College Tuition: Sticker Price v. Net Price

As the parent of a college student, I can attest to the rising cost of tuition. My son's semester at a community college costs just a bit more in 2012 than my final semester of college did in 1984. But, as much as tuition has jumped, so have the amount of scholarships and grants. Planet Money puts it together in one simple graph, compiled with data from the College Board:

Have mercy! Jeff Lynne is back!

In addition to re-recording the best of ELO, Lynne's about to drop Long Wave, a cover collection of his favorite songs growing up.

Hey there, Mr. Blue

It's been too long since I've posted to the PastaWall. Mr. Blue Sky is back.

Let National Poetry Month Begin

With this stunning rendition of "Litany" by Billy Collins. By a three-year old.

What has four eyes but can't see?

Mississippi. Oh, my.

March 9, 2012 Clip: Alexandra Pelosi

PastaWall's new look

One loyal PastaWall reader asked, "Why the new look?"

It's pretty simple. Your humble blogger tried a new design and couldn't find his way back to the original. Until he finds it, PastaWall will have this simple, elegant black and white look.

The Origin of Keep Calm and Carry On

The story of the ubiquitous poster's design and rediscovery.

Springsteen and "Neil Young" cover LMFAO

LMFAO, indeed. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

The Gamification of Education

Interesting concept: Educate students using game-design elements in non-game contexts. How might this work in an English class?

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

Help "Bully" Against the MPAA

Now that the Oscars are behind us, it's time for a movie that matters, that shakes us to our core, that reveals the all-too-true pain of being bullied. Unfortunately, Bully has been given an R-rating from the MPAA. Visit Change.org and sign the petition to drop the rating to PG-13, so every kid who needs to see this movie can. 

Are you ready, kids?!?!?

New SpongeBob SquarePants movie scheduled for 2014! No word on David Hasselhoff's participation.

A-Ha, North Korean Accordion-Style

No word on whether the Great Leader approved of this:

Multitasking Messes With Your Attention. . . SQUIRREL!

It also can cause problems for tween girls' social skills. Interesting read on CNN.com.

POTUS, SOTU, and Education

I've been asked a lot today what I thought about last night's SOTU. 

My answer? Meh. 

It was decent, but in a 21st century Bruce Springsteen sort of way. The Rising is a good album, but it's nowhere near as great as Born To Run, or Darkness on the Edge of Town. In the same way, I've been spoiled by nearly four years of intelligent, compelling oratory. President Obama was good, but not great last night.

Yes, the economy seems to be improving. Yes, he has kept his promise to get our troops out of Iraq. Yes, our armed forces killed Osama bin Laden. All good.

But President Obama's commitment to education is worrisome. First, the study claiming "good teachers" add $250,000 in lifetime income to a class of students doesn't amount to much. About $250 per year per student. Not exactly compelling data.

Speaking of data, it's the other problem. President Obama's and Arne "Coach" Duncan's plan to improve teaching means more teaching to standardized tests. Standardized tests do not measure a student's ability to think critically, to reason, to analyze, to synthesize. Attaching scores to a teacher's evaluation is simply ludicrous. 

I thought about analyzing the SOTU much more, but Anthony Cody beat me to it:

Teachers have already chosen to put our shoulders to the wheel of inequality. Those of us who work with children in poverty are making tremendous sacrifices to meet their needs. The reason child poverty has expanded over the past two decades has nothing to do with "bad teachers," and everything to do with the huge concentration of wealth, and the devastation of America's manufacturing base, as millions of jobs have been shipped overseas in pursuit of higher profits.

"Simple Song" - New Shins Single

And it's beautiful. Cool video by Brian Fejer, found on The Dish.

Simple Song - The Shins from Brian Fejer on Vimeo.

Time to Fight Back, Teachers

I'm fortunate to work for a district that values my skills, but many teachers don't have that. Instead, they are constantly told that they must do more with less, reach unrealistic (or impossible) goals, and compete with charter schools that rarely perform as well as their public counterparts. From Gapers Block, Katie Osgood tells the story of one Chicago Public Schools teacher who couldn't take the stress, and committed suicide.

Osgood calls upon teachers to do what they do best. Teach the public about what is happening in our schools:

This post is for all my teacher colleagues out there. It's time for us to fight back. It's time to take back our profession. Teachers, use your natural inclination to educate and start teaching your friends and families about the hard realities of our profession. And don't be afraid to sing our praises. What we do is good work and it needs to be protected and cherished.