Buzz feed Publishing: Is it Academic?

Since it's becoming more expensive to publish, I thought I would share this post from Wired Campus. Interesting, but I think we're a long way from this, but who knows. What do you think?

Link

I feel for Grant Wiggin's daughter.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/10/24/teacher-spends-two-days-as-a-student-and-is-shocked-at-what-she-learned/

EC-6 and 4-8 Exam Specifications

This information was provided by Dr. Zelma Mata from a brochure created by 240Tutoring.com.

General Information:

In CORE Subjects each subject area on the exams is now a separate test which must be passed.
Once all subject area tests are passed the entire exam is considered successfully completed.

Administration Details:

• The new exam is now called CORE Subjects. It will be a Computer Administered Test (CAT). 
• Students taking a CORE Subjects exam for the first time will sit for all five subject-area tests. 
• Students are required to retake only the subject-area test that they fail. Initial CORE Subjects exam is $120. Any subject-area test taken after is $60 per test. 
• The tests are timed independently. Time is not combined or carried from one test to the next. 
• Subject area tests can be re-taken 45 days after the initial exam. Students only re-take exams they previously failed.

Dates for both EC-6 and 4-8 exams:

• Winter 2015 - CORE Subjects is first offered
• Summer 2015 - Last administration of Generalist exams
• August 31, 2017 - Last date to finish certification requirements for the Generalist
• October 30, 2017 - Last date to apply and recommend for the Generalist

Mission of Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction

As stated in the 2013 NCATE Report:

The mission of the Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction is to to advance knowledge of, and professional practice in, teaching and learning. In addition it is the mission of the M.Ed. program to provide graduate programs that are grounded in evidence-based professional practice, collaboration, knowledge acquisition, reflective inquiry, pedagogical leadership, and respect for the culturally and linguistically diverse learner. 

Bi-National Conference

The College of Education in Partnership with el Colegio de Educación in Matamoros will be holding their Congreso Internacional de Educación through videoconferencing from the UT-Brownsville campus on Saturday, October 25, 2014. Goodie bags and gifts will be raffled during the event.

The College of Education encourages students and the community to attend. Registration forms are available at the College of Education's office of the Dean Main 2.306. The conference fee is $20. 

Faculty are also encouraged to use this activity as an extension of their coursework and inform their students.

For more information contact Dr. Reynaldo Ramirez at 956-882-7255.

THECB Standards for Online Courses

Distance education courses are categorized into two types in accordance with THECB:

(8) Distance Education--The formal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are not in the same physical setting for the majority (more than 50 percent) of instruction.

(9) Distance Education Course--A course in which a majority (more than 50 percent) of the instruction occurs when the student(s) and instructor(s) are not in the same place. Two categories of distance education courses are defined:

    (A) Fully Distance Education Course--A course which may have mandatory face-to-face sessions totaling no more than 15 percent of the instructional time. Examples of face-to-face sessions include orientation, laboratory, exam review, or an in-person test.

    (B) Hybrid/Blended Course--A course in which a majority (more than 50 percent but less than 85 percent), of the planned instruction occurs when the students and instructor(s) are not in the same place.

(10) Distance Education Degree or Certificate Program--A program in which a student may complete a majority (more than 50 percent) of the credit hours required for the program through distance education courses.

To qualify as a fully distance education course, the student-instructor contact will NOT exceed 15% of the instructional time (whether it is 45 hours or 48 hours).

M.Ed. C&I - Student Learning Outcomes

The following are Student Learning Outcomes for the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. Those with an asterisks have been chosen for assessment.

• Students will be able to write, organize, and present solutions to curricular issues in a way that displays their knowledge of curriculum program theory, design, and evaluation at the completion of their graduate program. (Comprehensive Exam)
• Students will be able to critically analyze and evaluate research in a way that is specific to curricular issues and practices. (Curriculum Development Problems and Processes)
• Students will be able to integrate content pedagogy by designing effective, real-world curriculum research projects. (Capstone Course)

2014-2015 TLI Personnel Committee

Dear Colleagues,

At our last TLI meeting the faculty were asked to nominate a department member to serve on the TLI Department Personnel Committee. At the end of last week, I had only received one nomination. Today I was able to speak to the nominee to determine whether they would accept the position.

Dr. Maria Diaz, Assistant Professor for Elementary Science Education, has agreed to serve on the committee. She will certainly do a great job and learn a lot in the process. Please help me congratulate Dr. Diaz.​

The TLI Personnel Committee also includes Dr. Irma S. Jones (Chair) and Dr. Peter B. Gawenda. Dr. Jones is also representing the department at the college level.

EC-6 Science Options Recommendation

Sent to EC-6 Committee:

It appears then the courses we recommended to be developed and included in the science course inventories were not to be included. If this is the case, we'll work on getting these developed at a later time. The choices below are rigid and do not allow to address specific areas in which teachers and EC-6 students struggle.

If this is what we have then the choice must be a selection from three hour science courses to not increase the program hours beyond 126. Therefore, the courses in combination should not exceed 6 hours. My recommendations under this situation would include either of these two combinations; however, my preference would be Option 1.

Option 1

ENVR 2355: Natural Disasters

This course will explore hazardous Earth processes, including landslides, subsidence, tsunami, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes and floods, as well as the nature and effects of human interaction with the environment.

GEOG 2313 Principles of Geography Physics Elementary

An introduction to physical geography with emphasis on weather, ocean currents and climates. Soils and vegetation types and distributions are also studied. Can be counted in the supporting areas of elementary education curriculum.​

or

Option 2

ASTR 1401: Introduction to Astronomy I

This course introduces the student to basic concepts in Astronomy and of our Solar System. Telescopes and other instruments, including the planetarium, are used as an integral part of the course. The course includes three laboratory hours a week to emphasize course concepts.

PSCI 4210 Physical Science for Educators I

This is the first part of hands on physical science course designed for education majors in EC-8 programs. The course will provide the students with basic theoretical background in physical science (properties of matter, mechanics, waves), and will develop skills in physical experimentation.​

Phase 1 Acceptance Letter

After the possibility of a return letter showing up in our spam folder, I checked. Well, I'm glad I did because it was returned as "undeliverable". I feel so fortunate to work with faculty who so freely discuss issues and voice concerns.

We had a great discussion today. It's so welcoming to know that you all care and work so hard. Thanks Peter and Bobbette for bringing this issue to mind.

If you haven't checked your spam folder, do so.

Agenda - October 8, 2014

• Welcome
• Blog URL - http://utb-tli.blogspot.com/
• Course Loads - Dr. Ramirez
• Phase 1 - Dr. Morgan
• M.Ed. C&I - Dr. Ramirez
• Doctoral - Dr. Gawenda
• EC-6 Bachelors Interdisciplinary Studies - Dr. Ramirez
• PPR - Dr. Ramirez
• UTRGV Core Curriculum - Dr. Ramirez
• Department Assessment Committee - Dr. Telese
• Bi-National Conference - Drs. Caceres and Espinosa-Dulanto
• Personnel Committee Nomination
• Teacher Work Sample Assessments - December 3, 2014