Theories of human ancestry get an overhaul

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12093345
Professor Clive Finlayson explains why recent research pulls the rug from under the feet of long-established theories of human evolution

To think that around 30 - 50 thousand years ago, there were four different sub-species, or possibly even separate species, of humans (he didn't include Homo floresiensis in this article).

Historians Find Some Va. Texts Filled With Errors

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/12/29/395175vhistorytextbookreview_ap.html?tkn=USUFX3h6Rh%2FvUCORFZvsiMQDNZEkV7+UoJ2i&cmp=clp-edweek

"In the version of history being taught in some Virginia classrooms, New Orleans began the 1800s as a bustling U.S. harbor (instead of as a Spanish colonial one). The Confederacy included 12 states (instead of 11). And the United States entered World War I in 1916 (instead of in 1917)."

Colourful ancient art 'is alive'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12039203

"A particular type of ancient rock art in Western Australia maintains its vivid colours because it is alive, researchers find."

"The Glory of the Rails" & "Bring Back the Rails" by Tony Judt in the NY Review of Books

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/dec/23/glory-rails/

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/jan/13/bring-back-rails/

Neanderthals cooked and ate vegetables

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12071424

"Researchers in the US have found grains of cooked plant material in their teeth. The study is the first to confirm that the Neanderthal diet was not confined to meat and was more sophisticated than previously thought. The research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Interesting article. Why do we believe public schools are failing. Because we're told they are by the same people who will benefit if they do. Public schools have to fail for private industry to crack into that market.

http://ksdcitizens.org/2010/12/22/waiting-for-superfraud/

A very odd Christmas tradition

I enjoy finding out about other cultures' traditions, especially when they differ from our view of that tradition. Here's a Christmas nativity tradition from Catalonia.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12059969

African elephant 'is two species'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12054343

Genetic research claims to have resolved a long-standing issue by showing that African bush and forest elephants are distinct species.

Ancient family was cannibalised

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12049854

Archaeologists in Spain have unearthed the remains of a possible family of 12 Neanderthals who were cannibalised some 49,000 years ago.

Concrete concerns about saving and expanding slavery, and not the nebulous theology of states’ rights, ignited the U.S. Civil War. Why does that message keep getting lost?

http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture-society/of-course-the-civil-war-was-about-slavery-26265/

http://www.ted.com/talks/ethan_zuckerman.html

Sure, the web connects the globe, but most of us end up hearing mainly from people just like ourselves. Blogger and technologist Ethan Zuckerman wants to help share the stories of the whole wide world. He talks about clever strategies to open up your Twitter world and read the news in languages you don't even know.

Students look to 2012 after immigration bill fails

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_immigration_students.html

"The Senate vote Saturday to toss the proposal that would have granted young illegal immigrants a route to legal status dealt a harsh blow to student activists who will face an even steeper uphill battle in the next Congress."

Lummi Nation School on upswing

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_lummi_nation_school.html

"The tribal school had had five superintendents and three principals in less than five years, staff turnover was high, students were getting away with poor behavior and attendance, and very few could meet state testing standards. But now, through tougher policies, increased tutoring, staff collaboration and a stable administration, morale and academics at the 350-student, K-12 school are on an upswing."

Debate Over Little Bighorn Battle Monument

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/us/19custer.html?_r=2&src=twrhp

A political tug of war has raged between the National Park Service, Custer buffs and Indian tribes over how best to fix a litany of problems with the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

An Indigenous Perspective on Gender Orientations (VIDEO)

http://aeroeducation.org/2010/12/19/genderorientations/

This workshop was held at the 7th annual AERO conference.

Pythagoras, a math genius? Not by Babylonian standards

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/12/17/old.babylonian.math/index.html?hpt=C2

Over 1,000 years before Pythagoras was calculating the length of a hypotenuse, sophisticated scribes in Mesopotamia were working with the same theory to calculate the area of their farmland.

Why American students lag behind

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/12/17/honda.education/index.html?hpt=T2
One of the greatest lessons to be learned from the Program for International Student Assessment report released this month is that equity matters.

Interesting - "...America is one of only four countries that gives the advantage of access to more teachers to higher-income schools."

This is great. Please read, have a good laugh, then be depressed.

What if WikiLeaks got hold of a cable from China’s embassy in Washington? Here’s some of the “good news” that may have been sent home to Beijing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/opinion/01friedman.html?scp=5&sq=friedman+china+wikileaks&st=Search

A new method of identifying human gnaw marks on bones suggest early humans got nutrition from each other's flesh.

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/cannibalism-early-humans-bones-101213.html

* Human gnawing and chewing marks have been identified on human and other hominid bones.
* The findings support the idea that some prehistoric humans practiced nutritional cannibalism.
* The newly identified signature for human bone chewing is also helping to determine what animals early hominids ate.

New federal regulations will mean that archaeologists lose the opportunity to find the true affiliation of ancient remains.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/opinion/13kelly.html?_r=1&ref=contributors

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-5283.pdf

I wish my math teachers had this philosophy when I was younger

Math is not linear

http://prezi.com/aww2hjfyil0u/math-is-not-linear/

House boosts school meal funding

The US House of Representatives approves a bill that will provide more free school meals to children and let the government set nutrition guidelines.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11906397

Interesting that this is front page news on the BBC and education news sites, but not front page on mainstream US media. Also interesting that the opposition's arguments seem to place money before the health of children.

