At last! The answer to why our students can't read or perform well on tests: Wikipedia!
This is a piece of fallacious crap. Just because bad information is out there doesn't mean we have to read it or accept it as gospel. One of the skills acquired through consistent reading is the ability to apply critical thinking to the information.
The internet is a wonderful place to research information. At the single press of an "enter" key, all sorts of information is thrown at you. It's up to you to read and comprehend that Elvis is not Bigfoot and that JFK did not stage Diana's death. What used to take me hours to research at the library can be done in moments. I'll agree that Encyclopedia Brittanica is an "authoritative resource" far more responsible than Wikipedia ever will be, but even back in the pre-digital day, I still had to cite three authoritative sources for my information that did not use the same root information.
The answer is not to ban Wikipedia. That's the cowardly and easy way out. Do the hard work of retraining the students to use their brains for more than just insulation and to constantly carry a 50 pound of bag of salt for use while reading. A lot of grains are needed for each trip through cyberspace.
Memo to students: The teachers know about Google too. Do the real work. The shortcuts will lead to disaster.
Is there a message in there for our intrepid Emperor and accomplices as well?
Falling exam passes blamed on Wikipedia 'littered with inaccuracies'
Published Date: 21 June 2008
By MARTYN McLAUGHLIN
WIKIPEDIA and other online research sources were yesterday blamed for Scotland's falling exam pass rates.
The Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) said pupils are turning to websites and internet resources that contain inaccurate or deliberately misleading information before passing it off as their own work.
The group singled out online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which allows entries to be logged or updated by anyone and is not verified by researchers, as the main source of information.
Standard Grade pass rates were down for the first time in four years last year and the SPTC is now calling for pupils to be given lessons on using the internet appropriately for additional research purposes "before the problem gets out of hand".
Eleanor Coner, the SPTC's information officer, said: "Children are very IT-savvy, but they are rubbish at researching. The sad fact is most children these days use libraries for computers, not the books. We accept that as a sign of the times, but schools must teach pupils not to believe everything they read.
"It's dangerous when the internet is littered with opinion and inaccurate information which could be taken as fact.
"Internet plagiarism is a problem. Pupils think 'I'll nick that and nobody will notice', but the Scottish Qualifications Authority has robust ways of checking for plagiarism and parents are worried their children will fail their exams."
Ronnie Smith, the general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, said there was a higher risk of inaccurate information on the internet than in books. He added: "We need to make sure youngsters don't take what they read online as fact."
Several further education institutions have already banned students from using the interactive encyclopaedia. At one college in Vermont in the US, a history professor found several students repeated the same error in exam papers. On discovering the information came from Wikipedia, the college outlawed its future use.
Ms Coner said overuse of the internet also meant students did not develop interpretative skills.
She said: "Pupils are in danger of believing what they read. It's part of our short-cut culture, where we will do anything to pass a test, without properly engaging with the information or questions that are being asked.
"It's all very well to glance at a website for research, but you have to check what you are reading is correct. Anything can be untrue. I can claim to be a world expert on anything if I set up a website on the internet."
Alan Johnson, the UK Education Secretary, was lambasted earlier this year for suggesting the website could be a positive educational tool for children.
He described the internet as "an incredible force for good in education", singling out Wikipedia for praise.
A disclaimer on Wikipedia states "it is important to note that fledgling, or less well monitored, articles may be susceptible to vandalism and insertion of false information".
Boasting over two million articles, Wikipedia is used by about 6 per cent of internet users, significantly more than the traffic to more authorised sites, such as those of newspapers. Its articles are mainly edited by a team of volunteers.
'There is a great deal of misinformation on the net'
LAST week I heard the writer Colin Bateman describe how, on looking himself up on Wikipedia, he was dismayed to discover that his young son had gone online and added the sentence: "Mr Bateman is currently suffering from penile dysfunction." Fortunately his dad saw the funny side – and was proud his child could spell "dysfunction" correctly.
In common with students everywhere, I use Wikipedia as a research tool, and so does my son. Occasionally, I come across areas where there is academic dissent – for example on whether Homer was an individual poet, and this is usually clearly indicated.
There are subjects on which I wouldn't trust any open-edit web resource, because I've come across too many conspiracy theorists in my time. But generally I think the biggest risk of using any internet source is that it leads to plagiarism, intended or unintended.
