Courtesy of NotRocketScience

Deep-sea biology has always interested me, mainly because of the sheer enormity of what we don’t yet know about the creatures that live in this unique habitat.

Nothing beats the conclusions of a recent genetic study by David Johnson at The Smithsonian confirming the work of a Japanese group.  Breaking it all down is Ed Yong of Not Exactly Rocket Science in a recent post.  In a nutshell, there are three very different organisms that turn out to be the larva, male, and female of the same species.  Imagine what doors this opens up for re-investigating what we already “know”.

Another week, another Carnival of Ed!  Please take a few moments to visit the Examiner’s Education blog to see some of the best from all over the edublogosphere.  One of the highlighted items is my post about the new ABCi grading system in my class this year.

FYI, I would have posted this earlier, but I fell prey to a stomach virus of some sort that had been affecting most of my students.  I would love to hear about any tried and true techniques for avoiding what your students have.

I suppose it is a bit of a cliche to make a New Year’s Resolution that is unattainable, and I want to make it clear that this is not my intent.  I have spent my eight-year teaching career migrating across the spectrum from an ultra-easygoing “friend to every student” to a “sage on the stage” to where I am today.  As I look at what I teach and how I teach it, I am left feeling inadequate.

Partly, this depressing assessment comes from the many competing interests that drive my teaching style and my personal philosophy.  First, I am a scientist.  I believe that every single American child needs to leave our public school system with the fundamental scientific literacy necessary to be a thoughtful and independent citizen.  Specifically, I find myself more and more frustrated with the growing tide of anti-vaccination efforts and “teach the controversy” movements that are based on pseudo-science and fueled by the ignorance of many Americans.  I know that sounds harsh, but it’s shockingly true.  I’m not an activist teacher, but I do make a concerted effort to dispel misconceptions and make it clear that science is just a very powerful problem-solving technique.

But, I am also a teacher and father who knows that children learn in different ways and at different paces.  Is it really productive to set absolute standards that some children will not be able to reach?  I have seen many times the impact of students who no longer believe that they can succeed.  They become the bullies and class clowns that pull me away from teaching and engaging other students.  It’s clear to me that we need to keep the carrot far enough ahead of each student so that he is motivated to achieve, but close enough that he doesn’t lose hope.

I take personally much of the criticism that is leveled against the public education system, claiming that we coddle children and protect them from the cruel realities and unyielding requirements of the “real world”.  How do we reconcile these opposing viewpoints?  Do we determine some basic level of mastery and require it of every student?  Or, do we seek to move each student forward a set amount each year, regardless of whether they achieve mastery?

These are the questions that keep me up at night.  Well, these questions and a disturbing addiction to caffeine.  In search of an answer, I have spent this holiday break (mine is combined with a two-week year-round track-out break) reading and collaborating with my PLN.  I owe much of where I stand today on what I’ve learned from Ken O’Connor’s “How to Grade for Learning“, the formative assessment work of Page Keeley, and some sage advice from Science Goddess (who recommended the O’Connor book).  The short and sweet version of it is this: Beginning this semester, I am utilizing a grading system based on no failing marks.  Students who submit work that does not meet the standards set for a “C” will earn an “Incomplete” until the work is re-submitted at the requisite level.  Students who go above and beyond the minimum requirements will continue to earn “A” and “B” marks.

The philosophy behind this grading system is a topic for another post, but suffice it to say it rewards my highly motivated students while simultaneously encouraging those with substandard work to see their work as the product of revision and improvement.  Once it’s up and running, this system should result in a zero percent failure rate as measured by mastery of the minimum standards (that’s a “C”).

I don’t know whether we are best served by encouraging our more challenged students with marks based  at least partly on effort, or whether we need to draw that line in the sand and say, “If you don’t get to this point, you can not pass my class.”  The answer may seem obvious, but it so difficult to watch a student with a low I.Q. put forth a Herculean effort and still not reach the bar.  Clearly, we need a place for these students, and this system doesn’t provide it.  What is unclear at this time is what will happen to those whom I remediate to no avail.

For now, I am on my own with this little experiment, as my school and district move with glacial speed toward some undefined “improvement in grading practices”. I believe strongly in this change and I simply can’t wait for those in power to make the difficult decisions that are needed.  As I recently shared with a colleague who has played devil’s advocate to many of my grading arguments, the change has to start somewhere.