Forest collapse boosted reptiles

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11870322

"The collapse of tropical rainforests 300 million years ago helped pave the way for the rise of dinosaurs, a study suggests."

First coca chewed 8,000 years ago

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11878241

"The earliest known medicinal use of the coca plant - from which cocaine is made - has been pushed back by thousands of years."

One scientist's hobby: recreating the ice age

Very interesting story.

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1103ap_eu_russia_ice_age_park.html

"CHERSKY, Russia -- Wild horses have returned to northern Siberia. So have musk oxen, hairy beasts that once shared this icy land with woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats. Moose and reindeer are here, and may one day be joined by Canadian bison and deer. Later, the predators will come - Siberian tigers, wolves and maybe leopards. Russian scientist Sergey Zimov is reintroducing these animals to the land where they once roamed in millions to demonstrate his theory that filling the vast emptiness of Siberia with grass-eating animals can slow global warming. "Some people have a small garden. I have an ice age park. It's my hobby," says Zimov, smiling through his graying beard."

UW researchers take closer look at Seattle schools

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_school_progress.html?source=mypi

SEATTLE -- The Seattle schools improving the most in recent years are nearly all in neighborhoods north of Interstate 90, away from the areas where most poor children in Washington's largest school district live, a new analysis of district data reveals.

Economists want to stop teachers' degree bonuses

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/430516_teachers20.html

"Every year, American schools pay more than $8.6 billion in bonuses to teachers with master's degrees, even though the idea that a higher degree makes a teacher more effective has been mostly debunked."

Mammoth Find Gives Glimpse Of Rockies In Ice Age

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/19/131450773/ice-age-fossil-site-uncovered-in-colorado

"A slew of fossilized mammoths, mastodons and other Ice Age creatures are turning up at a dizzying rate in western Colorado. Researchers have already identified at least 22 species of animals. It may be one of the most significant finds of its kind to date."

Why U.S. apologized to the Cherokees

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/11/15/langguth.trail.of.tears/index.html?hpt=C2

"With the midterm elections over, it's time for Americans to leave behind the recent attempts to demonize an entire people. We needn't look to Nazi Germany or apartheid South Africa for examples of the labeling and abusing of others. The suspicions promoted about Hispanics as criminals and Muslims as terrorists were only the latest reminders of discrimination throughout our own history."

Geography Awareness Week: 14 - 20 November 2010

http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/gaw.html

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/Water-rights-settlement-on-hold-106319753.html

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – A controversial water rights agreement that would quantify and permanently settle Navajo and Hopi claims to Colorado River water was placed on hold by the Navajo Nation Council after questions were raised by those who filled council chambers at a Sept. 29 meeting.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/10/stone-age-toolmakers-surprisingl.html?ref=hp

"A new study suggests that cave dwellers were using a delicate stone-carving technique called pressure flaking 75,000 years ago, 55,000 years before scientists thought the technique was invented. And there are hints that pressure flaking might reach back even further in time."

Maybe it's time for schools to reconsider the use of textbooks.

Virginia 4th-grade textbook criticized over claims on black Confederate soldiers

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/19/AR2010101907974.html

"A textbook distributed to Virginia fourth-graders says that thousands of African Americans fought for the South during the Civil War -- a claim rejected by most historians but often made by groups seeking to play down slavery's role as a cause of the conflict."

Digitized Dead Sea Scrolls to be available online

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/19/digitized-dead-sea-scrolls-to-be-available-online/?hpt=C1

"In an ambitious application of 21st century technology to a first century wonder, the Israel Antiquities Authority and internet search giant Google announced a plan Tuesday to digitize the Dead Sea Scrolls and make the entire collection available to the public online."

Q: What is the real reason to learn history?

A: To understand Monty Python and Blackadder jokes.

One of the great things about teaching history is that Monty Python has ready-made lesson plans that are entertaining too. How do you introduce Chivalry and a knight's code of conduct? The Black Knight scene and the Swamp Castle scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, of course.

Hawaii earns an education ‘World’s First’

Interesting. We hear of K-8 and Secondary systems, and K-12 systems; but a P-20 system. Wow!

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/hawaiialaska/Hawaii-earns-an-education-Worlds-First-104776964.html

"The task of education integration from preschool to graduate school, or P-20 education, has become a major focus in Hawaii, the Continental United States, and in other countries. An international accrediting body, the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium, recently awarded its first accreditation to such a P-20 system – the Hawaiian Mauli Ola Education System."

Pirate Johnny Depp makes surprise school visit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11493676

So, how do you work an A-list actor, in character and in costume, into your lesson plan?

A new language is discovered in India

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11479563

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130242203

Researchers have identified a language new to science in a remote region of India.
Known as Koro, it appears to be distinct from other languages in the family to which it belongs; but it is also under threat.
It is thought that around half of the world's 6,909 known languages are endangered and Koro itself is vulnerable. It has never been written down and is only spoken by between 800 and 1,200 people.

