Power Learning 21

If you have proven your skills, conducted meaningful research, published papers, and helped in a schools educational facilities you have most likely acquired the means of establishing teacher tenure. Teacher tenure is essentially a permanent job contract for a professor or a primary/secondary teacher. Commonly, teacher tenure is granted only after you have taught at an established university/school for the duration of two but most likely, seven years. Establishing teacher tenure is the current economy is vital. With tenure, a teacher cannot lose his or her job without severe misconduct. With job cut backs and layoffs, this is a stable position to have, as your job is virtually guaranteed.

teacher tenure

A teacher who demonstrates competence and results in and out of the classroom for at least six years at a university is granted tenure. Excelling not only as an instructor but also writing papers and conducting research in their specialty is required for teacher tenure. In addition, they must also take part in academic committees focusing on departmental issues, such as designing new courses and graduation requirements. Those professors who do more for their schools are granted teacher tenure position when they become available.

In primary/secondary schools, teachers are granted tenure in about two to three years. Non-college teachers in public schools can gain tenure after their probationary period is up. Their performance is analyzed and if successful, the gain job security.

Once gained, the teacher sings a contract and they cannot lose their job without just cause. Tenured Teachers who maintain their personal and academic integrity enjoy long, respected, rewarding careers in their field of expertise.

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Typically, as the holiday season nears, the jobless rate decreases. Seasonal work becomes available and the economy rises a bit. However, the jobless rate has rose to 9.8% in November after holding steady for three months. The Bureau Of Labor Statistics reported this percentage, which is another sign of the nations weak economic recovery. The upsetting report shocked economists who anticipated a steadier decline in the jobless rate.

jobless rate

In October, the nonfarm payroll employment rose to 172,000. However in November, it rose only by 39,000. This report is upsetting as it punctures other signs that may have caused optimism in the economy. Home sales had jumped, auto sales went up, and retailers reported good sales. However, this new unemployment report deters optimism. Jobless rates decreasing proves the slowdown in job growth and it could be more then a year before the jobless rate goes down to its normal rate. Some of the biggest job gains were in health care. The unemployment rate among adults with a high school education or less is double or triple that for workers with a bachelor’s degree. More then 15 million people are currently unemployed.

Those who have been able to hold onto their jobs have experienced increased pay rates. Weekly earnings have gone up about 2.3% despite the jobless rate decrease. To combat the jobless rate, the Social Security Administrations estimated that the U.S would have to add at least 200,000 jobs/month to push jobless rates below 8% by 2012. Austan Gooldbess, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, links the jobless rate to the Bush-era tax cuts and unemployment insurance.

Democrats are now working to extend unemployment insurance into 2011, but republicans demand spending cuts. If congress does not approve the extension, benefits will run out for 2 million people in December. The effects of the jobless rates affect virtually everyone in the nation and unfortunately a long road is ahead to increase this rate.

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Online Learning has recently become a nationwide trend. Where before fewer then roughly 50,000 kindergarten to high school seniors took part in online course, recently over 3 million have taken part in the technological advance in education. Ranging from full to part time online students, online learning allows for an individual to go to school at home and have access to highly qualified teachers as well as take advantage of content on the Internet.

The state of Georgia has consistently increased their online learning system as they have recently reported over 9,793 enrollments in their state-run Georgia Virtual School. This program, supported by the Department of Education, has full-time charter schools that have been taken advantage by the some 4,400 full-time students. Other districts have similar programs. Gwinnett Country Public Schools has an online campus that enhances online learning in various classes. These programs allow home-school students, credit recovery participants, and dropouts in Georgia the opportunity to advanced their education. Georgia plans to enhance their online learning further and provide more students with quality choices for education and transform the public education system as well.

Online Learning continues to grow and adds classes and options that provide exceptional choices to better fit an individual students needs. Online Learning has been seen as “disruptive” to the traditional education system, however, the affordability and technological fit for the 21^st century cannot be denied.

The 21^st century is upon us and although today’s schools system fit the 1900’s, changed much be made to better suit the technological advances that are being made. Students can learn to work with the technology of their generation while maintaining and understanding of the past by the simple operation of an online learning system.

One-room schoolhouses and low graduation rates dominated the education system in the 1900’s. When Germany became more industrial, this school system didn’t cut it and America’s public education changed gears and extended high school opportunities and the rates went up. Teachers now instituted grades and focused on academic proficiency. This same system is sill in place today. However, just as reform was needed then, it is needed now. Online Learning is the education system of the 21^st century.

