Classrooms for the Future
Colonial School District is among the first districts to receive a "Classrooms for the Future" grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
By News Staff
In September 2006, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell announced "Classrooms for the Future," an initiative to transform the high school learning experience. The program will put a laptop computer on every high school English, math, science and social studies desk and provide teachers with a multimedia workstation and intensive training to enhance education. The governor's 2006-07 budget provided $20 million for the first year of the initiative, with plans to expand the program statewide.
An additional $6 million in state and federal resources will be used to train teachers and administrators on how to best harness the power of technology to enhance classroom discussions, lessons and projects.
In addition to the laptops, each classroom will be equipped with an interactive whiteboard and projector, Web cams and other video cameras. Teachers and students will also have access to imaging software.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Web site, Classrooms for the Future "is designed to ensure there is a laptop on every high school classroom desk in English, Math, Science and Social Studies in all public high schools and career and technical centers in Pennsylvania ... High school students are poised to enter the global marketplace or to continue their education beyond preK-12 and it is our obligation to prepare them within a short window of opportunity." Seventy-nine school districts were selected to participate in the first year of the program.
The Colonial School District is among the first districts to receive a Classrooms for the Future grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The $202,539 grant is among the largest issued to a single school and will be used to purchase 192 wireless student laptops for classroom use the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (PWHS) Social Studies Department, as well as provide staff development and training.
The entire PWHS campus was equipped with wireless capability as part of an extensive upgrade of technology resources. Interactive whiteboards and high-powered digital overhead presenters connected directly to a video/data projector for real-time viewing were installed in 52 classrooms in time for the start of the school year. There are presently 90 of these classrooms engaging students in the Colonial School District this fall. An additional 32 classrooms are scheduled to be online for the 2007-08 school year thanks to the ongoing support of the community and the school board of directors.
"This grant confirms that the Colonial School District has been on the cutting edge of technology and the use of technology to deliver curriculum for the past three years," said Superintendent Dr. Vincent F. Cotter. "From extensive use of data analysis to interactive classrooms, Colonial has been a leader in utilizing technology to educate our students. This grant gives us the impetus to accelerate our technology implementation schedule."
As part of its Classrooms of the Future Grant, Colonial uses a server-based digital video delivery system, a pre-screened academic content search engine, Internet2 and conferencing solutions. In spring 2006, middle school students learned about Australia's Great Barrier Reef through a video conference with instructors from down under.
The district Web site is an integral portal for students, teachers, parents, community members and school board members to stay informed on major developments taking place in the district. The K-12 social studies curriculum is online and available to all stakeholders. Resources aligned with the curriculum are also available via the Web site. Teachers have created best practice lessons that can be implemented and shared using all of the technologies available; this model is currently being applied to other content areas such as language arts, science and math. The district continues to expand the framework, moving to a portal solution to provide all the instructional tools necessary for the 21st century classroom.
Laptop equipment from the Classrooms for the Future grant is expected to be released to the district first as one of selected pilot schools ready for implementation into the classroom instructional program. The 192 wireless laptops are just the first phase in the Classrooms for the Future grant from PDE. Approximately 720 additional laptops will be brought online in the next two years, pending finding approval by the Pennsylvania Legislature. Those laptops will support the language arts, math and science curriculum.
Classrooms for the Future is a $250 million, three-year comprehensive high school reform project that leverages all of Pennsylvania's education efforts. The program recognizes and embraces the need for high school reform, enables teachers to use technology as an effective tool for educating students and prepares students to enter and successfully compete in the ever-expanding high-tech global marketplace.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
RESPONSE: Mosaic Ghana Africa / Offer to Participate and Endorse
Hi Joe:
CONGRATULATIONS on the continuing development of a "meaningful conversation" regarding the various opportunities and possibilities represented by the identified constituents namely Ghana, West Africa and the United States of America.
As you and I have discussed on many occasions this is truly a mission which is dear to our organizations hearts, minds and endeavors. Over the last several years we have crossed paths several times on this "purity of purpose" undertaking. Witness, our seminal discussions and interactions with our Detroit community partners at the "Friends of Detroit & Tri-County" community learning center and mutual efforts on behalf of the "Gateway to West Africa Project" orchestrated by Chief, Nana Kwaku Yiadom. Additionally, we have participated in and supported from its inception the annual Oakland Schools "Global Trade Mission" efforts under the leadership and tutelage of Dr. Marlana Krolicki, Oakland Schools ISD, by providing real-world, subject-matter experts, leadership-speakers from the Sub-Saharan Continent of Africa namely Mr. Edo Mansaluca (2 years) of Angola, West Africa and The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chief Nana Kwaku Yiadom (2 years) of Ghana, West Africa. Clearly, as you and I will agree these are not merely co-incidences but rather may indeed be guided by a much higher-ordered hand.
Your invitation to participate and/or endorse these continuing efforts via Mosaic Ghana Africa is well received by our organization and we wish to affirm our continuing commitment and support to this shared alignment of purpose. Of course as they say, "the devil is in the details" and without a thorough understanding of those details on our part we are unable to define the potential depths of our contributions and involvement. Perhaps a "meeting of the minds" is in order to further our base-understanding of this undertaking and to "plumb the depths" of the various possibilities this truly collaborative opportunity represents? Additionally, if you would kindly forward the Mosaic Ghana Africa Information/Media Kit (address below) as you proposed it would be much appreciated and serve to facilitate our deeper understanding.
Although I can not speak for Kent Roberts and his organization (Civility Center), nor would I assume to, I'm sure he would resonate with this collaborative missions intentions. His organization and his personal message, mission and mind would be a great addition and complement to this endeavor.
Finally, as you may or may not know "21st Century Digital Learning Environments" has been deeply embedded in the Detroit Public Schools system via Northwestern High School and the AIM Program (Achievement In Motion) for much of the last year. This is a "stellar" leading-edge technological K-12 Education Model Program under the visionary direction and leadership of Dr. Shedrick Ward, Director, Detroit Public Schools, Science Math and Technology Resource Center. Dr. Ward is also the sole-author of the Detroit Public Schools Technology Plan (2006) which in my humble opinion, is the finest example of an K-12 Education Technology Plan in this country. Perhaps there are some cross-pollination opportunities to "share the wealth" through this undertaking.
Please let us know what your thoughts might be. Much continued success!
Kind regards,
Jim
Jim Ross, president
21st Century Digital Learning Environments
41810 Huntington Ct.
Clinton Township, MI 48038
586-228-0608
Response: Dr. Marlana Krolicki, Oakland Schools Global Trade Mission
| "Krolicki, Marlana" | ||||||
| to | James Ross | |||||
| date | Mar 27, 2007 11:38 AM | |||||
| subject | RE: Mosaic Ghana Africa | |||||
| mailed-by | oakland.k12.mi.us | |||||
Thanks Jim, We certainly enjoyed Chief Nana Kwaku at GTM, and all the coaches and volunteers.