It is so easy to cut and paste, meaning only to put together some useful notes, and then to draw on them too heavily without acknowledging the source. At the extreme it is all too easy to buy "off the peg" essays on any subject.
When I was studying public health, we were trained to test the reliability of health-related websites, because there is a great deal of subjective misinformation on the net which may appear reliable.
The great strength of the internet is that it means we can amass information very readily, but it is hard to distinguish between authoritative, scientifically tested information, and something more akin to rumour.
One topic in my son's Higher History course is the civil rights movement in the US. Starting from the simplest of internet queries, it wasn't long before he got into quite contentious issues, which were presented in very partial terms by organisations with vested interests.
It was hugely useful to him to develop the skill of challenging what was presented as "fact", but it is a skill that has to be learnt, and which many internet users won't have. Of course, that skill isn't just useful for assessing the reliability of the internet. Mr Bateman, for example, earns his living by making up stories.
• Miranda Harvey is a parent of a pupil at Boroughmuir High School, Edinburgh.
Politics
POLITICIANS and their parties are among those Wikipedia entries most vulnerable to deliberate misinformation.
During his time in Downing Street, Tony Blair may have been alarmed to find himself slurred as "George Bush's bitch-boy".
The SNP's entry has previously seen the party described as one "influenced by childish Jacobitism", while Scottish Labour has been dubbed a "fascist organisation".
Celebrity
AS WELL as political heavy-hitters, the realm of celebrity is a favourite for Wikipedia's mischief-makers.
At different times, Kylie Minogue has had her genealogical history thrown into doubt after her entry claimed that she was "the more beautiful and talented older sister" of Michael Jackson.
Robbie Williams suffered an even crueller entry – it was at one point alleged on Wikipedia that he made a living from eating hamsters in pubs in and around Stoke.
Fantasists
WIKIPEDIA is seen by some as a blank canvas where self-publicists can promote themselves. In 2006, a call centre worker from Glasgow was exposed after concocting an elaborate alter ego through his Wikipedia page, which gave the impression he was a highly decorated war hero.
Alan Mcilwraith, renaming himself Captain Sir Alan, claimed to have been an officer in the Parachute Regiment, who finished top of his class at Sandhurst before going on to become a terrorism expert.
After two years of conducting this charade, someone who knew Mcilwraith revealed the sham.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Pennsylvania Taxation and Assessment Update
The Inquirer had part one of this series last week and it was mentioned in this post. Part 2 today looks at the city of Philadelphia.
Real-Estate Roulette
Philadelphia’s ‘unbelievable’ assessments confound property owners with wildly inequitable taxes.
By Anthony R. Wood and Dylan Purcell
Inquirer Staff Writers
Of the 400,000 homeowners in Philadelphia, only 3 percent receive property-tax bills based on the true value of their real estate.
For the remaining 387,000, the amounts they are charged are wrong, and often wildly so - derived from assessments that, on average, are 39 percent off the mark, according to an analysis by The Inquirer.
The appraisals border on the randomness of Ping-Pong balls popped from a lottery machine, with winners and losers. [More at philly.com website]
Real-Estate Roulette
Philadelphia’s ‘unbelievable’ assessments confound property owners with wildly inequitable taxes.
By Anthony R. Wood and Dylan Purcell
Inquirer Staff Writers
Of the 400,000 homeowners in Philadelphia, only 3 percent receive property-tax bills based on the true value of their real estate.
For the remaining 387,000, the amounts they are charged are wrong, and often wildly so - derived from assessments that, on average, are 39 percent off the mark, according to an analysis by The Inquirer.
The appraisals border on the randomness of Ping-Pong balls popped from a lottery machine, with winners and losers. [More at philly.com website]
Perspective
Maybe we should keep in mind what a disaster is. Yes, our taxes are high. Yes, we're indulging in quite a bit of neighbor to neighbor infighting. What we're fighting about is fixable. For some, fixable is a relative term.
Perhaps the American flag in the center of the photo should be upside down, but I'm guessing there wasn't time to do that.
Perhaps the American flag in the center of the photo should be upside down, but I'm guessing there wasn't time to do that.
Quakertown Alive!
According to the BCCT this morning, it looks like the town elders in Quakertown are doing their best to revitalize their downtown area. As always, nothing is done in great leaps. Baby steps, one after another, are the key to success. It's great to see Quakertown Alive! and the rest of the town working together, a key element that need to be more acutely developed here in Morrisville.
