After compiling a list of iPhone 5 apps for higher ed, we put together another for teachers and administrators working at the K-12 level. Both turned out to be big interest-grabbers, as did a pair of news stories about MOOCs.
If you missed the headlines about free textbooks for edX students or the university in Indiana that is going to offer a MOOC on comic books next spring, check out the links below:
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Galaxy Note II, the largest smartphone that Samsung has unveiled to the world with Google?s Android operating system on board, has been spotted at the FCC once again.
This time, however, it appears that it was packing the necessary frequencies support for being used in the United States at AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
FCC approved a SGH-i317 with 3G and 4G bands at AT&T and in Canada, while the SGH-T889 model was approved with support for T-Mobile?s 1,700MHz AWS frequencies.
There is also a SCH-i605 model that passed through the testing with CDMA and GSM bands inside, along with support for a 700MHz LTE band, suggesting that it should land at Verizon soon.
As Engadget notes, no specific info on the handset?s release date in the United States has been provided as of yet, but October 24th might bring it to shelves.
Izetbegovic, Bosniak [Muslim] member of the country's tripartite presidency, told the UN General Assembly that the international community ?failed? to handle the crisis in eastern Bosnia in July 1995 - and was in danger of repeating the same error in Syria.
?The best way to honour the victims of Srebrenica is to learn from the mistakes. Unfortunately, the UN has failed to do that," he said.
"The international community has once again chosen the ?trial and error? policy, which failed in Bosnia,? Izetbegovic added.
?[The use of] resolutions, statements of concern, ineffectual sanctions, observers and lack of a clear mandate to protect civilians ? which result in deaths ? was demonstrated in my country," he recalled.
"Do not make this mistake. If we don't act now, decisively, to help the Syrian people and stop the bloodshed, this tragedy will haunt us, just like Srebrenica,? he continued. ? Izetbegovic was referring to the mass slaughter of Bosniaks that occured under the noses of the UN in the besieged eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica in July 1995.
Although the town was a UN-declared demilitarized zone, Bosnian Serb forces under General Ratko Mladic attacked and overran the town and killed more than 7,000 people.
The International Court of Justice in a ruling in 2007 qualified the massacre as an act of genocide.
At the time of the Bosnian Serb attack, a UN Dutch battalion was stationed in Srebrenica, but it did not stop the slaughter. ?
Izetbegovic said that all UN member states were obliged to help the Syrian people in their quest for freedom.
?Once more we stand idly by while a human tragedy is going on. We must save the Syrian people from tyranny. We must, but we do not," he said.
"The images we are seeing from Syria remind us of the Bosnian tragedy. We in Bosnia and Herzegovina feel the pain the Syrian people as our own, because we too went through the same horrors,? Izetbegovic added.
The Bosnian presidency member recalled that the former and current UN General Secretaries, Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon, had visited Srebrenica to pay homage to the victims, and both men had said that such events should never be permitted in future. ?
?Today, these words ring with the sounds of the failure of this organization [the UN] to respond to the Syrian tragedy,? he maintained.
Speaking about the future of his own country, Izetbegovic stated that it was ?vital to protect the mosaic of ethnicities and cultures? in Bosnia.
?There is a great fight on now between the forces of reconciliation and division in my country today... [and] if the idea of reconciliation does not prevail in Bosnia, then it will have a hard time doing so anywhere else,? he concluded.
There is no settled international consensus on the desirability of direct intervention in the crisis in Syria.
While some Gulf states openly support rebel forces, the government in Damascus has retained strong support from China, Russia and Iran.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? A man who burst into a sign-making business in Minneapolis, fatally shooting the owner and three others before turning the gun on himself, had been fired from the company earlier in the day, police said Friday.
Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan identified the shooter, who injured at least four others in the Thursday afternoon attack, as Andrew J. Engeldinger, 36, of Minneapolis.
Engeldinger had been fired from his job at Accent Signage Systems earlier in the day, Dolan said. He came back about 4:25 p.m., parked his car, walked into the loading dock area and immediately started shooting people. But it also appeared he may have spared some of his former colleagues.
"It's clear he did walk by some people, very clear," Dolan said.