Schools systems are focused around standardized student treatment. However, all students learn differently and the system currently in place doesn’t accommodate the specificities of each student. Everyone has different learning needs and online learning can provide specific needs to each individual. Everyone enters the classroom with different experiences, aptitude and motivation. Some student grasp certain concepts more easily then others. Because we all learn differently, it makes sense to have a customized teaching approach to maximize every students potential. Online Learning provides for students to retain a better understanding of concepts at their own pace and learn what learning techniques work for them.

Simply put, today’s public school model clashes with how children learn. The minds of the next generation cannot be standardized. When a class is ready to move on to a new topic, all students move on, even if some student are left behind. The same goes for students who sit in a class bored because they grasped the concept weeks ago. Furthermore, a teacher may teach how he/she best grasped the concept and overlook other methods, however, although they mastered the topic that way, their concept of knowledge differs from that of their students.

Everyone realizes that customization in today’s system is expensive. To provide a special lesson plan for each individual is costly and virtually impossible as it would prove to be a time-consuming task. The goal is to educate every student to the highest potential and the education system needs to be transformed to a student-centric model that is not based on fixed learning. An affordable solution is online learning, which allows for mass customization.

Although viewed as a “disruptive innovation” online learning will not start out as a complete opposite program of the current public school model. Online Learning can be chosen as full-time, but also part-time as well. Incorporating this system in sectors will also gradually allow online learning to work its way into the school systems in a seamless manner. Those students who need more attention or don’t feel challenged can begin online learning in order to progress at their own speed. Online learning, overall, supports progression and customization in an affordable manner.

Online learning has the ability to transform education. Beginning with PowerPoint presentations in the classroom, online learning has already been slowly incorporated in schools. It then grew to help students in rural areas that didn’t have the availability of a school nearby and also halted crowed classrooms and scheduling conflicts. Home-school students have taken advantage of the technological resource and allowed students to make up credits.

Online Learning has been growing and following a classic disruptive pattern in which one day, it will seamlessly transform education. It has grown at 30% nationally and in fewer then 10 years it is estimated that 50% of high school courses will be online nationwide.

Although gradual, change in education is occurring. A student-centric system is a possibility as other schools begin to take advantage of online learning. The Florida Virtual School and since 1997 has grown and in 2003 Florida Legislature included it in the state funding for K-12. The school has since grown and become more credible then the standard brick –and-motor schools.

Georgia, whose online learning system has the opportunity to create a true student-centric environment, is continuing development of its program and advancing it. Students will not be limited by driving distance or family circumstances. They will be able to receive an almost stress free education.

The dangers lie in the lack of policies on online learning. It is vital for this type of education to remain focused on quality of education over price. Another question raised relates to teacher roles.

Hypothesized are three different roles of teachers: answer questions online, motivate students and mentor them to stay on task, and incorporate caseworkers that can aid students in nonacademic issues. Some roles can be performed in person and others virtually. Teachers will spend less day-to-day time on lesson planning and delivering lectures. Online Learning will allow teachers more time to work one-on-one with students and help students when they need it.

The broad goals for reforming education, as defined by President Obama’s administration, are: develop common assessments, improve teacher effectiveness, use data to make decisions, turn around the lowest performing schools.

Online Learning is moving toward a mastered system. As it continues to grow, Georgia-policy makers have the ability to set a precedent on how to transform the school system in American. Policies must be crafted for the now. It is the creation of an entirely new education system that is affordable and future based. Online Learning supports every students full potential.

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Keeping up with current events happening in the teaching world is a vital part of the educational profession. Teacher current events can inform an educator with educational changes as well events that occurred that may shed teaching in a negative light. To uncover the latest buzz on current events in the teaching profession refer to the events below:

Teacher Current Events

1.)   School Nutrition Bill Could Be Revived in Congress: First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign for healthier school lunches could be revived in Congress after two key Democrats said they would drop their opposition. To read more on this teacher current event visit: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/11/10/386853uscongresschildnutrition_ap.html

2.)   Professional Development for Teachers at Crossroads: Plans for who will provide the training that is continually required to update teachers in order to improve their craft. To read more on this teacher current event visit: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/11/10/11pd_overview.h30.html?tkn=VWTFjQhiem1sUw6mQ44Hh5ra0EAh3yf4w2%2FX&cmp=clp-edweek