The students seemed to really enjoy going outside. Since we're just doing a review of pre-Renaissance world history, it's going in quick succession with China on Tuesday, Greece was today, and Rome will be covered tomorrow. To help the students understand who hoplites were and what a phalanx was, we sent the students outside to line up in formation. A little imagination was involved as rolled up pieces of notebook paper became 15 foot long pikes, textbooks became full-body shields, and 30+ students became a 256 man (16 x 16) phalanx. And, repeat 5 times. Maybe for tomorrow, we can go with a gross factor. I'll tell them about a couple of the more interesting recipes from the Apicius cookbook (Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome) compiled during the late empire.

I did my stone tool lesson for three more world history classes. They went well, and no blood loss this time. Most of the students followed along. Not all students were enthralled. I do not know if it's just me not keeping their attention (though, I still have a lot to learn in that department) or if they are just not interested.

Though the majority seemed interested, only a few asked questions. When several questions or comments were made, they were always by the same students.

I'm not sure all of my lessons can be as interactive as this one, though I'd like to try. A big part of this lesson did involve lecture. As much as I'm not a big fan of lecturing, I believe the anecdotes were helpful as I went over the handout ( #8 at my portfolio - http://micksportfolio.yolasite.com/ ).

I find that many my references need to be explained or expanded upon. For some, I have to define "technology". In the simplest terms, a tool. I've had to describe "Lucy" - the Australopithecus afarensis discovered by Donald Johanson in 1974. Only a few have seen the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy", so it's difficult for them to have a visual reference of a Stone Age culture. So, my lesson will be to find references that are more relevant to 15 year olds.

Did Volcanoes Wipe Out Neanderthals?

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/neanderthals-volcanoes-extinction.html
* At least three volcanic eruptions 40,000 years ago devastated Neanderthals' homelands.
* Geographic good luck may have allowed Homo sapiens to move into Neandertals' former haunts.

Interesting hypothesis. However, since the Iberian Peninsula harbored Neanderthals until 25,000 to 30,000 years ago, the idea of a volcano in Italy wiping them out from southern Europe 40,000 years ago doesn't seem to hold.

My lesson on stone tools seemed to go over well enough that I'll be doing it for another teacher's world history classes tomorrow. Maybe I should write up a formal lesson plan for it.

Clues to Child Sacrifices Found in Inca Building

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/inca-child-sacrifice-clues.html

The remains of sacrificed children suggest they were escorted from distant parts of the Inca realm.

Physical traces of ethnic cleansing that took place in the early 800s suggest the massacre was an inside job.

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/genocide-native-americans-ethnic-cleansing.html

* A massive deposit of mutilated and processed human remains has been found in the American Southwest.
* The remains and other artifacts at the site, Sacred Ridge in Colorado, indicate ethnic cleansing took place there in the early ninth century.
* The genocide likely occurred due to conflict between different Anasazi Ancestral Puebloan ethnic groups.

The source article (needs subscription or library access):
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WH6-50XTT73-1&_user=10&_coverDate=09%2F03%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=39e42778505d98d6ba96be3fd67d138c&searchtype=a

Stone Age Lesson Plan

Yesterday, I did not get home until late, so I'm writing tonight. I taught a lesson in the world history classes which I'd developed while learning how to write lesson plans. Since we were covering pre-agricultural peoples, I figured a lesson in stone tools was appropriate. I developed a handout (still evolving) that I've posted on my portfolio site ( http://micksportfolio.yolasite.com/ ). See # 8. Unfortunately, there are some formatting issues. I use OpenOffice Writer at home then I convert it to MS Word. At some point, I'll convert everything on my portfolio to open source pretty soon.

The lesson begins with the question, “What is the most important piece of technology in the history of the human race?” The students write what they think the answer is on a Post-It note and putting them on the walls around the room. Next, they look at other students' answers, put a star on the Post-Its if that answer was the same as their answer or a check mark if they thought that answer was better than theirs. After they sit down again, I pull out a rock. I then pass out the handout, explain how stone tools have been around longer than we have, describe a little about the hominids that used those tools, and then describe how obsidian scalpels are used today. Having already gone over the pros and cons of hunter/gatherer lifestyle and of the agrarian lifestyle on previous days, I ask the question, “How many of you are ready to become hunter/gatherers?” A few hands go up. I then say, “Let's go!” I stand up and head toward the door. They're shocked and not sure what to do. I turn around and encourage them to follow. We go outside and I demonstrate removing a flake from an obsidian core. We go back inside for a short debrief.

Observations on Learning

How do students learn? I would be arrogant to say that I know how each and every student learns. Since every person is different and since teens can be reluctant to open up about their learning, knowing, even after several observations, is difficult.

Some students are eager to learn. Others do not want to be there. Student A and Student B both play the roles of students who don't want to be in school. Student A appears to try her best not to learn. She makes excuses as to why she is not participating or not paying attention. One example was an in-class reading assignment. She made sure to state, so that others would hear, that it was difficult. She made statements such as, “Why are there so many difficult words?” There have been students who had a difficult time with the article, but they got through it. The students with IEPs got through it. None of the others made such a fuss about it. It seemed to me that her statements were made to elicit sympathy so that when she did not participate or turn in the assignment, she would be excused from the assignments. I realize that this is very preliminary evaluation based on my observation. I could be wrong. Her behavior could be due to other factors. At present, though, it seems that she is putting a lot of effort into not learning.

