies. Children from the lowest socio-economic group were 2.5 to three times more likely to be obese than children in the highest socio-economic group.

Source: AFP

BLOG QUESTION
Do you think that the advertising of unhealthy foods on children’s television has an impact on childhood obesity?

Do you think vending machines should be removed from all public schools as a strategy to combat childhood obesity?

Should the Bible Be Studied in School?

2008-05-14T17:22:00.003-04:00

A Harris poll in April found that the Bible was the favorite book of all American adults no matter what gender, ethnic group, geographical area or education level. So, should the Bible be studied in school?

Both houses of the Tennessee legislature have said YES to that question. A bill allowing the state Department of Education to develop a curriculum for the study of the Bible passed the House of Representatives in Tennessee 93 to 3. A similar bill passed the Senate last week.

There are some differences between the bills so a joint committee will have to work them out before the final version is sent to the governor for signing.

The bill allows school districts to develop a nonsectarian, nonreligious course that focuses on the Bible’s influence on literature, art, music, culture and politics.

The bill states that the course has to be taught in a non-devotional manner with no attempt to persuade students about the truth or falsity of the content. No religious interpretation of the Bible will be allowed, and no set of religious beliefs will be either encouraged or spoken against.

The bill also states that only certified teachers will be allowed to teach the course and that a person’s religious affiliation will not be used to determine who teaches the course.

Finally, the bill requires districts to teach the course with an approved textbook.

Source: Education Week

BLOG QUESTION
Do you think the Bible should be studied in public schools?

Should Polar Bears Be on Endangered List?

2008-05-13T19:23:00.000-04:00

May 15 is a big day for polar bears. A federal judge in Oakland has ordered the federal government to decide on May 15 if the polar bear should be placed on the endangered species list.

Polar bears survive by hunting arctic seals when the ice covers the polar waters. But global warming has reduced the time that ice is on the water. The bears’ time without food has gotten longer because of the ice reduction.

Scientists say that polar bears have turned to attacking each other and in some cases, drowning in attempts to get food. The reproductive rates and survival rates for polar bear cubs have also declined. According to a survey by the U.S. geological team, two-thirds of the polar bears may vanish by 2050.

So why is the government dragging its feet on this decision? The Interior Department missed a January deadline causing several groups to sue to force the decision.

Some environmentalists think that the Bush administration is moving slowly because it is still trying to open new oil and gas drilling in Alaska. The drilling areas are prime polar bear territory. If polar bears become endangered, the plan for drilling may have to be scrapped.

The Interior Department denies that there is any connection between Arctic drilling and the polar bear decision.

In fact, the Bush administration suggests that the move to save the polar bears is part of the strategy to stop the drilling.

At this point, whether the polar bears and the drilling decision are connected does not really matter. The date is set and the decision has to be made.

Source: Los Angeles Times

BLOG QUESTION
How would you vote on this decision? Should the polar bear be placed on the endangered species list?

Student Suspended over Pledge of Allegiance

2008-05-12T18:21:00.001-04:00

Bishop Edens is a 14 year-old student at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Junior High School in Dilworth, Minnesota. Bishop was suspended from school on Friday because he would not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

On Thursday, three of Bishop’s classmates were disciplined for not standing so Bishop decided to support his friends by breaking the rule on Friday.

He was sent home on Friday but invited back to school when the principal learned that her rule was unconstitutional.

Principal Colleen Houglum said that she suspended the students because the school handbook says “all students will stand” during the pledge but it adds that the students do not have to recite it.

The principal told the students on Thursday that it was disrespectful to sit during the pledge, especially now with U.S. troops at war.

The students countered that the soldiers were fighting to protect our freedom and that the principal had taken away their freedom to decide whether or not to participate in the Pledge.

So what is the law regarding the Pledge of Allegiance? In 1943, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a school cannot force a student to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

The case involved a group of students in West Virginia who refused to recite the Pledge because it was against their religious beliefs. The court ruled that our nation does not need to require patriotism. The decision said that America’s strength is that it allows for dissent and that patriotism is voluntary.

Minnesota’s law follows that court case. Minnesota requires all students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at least once a week, but says that any teacher or student may opt out of the pledge.

Bishop Edens has the right not to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. That right is granted by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Source: Education Week

BLOG QUESTION
Should students be required to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school?