You bring valuable and interesting social capitol to the table!
thanks again!
Marlana
Friday, March 23, 2007
Ghana, West Aftica, Trade Mission
Hi John, Jim and Kent,
I trust all is well and sincerely wish you are getting everything out of life that you desire. I am sending this to you based on our previous discussions on ways to potentially develop and expand
The main purpose for contacting you is to ask you to consider participating and/or endorsing this mission, known as Mosaic Ghana Africa™. As a Participant, you would experience the cultural and business aspects of
I look forward to your thoughts and comments regarding Mosaic Ghana Africa™. An informational/media kit is available and can be sent upon request. Please feel free to forward this information to friends and colleagues. . As a note, it is my intention to make a pre-Tour trip and I have permission from the House of Chiefs to videotape many aspects of my pre-Tour trip including spending overnight in a local village like I did in
Best regards and have a great week.
Joe
Joseph P. Cool
President
Cool & Associates, Inc.
248 683 1130
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Leonard Pitts on "What Works" for Education in Urban Populations
NPR RADIO
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8898739
Talk of the Nation, March 14, 2007 · Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts talks about his series, "What Works?" where he asks his readers to present him not with problems, but with solutions for improving the lives of black children in five specific areas: self-esteem, violence prevention, education, fatherlessness and poverty.
Leonard Pitts E-mail: lpitts@herald.com
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8898739
Talk of the Nation, March 14, 2007 · Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts talks about his series, "What Works?" where he asks his readers to present him not with problems, but with solutions for improving the lives of black children in five specific areas: self-esteem, violence prevention, education, fatherlessness and poverty.
Leonard Pitts E-mail: lpitts@herald.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Congratulations! Northwestern High School Cited in "State of the City" Mayoral Speech
AIM "Makes it's Indelible Mark" for Educational Excellence!
HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF!
http://www.wwj.com
Kilpatrick tells Detroit: Let's tackle crime, grime together
'Nobody's coming to save us'
March 14, 2007
Saying it's time for Detroiters to stop blaming outsiders for the city's ills, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick called on residents Tuesday to take personal responsibility and promised a more focused government that would reduce crime by adding 200 police officers, establish job centers and restore six neighborhoods with an aggressive, five-year plan.
He said he wants to do that and more without raising taxes. In fact, the mayor said he'll cut both property and income taxes, though he would not say how the city, already facing a $96-million deficit, would make up the money.
Kilpatrick made the comments in his sixth State of the City speech at Orchestra Hall with much of his administration and City Council in attendance.
Residents besieged by crime in some of the city's forgotten neighborhoods hope the mayor can make good on his promises.
Mary Abner, 49, who lives on the east side near Davison and 6 Mile, wants to take the mayor's message to heart and hopes her neighbors will, too.
"If he holds up to all that he's talking about, we're rolling," Abner said. "I liked everything about it, especially the part on the neighborhoods and the crime and the kids."
Touching on a tried-and-true mayoral theme hit hard during the administration of Dennis Archer, the mayor strongly took Detroiters to task for the crime ravaging the city. He called on parents to become active in their children's lives, pastors to engage in the neighborhoods where they preach and residents to clean their sidewalks, fix up their homes and reclaim their streets.
"My beloved community, I truly understand the history of African-American people in this country," he said. "But we have come to a point in our community where this is no outside conspiracy doing this to us. This is us killing us. ... And we, as a community, have to stop it now. Nobody's coming to save us."
The more than 2,000 people, including state Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, a Detroit Democrat; city appointees, community activists, residents, pastors and business leaders who packed the hall for the invitation-only event cheered the loudest when he called for personal action and laid out his plan to fight crime. They gave him several standing ovations.
Citing that 70% of homicides are narcotics-related, Kilpatrick called on parents to warn their children about the dangers of the thug life.
"We need to help them understand that the so-called glamorous life that they see in some of these videos is not reality," he said.
"We need to help our children understand that, when you get involved in drugs and sitting in a drug house, there's no high-priced champagne, there's no dancing pretty girls, no nice clothes. There's no bling bling. You can get killed."
The number of homicides in the city increased by almost 10% from 2005 and 2006, according to the Police Executive Research Forum, which tracks crime trends in the country.
A significant portion of the mayor's speech focused on an anticrime strategy that calls for hiring 200 police officers to complement the city's 3,100-member force. The mayor said he will augment the force by deploying a SWAT team to patrol areas where there is significant drug dealing or high incidence of robberies and shootings, as well as creating rapid-response units for priority 911 calls.
Patrol officers will be joined by desk officers and commanders, including Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings, who will be deployed during weekend nights to hot-spot areas, such as nightclubs, party stores and all-night restaurants.
Thomas Wilson Jr., a west-side resident who is president of the Northwestern District Police Community Relations Organization, said the mayor's crime fighting plan did not go far enough to beef up a police department that at its height had more than 5,000 members.
"He's saying he's going to put 200 officers on the street, but you have so many police officers retiring or leaving," Wilson said. "You've got people leaving out the back door of the house and people walking in the front. Does the house ever get full? No.
"It's one thing to tell the chief to take the streets back. It's another to have the manpower to do it," he said.
For all the rhetoric in the mayor's speech, it was still light on the specifics of how he plans to accomplish many of his promises. He has said he will unveil more specifics on funding in coming weeks.
The money issue is critical. Last week, the mayor mentioned a bond initiative he said would fund some of his ideas.
Kilpatrick also announced Tuesday some financial assistance for his Next Detroit Neighborhood Initiative from several foundations and agencies, including the Knight and Skillman foundations.
The mayor said he would address the deficit and the city's fiscal state when he presents his budget plan to the City Council on April 12. He said the current year would end in the black, but he has made that pledge before, and the year-end deficits have always been higher than the mayor estimates.
The mayor also pledged to make workforce development a critical component of his administration, creating programs to help Detroiters in all aspects of job hunting, from preparing resumes and developing employable skills to finding jobs with growth potential.
He said, by year's end, the city's Workforce Development Center will create career centers to help people find jobs in such high-demand industries as health, information technology, construction and retail.
"The only thing this process requires of each participant is personal commitment to be ready to learn and to prepare themselves to work," Kilpatrick said. "That means going to class. That means developing the skills that will make you employable. That means good work habits. And, yes, it means passing the drug test."
He also outlined his plan to transform six city neighborhoods but offered few specifics since announcing the initiative in December.