Student B started the semester off by coming into class on the first day late, flopping down in his chair and being surly. He tried to avoid doing anything that first day. My cooperating teacher took him aside after class to ask him what the problem was. His answer was that nobody at the school liked him. The teacher's response was to remind the student of his behavior through the class and asked if it might not be his behavior that put the other students off. The following days proved to be different. He tries to stand out. Not as an outstanding student, but as the center of attention. Unlike student A, he does show that he's intelligent and can do the work, when he wants.

Both students seem to express the attitude that learning, or at least school, isn't cool. It's better for their egos to appear to not to do the work or participate. Student A will never do the work or participate. It would ruin her image to do otherwise. I hope I am wrong. Otherwise she will get through school with the lesson that she will not have to work at anything. What is worse, is that she may actually convince herself that she's too dumb to learn anything. However, Student B has shown a willingness to participate but will still cause disruptions to gain attention. His attitude could be an asset if he can be convinced that other students look to him.

This Day in History - The Kootenai Tribe declared war on the U.S. in 1974... ...and won.

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/The-Kootenai-Tribes-forgotten-war-101164449.html

"The date was Sept. 20, 1974 when Amy Trice, then chairman of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, declared war on the United States. The tribe only numbered 67. The odds certainly weren’t good but the outcome, now 36 years later, has been very good."

What Passes for School Reform: "Value-Added" Teacher Evaluation and Other Absurdities

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alfie-kohn/what-passes-for-school-re_b_710696.html

"Does the value-added model provide valid and reliable information about teachers (and schools)? Most experts in the field of educational assessment say, Good heavens, no."

The mayor who appointed the controversial DC schools superintendent doesn't win reelection.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129887515

"The Washington, D.C., mayor isn't losing his job because he pushed hard to close schools and hold teachers accountable. But it was a factor. Other cities' leaders will take note, particularly if politicians decide that a hard-charging attack against the educational status quo is a political loser."

Ancient Nubians Drank Antibiotic-Laced Beer

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/antibiotic-beer-nubia.html

A group of people who lived nearly 2,000 years ago in Sudanese Nubia took doses of tetracycline -- through their beer.
Human use of antibiotics began not 80 years ago, but nearly 2,000 years ago along the banks of the Nile River.
Those ancient people got tetracycline out of fermented grain that they used to brew beer.
Everyone drank the antibiotic-laced beer often, starting as early as age two.

Yesterday: My first day as a student teacher.

The students have not arrived yet. The first day consisted of a workshop in the morning that focused on students and the issues we may face. There is expected to be a large number of incoming freshman. We watched a great video of a student delivering a speech to Dallas School District in 2008 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAMLOnSNwzA&feature=related ). This is worth watching for any educator.

The afternoon involved setting up the classroom. We're trying it without desks. There won't be that physical barrier between student and teacher. I don't think I could have gotten a better cooperating teacher. As I still develop my philosophy of teaching, I discover that his ideas are similar to mine. I think this will be a good year.

There are 5 of us from UWB. There is also a student teacher from Central who is there too. Not a whole lot of schools in Ellensburg, so he was placed here.

There will be much more to report after Wednesday, when the students arrive. I'm nervous but looking forward to it.

Native cultural center also in the mix for Seattle Center site

"Vancouver, B.C., has its museum of anthropology, but where near downtown Seattle, the largest metropolitan city in the nation named after an American Indian, does the city showcase its native residents and roots? Advocates for a Northwest Native Cultural Center at the Fun Forest site at Seattle Center are backing a $3.6 million plan they say would fill that need. It would turn the existing Arcade Pavilion into a longhouse with a native-plant teaching garden, a cafe featuring native foods, a performance space and gallery featuring native-made art."


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012795353_native03m.html

This is a good idea. It will be interesting to see if this happens. If it does, will it collect collect input from various tribes and be something other than a feel-good tourist attraction?

All of My Favorite Students Cheat: When Dishonesty Is a Norm at School

By Christopher L. Doyle

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/09/01/02doyle_ep.h30.html?r=1913231374

This is a good article about cheating. It's quite alarming to see how widespread cheating is. The author writes about bringing it out in the open.

Hearing Opens in Legal Battle Over Arizona ELL Programs

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/09/02/03arizona_ep.h30.html?tkn=LYMFny9JBgFSPx835EXzwzvJiFXlMceCakEE&cmp=clp-edweek

The case opens as federal officials, in a separate ruling, determine that state ELL practices violate federal civil rights law.

Highest-Paid Athlete Hailed From Ancient Rome

http://news.discovery.com/history/highest-paid-athlete-hailed-from-ancient-rome.html

"Ultra millionaire sponsorship deals such as those signed by sprinter Usain Bolt, motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi and tennis player Maria Sharapova, are just peanuts compared to the personal fortune amassed by a second century A.D. Roman racer, according to an estimate published in the historical magazine Lapham's Quarterly."

