Thursday, May 17, 2012
Michele Menapace, a parent advocate, questions some of the school board's budget decisions
In testimony to the Fairfax County School Board on May 15, I expressed concern that our school system has a serious credibility problem. Yes, it's easy to dismiss such a comment as out-of-touch or not consistent with the remarkable successes of our students and teachers. But ask yourself ... Do you think it's credible to approve a monitoring report (from the Department of Communications and Community Outreach) that asserts FCPS has 100% fulfillment on FOIA requests? On March 22, I asked for the details of Undelivered Orders for 2010 and 2011 to see why FCPS is spending more than 2% of its operating budget on purchases in the final two months of the fiscal year. I have sent three followups and, as of May 15, don't have that information to …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Former School Board Member Brad Center (Lee) says school systems shouldn't wait to tackle tech advances in K through 12 instruction
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Wednesday, May 16
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to serve eight years as a School Board member in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). It was a great opportunity, but the pace of the work rarely gave me the opportunity to sit down and think about the important trends in education in a more philosophical manner. There was always the “Crisis De Jour” – something or some group that needed immediate attention. It is only now, since leaving the Board that I have had a chance to really reflect on the things I learned. During my tenure at FCPS, I observed a number of emerging trends in K-12 education – with special attention to those involving technology and the changing workplace. As we all know, technological advances have exploded over the last …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Rachael's entry was selected from close to two dozen nominations.
It's hard raising one child, nevermind five. But that's what the 2012 "Best Mom in Fairfax County" is doing. Her daughter, Rachael, called her "amazing." Rachael's entry was randomly chosen from almost two dozen that Patch received. Rachael and her mother won a $50 gift card and, of course, bragging rights. See all the entries here. Congratulations and Happy Mother's Day!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Will Obama's announcement hurt his chances to carry Virginia in 2012 as he did in 2008?
Facing pressure to take a stand, President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he supports same-sex marriage. In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, Obama (D) described his “evolution” on the issue through talks with friends, and reflection on military personnel and members of his own staff who, he said, “are not able to commit themselves in a marriage,” adding that “at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.” Excerpts of the interview are scheduled to appear on ABC’s World News with Diane Sawyer on Wednesday evening. The full interview is scheduled to appear on ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday morning. …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Whether your mom is a designer, a photographer, artist or moviemaker--the right tools are often the best gifts
As a mom myself, I generally don't recommend getting tech tools as Mother's Day gifts. Seriously, unless mom specifically requests a new vacuum cleaner, socket set or ironing board, she want gifts that are more personal and less task-oriented. Giving her a present that allows her to further her skills, or discovering new means of expression can be the most meaningful gift you can give. There are many non-technical tools that can help her develop her creative side, of course (flowers and a card), but as more and more artistic expression is digital, giving the right gift means looking to technology. Here are some great ideas for creatives of all sorts--mom or not. For the Photographer While a digital SLR would be an ideal gift for someone …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
For a chance to win a $50 gift certificate, upload a photo of your mom and a note about why she rocks.
This contest is now closed and we'll be notifying our winner shortly! Poets write about them. Strong men cry in their presence. We honor them each year with a special day punctuated by hearts and flowers, and perhaps even breakfast in bed. Don't just settle for all the customary ways to celebrate how awesome your mom is. Instead, upload a photograph of her to this article and write a caption telling us what's so great about the moms of Fairfax County. Next Friday, May 11 at noon, we'll randomly pick a winner and call her the "Best Mom of Fairfax County." Now that's a gift. But if that's not enough, we'll also award you a $50 gift certificate to spend any way you want on mom. (C'mon, dads, if your kids can't upload a photo of your …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Be watchful: Flashback Trojan infects more than 500,000 Macs
Last September, Oracle announced that their Java plug-in had a security flaw that needed to be patched. If left un-patched, users could inadvertently install malware such as the Flashback trojan and the-just discovered trojan, Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a. Both of these seem to connect users to a botnet (a network of infected computers that can receive commands from a remote location, without the permission or knowledge of the computer owner). The number of computers infected is quite large, well over 500,000 have been infected. Russian security firm Kapersky even reported 274 computers in Cupertino, Calif., the home of Apple, had checked into the botnet servers after infection with the malware. Apple released an update for their two latest OS …
Sunday, April 22, 2012
We lose Dick Clark and scandals rock GSA and the Secret Service.
In a week in which separate scandals rocked two very different government agencies, we mourned the loss of a television icon. Dick Clark, a ubiquitous face on television, died of a heart attack on Wednesday. He was famous for several roles, particularly his annual special ushering in the new year. He produced and hosted "American Bandstand," a television show in the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s that introduced audiences to rock 'n' roll and dance moves. What's your favorite memory of Dick Clark? As Congress lines up to criticize the General Services Administration for its lavish conference spending in Las Vegas, the Washington Post reports that legislation has been drafted to gut government spending on conferences. The Baltimore Sun thought …
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Award-winning author called it the “ultimate irresponsible medium”
Jonathan Franzen hates Twitter. In March, the famed author of "The Corrections" and "Freedom", spoke at Tulane University and said that the social networking tool is "unspeakably irratating." “Twitter stands for everything I oppose... It’s hard to cite facts or create an argument in 140 characters," Franzen said. "It’s like if Kafka had decided to make a video semaphoring 'The Metamorphosis.' Or it’s like writing a novel without the letter ‘P’… It’s the ultimate irresponsible medium. People I care about are readers—particularly serious readers and writers—these are my people. And we do not like to yak about ourselves.” Since the speech, literary circles have been buzzing. Is Franzen Right? When the topic of Twitter comes up, I often hear…
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Some say the new penalty for offenders is too much.
Beginning in July, Virginia will enforce a new drunken-driving penalty that requires first-time offenders to install ignition devices in their cars that will test the their blood alcohol level before the cars will start. The Washington Post has reported that the new requirement — the toughest in the region — will affect more than 18,000 people and has sparked a debate between groups fighting against drunk driving and people representing offenders. The new law will affect people arrested for drunken-driving offenses, regardless of the level of their blood alcohol concentration. That means it affects people who are only slightly above the legal limit. Speak Out: Should first-time drunken-driving offenders be required to use ignition devices…
Greg Brandon
2:32 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
I briefly commented earlier about high school accreditation. Allow me to excerpt from AdvancED's Accreditation Policies and Procedures (http://www.advanc-ed.org/webfm_send/16): Section 2.02.e: "Substantive Change. A school/school system must report to AdvancED within sixty (60) days of occurrence any substantive change in the school/school system that changes the scope and/or has an impact on the… more ›