What a wistful quote is used to end the story: “Unless you put a river here, we’re never going to be New Hope.”
There's another plus for us. We don't need to be New Hope any more than Quakertown does. We need to be Morrisville. And a river runs through it.
Businesses coming — and going — on Broad Street
As some stores close in downtown Quakertown, others are opening up.
By HILARY BENTMAN
There are signs of new life in downtown Quakertown these days, as a handful of stores have recently opened.
But there are also the telltale markers of a down economy, including at least five vacant stores along Broad Street in the shopping district.
Downtown revitalization in Quakertown has been going on for at least a decade. Efforts have been made to pull people away from the national chain stores that line the strip malls of Route 309 in favor of the mom and pops along the main street of the Upper Bucks burg.
Success has been mixed, but business owners and officials say they are beginning to see a positive shift.
“It’s baby steps,” said Jim Wilson, president of Quakertown Alive!, a nonprofit revitalization group. “The downtown is better than it was a few years ago. We’re at the tipping point.”
In the past few months, Quakertown has seen some significant turnover in businesses.
Ava’s Glass Gallery, on the 300 block of Broad Street, closed earlier this year after being open just a short time. The business has relocated to a home studio outside of the borough.
Some say the store was too specialized, pricey, and did not keep convenient hours.
In its place, Blue Moon, a children’s consignment store, has opened.
A few doors away, the Broad Street Gallery shut down in April after 17 years. Owner Steve Swann blamed the lack of downtown foot traffic for the demise. He has a second location in the Quakertown Farmer’s Market, known as Swann Art and Frame, and has consolidated operations there.
Already the Broad Street Gallery space has been claimed. All Things Bridal and Cindy Landis Photography Studio, both owned by Cindy Landis, will move in next month, relocating from Route 309 in Colmar.
“It’s the nature of retail to have businesses come and go,” said Wilson, noting that people are inquiring about available space. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything drastically [different].”
The current economic slump is certainly playing a part in the empty storefronts, some argue.
“I’m sure it has an effect on it. People aren’t able to start up a business and there’s the price of fuel,” said Rich Scott, manager of Moyer’s Shoes, a mainstay on Broad Street for over half a century. He says Moyer’s secret is catering to people with special shoe needs.
Parking is also a problem, say some shop owners. Meters line the streets and there is limited parking in the center of the shopping area.
On the dining end, Quakertown has gotten a boost of late. The relatively new Front Street Café, across from the Quakertown Train Station, is attracting crowds with its more upscale fare.
And Broadway Café is now open on the 200 block of Broad Street, next to Miss Cindy’s School of Dance. Jay Johnston has owned the building since 1992, and recently decided to open up the restaurant, a cross between a 1950s retro diner and a shrine to New York City’s theatre district.
“People gotta eat,” said Johnston in his southern drawl. The restaurant has proven a convenient place for students at the nearby Miss Cindy’s School of Dance, his wife’s business, to grab a bite to eat and for their parents to wait.
“[Quakertown] has great potential and I do see some progress,” Johnston said. “It’s an all-American, small town atmosphere, friendly people. It’s a great little town here.”
Next door is the Katie Stauffer Memorial Arts Center, which recently took over the former Cohen’s card shop space when it outgrew its old location in Richlandtown.
“We decided we would do better if we moved into Quakertown, more visibility,” said president and founder Linda Stauffer.
From pottery to bead weaving, young and old can take art classes at the center, which also works with homeschooled children and will soon partner with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit to offer classes for special education students.
The Stauffer center has even started a First Friday event, which brings in local artists and live music. A few surrounding businesses are starting to join in.
“We’re just trying to get things going down there,” said Stauffer.
Although already open for business, the center will have its official grand opening June 24, a special date for Stauffer, as it would have marked her daughter Katie’s 25th birthday. Katie, a 2001 Quakertown High School grad and standout student, artist and swimmer, was killed in a car accident in March 2003.
“I read Katie’s journal [after she died] and she said she hoped to make a difference. I have to continue that for her,” said Linda, a retired art teacher.
Wilson is hoping the combination of the art center, Broadway Café and a nearby pretzel shop will help draw more kids to the downtown. “There is nothing like youth to bring energy to a block,” he said.
In the end, Quakertown’s economy depends on promoting the town’s uniqueness, he said. Although there have been successful models to follow in other towns in the region, Wilson said Quakertown must stay true to itself.