Investigators who searched a house Thursday night in south Minneapolis where Engeldinger lived found another gun and packaging for 10,000 rounds of ammunition in the house.
"He's obviously been practicing in how to use that gun," Dolan said.
Among those killed were businessman Reuven Rahamim, 61, who was the owner of Accent Signage Systems Inc. in Bryn Mawr, a mainly residential neighborhood on the northwest side of the city, son-in-law Chad Blumenfield said in a statement.
"Other members of the Accent family tragically lost their lives as well, and we mourn their loss," Blumenfield said. He provided no details.
UPS driver Keith Basinski was also killed, the mail service said in a statement Friday. UPS Northern Plains District President Jill Schubert did not say why Basinski was at the Accent offices. She said the company was "profoundly shocked and saddened" at his death.
Authorities have not revealed the names of the others killed.
TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd shares jumped on Friday after the embattled BlackBerry maker posted quarterly results that showed it was still able to pull off a surprise as it tackles the formidable task of getting consumers excited over its new smartphone line.
While RIM's performance gave Wall Street a modicum of optimism, analysts stressed RIM has to now prove that the BlackBerry 10 devices, due early next year, can halt its brand's downward spiral. That won't be easy, they said.
"I have to admit they did a very good job making the best out of a really tough situation. You've got to give management some credit for that, but they still need to nurse the company back to health," said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.
RIM stunned investors on Thursday with stronger-than-expected BlackBerry sales in the quarter ended September 1. It even managed to build up its cash reserves, giving it a fighting chance to market the new BlackBerry 10 line effectively, while ramping up production of the reengineered smartphones.
Investors responded to the rare glimmer of good news for the embattled company by pushing up RIM's downtrodden share price up by more than 8 percent in afternoon trading on Friday.
Until Thursday's results, RIM was being written off by analysts because of its failure to keep pace with innovations from rivals such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co.
Analysts said RIM needs to generate enough excitment about the new devices to be able to sell them at a healthy profit.
"The question is, even if they do sell BB10 units, what is the margin profile going to be," said Wu, who notes that RIM once realized gross margins in the mid-40 percent range. Margins are now below 30 percent.
"If the gross margin profile stays where it is, then it is going to be very tough to be profitable, even if they sell a lot of BlackBerry 10 phones," he said.
To be sure, RIM managed to boost average selling prices in its latest quarter compared with the previous three months. That was a positive signal in the lead-up to the BB10 launch in early 2013.
"The bad news is that these results have little or no bearing on what remains true, and that is, RIM still needs to execute on BB10 and do it in a way that draws clear and resonant distinctions between what it has to offer and what the rest of the market has to offer," said CCS Insight analyst John Jackson.
The company is counting on BB10, equipped with a revamped operating system, to arrest a precipitous decline in market share over the past year and longer.
But in the end, the success or failure of the BB10 will hinge by how warmly it's embraced by consumers, many of whom have already switched to high-end devices like Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S III, especially in North America and Europe.
"In the big picture, nobody, not even RIM knows whether this is going to work for them," cautioned Charter Equity Research analyst Ed Snyder.
Test versions of the BB10 have won praise from carriers and developers, but the true test still hinges on RIM's ability to win over fans of touchscreen devices.
"I want to regain market share in the U.S. and I want to win back market share in the full touch segment - that's what the company is geared up to and that's what we are working toward," said RIM Chief Executive Thorsten Heins in an interview with CNBC on Friday.
RIM's second-quarter performance also reminded investors that the company still enjoys a strong franchise in emerging markets, where consumers have graviated to its reliable though outmoded legacy smartphones.
Even though RIM's aging line-up has lost ground in North America and Europe, the BlackBerry maker managed to top shipment and revenue expectations in its second quarter, thanks largely to strong sales of smartphones in countries like India and Indonesia.
"This performance is nothing short of shocking as RIM has found a formula to entice its global carrier customers to sell (its) product," said National Bank Financial's Kris Thompson.
On Friday National Bank Financial upgraded RIM's stock, while BMO Capital Markets and Barclays Capital were among brokerages that raised price targets on the company's shares.