3.)   U.S. Releases National Ed-Tech Action Plan: The U.S Department of Education’s plan to pay for research to study online professional-collaboration communities for teachers. To further understand this plan, visit: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/11/09/12edtech.h30.html?tkn=XVTFNNVyQtSI6tSk7HcTu%2FNC6n2og%2FVhBZih&cmp=clp-edweek

4.)   Study: TAP Schools Outperform ‘Synthetic’ Counterparts: Schools in the Teacher Advancement Program apparently would produce higher-achieving students in math than non-TAP schools with similar characteristics, concludes a recent analysis released by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. To read more on this teacher current event visit: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2010/11/the_teacher_advancement_progra.html

5.)   The Same Thing Over and Over: How to “fix” public schools. For elaboration on this current event topic visit: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/11/10/11hess_ep.h30.html

In order to stay on top of teacher current events and news in the teaching community, be proactive in reading news articles pertaining to the profession. Find websites that are updated regularly and can be posted on in order to obtain interaction with other teachers and gain incite on your peer’s thoughts. Relevant articles can be found at: http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html

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In the teaching profession, technology is constantly being updated and new techniques become available every week. Trying new things in the classroom enhances a teacher’s knowledge of what works, and what necessarily does not work. There is an abundance of free technology for a teacher available on the web if you just know where to look. Free technology allows teachers to identify what works in their classroom without costing them much need money in these hard economic times. Check out some of these sites for some free technology for teachers:

1.)  www.PowerLearning21.com: PowerLearning21 is a great free website teachers can utilize. The company’s intent is to change the way teachers and students interact on the Internet. Its goals are to expand the way students and the general public could educate themselves in an inexpensive way as well as provide additional income for teachers and educators across the nation.

2.)  The Avalon Project is a great free technology resource for primary source documents from US History

3.)  The National Humanities Center Toolbox Library host eight collections of primary source documents and images.

4.)  www.google.com is a free technology search engine that can produce tons of results for any information you express interest in. Whether you need information, a video, images, directions, etc, Google can allow you to come across the information you need.

5.)  The Travel Film Archive is a collection of hundreds of travel films recorded between 1900 and 1970. In the archives you will find films about US National Parks, cities across the globe, and cultural events from around the world.
Software teachers’ use in classrooms as well as the technical skills now required of students has drastically changed education in the classroom. Taking advantage of free technology allows teachers to gain access to an enormous amount of information that is both fast and efficient. Students today become more engaged when technology is utilized and there, the ability to gain access to this technology for free is vital. Educators have limitless resources at their fingertips and with this new knowledge, you now know here to look. To utilize more free technology for teachers you can visit:

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

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As teachers, educating and molding the minds of the next generation plays an important role in society. Therefore, discovering new teacher resources can greatly benefit and enhance your style of teaching. With education requirements, individuality of each student, and technology changes it is vital that you utilize the vast amount of teaching resources available to teachers. Teacher resources involve collaboration with other teachers as well as educating yourself with new forms of teaching that can be found online.

Essential Teacher Resources

Some websites that provide necessary and relevant teaching resources such as shared lesson plans, unit ideas, book suggestions, classroom activities, and more are listed below:

1.) http://www.teachercreated.com This teacher resource provides free lesson plans, supplements for teaching material, as well as supplies. It also provides suggestions for books by topic as well as suggestions for décor of the classroom and sells products as well as offers free material.

2.) http://outoftheboxteaching.com/Forum This resourceful teaching website contains a forum that teachers can use to ask questions about different unit idea and get feedback.

3.) http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm This teaching resource provides content ranging from ideas to make a first impression on students the very first day to teaching techniques, lesson plans, and getting students motivated. You can choose the topic of your choice and the site will take you to an abundance of subjects pertaining to the topic.

4.) http://712educators.about.com/od/teacherresources/Resources_for_Teachers.htm This teacher resource provides extra links to resources that help make teaching easier. Choose a topic, and websites with information pertaining to it will appear.

5.) http://teachers.net This teacher resource gives suggestions for lessons, projects, articles, jobs and chartrooms to discuss techniques with other teachers.

Whether new to teaching or an experienced veteran, being up to date on the variety of teacher resources is vital to providing a quality education. Browse through the new techniques and add in your own style to enhance the learning of the next generation.

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If you are a TOEFL Training and looking for Online Teaching Jobs Visit PL21 and upload your videos!

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