“Unless you put a river here, we’re never going to be New Hope,” he said.
What a wistful quote is used to end the story: “Unless you put a river here, we’re never going to be New Hope.”
There's another plus for us. We don't need to be New Hope any more than Quakertown does. We need to be Morrisville. And a river runs through it.
Businesses coming — and going — on Broad Street
As some stores close in downtown Quakertown, others are opening up.
By HILARY BENTMAN
There are signs of new life in downtown Quakertown these days, as a handful of stores have recently opened.
But there are also the telltale markers of a down economy, including at least five vacant stores along Broad Street in the shopping district.
Downtown revitalization in Quakertown has been going on for at least a decade. Efforts have been made to pull people away from the national chain stores that line the strip malls of Route 309 in favor of the mom and pops along the main street of the Upper Bucks burg.
Success has been mixed, but business owners and officials say they are beginning to see a positive shift.
“It’s baby steps,” said Jim Wilson, president of Quakertown Alive!, a nonprofit revitalization group. “The downtown is better than it was a few years ago. We’re at the tipping point.”
In the past few months, Quakertown has seen some significant turnover in businesses.
Ava’s Glass Gallery, on the 300 block of Broad Street, closed earlier this year after being open just a short time. The business has relocated to a home studio outside of the borough.
Some say the store was too specialized, pricey, and did not keep convenient hours.
In its place, Blue Moon, a children’s consignment store, has opened.
A few doors away, the Broad Street Gallery shut down in April after 17 years. Owner Steve Swann blamed the lack of downtown foot traffic for the demise. He has a second location in the Quakertown Farmer’s Market, known as Swann Art and Frame, and has consolidated operations there.
Already the Broad Street Gallery space has been claimed. All Things Bridal and Cindy Landis Photography Studio, both owned by Cindy Landis, will move in next month, relocating from Route 309 in Colmar.
“It’s the nature of retail to have businesses come and go,” said Wilson, noting that people are inquiring about available space. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything drastically [different].”
The current economic slump is certainly playing a part in the empty storefronts, some argue.
“I’m sure it has an effect on it. People aren’t able to start up a business and there’s the price of fuel,” said Rich Scott, manager of Moyer’s Shoes, a mainstay on Broad Street for over half a century. He says Moyer’s secret is catering to people with special shoe needs.
Parking is also a problem, say some shop owners. Meters line the streets and there is limited parking in the center of the shopping area.
On the dining end, Quakertown has gotten a boost of late. The relatively new Front Street Café, across from the Quakertown Train Station, is attracting crowds with its more upscale fare.
And Broadway Café is now open on the 200 block of Broad Street, next to Miss Cindy’s School of Dance. Jay Johnston has owned the building since 1992, and recently decided to open up the restaurant, a cross between a 1950s retro diner and a shrine to New York City’s theatre district.
“People gotta eat,” said Johnston in his southern drawl. The restaurant has proven a convenient place for students at the nearby Miss Cindy’s School of Dance, his wife’s business, to grab a bite to eat and for their parents to wait.
“[Quakertown] has great potential and I do see some progress,” Johnston said. “It’s an all-American, small town atmosphere, friendly people. It’s a great little town here.”
Next door is the Katie Stauffer Memorial Arts Center, which recently took over the former Cohen’s card shop space when it outgrew its old location in Richlandtown.
“We decided we would do better if we moved into Quakertown, more visibility,” said president and founder Linda Stauffer.
From pottery to bead weaving, young and old can take art classes at the center, which also works with homeschooled children and will soon partner with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit to offer classes for special education students.
The Stauffer center has even started a First Friday event, which brings in local artists and live music. A few surrounding businesses are starting to join in.
“We’re just trying to get things going down there,” said Stauffer.
Although already open for business, the center will have its official grand opening June 24, a special date for Stauffer, as it would have marked her daughter Katie’s 25th birthday. Katie, a 2001 Quakertown High School grad and standout student, artist and swimmer, was killed in a car accident in March 2003.
“I read Katie’s journal [after she died] and she said she hoped to make a difference. I have to continue that for her,” said Linda, a retired art teacher.
Wilson is hoping the combination of the art center, Broadway Café and a nearby pretzel shop will help draw more kids to the downtown. “There is nothing like youth to bring energy to a block,” he said.