U.S. Finishes Last in Environmental Study

2008-05-11T16:13:00.000-04:00

How green is your lifestyle? One thousand people in 14 different countries were asked 100 questions on their lifestyle and consumer choices as part of a National Geographic Society study. The countries received a “greendex” rating as a result of the responses.

The United States finished last among the 14 countries with a score of 44.9 out of a possible 100 points. Brazil and India finished in a tie for first with 60 points and China finished third with 56.1 points.

Brazil finished first because the households are small, most are not heated, few homes are air-conditioned and many Brazilians use on-demand water heaters.

The U.S. finished last because they tend not to think green when they buy houses, cars, or other consumer goods. Japan was next to last in those three categories and finished worse than the U.S. in food choices.

In a companion survey, survey respondents in Brazil, Mexico and China were the most concerned about global warming. In fact, people in wealthier countries were less worried about the future of the environment than people in poorer countries.

National Geographic plans to conduct the study annually to see if they can determine any trends. The research team believes that trends are more important than yearly scores.

Source: The Seattle Times

BLOG QUESTION
Why do you think Americans care less about the environment than citizens in poorer countries?

Platypus Helps Scientists Understand Past

2008-05-08T14:51:00.001-04:00

Glennie is a female duck-billed platypus that lives in New South Wales, Australia. She was the subject of a research project that included scientists from the United States, Australia, England, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain.

So why is Glennie so popular? A platypus is an interesting patchwork of a lot of animals. It is a mammal because it produces milk and is covered in fur but it also has the features of reptiles and birds and some of its own unique characteristics.

It is one of only two mammals that lay eggs. It has a duck-like bill that it uses to find food underwater. Males have spurs on their hind legs that they use to fight off their foes during breeding season.

The platypus is an offshoot of mammals that lived about 166 million years ago. It represents ancestors that had the features of mammals and reptiles. While later mammals lost the reptilian features, the platypus still maintained the combination.

The scientists have decoded the genome of the platypus. A genome is the complete package of genetic information for any living thing.

The scientists are hoping that when they compare the genome of the platypus to the DNA of humans, other animals and birds, they will be able to fill in the gaps of their understanding about the evolution of mammals. They may even be able to date some of the genes and traits that are specific to certain mammals.

Francis Collins is the director of the project. He said, “At first glance the platypus appears as if it was the result of an evolutionary accident, but as weird as this animal looks, its genome sequence is priceless for understanding how mammalian biological processes evolved.”

Source: Science Daily

BLOG QUESTION
Why is it so important to understand the evolution of mammals?

Pennies, Nickels Cost More Than They're Worth

2008-05-07T17:08:00.000-04:00

The economy continues to be one of the biggest issues for all Americans, but now it seems that even pennies and nickels are causing us trouble.

At the end of 2007, it cost 1.67 cents to make a penny. And a nickel cost 7.7 cents. In fact, in 2007 it cost the U.S. $100 million to make those two coins.

The reason is simple. The prices for copper, zinc and nickel are skyrocketing. Copper and nickel prices have tripled since 2003 and zinc has quadrupled.

According to Rep. Luis Gutierrez (Democrat from Illinois), “Our coins are contributing to our national debt by as much as the coin is actually worth.”

A House of Representatives committee has been discussing the possibility of using less expensive materials for the composition of a nickel and a penny. They have discussed using steel for the two coins—a practice that occurred during World War II.

So far, no votes have been taken on the idea and already some legislators are expressing concern. They want to hear what the public thinks before making any decisions.

In 2007, the Mint produced 7.4 billion pennies and 1.2 billion nickels. Do we really need pennies? Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said earlier this year the getting rid of pennies made sense to him but he wasn’t ready to recommend it to the President.

Source: CNN

BLOG QUESTION
Do you think the Mint should either stop making pennies or should change over to steel for pennies and nickels to save money?

Obama Wins North Carolina; Clinton in Indiana

2008-05-07T07:13:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was the last big day in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination and both candidates came up winners. Barack Obama won the North Carolina primary by a margin of 56.2 percent to 41.5 percent. Hillary Clinton won in Indiana by a narrow margin of 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent.

Two hundred and eighteen delegates were up for grabs yesterday with 134 in North Carolina and 84 in Indiana. As a result of yesterday’s action, Barack Obama added 91 delegates to his total of 1,836 and Hillary Clinton upped her total to 1681 with her win in Indiana.

