In discussions with our CTU course, schools continue to have
several general issues. First, copyright
artistic license always starts of debate over who owns the intellectual
property. Second, reward systems cause
distance and separation among staff.
Third the opportunity for technical training is very limited. The technical dissemination continues as just
a shot in the hand without any scaffolding or follow up. Lastly, transactional costs tend to burden
the educational entity.
Copyright artistic license creates two major issues in
education. First, many teachers do not
understand copyright laws. Many assume
that since they are in education that fair use applies to everything. Hence, they use images, video and quotes
without referencing the author.
Additionally, they photocopy entire works without giving proper
acknowledgement or payment. Most of the
cause revolves misunderstanding and lack of knowledge regarding copyright
law. The second issue that involves
copyright artistic license pertains to ownership of intellectual property. Does the school own the work or does the
teacher? If the work is created after
hours but for class presentation, is it the school or teacher’s property.
Currently, Pennsylvania is trying to construct a teacher
scoring rubric for teacher evaluation.
Most teachers are against the movement, while others want to make sure
they are held accountable. The battle
has been raging in our state government for quite a while. This battle also pertains to the rewards
system in education. Should core
curriculum teachers who must have students pass state core standardize tests be
assessed similarly to the teachers who teach electives that are not under the
same amount of stress? Should teachers
receive differentiated pay based upon their student test scores or the subjects
that they teach?
The next major concern deals with technical training. Teachers have very few in service or training
days, because they have summers off.
Some teachers have as few as two days of training for an entire
year. In those two days, they must learn
all the changes involved with their curriculum standards, learn new technology,
new school policies, and much more. They
receive a quick shot in the arm and don’t receive any reinforcement
training. This lack of training has
caused a real divide in teachers’ ability involving technology. Some teachers develop a phobia for technology
while others excel. The ones who pay the
ultimate price for lack of teacher training are the students.
The final item for discussion involving school issues has to
do with transaction costs. Transaction
costs consist of expending limited resources.
Time, focus and money seem to always be limited resources within
schools. School days are shorter than
the average eight hour work day and school only lasts for 10 months. With limited administration staff, typically
the squeaky wheel always gets the attention, regardless if it’s the best idea,
solution, or student. Focus usually goes
to the student who requires discipline and not the student who wants to do
well, but needs a little extra assistance.
Finally, with budget cuts administration staffs are shrinking and the
student to teacher ratio in the classroom is growing.
Like the way you are covering the issues. I see why your classmates are excited about your blog.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, copyright. This sounds familiar! Nice discussion and appearance on the blog. I am so happy to see you use your name and take leadership on these topics. The budget crisis offers an opportunity for new collaborations. At least I hope so.
ReplyDelete