Mosques and Mount Rushmore: The debate over what’s sacred

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/opinion/Mosques-and-Mount-Rushmore-The-debate-over-whats-sacred-101640768.html

This is a good opinion piece relating to the Muslim community center controversy in NYC and the carving of Presidential busts in the Black Hills (Mt. Rushmore).

Award-winning teachers dole out advice on fixing public schools

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/30/award.teachers.advice.fix.school/index.html?hpt=C1

"Almost every teacher has thoughts on how to improve schools. So this month, as students began to trickle into classrooms, CNN listened to the ideas of award-winning teachers at public schools across the country."

Teaching culture through comic books

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/Teaching-culture-through-comic-books-101171824.html

HighWater Press has just published “Stone,” the first comic book in the graphic novel series “7 Generations,” by author David Robertson and artist Scott Henderson. The ongoing “7 Generations” is a four-part graphic novel series that spans three centuries of an aboriginal family.

GAO finds major federal NAGPRA snafus

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/home/content/GAO-finds-major-federal-NAGPRA-snafus-101155324.html

A new Government Accountability Office report centering on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is casting doubt on the ability of key federal agencies to follow the letter of the law. And the federal office charged with overseeing implementation was found to have a plethora of problems of its own.

'L.A. Times' Teacher Ratings Database Stirs Debate

Why do people still think that standardized tests can measure anything other than how good students are at cramming?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129456212
The Los Angeles Times has promised to release the names of elementary teachers in Los Angeles, along with data showing how much their students improved on standardized tests. Reporters say the intent is to help parents measure teacher effectiveness, but the database has sparked a national debate on how to evaluate teachers.

90 years ago today, the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution went into effect, giving women the right to vote in this country.

Oldest evidence of arrows found

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11086110

"The scientists unearthed 64,000 year-old "stone points", which they say were probably arrow heads."
"Because of the shape of these "little geometric pieces", Dr Lombard was able to see exactly where they had been impacted and damaged. This showed that they were very likely to have been the tips of projectiles - rather than sharp points on the end of hand-held spears."

First Cannibals Ate Each Other for Extra Nutrition

http://news.discovery.com/human/first-cannibals-nutrition.html

The world's first known human cannibals ate each other to satisfy their nutritional needs, concludes a new study of the remains of cannibal feasts consumed about one million years ago.

Neolithic oar found in Changnyeong, South Korea

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/TechandScience/Story/STIStory_567405.html
‎
South Korean archaeologists said on Tuesday they have unearthed a rare neolithic period wooden boat oar, believed to date back about 7,000 years but still in good condition.

Navajo language software hits the market

http://www.daily-times.com/ci_15886128

FARMINGTON — Rosetta Stone, creator of the renowned language learning software, on Tuesday released its Navajo version, the first large-scale language revitalization project for the dialect.

24 August 410: The beginning of the end for Rome

1600 years ago today, the Visigoths, led by Alaric, sacked Rome. The pillaging lasted for 3 days. Some argue this was the beginning of the end of the empire.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11066461

Are We Underestimating Mt. Vesuvius?

http://news.discovery.com/earth/are-we-underestimating-mt-vesuvius.html

A new study, led by vulcanologist Giuseppe Mastrolorenzo from the Naples Observatory in Italy, shows that the residents killed in Pompeii and the neighboring towns located on the slopes of the volcano died from an extreme heat surge produced by the volcano, not suffocation

Major archaeological find at site of Civil War prison

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/14/georgia.civil.war.camp/index.html?hpt=T2

The discovery of the exact location of a stockade and dozens of personal artifacts belonging to its Union prisoners is one of the biggest archaeological Civil War finds in decades, federal and Georgia officials said Monday.

New find pushes age of stone tools back a million years

Hominins have been using stone tools for at least 3.4 million years, about 900,000 years longer than previously thought.

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/08/new-find-pushes-age-of-stone-tools-back-a-million-years.ars?comments=1#comments-bar

Here's the article in Nature. Subscription required.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v466/n7308/abs/nature09248.html

Tennessee student scores plunge in new proficiency test

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jul/31/student-scores-plunge-in-new-test/

Some Oklahoma City Schools Begin Year-Round Class

http://www.koco.com/education/24473039/detail.html

Starting Monday, the traditional summer vacation will be a thing of the past for some Oklahoma City students.

The Human Edge : NPR

This is a good series. It may be useful to the Biology and Science crew. There's a lot I see that will work for those of us in Social Studies, too. It includes some of the NPR stories I've already posted links to.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128245649

"As humans, we share most of our genes and body design with apes. But around 6 million years ago evolution began tinkering with this basic tool kit. Many versions later, modern humans finally emerged. Scientists are piecing together how, bit by bit, evolution brought about the physical, mental and cultural changes that made us the most versatile -- and arguably, the most powerful -- species on the planet."

Armed And Deadly: Shoulder, Weapons Keys To Hunt

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128830458

The human shoulder altered the course of human evolution by giving us survival skills we never could have imagined without it. The shape of the joint allowed us to develop tools and weapons we could throw, like rocks and spears. And advanced weaponry meant better meals.