Meanwhile, he said, the city is working with the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, to develop a strategy over the next three years to assess the buying power in Detroit's neighborhoods in order to attract more businesses.
"They have been very successful in convincing retailers who once said no to a community to actually change their decision and locate in the that community," Kilpatrick said.
"We know Detroiters can shop with the best of them," he said. "And we deserve and have the right to have the best retail in our communities."
At least one mayoral critic, Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins, liked what she heard about revitalizing the neighborhoods and even pledged to help him find the funding.
"I thought he was right on target," she said. "I'll do my part to help him find the money."
Contact MARISOL BELLO at 313- 222-6678 or bello@freepress.com. Staff writers Kathleen Gray and Suzette Hackney contributed.
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
Monday, March 12, 2007
LETTER: Oakland Schools Follow-up on Ghana Global Trade Mission 2007
Marlana Krolicki
Project Director, Global Trade Mission
Oakland Schools ISD
2100 Pontiac Lake Road
Waterford, MI 48328-2735
Ref: Global Trade Mission 2007 Event
Dr. Krolicki:
It was indeed a pleasure seeing you again and participating once again as a presenter during your outstanding Global Trade Mission 2007 event. (Pick it up here Chief)
(Expand on your Ghana, Gateway to West Africa Program outlining the deliverables, etc. Additionally, you may wish to tie in your efforts with DPS and Dr. Ward)
Best,
Jim
Project Director, Global Trade Mission
Oakland Schools ISD
2100 Pontiac Lake Road
Waterford, MI 48328-2735
Ref: Global Trade Mission 2007 Event
Dr. Krolicki:
It was indeed a pleasure seeing you again and participating once again as a presenter during your outstanding Global Trade Mission 2007 event. (Pick it up here Chief)
(Expand on your Ghana, Gateway to West Africa Program outlining the deliverables, etc. Additionally, you may wish to tie in your efforts with DPS and Dr. Ward)
Best,
Jim
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Connection: African Village Program / Burkina Faso
Helping a village: Jump-a-thons, bake sales raise thousands
March 10, 2007
You might think that 10-year-old Haley North and her business partner, Kit Toenniges, also 10, have been washing windows, pulling weeds and scrubbing cars for a little extra spending money.
But these two, and their 1,600 classmates at Cranbrook Schools, have a grander scheme -- eradicating poverty and illiteracy in a tiny African village.
On Friday, three Cranbrook teachers and a local attorney with ties to Africa, left for an 11-day trip to Namtenga, a village of about 4,000 in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest regions in the world. They are delivering school and medical supplies purchased by the students.
And the villagers will see, for the first time, a $16,000 weaving studio, complete with new looms -- all paid for by the children of Cranbrook -- where the women of Namtenga will launch a textile industry.
The studio is just the latest in a series of projects Cranbrook students have paid for in the last six years, including a new well and pump, a new playground, scholarships and a village cow.
"They are probably really happy that people from a different country care about them and would do this for them," said Megan Martzolff, 9, a fourth grader, who, along with her pigtailed companion, Sophie Sklar, 10, sold lemonade last summer for the project.
The Namtenga project began in 2000, with attorney Michael Lavoie, a partner at Butzel Long, who had daughters at Brookside, Cranbrook's elementary school. Lavoie worked in Namtenga digging wells from 1975 to 1977 as a member of the Peace Corps.
Lavoie, who kept in touch with friends he made there, told Cranbrook officials about the village's many needs. From there, it took off.
Jump-a-thons, bake sales, car washes and craft sales helped raise thousands of dollars. In addition to the major projects, the money also was used to buy fun things Namtenga children might never see --kaleidoscopes, soccer balls and art supplies.
The results were almost immediate. Enrollment at the village school climbed to more than 200 from 42, many of them girls, as a result of scholarships paid for by the Cranbrook children's efforts. While the village had mostly relied on surface water found in low-lying marshes, it now pumps clean water from a $6,000 well. Children now play soccer, and Cranbrook students are considering buying soccer nets, said Brookside's school nurse Marcy De Craene.
There will be a personal connection, too. When Lavoie, and teachers Margaret Charney, Peter Charney and Lynn Bennett Carpenter, a weaver, arrive in Namtenga, they will carry 270 letters, written by Cranbrook students, to their peers in the village.
For attorney Lavoie, the Namtenga project is a good way to spread a message he learned 30 years ago, toiling in the heat with villagers he came to call friends.
"We are equally situated in our need to learn from each other," he said. "We share that as people. You learn there is a great sense of equality in the world."
Contact L.L. BRASIER at 248-858-2262 or brasier@freepress.com.
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
Superintendent Calloway
Calloway is ready to lead
Schools chief: Criticism nothing personal
March 10, 2007
Connie Calloway, the next superintendent of Detroit Public Schools, said Friday she was not intimidated by the heated debates that cropped up this week around her candidacy.
"I am looking forward to putting together a team of stakeholders so that we can create a plan tailored to -- as the mayor calls it -- 'renew' the Detroit schools," Calloway said a day after the Detroit school board voted 7-3 to name her superintendent.
She said she was honored by the decision.
Calloway, 56, is currently superintendent of the 5,700-student Normandy, Mo., school district outside St. Louis.
The board also voted Thursday to immediately remove Superintendent William F. Coleman III and replace him with chief labor relations officer Lamont Satchel, who will be the interim superintendent through June 30.
Assistant Superintendent Oscar Abbott was named deputy superintendent. He will help Satchel -- former chief operating officer and general counsel for the district -- in managing academic operations, said board member Carla Scott, chairwoman of the superintendent search committee.
Scott said Coleman was being removed because the board needed "someone with a vested interest" to lead in the crucial coming weeks as officials decide on closing up to 52 schools.
Calloway becomes superintendent effective July 1. School board attorneys must still settle the terms of her contract. She now earns $165,000 a year; Coleman earns about $225,000 and his contract was set to expire June 30.
Calloway is expected to visit Detroit before July, but no date is set, said school board President Jimmy Womack.
Womack, who had favored opening a new search, did not vote Thursday on Calloway.
"I abstained because the decision had already been made," Womack said Friday. "I will wholeheartedly support the new superintendent."
Calloway beat out Coleman and Doris Hope-Jackson, board vice president in the 1,300-student district in Harvey, Ill.
Search committee members who visited Normandy said Calloway is seen as someone who would not tolerate mediocrity. They backed her even though her district is provisionally accredited and none of the schools met federal annual yearly progress standards last year.
Scott said Thursday that while Normandy schools continue to struggle, Calloway had helped them gain provisional accreditation in a year -- "and their ACT scores are three points better than ours."