For Senator Clinton the night was a nail-biter. Early in the evening several media sources called the North Carolina election for Senator Obama, but the Indiana election was too close to call. Senator Clinton had a double-digit lead early, but by the end of the evening the lead had shrunk.

It came down to Lake County in Indiana, where 8 percent of the population resides. The early returns from that county gave Senator Obama hope that he would overtake Senator Clinton, but in the end she squeaked out a victory.

The end of the road is now in sight for both candidates. There are only six primaries left.

Next Tuesday, West Virginia will hold its primary for 39 delegates. One week later Kentucky (60 delegates) and Oregon (65 delegates) hold their primaries. On June 1, Puerto Rico holds its election with 63 delegates and on June 3, Montana (24 delegates) and South Dakota (23 delegates) hold their primaries.

Neither Mr. Obama nor Mrs. Clinton is likely to reach the 2,025 delegate count that is required to clinch the nomination without help from the 796 superdelegates.

Source: CNN

BLOG QUESTION
Should Senator Clinton resign from the race in order to unite the Democratic party behind Senator Obama and give him more time to run against Senator McCain or should she stay in the race to the end?

First-Borns Get 3,000 Hours More Attention

2008-05-05T17:01:00.001-04:00

Do you think that your birth order in the family has anything to do with how you are treated and how well you do in life? A new study out of Brigham Young University found that first-born children get more education, make more money, and score higher on IQ tests than other children in the same family.

Why does birth order seem to matter? Joe Price is the author of the study. He found that first-born children get about 3,000 more hours of quality time with their parents between the ages of 4 and 13.

Mr. Price said, “We’ve known for a long time that eldest children have better outcomes, and these findings on quality time provide one explanation why.”

According to Mr. Price, parents try to split their attention among all children, but when you look at the time allocations between the 4th and 14th birthdays, the first-borns win by a lot. First-borns pass through these ages when the family has more time to spend with their children.

Mr. Price also found that not only do first-borns get more attention, they also get more quality time. Other children in the family watch more TV with their parents than first-borns.

History seems to bear out Mr. Price’s findings. More than half of U.S. presidents were the oldest in their family, including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Nearly half of all U.S. based CEO’s are first borns.

So what is a family supposed to do with this research? Mr. Price suggests that parents should be aware of the effect of birth order and try hard to give younger children more quality time.

Source: BYU News

BLOG QUESTION
Do you agree or disagree with this research?

Obama Defeats Clinton in Guam by 7 Votes

2008-05-04T19:36:00.001-04:00

You have probably heard someone say that the reason you should always vote is that “every vote counts.” On Saturday, that saying was never truer. In Guam Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton by only seven votes, 2,264 to 2,257.

Guam is an island in the Western Pacific Ocean with a population of about 175,000. Guam is one of five U.S. organized, unincorporated territories. Residents cannot vote in the presidential election but Guam sends eight delegates with half a vote each to the Democratic convention.

The delegate count is so close that every race counts so both candidates were interested in the outcome. Neither candidate visited the island but both were interviewed on the radio so that Guam residents would understand the differences in their positions.

Here’s where the race stands right now: Senator Obama leads Senator Clinton in the delegate count 1,733 to 1,599 according to the New York Times. The Associated Press has Mr. Obama’s lead at 1,736 to 1,602. The superdelegate count is the reason for the difference. Both counts are estimates because no one knows for sure what will happen with the superdelegates.

Neither Mr. Obama nor Mrs. Clinton is likely to reach the 2,025 delegate count that is required to clinch the nomination without help from the 796 superdelegates.

On Tuesday, 187 delegates will be up for grabs in Indiana (72) and North Carolina (115).

Source: International Herald Tribune, New York Times, wikipedia

BLOG QUESTION
What do you think will happen in Indiana and North Carolina?

Survey: Teens Who Blog Write More

2008-05-01T20:09:00.001-04:00

A couple of days ago this blog reported on a study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Institute. The headline of that story was that most students are using informal writing in their school work, but there was another important finding.

The survey also found that teens who blog write more and have a greater appreciation for writing than teens that do not blog.

Forty-seven percent of teen bloggers write outside of school several times a week compared to only 33 percent of teens who don’t blog.

Sixty-seven percent of teen bloggers said that writing is a really important skill for their future; only 53 percent of non-bloggers thought writing was essential.