Thompson, who is rated five stars by Thomson Reuters StarMine for the accuracy of his estimates on RIM's earnings, upgraded the stock to "outperform" and increased his price target on the stock to $12 from $8.
Shares of RIM, which rose 20 percent after the closing bell on Thursday, were up 8.5 percent at $7.75 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq on Friday. Its Toronto-listed shares rose more than 9 percent to C$7.57.
(Reporting by Euan Rocha in Toronto, Fareha Khan and Aditi Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Frank McGurty)
Cecil Chao, chairman of Hong Kong property developer Cheuk Nang Holdings, who has a reputation for being a playboy, speaks during an interview in his house in Hong Kong Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. The daughter of the prominent Hong Kong tycoon who has offered $65 million to any man who can woo her away from her lesbian partner says she's not upset with her father. Gigi Chao says she?s on ?very loving terms? with her father. He made world headlines this week when he offered the 500 million Hong Kong dollar marriage bounty after learning that his daughter had eloped with her partner to France. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Cecil Chao, chairman of Hong Kong property developer Cheuk Nang Holdings, who has a reputation for being a playboy, speaks during an interview in his house in Hong Kong Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. The daughter of the prominent Hong Kong tycoon who has offered $65 million to any man who can woo her away from her lesbian partner says she's not upset with her father. Gigi Chao says she?s on ?very loving terms? with her father. He made world headlines this week when he offered the 500 million Hong Kong dollar marriage bounty after learning that his daughter had eloped with her partner to France. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Cecil Chao, chairman of Hong Kong property developer Cheuk Nang Holdings, who has a reputation for being a playboy, poses in his house in Hong Kong Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. The daughter of the prominent Hong Kong tycoon who has offered $65 million to any man who can woo her away from her lesbian partner says she's not upset with her father. Gigi Chao says she?s on ?very loving terms? with her father. He made world headlines this week when he offered the 500 million Hong Kong dollar marriage bounty after learning that his daughter had eloped with her partner to France. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this undated photo, Gigi Chao, right, daughter of the Hong Kong property tycoon Cecil Chao, poses with her partner Sean Eav at an event in Hong Kong. The daughter of the prominent Hong Kong tycoon who has offered $65 million to any man who can woo her away from her lesbian partner says she's not upset with her father. Gigi says she?s on ?very loving terms? with her father. He made world headlines this week when he offered the 500 million Hong Kong dollar marriage bounty after learning that his daughter had eloped with her partner to France. (AP Photo)
HONG KONG (AP) ? The daughter of a flamboyant Hong Kong tycoon who has offered $65 million to any man who can woo her away from her lesbian partner said she's not upset with her father. Still, it's unlikely she will be accepting any of the marriage proposals flooding in.
Cecil Chao made world headlines this week when he offered the 500 million Hong Kong dollar marriage bounty after learning that his daughter, Gigi Chao, had eloped with her partner to France.
"I'm actually on very, very loving terms with my father. We speak on a daily basis. He just has a very interesting way of expressing his fatherly love," the 33-year-old told The Associated Press.
She said her father offered the reward because he was upset after learning she had "a church blessing in Paris" with her girlfriend of the past several years.
"What this whole episode really highlights is that perhaps still, the Chinese ? or in fact the Hong Kong mentality ? can perhaps tolerate the 'don't ask, don't tell' view of sexuality," she said. "But as a social statement, it's still very much a sensitive issue."
Hong Kong decriminalized homosexuality in 1991, but it does not legally recognize same-sex marriage.
Cecil Chao is the chairman of Hong Kong property developer Cheuk Nang Holdings and has a reputation for being a playboy. He once claimed to have had 10,000 girlfriends but has never married. He's also known for his love of Rolls-Royces and for being a qualified helicopter pilot, a skill he shares with Gigi Chao, one of his three children by three different women.
Cecil Chao said Friday in a separate interview with the AP that reports that his daughter had married were just rumors. He added that he has received hundreds of offers from suitors since he made the offer and his daughter has probably had thousands.
"I was very surprised about the reaction from around the world," said the 76-year-old tycoon, sporting gold mirrored sunglasses and a sport jacket over an unbuttoned polo shirt. "Thousands of people writing to say they want to be my in-laws."