Public debates over whether the Harvard-educated Calloway is experienced enough to run Detroit's 119,000-student district ramped up this week. A group called the Coalition for Better Detroit Public Schools held a rally to call for a new search and sent letters to Calloway and Hope-Jackson, saying they wouldn't be met warmly in Detroit.
At Thursday's school board meeting, some cheered Calloway while others said the district must be desperate to hire a candidate from such a small district.
Calloway said it's typical for stakeholders to be split over keeping a superintendent or hiring a new one.
"That's a situation that certainly I cannot take personally," she said.
She said she expects it will take a year to get to know the district. It will help, she said, "for people to speak positively about Detroit, to not be so negative about your own district."
Agnes Hitchcock, leader of the Call 'Em Out Coalition, a local grassroots group known for harsh criticisms of politicians, called the board's selection of Calloway "wonderful."
"She was left standing," Hitchcock said. "Give her a year or two."
Contact CHASTITY PRATT at 313-223-4537 or cpratt@freepress.com.
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
Friday, March 9, 2007
New Chief!
School board names Calloway as new chief
March 9, 2007
A woman who runs a 5,700-student district was chosen Thursday to run the 119,000-student Detroit Public Schools.
Amid cheers and jeers, the Detroit Board of Education approved Connie Calloway as the new superintendent by a vote of 7-3 with one abstention.
The board also voted to oust Superintendent William Coleman immediately and appoint Lamont Satchel, the district's chief labor negotiator, as interim superintendent.
Calloway, 56, has been superintendent of the Normandy School District on the outskirts of St. Louis since July 2004.
The board also voted to limit board travel and to investigate artwork bought for school buildings with taxpayer money.
Some in the audience began to jeer as board member Tyrone Winfrey read the motion to hire Calloway, prompting him to tell them, "You can recall me. Do whatever you want to do."
Others in the audience greeted the motion with cheers and shouts. Many carried signs supporting Calloway and insided that the search had been fair.
Calloway, reached at her Missouri home, said she would not have a comment until she is officially notified by the board.
Board member Jonathan Kinloch, who voted against Calloway and favored a new search, gave an impassioned speech telling board members they needed to do what they were elected to do: Listen to what the community wants.
"This candidate is not qualifed to come into this district to handle the challenges," Kinloch said as hecklers interrupted him.
At that point, Winfrey told Kinloch, "This is the last time you're going to insult me," after Kinloch implied the search committee, of which Winfrey was a member, hadn't done its job.
Board President Jimmy Womack, referring to the television cameras around the room, at one point told the hecklers, "I know you want to be stars tonight."
The meeting was noisy but never out of control. It took the board less than 20 minutes to make a decision.
Coleman, whose contract is to expire June 30, has led the school district since July 2005. The board initially voted in December not to interview him for renewing his contract but soon reversed itself. Then last week the board's search committee voted to recommend Calloway for the job.
The selection catapults Calloway from a small district to a financially struggling system that proposes closing 52 school buildings.
Parent Chris Light, who has attended search committee meetings and closely followed the process, said she was disappointed. "The board of education failed our city tonight. They allowed their emotions to control their intellect."
Rev. Loyce Lester, who was on the community advisory council for the search committee, called the vote for Calloway "Absolutely ludicrous."
"We'll show them come August," he said, referring to the next board election.
Shaton Berry, president of the PTSA at Western International High School, said she was "disappointed and baffled" by the board members public insults towards each other. She would have preferred to keep Coleman as superintendent.
"What you're going to have now is a person" who spends time blaming Coleman for problems "and nobody will be educating our kids," Berry said.
John Kelford, a curriculum coordinator at Finney High School, said he had wanted a new search until he talked to Calloway on the phone.
"We have to unite behind her. We have no choice. The kids are counting on us," Kelford said.
Her selection grew more controversial this week after members of a group called Citizens for Better Detroit Public Schools wrote letters to Calloway and the other out-of-town finalist, Doris Hope-Jackson of Illinois, saying the group was pushing the school board to do a new superintendent search.
The letters were signed by the Rev. Horace L. Sheffield III, executive director of a group that operates a school under contract with DPS, as well as by the Rev. Samuel Bullock, president of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity.
No such letter was sent to Coleman.
But Coleman lost the trust of some board members last fall after he admitted that he had referred a DPS information technology contractor to a friend later hired as a consultant even though he was under investigation in Dallas for allegedly taking gifts from a technology contractor there.
Calloway has been superintendent of the Normandy School District on the outskirts of St. Louis since July 2004. Before Normandy, she was director of the Dayton Academy, a charter school in Ohio, for a year, and before that she was superintendent of Trotwood-Madison City (Ohio) Schools from 2000-03.
Last year board members and other district officials racked up more than $1.3 million for travel, hotels, workshops and catered meals while the district faced the nation's worst school financial crisis, closed schools and lost students, a Free Press investigation found. The board will limit travel to $5,000 per member per year and to two trips out of state each year.
A separate Free Press investigation found that Detroit Public Schools had spent at least $1.6 million to purchase artwork with bond money taxpayers had approved to build new schools and renovate old ones. The board said it would consider selling the work.
The board voted Thursday night to formally investigate the art purchases, all made since 2002 from the Sherry Washington Gallery. It will limit its travel to no more than $5,000 per member per year, and to no more than two trips out of state each year.
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Something on OUR End-Game!
A Regent's Vision
Multimedia is Changing New York's Education System.
By Liz Wallendorf
The state of New York has one of the largest, most diverse public school systems in the nation, with more than 7,000 K-12 schools and 248 colleges and universities, from Manhattan to the rural villages of Massena and Waddington, located on the Canadian border.In 2001, Dr. Joseph Bowman was elected to the board of regents that oversees and sets policies for this diverse school system. His election is just another step in his life-long journey to improve the education system in New York and our nation, and to help underprivileged children succeed in school.
Dr. Bowman is involved in so many aspects of education and teaching, it is hard to know what title to use when addressing him. He is a regent, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at University at Albany, State University of New York, the founder and director of the Center for Urban Youth and Technology (CUYT), president of the CUYT foundation, a consultant, and an activist for technology access for the underprivileged.
Changing the World One Child at a Time
"Today, people are confronted with technology on all levels. They need to be able to understand technology to access social services, government services, and medical information," Bowman says. "The leaders of the future are carrying out the business of being adolescents using cell phones, iPods and instant messaging, talking in a new language of digital shorthand, passing electronic notes and carrying on dozens of conversations simultaneously without saying a word."