Bloggers are usually expressing their opinion about an issue. Bradley Hammer, a teacher of writing at Duke University, says that blogging can provide better preparation for SAT-style writing than the traditional writing assignments that are given in class.

Hammer said, “In real ways, blogging and other forms of virtual debate actually foster the very types of intellectual exchange, analysis and argumentative writing that universities value.”

This research was based on the results of a telephone survey of 700 students between the ages of 12 and 17 and their parents.

Source: Eschool News

BLOG QUESTION
Do you think it is better to be a good reader or a good writer?

Florida Considers Religious License Plate

2008-04-30T15:21:00.002-04:00

If you are one of those people who looks at license plates when you are in the car, you have probably seen all kinds of vanity plates that tell something about the driver. Some plates have names, organizations, or favorite teams. The purpose is obvious. The plate tells everyone what the owner of the car really cares about.

In Florida, several members of the legislature want to offer a plate that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words “I Believe.”

The “I Believe” supporters presented a bill that would have allowed Floridians to purchase an “I Believe” plate for an additional $25. The money would have gone to Faith in Teaching, a nonprofit organization in Florida that supports faith-based school activities.

Supporters of the bill argued that if car owners can purchase a license plate to support their favorite athletic team, then they should also be able to express support for their church.

Opponents argued that the religious plate was unconstitutional because of the separation of church and state. They suggested that if the state passed the bill, it would be endorsing a particular religious preference.

On Tuesday, the bill failed to get through committee so it looks like it will not come up for a vote in this year’s legislative session, but it could still be amended to another bill.

If the bill had become a law, Florida would have become the first state to issue a religious license plate. South Carolina is also considering a similar bill that has already received Senate approval.

Source: CNN

BLOG QUESTION
If you were a member of the Florida legislature, how would you have voted on the bill to offer a religious license plate?

Do Real-World Examples Hurt Math Learning?

2008-04-29T17:00:00.000-04:00

Do students learn math better when teachers try to relate abstract concepts to real world examples? That was the question asked by a team of researchers at Ohio State University, and their answer is surprising.

They found that students who learned abstract equations without any real world examples did better than students who learned the same concepts with real world examples.

In the experiment, two groups of college students were taught a simple but unfamiliar mathematical system. One group learned the system through pure abstract symbols while the others learned it through concrete examples like combining liquids in measuring cups.

All of the students were then asked to apply what they had learned to a new situation that used the same math. They were told to use their new mathematical system to figure out the rules of a children’s game.

The students who were taught with concrete examples did worse than the students who were taught using abstract symbols.

According to the researchers, the real-world examples got in the way of the math and the students were not able to transfer the knowledge. They found that the students who were given the concrete examples paid too much attention to the actual examples and not enough attention to the abstract concepts.

The research team has seen similar evidence with 11 year-old children, but they admit that more research is needed.

Using “manipulatives” is a popular teaching strategy for young children, but the researchers maintain that there is no research that supports the use of that strategy.

Source: International Herald Tribune

BLOG QUESTION
Do you learn math better when you are taught using real-world examples and manipulatives or when you are taught the abstract math concepts without examples?

Washington DC Considers Bike-Sharing Plan

2008-04-28T11:59:00.000-04:00

Officials in Washington, DC have an idea that is good for the environment, will provide inexpensive transportation and could ease traffic congestion. Their idea is a simple one—bicycles.

The city is planning to start a program called SmartBike DC. Officials are planning to put 120 bikes on the streets of DC in 10 locations. For a fee of $40 a month, residents can pick up a three-speed bike at any of these locations and use it for three hours. All they have to do is swipe their membership card and off they go.

While Washington is the first city in the U.S. to try the idea, bike-sharing has been tried in several cities in Europe. In Paris, France and Barcelona, Spain, thousands of bikes are on the streets.

One of the drawbacks to the program in the past has been the theft of the bikes, but new technology may have solved part of the theft problem. Bike-sharers who do not return their bikes after three hours will receive demerits and could lose their renting privilege. If a bike is not returned in 48 hours, the last person who uses it will be charged $200.

In Washington, the cost of the bike-sharing is offset by a sponsor. Clear Channel Outdoor is partnering with the city to put the bikes on the street.

With gas prices increasing and traffic getting worse, a bike for $40 a year may sound like a really good idea for the residents of the city.

Source: New York Times

BLOG QUESTION
Should Scarsdale consider a bike-sharing plan for commuters?