Colonialism and the human rights of indigenous peoples

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/Colonialism-and-the-human-rights-of-indigenous-peoples-99624319.html

"During and shortly after World War II (1939-1945), a number of anthropologists were writing about the topic of indigenous peoples and what was then being referred to as the “colonial administration” of various empires. Looking back at those writings today enables us to shed some additional light on the historical context of what are now commonly referred to as “indigenous peoples” and the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 13, 2007."

Food For Thought: Meat-Based Diet Made Us Smarter

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128849908

Our earliest ancestors ate a diet of raw food that required immense energy to digest. But once we started eating nutrient-rich meat, our energy-hungry brains began growing and our guts began to shrink. Cooking that food not only made it safer, but also easier to digest.

Drama of French education falling flat

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8868935.stm

In Paris, Hugh Schofield considers how watching a school play revealed the merits and failings of the French education system.

Although the article is about human sexuality, there are some interesting points on the benefits of egalitarianism.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/07/27/ryan.promiscuity.normal/index.html?iref=NS1

Seismic cultural shifts about 10,000 years ago rendered the true story of human sexuality so subversive and threatening that for centuries, it has been silenced by religious authorities, pathologized by physicians, studiously ignored by scientists and covered up by moralizing therapists.

Possibility of pardon for Billy the Kid upsets Garrett descendants

http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_15627878

Almost 130 years after one of the more significant historical events in New Mexico, and almost 100 years after the death of one of the two key figures, the rhetoric continues in the fateful shooting of Billy The Kid by legendary lawman Pat Garrett.

'Unschooling' Lets Children Dictate Their Learning

http://cbs11tv.com/education/unschooling.unschooled.unschoolers.2.1828086.html

Who needs textbooks and lesson plans? Some North Texans say children should decide what they learn, not teachers. That's the basis of a controversial educational philosophy known as "unschooling." It's a movement that's gaining traction in North Texas and is as unorthodox as its name suggests.

A Handy Bunch: Tools, Thumbs Helped Us Thrive

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128676181

The evolving anatomy of the human hand gave humans great dexterity and fine motor skills. With these advances came the ability to make stone tools and primitive knives. Anthropologists are now studying how our ancestors learned to make tools, and how these tools shaped our bodies.

Center for Technology and Disability Studies

http://uwctds.washington.edu/index.asp

Technology can increase access to education, community and employment for people with disabilities. The UW Center for Technology and Disability Studies is an interdisciplinary program focusing on research, education, advocacy and informatics related to assistive technology and accessible information systems.

Detroit Public Schools Tries Something New: A School Run by Teachers

"Detroit Public Schools is set to open its first school without a principal—teachers will be running the day-to-day operations and making all pertinent decisions.
They won't have to wait for the central office's OK to purchase needed items or increase their emphasis on fractions or writing, for instance.
Founded on the belief that those within the building know best what their students need, Barbara Jordan Elementary will be the district's first teacher-led school, open only to students whose parents agree to be involved. State officials know of no teacher-led schools in Michigan."

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/07/08/36mct_detroitteachers.html?r=421488636

Forget Grade Levels, Kansas City, Mo., Schools Try Something New

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/07/03/364228usdumpinggradelevels_ap.html?r=2063758687

Forget about students spending one year in each grade, with the entire class learning the same skills at the same time.
Instead of simply moving kids from one grade to the next as they get older, schools are grouping students by ability. Once they master a subject, they move up a level.

http://www.newsminer.com/view/full_story/8387910/article-Book-presents-evidence-of-human-connections-across-Bering-Strait-land-bridge?instance=home_news_window_left_bullets

http://www.uaf.edu/anthro/apua/

Research illuminating an ancient language connection between Asia and North America supports archeological and genetic evidence that a Bering Strait land bridge once connected North America with Asia, and the discovery is being endorsed by a growing list of scholars in the field of linguistics and other sciences.

The New Republic: Lessons From China And Singapore

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128235453

Martha C. Nussbaum of The New Republic argues even if our sole goal was to produce students who would contribute maximally to national economic growth -- the primary, avowed goal of education in Singapore and China -- we should reject their strategies, just as they themselves have rejected them.

France's new medieval castle

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10440300.stm
http://www.guedelon.fr/

A castle is being built deep in a French forest in an unusual experiment to replicate medieval construction techniques.

Don't you just love standardized tests, especially when they're developed by outside companies.

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1120ap_us_odd_error_riddled_tests.html?source=mypi

Mass. school district tests rife with errors
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The school superintendent in Springfield, Mass., has taken responsibility for tests given to the district's 11th- and 12th-graders that were rife with spelling, grammatical and factual errors.

CU Researcher Finds 10,000-Year-Old Hunting Weapon

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/24082591/detail.html#

The weapon, which is a dart, looks like a small tree branch, but CU Boulder research associate Craig Lee said the birch sapling still has personal markings on it from an ancient hunter.

Lessons From Harlem Take Root In Tribal Lands

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128106158

When community activist Diana Buza read about plans to clone the Harlem Children's Zone with government funding, she said, "Count me in."
But she's far from Manhattan; Buza lives in Cortez, Colo., and runs The Pinon Project, which helps low-income residents — many of them Native American — learn how to be better parents and find health care and day care.

