Elk Konnected Hand out at County Commissioners meeting on 4/25

[Ross]

Where did these people get their edumacation?

Channeling Gingrich: Congressional Democrats Propose National Park On The Moon
http://www.mediaite.com/online/channeling-gingrich-congressional-democrats-propose-national-park-on-the-moon/

Another educated major waste of taxpayer money. Stupid IMHO!

I sure hope the West Elk School can come up with some way of teaching critical thinking they brought one time.

[Diane Amberg]

Fine, then what is the difference between a "white board" and a "smart board?" One can project onto simple white boards or use dry markers on them. They have been around since I was teaching! No electricity needed.
 So then what is a smart board? Smart boards are also white, but they are a world apart in price and can do all kinds of things.... and need electricity to run them. Look up smart boards for yourself. They CAN just about run without a teacher, but wouldn't make for a very good class in my opinion. Works well for pure memorization, but has limits when it comes to critical thinking skills.
The salesman didn't do you any favor by calling what he wanted to show you a white board. Enormous difference in price. A number of companies make them. Can classrooms run without them? Of course! In fact some places think that each student having his/her own tablet is a better way to go.
Do you remember what were called "programed textbooks?" back in the 70's" They were great for independent learning but couldn't teach creative writing or critical thinking a bit well. Kids could move as fast or as slow on a unit as they needed to. Didn't work a bit well with kids who were distractable or immature. They didn't get the "time on task" concept.
Bull, look up White Board for Dummies. Ya wanna stay back in the dark ages, help yourself. It doesn't matter to me one way or another. You few have already announced how dumb Kansas teachers and students are...so be it.

[Ross]

Now look what you did Bullwinkle.

You predicted it and it happened.

Are you a visionary, too!

ROFLMAO

[Ross]

Lets look at another aspect of this LONG-TERM EDUCATIONAL PLAN WEST ELK U.S.D. 282 starting with the School Board of Education  it's self and Dr. Christman.  

I am going to add my remarks in blue.

I tried to keep everything original but scanning the document into word is not perfect, so if you find an error, I apologize for that.

Only a few people have actually looked at the documentation I provided from the school, so I though I would share a few excerpts in hope to peak your interest. After all it is your tax dollars that pay for all these studies and it may be your property taxes that get increased to build a Taj Mahal. Everyone wants a new gym and others want to build a Community Storm Shelter for Howard at the expense of people across Elk County. If you live in Moline do you want to pay for a Community Storm Shelter for Howard? Moving on!

First what the students had to say to Dr. Christman:

LONG-TERM EDUCATIONAL PLAN


WEST ELK U.S.D. 282

THE  PROCESS

The process actually started out with the School Board of Education lacking the capability of thinking for themselves and discussing business amongst themselves or someone wanted to hire someone to control the School Board of Education and manipulate it with a plan towards building a Taj Mahal. now that would be Mr. Christman who was billed to us as a Professor at Pittsburg University.
He wasn't billed as retired. He wasn't billed as working for a privately owned firm out of Missouri, now was he?

I was there at the meeting where I watched Dr. Christman dance around the room and writing on huge poster paper , taping them to the walls  and asking the School Board of Education simple and I mean very simple questions. The main question was, "What do you want?"  Well folks to pay out the kind of money they paid out to a private company to ask what do you want is hideous to me. The man facilitated the meeting. This was the consensus building activity by Doctor Christman.   Of course the Elk Konnected President of the School Board at the time said "construction". Doesn't it figure? Hasn't Elk konnected pushed for this since day one, by facilitating meetings that got the grade schools shut down? I mean I'm asking you!

I thought these people were voted on to the school board to make decisions and they appoint a facilitator which is called the President of the School Board, don't they? I would think the intelligent question would have been what do we need to do to raise the standard of teaching? Now I would like to ask what is more important teaching or sports or constructing a Taj Mahal?  Can these people on the board focus on education? Why did they choose to ignore the Effectiveness and Effeciency Report from Emporia State University? Is it because they didn't have to pay for it, or is it they only trust private companies from Missouri?