Dr. Bowman sees this as a problem for kids without access to technology. "We talk about 50 percent of the nation being connected to the Internet in their homes. What about the other 50 percent? What happens to them?" Not content to ask questions to which there are no answers, Dr. Bowman is acting. In 2001 and 2002, he convened a conference on the problems of limited access for economically disadvantaged families and rural areas of New York. Access to technology is opened through the programs of CUYT.
Dr. Bowman believes one of the biggest obstacles is relevance. "You have to make technology relevant to not only the kids, but the parents. It has to be explained in ways that are real to them." He relates the story of a high school freshman at a technology education event. Parents and students were invited to learn about PCs and to purchase systems. "[A student] knew she needed a computer, but couldn't convince her dad to buy one. He didn't see the need," explained Dr. Bowman. Bowman began talking with the gentleman. "Turns out he was from a small village in Brazil. The one thing he really wanted was to be able to read his hometown newspaper." After a quick Internet search, the father found his newspaper and the family had a new computer.
He carries the idea of relevance further. "If we are going to get our kids to study math and science, it has to be real to them," says Bowman. Enter ethnomathematics. Wikipedia defines ethnomathematics as the study of mathematics that considers the culture in which mathematics arises. It focuses on the mathematics that is part of general culture, rather than formal, academic mathematics. One of the programs of CUYT blends math, science, technology and culture to get kids excited about learning. "We know that Latin music has lots of percussion, with an emphasis on drum beats," Bowman says. Within the repeating rhythm are elements of math and pattern analysis. So CUYT created a program using a drum machine, where kids can create their own music, then broadcast that music over a local radio station. Bowman also uses quilt making, hair braiding, and graffiti art to teach kids and get them interested in math.
Changing the World by Changing the System
Throughout the 14 years of CUYT's existence, Bowman has influenced hundreds of kids. However, this is not enough. "I wanted to become a regent because I want to be able to influence the policies that need to be changed if we are going to make the big changes to our education system," says Bowman.
One of his goals as a New York State regent has been to address how New York schools are using technology. "We're working on a technology plan for the state to see how we can use state resources. We have a pre-K-20 initiative that brings it all together -- the museums, the archives, PBS, et cetera. As we're designing these pieces, we're trying to ensure that it is inclusive of the resources we have to offer," Bowman states.
Technology has changed how businesses operate, how governments connect with citizens, and how people communicate with each other. Yet the nation's education system remains essentially as it was more than 100 years ago.
"Technology is a seamless part of our kids' lives," Bowman believes. "They have iPods, play video games, text message each other, but we aren't training teachers to use these tools to teach our children."
Yet these tools are not in the universities and colleges that are teaching the nation's teachers. In fact, very few universities include technology as part of their education degree requirements. Bowman believes this needs to change. Teachers need to learn, not about the technology, but about integrating all the available tools into instruction. "It isn't a simple matter of putting the technology in the schools. Teachers need to learn how to teach with technology." For example, the College of St. Rose, a private college in Albany, uses re-configurable classrooms in its education program. Student teachers can experiment with different room configurations and different technologies to better understand how to integrate technology. Universities should include at least two courses on classroom instruction with technology as part of the degree requirements, Bowman believes.
By taking advantage of the tools available today, Bowman sees an opportunity to change everything, from how kids learn, to the classrooms in which they learn. The Department of Environmental Conservation has students in the field, training teens from local Boys and Girls Clubs to use global positioning systems. While the project, an adaptation of the popular worldwide "GPS Trekking" game, was really more of a treasure hunt than an actual project, it gave the students hands-on experience with GPS. "At first they were reluctant participants. When I gave them the GPS units, their interest increased," says Nancy Payne, an environmental educator at New York's Five Rivers Center. Students learned to use technology as a tool to achieve a common goal and begin to view learning as something more than just school. "There was a lot of laughing and teasing. They all had fun," Payne says.
Bowman believes programs like this create a virtual classroom, teaching students real-world skills that will help them succeed in the business world.
While the magnitude of challenges -- from changing the way teachers are trained to providing technology to all students -- may seem overwhelming, Dr. Bowman has one piece of advice that seems to define his life's work: "Just go do it."
Additional Information
The Center for Urban Youth and Technology
www.albany.edu/cuyt/
Some Current Goals:
-Development of a Multimedia Learning Lab (called Urban CyberSpace Lab) that is community oriented and creates a technology-rich environment where students, parents, small businesses and the community at large can use the resources provided.
-Creation of a school district-wide initiative to provide the networking telecommunications infrastructure that gives access to Internet and satellite/distance teaching capabilities.
-Creation of a teacher-oriented lab/facility for technology-based teacher training development.
-Creation of a job training and retraining technology facility in under-served communities to stimulate economic development.
-Development of skilled professionals in video production and television producing techniques.
Being HERE! (In the Moment) The ART of PRESENCING
Being Here
Making big changes in a business is always difficult. Can managers make it easier by mastering the art of ''presence''?
Edward Teach, CFO Magazine
March 01, 2007
The pace of work is accelerating. Competitive pressures come from all over the globe; investors grow ever more demanding; cell phones and the Internet keep everyone connected and on alert, 24/7. People are constantly busy and anxious about the future; they have little time to think. No wonder more and more Americans are looking for relief: witness the rising interest in disciplines that promote calm and reflection, such as yoga, meditation, and certain martial arts.
No wonder, too, that more and more people are promoting such practices in the workplace.
Increasingly, consultants and executive coaches stress the benefits of slowing down — of turning off anxious, analytic habits of thinking and tuning in to a contemplative, creative frame of mind. But it isn't easy to slow down. Says Robert Gunn, a founding partner of Accompli, a Princeton, New Jersey–based consultancy: "It's very hard for a leader or executive to drop into what we call presence — or awareness, being, quiet-mindedness, in the moment, whatever term you want."
But it's in that state of presence that a leader's best qualities come out, adds Gunn. Indeed, his ability to help executives be more "in the moment," hence open to new insight, is at the core of his business. Gunn's firm typically helps companies achieve some transformational agenda — a reorganization, for example, or streamlining a function. The ends of an engagement are spelled out, whether it's cost reduction, increased market share, revenue growth, and so on. But helping clients find the means to those ends is a little more intangible.
"Our assumption is that clients always discover the answer within themselves, as opposed to getting an answer externally," says Gunn. "This is not to say you don't need analytic work, and sometimes hiring a strategy firm makes a lot of sense. But the change agenda — where you're going, why you need to get there, what it is you're going to do, and how you're going to do it — those four questions clients have to ask, and answer, for themselves."