Most Students Use Informal Language in School

2008-04-27T18:56:00.001-04:00

This story should make you LOL. According to a recent study, 64 percent of the student participants admitted that they use emoticons and informal English in their formal writing assignments.

The word EMOTICON comes from the two words EMOTE and ICON. An emoticon is an online graphic that expresses an emotion like :).

Half of the students admit that they don’t follow basic capitalization or punctuation rules like capitalizing the first word in a sentence and 38 percent of the students admit that they have used shortcuts like LOL in formal writing.

So, is the use of this informal language a good thing or a problem? While some parents and teachers are concerned, the author of the study is looking at the bright side of the situation.

Amanda Lenhart, the senior research analyst for The Pew Internet and American Life Project, thinks that the use of informal language gives teachers and parents a “teachable moment” that will improve student writing.

Richard Sterling, the chairman of the Commission on Writing at The College Board points out that the rules of language are always changing. According to Mr. Sterling, comma use has decreased over the past few decades. He suggests that perhaps the first word of the sentence will not be capitalized in the future.

Finally, the study found that most students do not use their computers for school work. Two-thirds of the students said they use longhand for their school assignments and 75 percent of the students use longhand for personal letters.

Source: MSNBC

BLOG QUESTION
Do you think the use of informal language used in text messaging and blogs will cause problems for students when they have to write formal essays in school?

Peanuts and Bullies Do Not Mix

2008-04-17T21:51:00.001-04:00

Sarah VanEssendelft is a 14 year-old middle school student in Mastic, New York. Sarah suffers from a serious peanut allergy, a condition that she has had since she was a young child. Many of the girls and boys in her class have known about her allergy since elementary school.

But, now that she is in middle school she has become a victim of bullies who use her allergy against her.

At lunch some of the girls decided they did not want her to sit at their table. To get her to leave, they brought peanut and jelly sandwiches to lunch.

Two weeks later, a boy opened a peanut butter cup near her and Sarah immediately reacted. Her throat felt tight and her lips began to swell. She was rushed to the emergency room for breathing problems.

Even after that experience some of the students did not believe that Sarah’s reaction was real. They thought she was faking to get attention.

Finally, Sarah’s parents asked the school to develop a 504 Disability Plan that treats a peanut allergy the same as it treats other disabilities.

Now all of Sarah’s classes have a no-eating designation. She also has a special chaperone that goes with her on all field trips and her bus has to be swept out and cleaned of peanut residue before she gets on.

Now if she is bullied, the students could be charged with discrimination of a disability.

More students than ever before are being diagnosed with peanut allergies. The number has doubled in the last five years.

New York and four other states already have laws that protect children with peanut allergies and some schools have banned peanuts altogether.

According to a recent report, 79 percent of students claim to have been bullied at some point in school. For those with peanut allergies, the bullying can be fatal.

Source: ABC News

BLOG QUESTION
Should schools adopt a no peanut rule to protect students with allergies?

Court Rules Against Coach in Prayer Case

2008-04-16T20:38:00.001-04:00

Marcus Brown was the football coach for the East Brunswick Bears in East Brunswick New Jersey from 1983 to 2005. From the time he started coaching, Mr. Brown led the team in a prayer before the game.

In 2005, the school district received complaints that Coach Brown was leading the prayers. He said that the students were leading them and he was simply a participant.

Coach Brown was told to stop participating. He sued the district for violating his First Amendment right of freedom of speech. A lower court ruled in favor of the coach.

But yesterday, a three judge panel in the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court ruling and found that the school district was right.

All three judges agreed that the coach is not allowed to participate in student-led prayers but they differed slightly on what the coach is allowed to do.

Judge Michael Fisher wrote the lead opinion. He said that because Coach Brown had led prayers in the past, most reasonable people would still think that by lowering his head and kneeling, he was still endorsing religion.

Judge Theodore McKee agreed that by bowing his head and kneeling, the coach is, in effect, endorsing religion as a participant.

The third judge, Maryann Trump Barry, wondered what the coach was supposed to do in that situation. If he stands and holds his head erect or walks away from the group, it could look like he is hostile toward the prayer group.

Coach Brown’s lawyer, Ronald Riccio, plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in this matter. Mr. Riccio called the law “murky” and said that some coaches are now allowed to kneel during student-led prayers.

Source: Associated Press

BLOG QUESTION
What do you think a coach should be able to do when his/her team decides to kneel and pray before a game?