The Board of Education of West Elk Unified School District No. 282, through a focused discussion process, identified key components of a long-term educational  plan. After working through a consensus building activity, the following six {6) items were  identified by the  Board of Education as possible core issues to be addressed by the proposed plan. The complete list of items considered is found in appendix A.

•   Create a long-term facilities plan including remodeling, upgrades, and construction i.e. second gym, elementary facilities, and mobile units
•   Kids First Attitude and Philosophy  
                How about Education first

•   Curriculum I instruction-what is taught and how
•   Teach to the individual student-critical thinking skills

•   Monitor student  progress  K-12
•   Recruit & retain quality teachers when vacancies occur

The Board of Education submitted the original six (6) plan components for discussion and input by identified internal and external focus groups. The internal groups were  high school students , teachers, classified Isupport
staff, and administrators. The external focus group included  parents, patrons, civic and business leaders. In total, 11O participants actively engaged in discussion of the six {6) proposed plan components. In addition, one {1) person submitted comments  via the internet.

After the focus groups met, common threads and reoccurring themes were  identified. They are as follows:

GOOD THINGS ABOUT  WEST ELK SCHOOLS


•   Positive experienced teaching  staff
Perhaps you should read what the kid said about the geometry class with the expensive white board, don't kids come first with you? Or is this just a sales job?

•   Great kids

•   Small school environment-everyone knows each other
What did you expect when you shut down grade schools? Wasn't the real plan to centralize rather than to optimize? Solutions can be found with inside those luxurious rooms I'm sure. The building was designed for 600 kids and you only have 300 maybe less. The solution does not have to be construction.


ELEMENTS OF A LONG-TERM EDUCATIONAL PLAN

•   Facilities-overcrowding, scheduling conflicts, additional gym
How come it has worked for the last several years? Why the crying now?

•   Recruitment-retention of quality staff

•   Communication
Now that would be an excellent idea, when do you implement it?



ISSUES


•   Limited resources
Yes, people are tired of being over taxed because some little group wants something fancy?

•   Declining enrollment
Excellent point. So why build more building?

•   Changing demographics
No economic development and no chance of it either, is there?

•   Bond issue -taxes
Isn't this the same as limited resources, duh! Weren't you told with a resounding no over the last Bond Issue. What does it cost to keep running Bond Issues. Can't you accept no for an answer?

The comments from  the various focus groups is included  in appendix  B

Until next time. Just food for thought. Opinions and facts that's all.

[Diane Amberg]

Ross just to clarify... I post when I want to and say what I want to. Bull has nothing to do with it. I could care spit about what Bull thinks.
Have you ever seen a real smart board in action? How about a 3-D computer?
Wasn't the one student you mentioned complaining about his physics teacher? Or am I wrong? That's not  the same as geometry...which I think could be pretty cool on a smart board.
By the way, anybody who just turns over their kids to ANY school and refuses to be a part of the eduction process is a poor excuse for a parent. It takes the parent(s), teachers and all kinds of inside and outside resources to turn out a confident, well rounded, educated school graduate for today's world.

[Ross]

Oh well!

[Maude]

I thought Diana had a whole thread to herself called "East coast Happening". So why is she on this thread?

[Patriot]

I thought Diana had a whole thread to herself called "East coast Happening". So why is she on this thread?

Psychopathology?

[Patriot]

Oh well!

And it all sounds a lot like Charlie Brown's teacher in the cartoons..... whah whah whah, whah whah, whah whah whah whah whah.  LOL

[Diane Amberg]

Nobody named Diana on here.
My name is Diane and the comments were on the difference between regular white boards which are inexpensive and smart boards which are very pricey. Since Ross cares about how your money is spent there, not here, I thought he'd want to know. Apparently self proclaimed hicks aren't interested. Had nothing to do with the east coast. Nobody made you read any of it!