What's more, Gunn insists that leaders must be willing to change themselves as well. "They have to be the change they want to see in the institution," he says, echoing Gandhi's famous admonition: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Sandra Waddock, a professor of management at Boston College's Carroll School of Management, says that practicing mindfulness can produce substantial payoffs. "When leaders begin to understand that leadership is really about being in the moment — about getting people to become aware of their own deepest meaning and what the meaning of the organization is in the world — then you get a very different sense of loyalty, belonging, commitment, and willingness to work hard from people." Waddock, who recently taught a course called "Leadership and Mindfulness," says that awareness practices can help leaders cope with the ever-increasing complexity of the decisions they face.
The Proper State of Mind
If all this sounds a little mystical, Gunn's résumé is reassuringly conventional. During much of the 1980s and 1990s, first at A.T. Kearney and then his own firm, Gunn Partners, he helped Fortune 500 companies improve the efficiency of their finance and other staff functions. An expert on shared services, Gunn once helped CFO conduct its annual cost-management survey.
In the mid-1990s, Gunn started to focus on change leadership (there is a significant change-leadership component to SG&A improvement, he points out). At the same time, he was taking lessons from an executive coach. Gunn has also long been interested in Tibetan Buddhism, which emphasizes mindfulness and is "pragmatic and practical," he says.
Since its founding in 2004, Gunn's new firm has guided leadership teams in about a dozen large companies. He's selective about the clients he will take on: "Leading takes a tremendous amount of energy, and that energy comes from willpower. The question is, what's the fuel for that willpower? What's your deep, driving purpose? We have to resonate with that purpose." Accompli looks for executives who are not driven by ego, but talk instead about developing teamwork, cohesiveness, and leaders.
Gunn begins an engagement by helping members of the leadership team clarify their thinking and examine their assumptions. The goal is to get everyone "crystal clear" on the improvement agenda and how they will drive that agenda. That's not a fast process; at a large company it can take months for an action plan to evolve. "Every client is nervous at the front end of this," acknowledges Gunn. "Everybody has been down the path of false starts."
The right start for Gunn is from a state of presence. At the beginning of a meeting, Gunn may simply ask the managers seated around the table to voice "anything that would prevent them from being right here in the moment with us." And they do, whether it's family matters or business concerns or "this guy cut me off in the parking lot this morning." Another technique he uses to help people reach the proper state of mind is to ask them to acknowledge each other — to give a thank-you, say, for something someone did.
At first, clients rely on Gunn's long-practiced ability to be in the here and now. "If one person in a meeting is quiet-minded, it's a little infectious," he says. What does it feel like to be in that state? "It's actually accessing what it feels like when you're on vacation, but doing it in the work world. Everybody in the course of a day finds themselves in that state of mind for a moment. All we're trying to do is help them access that more easily and more routinely."
When everyone drops into a state of presence, says Gunn, the meeting can take off. "People get lighthearted. They feel more hopeful, less urgent. There's a lot of humor and laughter. They notice the clarity of their thinking. The biggest thing you see is an incredible pickup of the pace. An issue that would normally have taken a study, a presentation, and offline meetings can be tossed in the room and resolved in 20 minutes."
Back in the World
When a meeting adjourns and people return to their desks, they may be "stunned" at how noisy and disruptive everything is, admits Gunn. "It feels like chaos, and you lose faith sometimes — [the faith] that just by maintaining your own presence, you'll draw people toward you. But that's in fact what happens." The discipline of quieting down and staying in the present is a lifelong journey, he notes, "but you can get people over the hump of getting back into the rest of the environment almost immediately."
What are the hallmarks of leaders who are fully in the present? "Speed of action," says Gunn. "Boldness of action. Effectiveness of action. Releasing the energy of people in the organization who see their leaders and say, 'Holy cow, these people really have their act together!'"
And what about the results of such action? Consider Cardinal Health, the giant health-care products and services distributor. In 2004, Cardinal began to change from a holding company with multiple stand-alone businesses to an integrated operating company with three segments. Cardinal's strategic sourcing team, led by executive vice president Mark Hartman and vice president Bob Wagner, took a lead role in this change. Under Gunn's guidance, the 25 people on the team learned to access a state of presence, which in turn helped them develop a rapport with purchasing people and earn kudos for "connecting and listening."
"I was skeptical" of the approach at first, admits Hartman, but he soon became a convert. Gunn, he says, "clearly helped me unleash some creativity." Thanks in part to an innovative internal marketing effort, Hartman's sourcing team quickly won wide compliance with its negotiated deals. Eventually, the team produced savings in excess of $28 million, its year-one target, and it's well on its way to the $100 million mark.
Edward Teach is articles editor of CFO.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
One Laptop Per Child for Ghana, West Africa Program
One Laptop Per Child -- Watchdog Site Offers Independent View 
Feb 27, 2007 
People who follow the news are familiar with something called the news cycle, even if they don't necessarily know its name. An idea comes up, a few people talk about it and, eventually, it goes away.The Net is transforming the cycle. Ideas don't necessarily disappear the way they once might have. The Net allows them to hang around longer, to change, morph and grow. They're not just loitering, either. In some cases, they're gaining depth and nuance.
That is certainly the case for an ambitious project by a handful of computer professionals whose idea is to get an inexpensive, sturdy laptop computer into the hands of every child on the planet, especially those kids who normally wouldn't have access to a computer, let alone a laptop.
Their idea, One Laptop Per Child, attracted the usual burst of interest last year when it was first announced. But, thanks to the collaborative Internet, there is much more to feast upon. The project, which has an official project Web site devoted to the effort (www.laptop.org), is available in 31 languages and has an FAQ, a Wiki and hyperlinks.
There is also a secondary blog, http://www.olpcnews.com, which isn't connected with the project, but gathers news and bits of information about it.
First, some background. One Laptop is a project directed by Nicholas Negroponte, currently on leave from MIT's Media Lab and widely considered one of the leading thinkers in the digital age. His 1995 book, 'Being Digital,' addresses the issues of the digital age.
The laptops planned for the project should cost $100, although initial models might cost more. They have no moving parts, just a small flash memory (similar to the ones on an iPod Nano or a USB memory stick, for example) and four USB ports. More amazingly, the computers will have a built-in wireless network, so that four computers in a rural African school will be able to communicate with each other, creating a wireless network where none existed before.
The laptops, initially called 2B1's but now referred to as Children's Machine XO, will also run a version of Linux, the open-source operating system. They'll have two screen settings, with one that can be viewed in direct sunlight. They'll also have a DVD player.
Six countries -- Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, Rwanda, Libya and Thailand -- have entered into agreements with the One Laptop folks.
I sent several e-mails to the One Laptop project, using the press contact link but has not yet received a response.
But, that's OK. The project folks are busy creating what might be one of the most important educational projects of the 21st century.
