My Video Blog

OK.  I think I have success!!!!!  Yeah!!!  That was really hard for me.  I am so proud of myself.  I did this video via blackberry.  You need to save the video on you media card and you must be plugged into your computer I think.  Then you will be able to email.  I am sorry I did not get to send my Dominic being a dancing king!!  It really is adorable.   Please excuse my appearance.  Yuck!  I hope I get a full score.  I don't hand assignments in late and I blog to all to keep thing fun.
Rosanna
I hope this works!!!

The Great Wall of China - 360-degree Virtual Tour, Simatai

The Great Wall of China - 360-degree Virtual Tour, Simatai

I really enjoyed this virtual tour a lot. I let my boys' interest lead the way and be my guide. This guide goes through all the different parts of the Great Wall (which your really could not tour the whole thing). You can spend hours looking at the different cities and spectacular sights. We are more anxious then every to visit one day.

I must say I really loves these VFT's. They are great fun. These trips can be used to teach and reinforce lessons. I really think they can also be used for sheer entertainment. My 8 year old boys' can easily lose focus and get fidgety, it is tough to keep children on task. Using VFT's with a lesson can be very effective helping the lesson become part long term memory. These visual tours give meaning and relevance to the information.

It also occurred to me that that VFT' can be used for fun and reward good behavior. They have so many interesting topics. Things that children of all ages would find very cool. This site is an awesome creepy museum that the kids would love
http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/unmuseum.htm. What a great discipline tool it can be.

My boys also love everything related to space as displayed in their Star Wars bedroom theme. I ran into this site which was interesting and fun http://www.projectview.org/spacecenterhouston.htm

These VFT's are great way to teach history. What better way to learn about the history of the world then seeing what it was like. It can also help to prepare the students for actual field trips. I remember a field trip to Philadelphia seeing the Liberty Bell. It would have been so helpful to study and see it before actually going. This is the link to the site directly to the Liberty Bell but you can also look at all the other great sites to see in Philly. http://www.ushistory.org/tour/liberty-bell.htm.

My kids are also very into anything science. This link had many different trips (although not as fancy) http://www.tramline.com/trips.htm. I downloaded the volcano VFT. It had lots of other good stuff for history, nature and even cooking like making bread.

I have a question for my fellow students and professor. Several times I ran into an electronic permission slip. Is this a requirement? Do you need to get parental permission for a VFT? Interesting!

By the way I included a picture of The Great Wall of China!! (not an easy thing for me!!) I am not sure why I could not get it on the actually blog. It appears on the top of my page.

Rosanna

HIGH SCHOOL REPORT CARDS

I chose to look at Cresskill High School in Cresskill New Jersey and Dwight Morrow High in Englewood New Jersey.  These high schools are both located in Northern New Jersey and have very different demographics.  It was interesting to look at all the data points listed in the report card, especially as a resident of Englewood Cliffs New Jersey. It was also a learning experience for me as a parent of three because Englewood Cliffs does not have a high school.  My boys are eight and I am already in the process of trying to figure out where I should send my children to high school.  Cresskill High School is one of the schools I was thinking of researching.  I may either move or possibly pay to have them attend.  It is very disturbing that in this day and age in the USA we don't all have a good school in our home towns or in neighboring towns, especially with the taxes we pay, especially in Northern New Jersey.

The student attending Cresskill High School are generally from affluent families.   Although Englewood is also a very affluent area (probably more so than Cresskill), the students that attend Dwight Morrow in Englewood are lower middle to middle class and minorities.

Many of the comparisons are not surprising.   I will list some of the observations I found interesting:

Class Size:

Cresskill has about 19 students per class and Dwight Morrow has the same around 19 students.  I found this surprising and I was impressed by the class size?  Is this a law?  Do class sizes max out somewhere.  In NYC it is the norm to have 30+ in a class.

Technology:

Cresskill has 150 computers in a computer lab.  Englewood does not have computer labs.

Cresskill has 90 computers in classrooms.  Englewood has 375 computers in the classrooms for instructional use.  Cresskill has 30 library/media centers and Englewood has 50 library/media centers.  It is difficult to compare apples to apples.  Cresskill had 43% less students in total than Englewood.  Just looking at the numbers of computers available it seems that Englewood does not have an adequate amount of technology compared to Cresskill.  I am ignorant whether it is better to have more labs vs. more computers in the class room.  Are there any thoughts from the teachers out there?  Just looking at the number of the computers Englewood seems to be in good shape but I am not sure if how easy it is to get access to them.

