Building Communities and Embracing Diversity

In every county in Idaho, and all across America, I see young people tutoring and mentoring, building homes, caring for seniors, and feeding the hungry. I also see them using their entrepreneurial spirit to build companies, start non-profits, and drive our new economy. We live in a Brave New World in this age of social media. We stand at this magnificent moment with the ability to unleash the American imagination. A new generation of Americans shares our spirit.

 They want a future that belongs to them — a future that is for everyone.

We know there are some people who do understand the future, but too often as they gaze to the distance, they fail to know how, to make sure that it serves all of our people. And then there are others who fight tirelessly for the people, but who don’t see beyond the horizon. Today , I will share my work, experiences, and thoughts about how we can find  more common ground.

In a community that is truly balanced for literacy, how you teach is as important as what you teach. That's one of the conclusions my network of teachers, administrators, librarians and curriculum supervisors has reached. Like most educators today, we've been changing our practices to reflect new knowledge about learning and teaching. Our students are reading more, writing more, and learning through themes.

Yet we share a mixed bag of excitement and uneasiness — excitement about the learning taking place in our classrooms, homes, and libraries every day, and uneasiness about the public perception that schools are not as good as they used to be, especially when it comes to literacy instruction. We wonder: How can we maintain the good practices of the past without ignoring current evidence about how children learn? Have we gone too far in one direction? What we're searching for, then, is balance, and in that search, concerns common to all educators have surfaced.

Interesting Facts: Between 2000 and 2010, Idaho’s Latino population grew by 73 percent. Latinos promise to be very important to the future of the Idaho.

How do we better address the needs of underserved populations?

In this visually driven age, let's start by considering the needs of reluctant readers:

Although the ultimate goal of reading and writing is to construct meaning, what children know about words affects their ability to make meaning. When word knowledge is limited, as is often the case with struggling readers and writers, so much attention must be given to figuring out individual words that little energy is left for comprehending text and expressing ideas. We see how truly labor-intensive this process can be when we
observe the many pauses that punctuate students’ reading and writing as they struggle with words.

Skilled readers process print quickly and efficiently, so they can devote their full attention to meaning. Because they have well-developed sight vocabularies, they are able to rapidly and automatically identify many words. When skilled readers encounter an unknown word, they have little difficulty determining what it is. They are able to apply their knowledge of word analysis strategies and spelling patterns to read the word and follow up by cross-checking the results with the surrounding context.
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Middle School teaching is one of my passions, and because struggling readers and writers in the intermediate grades have often experienced grade-level rather than developmentally appropriate instruction, and an emphasis on rote memorization rather than conceptualization for word learning, they frequently demonstrate inconsistencies in their knowledge of how words work. They may recall the spellings of certain more advanced words but have difficulty correctly representing basic vowel patterns, blends, or digraphs. These “holes” are significant and suggest an instructional situation in which the students did not have adequate time to build a solid foundation before instruction moved on to more abstract issues. Without a firm understanding of underlying concepts, the more complex aspects of spelling become difficult, if not impossible, for them to grasp.

How to Figure Out Who Posted a Forum on a Group Blog

Nothing is 'secure' on the internet. A lot of people have learned this the hard way. Users need to very careful about entering personal information. Such data can be used against you as well as for you.

And of course, the reverse side of this coin also applies to you.There are many broad, diversified, and sometimes controversial posts, blog entries, and comments on group blogs. What are some ways of figuring out who posts what?

For example, underneath a blog post, go to where it says the number of comments, for example "15 comments" (it's underlined) and a five-fingered hand will appear. Right click and click on "Inspect Element (Q)" and it will give you a javascript answer to the question: "who posted this entry?"

If someone else enters something after me, if will be a number equal to the number of comments entered. The answer will be in javascript. Simple to read for someone who knows even a modicum of programming.

If you cannot see "Inspect Element (Q)," there are a few scenarios that might explain this.


1. You're not running a Microsoft O/S or,
2. You don't have java running in your machine, or.
At this point I'm not sure which applies.

From top to bottom, your screen should read:
 
Back
Forward (greyed out)
Reload
_______
Bookmark this Page
Save Page as
_______
View Background Image
Select all
_______
View Page Source
View Page Info
________
Inspect Element (Q)


Another other possibility is that you're not signed on with administrative rights in your logon on your computer only. Or, you're using Internet Explorer but not Firefox or you've never installed developer tools when it was offered. Don't know which. Normally it's associated with Firefox as a given to choose, but not other things.

If any of the above are true, then click on Page Source and it will give you the "entire" applet that is running in the background and you'll have to 'deduce' which part is the part you're being controlled by. It can be huge, so be prepared to look at a lot of scripting.

Whomever, controls a website on the level of administrator rights allows only certain things to be seen and certain things to be done and seen. It is limited. Posters have a certain amount of control over their own postings but not over others.