For my purposes, the second unofficial site is of more immediate interest because it underscores the collaborative powers of the Internet. The blog, One Laptop Per Child News, isn't connected to the original project and tracks the news, some of it quite detailed, on the effort.
I talked with Wayan Vota, one of three people behind the One Laptop Per Child News site (www.olpcnews.com.) He is a dedicated blogger and directs the Washington, D.C.-based IESC Geekcorps, a nonprofit that partners with governments and companies to help with technology issues. Vota's expertise is in technological implementation.
WAYAN VOTA, ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD NEWS
Q: Why did you start the news site?
A: From the onset, as a techie, an uber-Geek even, with experience in and love for the developing world, I've followed OLPC with deepening interest. I also noticed that while there were many articles about the program on various Web sites, there wasn't a single Web site focused on the computer, now called the Children's Machine XO, or its professed goals of changing education. So I started a Web site about it all, One Laptop Per Child News, with the main goals of staying educated on OLPC and to enter into the debate about its merits.
Q: Do you have a sense of who reads and writes on the blog? Are these people North Americans or Europeans who have access to computers and the Net, or are some of them the very sort of people who might benefit indirectly from the project (i.e. the parents of a child who might use a XO laptop)?
A: I've tracked OLPC News readership through Google Analytics and I am very proud to say that we have a 50 percent developed -- versus developing -- world readership. All the current writers for OLPC News have extensive knowledge of the developing world, both (OLPC News co-founder) Jon (Camfield) and I are experienced project managers who have and are/will be working in developing countries. (Blog co-founder) David (Scannell) lives in western Kenya and will give you an earful about the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) problems he faces on a daily basis.
Q: Have the One Laptop Per Child project folks contacted your site directly? Do you know if they read or monitor the posts?
A: While the OLPC leadership does not contact us directly, I've met them at conferences and meetings and they do comment on OLPC News on occasion. Unfortunately, Negroponte has tried to have me ejected from open-to-the-public meetings, but I understand his motivation. We are asking questions that often he does not enjoy having to answer. That being said, I fully respect and actually am in awe of the professional OLPC software and hardware developers. OLPC has the ultimate technology dream team. And they are driving innovation we will all worship in a few years.
Q: There's a sense that you three have some reservations about how well the project will work, and whether it will accomplish what it has set out to do, while supporting the OLPC's overall goals. Is this a fair characterization of your site, a healthy skepticism?
A: Yes, we have a very healthy skepticism. Personally, I fully believe in my quote from the (OLPC News) About page: ''Wayan celebrates the ability of One Laptop Per Child to bring technology to the forefront of economic development, and can't wait to have a XO himself, but he fears the lack of a defined implementation strategy and realistic cost estimates will create great waste and disillusionment with technology.''
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Links for further information:
http://www.laptop.org: The official One Laptop Per Child site, available in 31 languages.
http://www.olpcnews.com: The blog that that closely follows the news about the project, its possibilities and its potential problems. Will the laptops destined for developing students end up on eBay or in the hands of gangsters? Will the laptops ever be legally available to students from wealthier countries? You'll likely read it here first.
Being Digital: Excerpts of Nicholas Negroponte's ground-breaking book, 'Being Digital' are available online at http://www.archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/nn/bdcont.htm
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(c) 2007, The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via Newscom.
Photo by Jacob Kaplan-Moss. Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0.
Wireless Model for Ghana, West Africa Project
Nationwide Digital Divide Program Launches First Pilot In Chicago
Mar 02, 2007
EarthLink announced yesterday the launch of the EarthLink Digital Future Program, which is designed specifically to promote digital inclusion among citizens in municipalities across the country. In conjunction with the program's formal launching, the company also announced its first pilot at the Featherfist Homeless Shelter in Chicago, where a computer lab with Wi-Fi service has been established -- the first of 17 to be established at homeless shelters throughout the city.Digital inclusion is a key tenet in the booming growth of the municipal Wi-Fi marketplace. Cities, non-profits and companies are coming together to build wireless networks for citywide Internet service and to help people who have not had access to broadband -- either due to availability or affordability -- get access to the hardware, software, training, support and service necessary to take advantage of high-speed Internet access.
"To EarthLink its clear and its simple -- benefiting from what broadband offers shouldn't be based on the zip code you live in or your ability to pay for a myriad of overpriced services from one or two providers -- that's why EarthLink has launched our Digital Future Program to help individuals and families cross the digital divide," said Donald Berryman, president of EarthLink's municipal networks unit. "We believe this program can make a difference because pervasive, citywide municipal wireless networks offer a tremendous opportunity for companies and non-profits to come together with cities to help reduce the gap between those who currently benefit from technology and those who do not."
EarthLink Digital Future Program's T.E.A.C.H. Approach
The Digital Future Program's T.E.A.C.H. methodology enables partners to create and execute programs that are replicable and relevant for all metropolitan communities across the country, yet it is flexible enough to be customized to meet local needs and requirements.
The five areas of T.E.A.C.H. are:
* Training: EarthLink will help individuals and organizations develop the proper skills to fully utilize the company's Wi-Fi networks to maximize a user's Internet experience. It helps local groups develop and distribute local and online training guides and seminars, and also seeks to identify other like-minded groups to become involved;
* Education: Understanding technology is paramount to a child's education today. That's why reaching school-aged children at various grade levels is a high priority for the Program and its potential partners. Students are one of the heaviest user segments of the Internet and have the most to gain from the integration of Wi-Fi into their lives. EarthLink's commitment to education includes providing discounted access as well as programs for educators;
* Access: EarthLink's most valuable contribution to the program is also what we do best - delivering reliable, award-winning Internet access. The company will help cities provide affordable access, as well as, free service in designated public areas;
* Content: EarthLink is developing a portal to serve as a landing page that includes trusted and valuable content sources and links for new users;
* Hardware: EarthLink will work with partners to identify resources that can help secure discounted computer hardware for financially disadvantaged residents. Additionally, EarthLink will work with these and other partners to help fund the cost of purchasing Wi-Fi modems for those that cannot do so on their own.
The Program Kicks Off With Chicago Pilot
The first T.E.A.C.H. pilot was unwired yesterday at Chicago's Featherfist homeless children's center, the first of 17 such centers that the ISP, Blackwell Consulting Services (http://www.bcsinc.com) and Computers For Schools (http://www.pcsforschools.org/) will provide hardware for and then 'Wi-Fi enable' over the next two months throughout greater metropolitan Chicago. Further, the Chicago Public Schools will provide on-site training at all centers through their Homeless Education Department.