It has really tickled me to see the cost of owning an Apple iPhone decreasing, and their prevalence increasing, as it has meant that much of the device’s cache has subsided.  Many more people are seeing it the same way I see mine: a nearly perfect convergence device…AKA the “One Thing in My Pocket.”

As more of my friends and the members of my PLN get iPhones, I have been asked more and more what my favorite and most used iPhone applications are.  I decided to blog my answer to the masses, and I hope that you will add your opinions in the comments.

Disclaimer: The following list is just the opinion of one tech-obsessed, pathologically extroverted, middle school science teacher.  Also, I have left off the list any built-in Apps that I use regularly, such as Calendar or Mail.  Your mileage may vary.

Evernote: I’ve posted before about how critical this application is to my state of mind and my “outboard brain”.  The bottom line is that I can capture anything (except, perhaps, webpages) with my iPhone and then search for and access it all from anywhere (web, iPhone, Mac).

Price: Free  [iTunes link]

Google Mobile: This slick little app direct from Google used to just be another way to search Google (without using the search bar in Mobile Safari), but the addition of Voice Search in the latest version makes this the killer search app.  It can include Contacts in my search results and can utilize the GPS in my iPhone 3G to search nearby.

Price: Free   [iTunes link]

Byline: There are many ways to read RSS feeds on the iPhone, but for those of us who use Google Reader as our desktop feedreader, Byline stands above the rest.  It synchronizes to Reader, so my unread count is always accurate, and it downloads articles for offline reading.  The interface is pretty good, and it has an optional landscape mode that makes reading even more of a pleasure.

Price: $4.99   [iTunes link]

Twitterific: Isn’t it amazing how quickly Twitter has taken off over the past few months?  I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t spend as much time in the Twitterverse as I would like to, but when I do dip my toes into the endless stream of conversation this is the tool I choose.  I actually prefer its ease-of-use even to the Mac desktop version.  Its creator, Iconfactory, has a knack for beautiful interfaces.

TouchType: There is a growing number of applications like TouchType that allow text entry (including email and twitter composing) in landscape mode for its larger keyboard, but I prefer the ability of this one to save snippets to use later.

Price: $0.99   [iTunes link]

WeatherBug: There are basically three choices when it comes to high-quality weather apps for the iPhone.  The best looking is the built-in Apple Weather, but I prefer the local info available through WeatherBug’s network of weather stations mounted on schools all over the country.  The iPhone app uses the GPS receiver to find the station closest to you and give you all the usual data like current/high/low temperatures, wind speed/direction and weather alerts, along with radar maps and video/images.  Plus, you can’t beat the price.

Price: Free   [iTunes link]

RTM: I am a to-do list junkie, and I finally found a complete system that worked for me when I switched to Remember the Milk’s web service.  Their iPhone app completes the package by giving me local access to my tasks in a gorgeous interface.  Now, the best part of finishing a task is the cool “swipe” effect that you use to mark it as complete.

Price: Free (w/Remember the Milk Pro)   [iTunes link]

Texas Hold ‘Em: This is one of those iPhone games that isn’t just a port of something that originated elsewhere.  It taps into the strengths of the accelerometer by switching from a top-down view in landscape mode to a face-to-face view in portrait.  It helps that the level of play is not beyond the reach of casual gamers.  Top-of-the-line graphics are the icing on the cake.

Price: $4.99   [iTunes link]

Mint.com: The web interface for Mint.com is an incredible free resource that will coordinate all of your finances in one simple screen.  The iPhone application give you a snapshot for all of your accounts and the current state of your budget (which the program sets up automatically).  It keeps me honest on the money front.

Price: Free   [iTunes link]

The cumulative effect of all of these applications on my iPhone is that I’m using my MacBook less and less often outside of school.  I really can do everything I need to with one device in my pocket, and all while listening to my favorite music.  Any suggestions?  Put ‘em in the comments.

I was cleaning out a toy box at home this week, and discovered a card from my 5-year-old’s deck of sight word flash cards.  The pairing of words on the front and back seems ill-advised, unless they were designed for Baby Mixalot.

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Happy New Year!  May all of your decisions this year be either smart of funny.