[ExI] etextbooks

[spike]

>... On Behalf Of PJ Manney
Subject: Re: [ExI] etextbooks

On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 5:15 PM, PJ Manney <pjmanney at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sat, Jan 21, 2012 at 8:46 AM, F. C. Moulton <moulton at moulton.com>
wrote:
>> Personally I think that discussion of Evolution should be introduced in
an earlier grade.

> I absolutely agree.  Please help take that up with all the state core
standards committees.

>...BTW, The Fordham Foundation just did an analysis of US K-12 Science
standards by state.  California was the only state to receive an A (but
District of Columbia did, too).  Look at the map on page 6.
Holy mother of Dog...

>...http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CC4Q
FjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edexcellencemedia.net%2Fpublications%2F2012%2F2012
-State-of-State-Science-Standards%2F2012-State-of-State-Science-Standards-FI
NAL.pdf&ei=gn4oT_alHuqciQLLn429AQ&usg=AFQjCNErzfsipRdnu1QY3yRX3CAQgt3EYA&sig
2=7aQfPOarzTzEFwc0Dz0v3Q

>...So Spike?  Consider yourself damned lucky to live in CA.  And if you
want to make it even better, get in there yourself and get active.  PJ


Actually I did that, and found it most frustrating.  I went through and
helped organize the school library as a volunteer.  I was appalled at the
criteria used to weed out books.  I don't even want to get into that, but
what I do want to get into is the absurdity of teaching materials chosen by
state boards.  Some states have relatively uniform culture (think Iowa and
Kansas for instance) and others have so many different cultures, such a
Florida and California.  I have taken to introducing my son to the concepts
I find most important, so I don't need to rely on the wimpy school texts.

My son is in kindergarten.  I suspect that education in general is on the
verge of a major transformation that I hope will solve a lot of these kinds
of problems, and that his class will be in the transition generation.  The
Stanford AI class convinced me that online learning is ready to go.  We just
need to drive it.

spike