Executives from EarthLink, Blackwell Consulting Services and Computers For Schools led Chief Executive Officer for Chicago Public Schools Arne Duncan, 7th Ward Alderman Darcel Beavers, 39th Ward Alderman Margaret Laurino and 14th Ward Alderman Edward Burke through a walk through of the new computer center.
"Digital inclusion is key to helping our students graduate from high school prepared to receive a college education, accept a good job, and compete in the global economy," said Arne Duncan, chief executive officer, Chicago Public Schools.
"Digital inclusion is paramount to the growth of our communities. As a technology service provider, Blackwell Consulting Services enables a diverse set of customers to achieve business results through the use of technology," said Pamela Blackwell, president and chief operating officer, Blackwell Consulting Services. "With this initiative, we are now able to partner with EarthLink to expand our reach to those who need to capitalize on the use of technology the most, our citizens."
"The Computer for Homes Program at PC Rebuilders and Recyclers is proud to support this effort with the hardware and equipment to help eliminate the digital divide," said Willie Cade, chief executive officer of PC Rebuilders and Recyclers. "All students, regardless of their circumstances, need to have access to computers and broadband services. This program truly enables these children to experience everything the Internet has to offer."
Community Involvement Key To EarthLink Municipal Networks
EarthLink has had success working with cities and supporting local programs that empower digital inclusion in markets where the company is already building out networks. Two such examples include Philadelphia, PA and Anaheim, CA where EarthLink is working closely with both 'Wireless Philadelphia' and the Anaheim Mayor's TechScholar Program.
"The main goal of the Wireless Philadelphia initiative is 'digital inclusion.' Beyond the many commercial and retail benefits the new network will bring to our City and its residents, it is EarthLink's extraordinary commitment to digital inclusion that is enabling us to build toward our vision of 'The Entire City Connected'," said Greg Goldman, chief executive officer, Wireless Philadelphia. "EarthLink is our trusted partner, a company that cares about people as much as profits, and a resource that is enhancing employment, education and life opportunities through technology for thousands of families in Philadelphia."
"The Mayor's Tech Scholar program is Anaheim's way of making sure that the next generation of residents are ready to meet the challenges of the technologically advanced world where they will be competing," said Anaheim mayor Curt Pringle. "As the City's municipal Wi-Fi partner, innovator and implementer, EarthLink understands how important the success of those high-school students are to Anaheim, and to me personally, and has been an active participant in the program."
Monday, March 5, 2007
RELEVANCE 201...and GREEN with Envy!
Lessons From 'Math Dude' Add Cool to the Equation
Podcasts, TV Show Aimed at Teens
By Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 4, 2007; SM08
Mike DeGraba is not your typical math teacher. To teach probability, he dresses up as a magician. For a lesson on multiplying polynomials, he becomes Groucho Marx. To divide monomials, he pretends to be a vampire.
What can you expect from a man who wears rock T-shirts to work and keeps his gray hair long and bushy?
His unorthodox teaching methods were just what Montgomery County school system administrators were looking for when casting the lead for their new math cable show and first-ever podcast. They call him the "Math Dude," and they're hoping his antics will get a 21st-century teenager interested in algebra.
"He's going to be a rock star," said Erick Lang, acting associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction of Montgomery County public schools.
Starting with the Class of 2009, all Maryland students will have to pass High School Assessment exams in algebra and data analysis, English, government and biology. School systems across the state are coming up with new ways to prepare students for the high-stakes tests. A chalkboard and textbook will no longer do with today's technologically advanced teenager, school officials said.
"We're looking at ways to make learning more interactive," said Jody Silvio, assistant to the associate superintendent for curriculum.
To film one five- to seven-minute episode, DeGraba delivers his lines in front of a green screen in a studio at the school district's headquarters in Rockville. Later, colorful computer-generated graphics are placed on top of the green screen. Sometimes, different backgrounds are added. In one episode about calculating the mean, for example, DeGraba looks as if he were standing in a bowling alley even though he never left the studio.
"It puts that cool factor to it," Silvio said. "It's that aspect that makes it attractive to 'tweeners.' "
"This is the medium for kids," said Aggie Alvez, the school system's director of communications. "The kids love the graphics. They love the irreverence of Mike. For some kids who don't get it, it's about the way it's presented."
Students -- including those in other counties and school districts -- can download the weekly shows from the school system's Web site http://www.mcpsmathdude.org. The episodes can also be seen on iTunes. In Montgomery, they air on the school system's cable channel three times a week.
"It's algebra on demand," Alvez said. "You can watch it 24-7. You can watch it once. You can watch it 100 times."
School officials are tracking how often students are tuning in. The show on calculating the mean has been downloaded 348 times, said Chris Cram, operations manager for Montgomery County Public Schools Instructional TV. Each episode covers a topic around the same time it is being taught in the classroom.
DeGraba, who taught math in the school system for 31 years before retiring in June, is not new to TV. For 14 years, he hosted "Homework Hotline Live," another cable show produced by the school system.
He has become something of a local celebrity. In addition to appearing on TV, he occasionally plays his bass guitar at local bars. He has been recognized at restaurants and grocery stores. Once, a parent approached him at FedEx Field in Prince George's County.
"People would say, 'You're that Math Guy on TV,' " DeGraba said.
When school officials asked him to host the podcast, he wanted to call himself the Math Guy. But the Math Guy title was already taken by someone on National Public Radio. So he settled for Math Dude.
Although the show is produced by a team that includes a producer and graphic artist, DeGraba writes all the episodes and chooses the costumes. When he's not in character, he wears one of his many T-shirts. Although it's a frumpy look, he puts a lot of thought into it. "I have it all mapped out so I'm not wearing the same one," he said.
DeGraba, 52, decided to become a math teacher because his own teachers left a strong impression on him. Although he is retired, he still occasionally works as a substitute teacher.
"I was good at math in high school," he said. "I had a couple of teachers who really made it alive with humor."
The Montgomery native tried to do the same during his years teaching in the county's schools.
Each October, he would host a Rocktober celebration and let students bring in posters of their favorite bands. "It had nothing to do with math," he said. "But I would turn around and get the lesson in."
When teaching the Pythagorean theorem, he made up a tale about Pythagoras running a deli in Athens.
"Kids remember that," he said.
Now he hopes they will remember his shows.
Each episode has gotten more technically sophisticated. On a recent day, he and his team shot the episode on multiplying polynomials. The scene would feature him as himself, talking to himself dressed as Groucho Marx.
"I said the other day, 'Can you put me and me on camera?' " he said.
It turns out they can.
First, they shot him as himself speaking his lines in front of the green screen. Separately, they would shoot him as Groucho. Later, the technical team would meld the two images on a computer to make one scene. "The green screen is a powerful thing," Cram said.
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