Technology

" Television has changed the American child from an irresistible force to an immovable object" Laurence J. Peter.
http://www.zona-pellucida.com/media.html

   Technology has drastically changed the American child.  Children used to be peaceful, energized, and young people.  Parents spent time with their children and work came second.  Vacations did not come with computers, iPads, and smartphones.  Parents spent time with their children.  Instead vacations now entail iPads for kids, cell phones for parents, and computers for anyone else. Children would get off of the couch and go outside to play! Today, 8 year olds cannot stand in line for 5 minutes or perform a simple pe test. Growing up we would play outside every chance we had. We climbed tress, built forts and played hide and go seek with neighborhood kids all night while our parents chatted away. Now, kids would rather whine that they do not have the latest apple product or that their game system is old. Kids don't like to be outside and would rather whine and pout then see the sun shine on their face. As an adult, I am quite concerned that this youth will be running the nation one day as I will be too old to anything but teach. I'm concerned that technology is ruining the social skills needed to improve the culture and society in which we live.  If patents and families would start taking the time to parent their children instead of throwing them in front of a television, their social behaviors would be ,inch,ore advanced and not those of a bratty two year old.

To Test of Not to Test

   It seems in Education we are always looking for the data or research to support an idea that is new or innovative.  We tell teachers that we must teach these standards to prepare the children for the next grade level, and that they will be given a test at the end of the quarter or the year.  BUT the schools say, don't teach to the test, however you will be graded and deemed a quality educator or not based on your child's test results.  Huh?  Professionals are supposed to "assess" a child's comprehension level or mathematical knowledge, but the don't teach to the test.  
  Looking back, testing was never stressed the way that it is today.  Children were assessed and data was given, but it was simply used as a tool to increase the child's skills.  Today, tests are given because we want to make sure teachers are doing there job.  Since when do professionals need babysitters?!  
  I do believe that children should be assessed on the skills that they were supposed to learn.  The best way and most sensible seems to be through unit or benchmark assessments.  Teachers are given immediate feedback and then can plan differentiated instruction for the next quarter for those children.  I do need to add that these assessments need to be fair and test the child's abilities, not how well he or she can read.  For example, if a child is reading at a first grade level in second grade, then the child should be tested on second grade standards but with a text he or she can read.  Thus aspects of the child and his or her abilities can and should be assessed.  
  In other countries, there is not a huge emphasis on testing on the younger grades.  In European countries children are taught all subjects through age 12/13.  Then a content specific test is created and given to the children.  This generally determines their course of classes for the next three years.  More than likely these classes will also prepare the child for his or her future career.  Children then graduate from high school at age 16 and move on to their vocational or college school.  Children in these countries are far more successful than the U.S. yet we refuse to adapt or even look at the model.  The U.S. with everything wants immediate results and will take the shortcut to get there.  Then, when a program does not work, the politicians get mad!  Education takes times.  It took the U.S. years to screw up the education system, it will take years to fix.