In the end, Quakertown’s economy depends on promoting the town’s uniqueness, he said. Although there have been successful models to follow in other towns in the region, Wilson said Quakertown must stay true to itself.
“Unless you put a river here, we’re never going to be New Hope,” he said.
Watch our student video and call your legislators today
Check out Good Schools Pennsylvania
Watch our student video and call your legislators today!
Please watch this video – Student Voices on Pennsylvania School Funding Reform. The first :30 seconds are a TV commercial now playing around the state, followed by five minutes of students from throughout Pennsylvania sharing their hopes and commenting on the need for adequate school funding to support their goals. Now be sure to forward it to your friends, family and colleagues!
Take action
Contact your state legislators in Harrisburg. Email them directly or find their phone numbers here.
Tell your legislators to strongly support the Governor’s proposal for historic reform of Pennsylvania’s funding system for public education. State legislators will vote on this proposal by June 30, as part of the annual budget process. Governor Rendell has proposed a new funding system that will: (1) ramp up state funding to relieve the relentless pressure on local property taxes to support public education; (2) fairly distribute funding to ensure that all children – especially those in poverty and disadvantaged in other ways – have a quality education supported by adequate resources; (3) hold school districts accountable for investing the new resources to improve student achievement; and (4) implement a 6-year funding equity plan to provide predictability and funding stability for public schools.
You pushed for the costing-out study; now is the time to contact your legislators and demand education finance reform. The Governor’s plan merely implements the recommendations of the costing-out study commissioned and paid for by the General Assembly in 2007.
Thanks for making sure Every Kid Counts!
For more information...
Visit Good Schools Pennsylvania's website.
Help us help them – Donate today!
You can help us make sure the voices of students are more broadly distributed by making a secure online donation, or sending your contribution to Good Schools Pennsylvania, 6757 Greene Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119.
Good Schools Pennsylvania is a statewide network of citizens who are informed and mobilized in support of public education. We believe that we can improve our schools when we join together in calling for adequate funds that are equitably distributed, proven educational practices to meet a standard of excellence, and effective accountability measures. We invite you to become part of the movement for educational justice in Pennsylvania!
Dotted Line
Good Schools Pennsylvania | www.goodschoolspa.org | info@goodschoolspa.org
6757 Greene Street, Suite 310 | Philadelphia, PA 19119-3508 | (866) 720-4086
Watch our student video and call your legislators today!
Please watch this video – Student Voices on Pennsylvania School Funding Reform. The first :30 seconds are a TV commercial now playing around the state, followed by five minutes of students from throughout Pennsylvania sharing their hopes and commenting on the need for adequate school funding to support their goals. Now be sure to forward it to your friends, family and colleagues!
Take action
Contact your state legislators in Harrisburg. Email them directly or find their phone numbers here.
Tell your legislators to strongly support the Governor’s proposal for historic reform of Pennsylvania’s funding system for public education. State legislators will vote on this proposal by June 30, as part of the annual budget process. Governor Rendell has proposed a new funding system that will: (1) ramp up state funding to relieve the relentless pressure on local property taxes to support public education; (2) fairly distribute funding to ensure that all children – especially those in poverty and disadvantaged in other ways – have a quality education supported by adequate resources; (3) hold school districts accountable for investing the new resources to improve student achievement; and (4) implement a 6-year funding equity plan to provide predictability and funding stability for public schools.
You pushed for the costing-out study; now is the time to contact your legislators and demand education finance reform. The Governor’s plan merely implements the recommendations of the costing-out study commissioned and paid for by the General Assembly in 2007.
Thanks for making sure Every Kid Counts!
For more information...
Visit Good Schools Pennsylvania's website.
Help us help them – Donate today!
You can help us make sure the voices of students are more broadly distributed by making a secure online donation, or sending your contribution to Good Schools Pennsylvania, 6757 Greene Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119.
Good Schools Pennsylvania is a statewide network of citizens who are informed and mobilized in support of public education. We believe that we can improve our schools when we join together in calling for adequate funds that are equitably distributed, proven educational practices to meet a standard of excellence, and effective accountability measures. We invite you to become part of the movement for educational justice in Pennsylvania!
Dotted Line
Good Schools Pennsylvania | www.goodschoolspa.org | info@goodschoolspa.org
6757 Greene Street, Suite 310 | Philadelphia, PA 19119-3508 | (866) 720-4086
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