History, with rose-tinted hindsight

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8762969.stm

Why rewrite history books - to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative for the good of the nation, asks David Cannadine in his Point of View column.

Preserving Navajo History In Canyon De Chelly

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127575126

Every spring and summer, after the winter thaw allows, about a dozen Navajo families still return to their old homesteads at the bottom of Arizona's Canyon de Chelly. The canyon has cradled human civilization for thousands of years.

Schools struggle to meet new race-labeling rules

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2012155704_ethnicitydata19.html

Washington educators, leaders aim for progress with new tribal curriculum

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2012168195_sovereignty21m.html

Summer 2010 Rejuvination Guide from Edutopia

http://www.edutopia.org/summer-rejuvenation-classroom-resource-guide

4-day school weeks gain popularity across US

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_four_day_school_week.html

Good Question: What's The Value Of A H.S. Diploma?

http://wcco.com/education/high.school.diploma.2.1731858.html

Paleontologist for the Day: Head to the Hills and Dig Up Dinosaurs

http://www.edutopia.org/dem-bones

Lesson Plans from the US Census

http://www.census.gov/history/www/teaching_resources/lesson_plans/

Texas schools to get controversial syllabus

Education officials in the US state of Texas have adopted new guidelines to the school curriculum which critics say will politicise teaching.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10141121.stm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126743261&ps=cprs

Conventional wisdom says that good teachers are born, not made. But Doug Lemov spent years observing highly effective teachers, and has developed a set of simple techniques that he says can make anyone a great teacher. His guide is Teach Like A Champion.

Historic Seattle: Viaduct work will reveal long forgotten neighborhood

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/419864_viaduct12.html

The Alaskan Way Viaduct and the First Avenue South onramp tower over a vacant lot south of King Street in downtown Seattle on Tuesday. The Washington State Department of Transportation plans to conduct an archaeological dig on the land south of King Street and north of Royal Brougham Way that used to be home to dozens of warehouses, hotels, saloons and boarding houses. The previous neighborhood was buried by fill dirt when it became a rail yard.

interesting article on autism

Disco dancing 'fixed something in my mind'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8660356.stm

Dressed in feathers and sequins and pirouetting across a packed ballroom, 10-year-old Jimmy Hobley is competing for the Disco Kid championship in Blackpool - the biggest disco championship in Europe.

The Neandertal Genome

http://www.sciencemag.org/special/neandertal/feature/index.html

A site put together by the journal Science about the latest updates.

Programs Train Teachers Using Medical School Model

What if we prepared teachers the same way we prepare doctors? A handful of teacher "residency programs" already exist. One, in Boston, treats schools like teaching hospitals, where seasoned instructors, just like seasoned doctors, train the next generation.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125854975

OK Corral documents discovered in court storeroom

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8636830.stm

NPR interview with Arne Duncan

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126111829

Gov. Charlie Crist vetoes Florida teacher pay bill

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/15/1581083/gov-charlie-crist-vetoes-teacher.html

The controversial teacher pay and tenure bill that prompted sick-outs, sit-ins, street protests and a flood of opposition appears to have no chance of resurrection -- at least not this year.
At a hastily called noontime news conference, Gov. Charlie Crist announced he would veto the bill, which he called "significantly flawed."

NYC to stop paying teachers to do nothing

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_rubber_rooms.html

Hundreds of New York City teachers who are paid full salaries to do nothing while they await disciplinary hearings will be released from the city's "rubber rooms" this fall, officials announced Thursday.

Why do Finland's schools get the best results?

Finland's schools score consistently at the top of world rankings, yet the pupils have the fewest number of class hours in the developed world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/8601207.stm

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/04/01/343624utdemocracydispute_ap.html

A growing group of Utah County parents is challenging a school district's use of a word dating back to ancient Greece: democracy.

Nine Teens Charged With Bullying In Girl's Suicide

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125322627

Education Week: Struggling Georgia School Firing Entire Staff

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/03/25/341773usentireschoolfiredgeorgia_ap.html?r=761252196

"Savannah-Chatham Public School Superintendent Thomas Lockamy address the faculty at A.E. Beach High School on March 25 in Savannah, Ga. The failing high school is firing its entire staff as it struggles to avoid state takeover."

Does NCLB Promote Monolingualism?

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/03/17/25salomone_ep.h29.html?tkn=VRNF5PM4WwR6XgFC0bE3Dfx5IEbCP2VY25BZ&cmp=clp-edweek

Eight years into the No Child Left Behind Act, educators, researchers, and advocates remain locked in heated debate over the effects of the law’s testing and accountability mandates on students, many from immigrant homes where a language other than English is spoken. Remarkably lost in the crossfire are the equally serious implications for the nation and its competitive position internationally.

History a Flash Point as States Debate Standards

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/03/25/27socialstudies_ep.h29.html?tkn=OYZFr%2Bbx5VlkPpJAP2lmsJDqOoYBKZKU5moE&cmp=clp-edweek

With so much emphasis on reading and math...
...what's happening with social studies?

Why So Few?

http://www.aauw.org/research/upload/whysofew.pdf

A report by AAUW on why there are so few women in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM)fields.

http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning

Project learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges. With this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying.