For example, you can find out what happened to an entry from a previous version of the blog from either cache or archives. It's helpful if you can pull up a DOS prompt and work from that. Many articles posted on group blogs are limited, unless you access them at the server level. If you can see page info, the 4th item is "permissions" and it tells you what you can and can't do.

A domain such as http://youngpeoplespavilion.com is a .com (commercial) setup. It runs under DNA (Doman Name System rules).

1) Domain names are organized right to left, with general descriptors to the right, and specific descriptors to the left. It is like family surnames to the right, specific person names to the left. These descriptors are called "domains".
2) The "top level domains" (TLD, or parent domain) is to the far right of a domain name. Mid level domains (children and grandchildren) are in the middle. The machine name, often "www", is to the far left.
3) Levels of domains are separated by periods ("dots").

If www does not appear, it is assumed (World Wide Web). For example http://www.yahoo.com and yahoo. com both send you the same place. If you want to go to your email for to, ie. mail.yahoo.com and it sends you directly there without the www added.

In the Spotlight: BreAna Bailey Shows Class, Beauty and Spirit

There are some great professional models in here the west. But once in a while, a newcomer arises on the scene who shows as much talent and grace as any seasoned pro.

BreAna Bailey is one such person. I met this charming young woman a few years ago as she worked in her family business. Since then I have enjoyed her gentle manner, intelligence and righteous emphasis on church and high standards.

BreAna is a good role model for my young daughters, who always smile when they see her, too.  Her presence reminds me of this quote:

As we look at the history of this earth and at the history of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, it becomes obvious that women hold a special place in our Father’s plan for the eternal happiness and well-being of His children. - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

BreAna is one of those great individuals who has come to understand the value of focusing personally -- to become the best person that she can be. This approach adds to the quality of the lives of everyone she comes in contact with.

Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven (3 Nephi 12:16).

Best of luck to  BreAna as she heads to college. With such a bright person, we can expect a sparkling future.

See more of BreAna's photos at:

Bella Xpressions Photography

Idaho Delegation Encourages Public Comment On Gateway West Project EIS

From the desk of Michael Strickland
 
Members of the Idaho Congressional Delegation are calling for "strong public input" as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opens the public comment period on the agency's final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Gateway West Power Project.

The project is the result of plans by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power to better ship power throughout the West via the Gateway West Transmission Line, which would run through Wyoming and all of southern Idaho. Following an initial review of the EIS released last week, Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, along with Congressmen Mike Simpson and Raúl Labrador, released the following statement.

"A broad group of Idahoans – people most affected by the Gateway West power lines – worked in good faith and underwent a strenuous process to develop a route that everyone could agree on only to have their efforts disregarded by the BLM," noted Crapo, Risch, Simpson and Labrador. "We encourage Idahoans to let the agency know how they feel about this new plan through the many public hearings scheduled throughout Idaho."

A 60 day public comment period now begins with BLM expected to hold nine meetings throughout the state. For more information about the meetings in Idaho and Wyoming, please visit BLM’s website by clicking here.

Idaho meetings are planned as follows:
Boise, May 6,  4:00 to 7:00 PM, Boise Hotel and Conference Center
Kuna, May 7, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, Old Gym
Murphy, May 8,  4:00 to 7:00 PM, Owyhee County Museum
Melba, May 9,  4:00 to 7:00 PM, Melba High School
Twin Falls, May 13, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, Red Lion Canyon Springs Inn
Burley, May 14, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, Best Western Inn & Conference Center
American Falls, May 14, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, American Falls Intermediate School
Pocatello, May 15, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Ramada Inn
Montpelier, May 16, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, National OR/CA Trail Center

Crapo, Risch To President: Don’t Cut Timber Sales

From the desk of Michael Strickland
 
Senators question Forest Service decision, point to impact on jobs, local economies
 
Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch have joined a bipartisan letter led by Senators Jon Tester (D-Montana.), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) warning the President against reducing timber sales on Forest Service lands.

The Senators are joined by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Max Baucus (D-Montana), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), and Mark Udall (D-Colorado).

The Forest Service’s budget proposal for 2014 would cut timber sales by 15 percent.  The Senators say the plan threatens jobs and small businesses and is inconsistent with the agency’s previous forest restoration efforts.

“At a time when we need to be increasing timber harvest, the Administration’s blueprint sets us even further back,” the Senators wrote President Obama.  “The cuts would have serious consequences for counties and businesses in our states and across the country.  We urge you to reconsider proposed cuts in timber sales and instead find new ways to boost timber supply in a responsible manner.”
The Senators note that in addition to boosting the market’s timber supply and creating jobs, increasing the timber harvest will help to mitigate wildfires.  Dead trees combined with historic drought to burn a near-record 9.3 million acres nationwide in 2012.

The Senators’ bipartisan letter to President Obama is available below and online HERE.