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Henry Jenkins on the role of digital media

Henry Jenkins is a USC media professor. In this video he describes the role of digital media in cultural transformation — and its profound implications for education. I agree 100% with his take that our schools are not ready for the kinds of change implicit in the new media.

“The Wanderer”

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The Anglo Saxon poem, The Wanderer, consists principally of two different speeches, the first (lines 1-5 and 8-57) uttered by the eardstapa (land-wanderer), the second (58-110) by the philosophical person described as snotter on mode (wise spirit). The poet supplies sage advice in the epilogue (112-115). Some see the poem as having only one voice, that of the eardstapa, who speaks of his experiences and the sufferings of others and thus earns the epithet of line 111, snotter on mode. This is a perfectly good way to read the poem. But I prefer to think that the eardstapa and the snotter on mode are two different voices because the characterization is much sharper if the poem is read that way, although neither approach to the poem alters the sequence of ideas and emotions presented.

What I love most about this poem, and what it has in common with Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy, is its emphasis on alleviating personal sorrow by recognizing the inevitable ruin of earthly values and the great need to seek out a lasting satisfaction in another realm.

These themes are presented most artfully in the above Johnny Cash video, “The Wanderer,” with a little help from U2.

Bits of Summer – 01

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This summer I spent some time in Paso Robles, visiting the wineries, and I had the dubious pleasure of driving State Route 46, a major crossing of the Coast Ranges, which essentially connects Cambria and Paso Robles with the San Joaquin Valley farther east. If this stretch of highway isn’t one of the ugliest in California, I don’t know what is.

HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims Wants Your Hood

Ron Sims said that "there was a significant amount of racial segregation" in Westchester County.

HUD has brokered a landmark desegregation agreement with Westchester County, N.Y. What it requires the county to do is create affordable housing — homes and apartments — to minorities only.

Ron Sims, HUD’s deputy secretary, said his department would seek to expand funds to communities that have resisted racial diversity. “It’s important for people to have a choice,” said Sims, “and this is a new era.”

What Sims is proposing is the housing equivalent of busing. But this time instead of busing school kids, his department will be busing entire families into neighborhoods where they have historically been shut out.

In a troubling statement, Sims makes clear his department’s designs, which to me are reminiscent of Stalin’s forced urbanization, but in this case its forced suburbanization:

They [America's white communities] are now on notice. That means suburban areas, we’re going to ask that they provide the opportunity for choice so people are able to enjoy what I call the fruits and benefits of an established neighborhood. . . .It’s time to remove zip codes as a factor in the quality of life in America.

Sims said yesterday that studies showed zip codes can have an impact on life expectancy and illness. But hasn’t that always been the case? As Jimmy Carter famously said, “Life is unfair.” I applaud anything that can make this a better world, but Sims’ attempt to correct historical inequalities seethe with class envy or hatred or some kind of whether-you-like-it-or-not attitude.

Teacher Quits After Assaulting Person in Wheelchair

Bridget Matarazzi and Laura McClure

A social studies teacher at St. Margaret of Scotland School in St. Louis resigned after being charged with assaulting a Busch Stadium usher in a wheelchair. On August 1 Bridget Matarazzi was charged with assault for allegedly trying to push the usher from his wheelchair. The police said he had attempted to talk to her about her drunkenness. Matarazzi’s friend, Laura McClure, allegedly repeatedly hit a stadium alcohol compliance manager when he showed up to ask what the matter was. The Cardinals beat the Astros that night 3-1.

“Inherent Vice” Trailer Narrated by Pynchon

Is it possible that Thomas Pynchon has finally come out of seclusion? Penguin has just released this video trailer for Inherent Vice, Pynchon’s latest novel, and there is much speculation about the voice of the narrator. Could it be Pynchon who provided the voiceover? Penguin isn’t saying. Pynchon did poke fun at himself with a cameo in The Simpsons, and the two voices do sound similar to me. Watch The Simpsons video clip and decide for yourself.

Race to the Top? California Not Included

Arne Duncan accepting the nomination as Secretary of Education

The Department of Education is now offering states competitive grants through a program known as Race to the Top. Money from the fund, about $4.35 billion, is supposed to act as an incentive to states to boost reform efforts at a time of severe budget cutbacks. Education Secretary Arne Duncan wants US schools to use student test scores to measure teachers’ performance, a demand that might prove a little tricky for The Golden State, despite the enticement of federal grant money.

The rub is this: a 2006 California law established a teacher database (CALTIDES) but prohibits the state from using test data to hold teachers accountable for student performance. Since the main focus of Obama’s education policy is data-driven school reform, California suddenly finds itself at odds with the department of education, whose secretary has threatened to withhold stimulus money from states that fail to get in line with the administration’s policy.

Duncan has called California’s law “ridiculous” and “mind-boggling” because it prevents the state from identifying which of the state’s 300,000 teachers should look for another job. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Duncan has been clear about what states must do:

In recent speeches, Duncan has laid out four key areas of reform where applicants must show progress: adopting rigorous academic standards; recruiting and retaining effective teachers; turning around chronically low-performing schools; and building data systems to track student achievement and teacher effectiveness.

As if these grant funds and specific outlines weren’t enough, Obama has now weighed in, chastising California for its failure to use test data to distinguish good teachers from bad. He also threatened to deny the state federal school dollars. In a speech at the Education Department on July 25, Obama said:

You cannot ignore facts. That is why any state that makes it unlawful to link student progress to teacher evaluations will have to change its ways.

The only possible opening for California is that while the 2006 law prohibits student test scores from being used to evaluate teachers on a statewide basis, it does not prohibit individual school districts, where student data can be used to rank educators. Only a handful of districts currently do that.

Smelling federal greenbacks, Arnold Schwarzenegger chimed in:

We will seek any reforms or changes to the law deemed necessary, including changes to our data system laws, to ensure California is eligible to compete [for federal funds].

Meanwhile, frustration mounts in the state.

First, the state does not need to change its law in order to be in compliance with Race to the Top. This month top education officials sent the Obama administration a letter explaining that no changes were needed to state law. So far the administration has not responded.

Second, the teachers unions are resistant to the reforms mandated by the administration, including data-driven teacher evaluations and performance pay. The teachers unions insisted that the 2006 law include an amendment saying:

Data in the system may not be used . . . for purposes of pay, promotion, sanction, or personnel evaluation of an individual teacher or group of teachers, or of any other emplyment-related decisions related to individual teachers.

Some California education officials have begun to express doubt that the state will be able to comply with the administration’s demands. Rick Miller, California Deputy Supt. for Public Instruction, says he shares the Obama administration’s goals but questions the possibility of compliance:

There is . . . [a] possibility nobody will apply. . . . They’re asking for fundamental changes in all sorts of areas, and you have to commit to all of it by October. . . . That’s a heavy lift.