Native American students and dropouts: Confronting the problem

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/417108_nativeeducation22.html

Reports by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction reveal that Native American students in grades nine through 12 dropped out of high school at a rate of 11.5 percent during the 2007-2008 school year. That was the highest out of five racial groups surveyed -- American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islander, black, Hispanic and white. It was also 2.5 percentage points higher than the group with the second-highest dropout rate, African-American students, at 9 percent.

Professor Calls For Balance In Textbooks

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124828541&ps=cprs

"Earlier this week, we talked about the changes made to the social studies curriculum by the Texas school board. One board member argued that current standards are rife with leftist political periods and events. In today's Los Angeles Times, Jonathan Zimmerman writes that most of his fellow liberals won't admit that he's right. So let's revisit the textbook discussion. If you teach social studies, do your textbooks tilt?"

Texas ed board adopts social studies standards

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_texas_schools_social_studies.html

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas State Board of Education agreed to new social studies standards on Friday after the far-right faction wielded its power to shape the lessons that will be taught to millions of students on American history, the U.S. free enterprise system, religion and other topics.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124582041

In one of the largest school closures ever seen in the U.S., the Kansas City, Mo., school board approved a plan Wednesday that will shutter 26 of the district's 61 schools.

Proposed Set Of Academic Standards Unveiled

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124524672

"The blueprint released by a group of governors and school superintendents lays out what students should be learning in math and English every year from kindergarten through high school. The plan is part of a push to iron out the jumble of state standards and raise expectations for American schools."

Graduates rally for embattled school

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/09/rhode.island.school.battle/index.html?hpt=T2

Graduates of the nation's most vilified high school descended upon campus Tuesday evening to support the school's fired teachers. They also had a message for President Obama: Don't bash our school.

Teachers Feel Ignored In Education Debate

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124280366

The survey "Primary Sources: America's Teachers on America's Schools" asked some 40,000 U.S. public school teachers for their opinions on testing, merit pay and other issues. The results show many teachers feel ignored in the debate over how to improve America's schools.

Former 'No Child Left Behind' Advocate Turns Critic

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124209100

Once a conservative advocate for the No Child Left Behind Act, Diane Ravitch has had a change in opinion. The former Bush administration education official has written a book spelling out the law's missteps and adverse effects on the U.S. education system.

Building a Better Teacher

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Teachers-t.html?hp

Doug Lemov has set out to assemble the hidden wisdom of the best teachers in America.

Retelling the history of New Mexico's Native Americans

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/march/wilcox-native-american-030310.html

"The Pueblo Revolt and the Mythology of Conquest by Michael Wilcox corrects the story of New Mexican Native populations while retelling the saga of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and promoting an indigenous approach to archaeology."

San Marcos Pueblo, the location of the dig I was on in 2000, was involved in the Revolt. This is one of the pivotal moments in American history, but most people will never hear about it unless they take a class in Southwest history or archaeology.

US teachers more interested in reform than money

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_us_teacher_survey.html?source=mypi

SEATTLE -- U.S. teachers are more interested in school reform and student achievement than their paychecks, according to a massive new survey.
The survey of 40,090 K-12 teachers - including 15,038 by telephone - was likely the largest national survey of teachers ever completed and includes the opinions of teachers in every grade, in every state and across the demographic spectrum.
Called "Primary Sources: America's Teachers on America's School," the survey was conducted by Harris Interactive between March 10 and June 18, 2009, and was to be released Wednesday. It was paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Scholastic Inc.

Required Reading

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124119468&ps=cprs

The Teen Brain: It's Just Not Grown Up Yet

Scientists used to think teenage brains are just like those of adults — with fewer miles on them. But they're not. Teens' brains are developmentally different. One neurologist mother decided to get to the roots of her son's maddening behavior.

Teaching kids to read from the back of a burro

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/25/cnnheroes.soriano/index.html?hpt=C1

To the unaccustomed eye, a man toting 120 books while riding a stubborn donkey would seem nothing short of a circus spectacle. But for hundreds of children in the rural villages of Colombia, Luis Soriano is far from a clown. He is a man with a mission to save rural children from illiteracy.

I had a good time it the teacher conference at the Duwamish longhouse today. There were several good workshops. I wish I could have attended more. There were several good lessons on keeping social studies students engaged. We learned how to make cattail mats.

A book that could be useful in the classroom:

http://www.heidibohan.com/People%20of%20Cascadia/Cascadia.htm

BBC News - US lessons on education spending

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8487872.stm

British education may be down in the dumps over government spending prospects, but in the US the picture is rather different.

http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846/

Graduate School in the Humanities: Just Don't Go

Schools must embrace mobile technology

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8457679.stm

Students sue Oregon Schools District for breach of contract

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=11813403

OREGON, OH (WTOL) - Several students of a green technology training program at the Oregon Career and Technology Center say the program fell way short of its promises and have filed a lawsuit against Oregon City Schools to recover losses.

http://micksportfolio.yolasite.com/

The above is my portfolio for this Education and Technology class.

Even though the class is over I may try to keep up with this blog, though probably not on a regular basis.