IEP's

Cresskill reports 13.4% of children having IEP's.  Englewood reports 11.2%?  I found it curious that a school with a larger population over 1,000 students would have less special needs children?  Why is that?  Is it because Cresskill has the resources and parents leave their children in Cresskill figuring it is a good education?  Is it that the parents of Dwight Morrow not versed enough to get their children help they may need? 

Rate of Drop outs:

The drop out rate at Englewood is only .7%.  It is 0% at Cresskill.  Just looking at the numbers I thought the drop out rate would be higher in Englewood.  I am also being told by everyone how awful  Englewood is and that I can't possibly send my children.  I found this number pretty good.

College Plans:

90% of the students in Cresskill report wanting to matriculate to a four year college and only 58% of Englewood feel that way.  I thought that was pretty low.  Doesn't anyone show these kids what an education will do.  Take them out into the world and really show them.  I found this piece of data very depressing.  This one point makes me not want to send my kids there.  Each child should go into high school knowing that not going to college is NOT an option. Period.   Children play up to expectations you have for them (for the most part).

Total Expenditure per student:

Cresskill spends $13,824 per student and Englewood spends $19,106.  WOW!  This reinforces my belief that throwing money at things does not mean you can or will solve the problems they may have.  How can this be?  Any thoughts?  The teachers and administrative salaries are less In Englewood.  I keep thinking, WOW!  give me that $19,606 for each of my boys and let me choose where to send my kids.  Dwight Morrow is the only free public high school that I can send my boys because I live in the Cliffs.  Don't get me wrong I am ignorant to the workings of the public school system and I am not for or against Charter Schools or private education but if I knew I could get a voucher for my children's education I would not feel so pressed to move.  I can't afford private school, I don't know if I could afford Catholic high school either.  My taxes are so high and I feel like I am being pushed out of my home.  This feels wrong.  Please share your thoughts.

Thanks and I hope this is not too long.  I apologize for typing on and on.  I am interested in all your opinions as you have so much more knowledge that I do.

Rosanna.

Introduction by Rosanna Mangone.

Wow!!  I almost feel like I know what I am doing now (NOT).  I had a rough start with blackboard and the blogger link through blackboard (it is fixed now). I must say that I am very happy to be taking this course.  I think I will learn a lot (and I really need to learn a lot).  I do not consider myself to be very savvy when it comes to computers and all those drives.  It is a humbling experience to say the least.  I apologize again Mrs. Schmidt for my panic attack.  I promise I won't panic again.

I am a global equity trader.  I trade stocks from all over the world. With so  many different time zones I am busy and up a lot.  My firm has almost $15 billion under management in small/ mid cap stocks.  I have been doing this for over 22 years.  I still love it but not as much as I did in my younger years.  It is a difficult environment in so many respects.  Jobs are hard to come by and flexibility at work is non-existent.  Needless to say it is not family friendly to a mom of 3 small children.  I am hoping at some point I can transition to something different (not sure exactly what that is right now).  I figure it is always good to be ready to move on.  The financial industry is continually changing. Thousands are being let go.  I always feel leaving may not be my choice but thrust upon me.  In this environment there is not much hiring going on especially for 42 year old mothers. Trading is a young business.

I am originally from NYC (Queens) and lived on the Upper East Side for 10+ years.   I currently live right in Englewood Cliffs and now that my boys are in the public school system I really am starting to enjoy living here.  The transition was a bit tougher than I thought it would be.

I am very interested in meeting and talking with educators in the public school system.  I am completely ignorant when it comes to public schools.  I am a product of Catholic school all the way through now!  I love  Catholic school and always will it just cost more money than I have at the moment.  Having twin 8 year old boys I am always looking for ways to help my boys and the school in anyway  possible.  I admire the teachers and the patience and devotion it takes to get through  to them, especially some of today's kids ( I have a strong opinion about that but that is for another time).  I feel fortunate to be in the position to  study education while working in my existing field.  It already has given me a much clearer idea what my children's teachers deal with and has helped me in assisting my children in their studies.

I would love to get everyones opinions on public schools in Northern New Jersey.  Englewood Cliffs does not have a high school and I will need to move in the next few years.  I am afraid (sorry) you all will be giving me much more than I will be giving you.  It was a pleasure meeting you all.  I regret not being able to get to know you better (at least through sight).   I  really looking forward to our blogging.  I can't believe I am actually blogging.  I thought that was for younger people.

Rosanna

PS I hope you all get this!