He said he's offering the money because he wants to make sure his daughter has a comfortable life in Hong Kong, which he believes will require a house worth HK$150 million ($19 million). The rest of the money can be used for investments, he said.
"Living a comfortable life in Hong Kong, not super-luxury, takes HK$500 million," he said.
When asked whether she would accept an eligible suitor, Gigi Chao laughed off the question, saying, "We'll just worry about that when the time comes."
Mortgage interest rates are at their lowest point since records have been kept. Last week, some 81 percent of the loans made were refinancings, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
By Ron Scherer,?Staff writer / September 26, 2012
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, left, walks with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., as they hold a private talks on Sept. 19.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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Thanks to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, mortgage interest rates are now at their lowest point since anyone?s been keeping records.
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Since the beginning of this month, just before the Federal Reserve said it would try to stimulate the economy in part with large purchases of mortgage-backed securities, interest rates for home loans have fallen every week. This has prompted many homeowners to run to their lenders to try to refinance.
?We?re at a very robust level of activity,? says Mike Fratantoni, vice president of research at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) in Washington. ?We are back up to a three-year high in the level of refinance applications.?
The interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate conforming mortgage (under $417,500) dipped to 3.63 percent last week, compared with 3.78 percent at the end of August, the MBA said Wednesday. For jumbo loans (more than $417,500), interest rates fell a comparable amount and are now at 3.87 percent.
The last time refinance activity was this high was in early 2009, when interest rates fell even faster. Back then, mortgage rates dropped from 5.5 to 5 percent.
However, new home buyers and people moving up to larger homes are not entering the market in large numbers, says Mr. Fratantoni.
?People are still looking at the 8.1 percent unemployment rate, and they still don?t feel a level of stability in the economy,? he says.
If interest rates were to continue to fall, they could help create jobs, says economist Mark Zandi of Moody?s Analytics in West Chester, Pa. A sustained decline of half a point in fixed mortgage rates would add just under a quarter of a percentage point to real GDP growth in the subsequent year, he estimates.
?This translates into about 175,000 jobs and lowers unemployment? by about one-tenth of a percentage point, he writes in an e-mail. ?This is a meaningful boost to the economy, but it?s not enough to solve what ails the economy.?
For those who qualify, the savings from a refinancing can be helpful in freeing up money to buy other things or pay off other loans. A homeowner with a $200,000, 30-year, fixed-rate loan would save about $55 a month if he or she went from a 4 percent mortgage to a 3.5 percent mortgage, Fratantoni says.
?There are people who have refinanced three times starting at 5 percent and are now down to 3.5 percent, and that is a significant monthly savings,? he says.
According to the MBA, some 81 percent of the loans made last week were refinancings. That is close to the all-time record of 85 percent in January 2009.
?I?m telling my clients that if you are thinking of refinancing, this is as good a time as any,? says David Shucavage, president of Carolina Estate Planners in Wilmington, N.C. ?It?s such cheap money that 10 years from now, you will be happily telling your grandchildren you borrowed money at 3.63 percent.?
Factoring in the inflation rate, which is about 2 percent annualized, mortgage rates seem extremely low. For example, the 15-year, fixed-rate loan is down to 2.98 percent. ?The real interest rate on this loan is about 1 percent,? says Ann Owen, a professor at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., and a former economist at the Federal Reserve.
?Obviously, there is a limit to how far mortgage rates can fall,? she adds.
One factor that could make home borrowing rates rise would be a much greater demand for housing and mortgages, Ms. Owen says. ?Most likely that would coincide with the Fed pulling back, since it would be a sign the economy is picking up,? she says. ?But the housing market is in such bad shape that it has a long way to go before it?s in full recovery.?
Sales of new single-family homes fell 0.3 percent in August compared with July, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. At the same time, compared with a year ago, the median price of a new home rose 17 percent, the largest rise since December 2004, when the housing market was bubbling.
Other recent data also show gains, with new home starts up 29 percent compared with a year ago and permits up 24 percent compared with last year.
In Wilmington, Mr. Shucavage says, housing starts jumped two months ago. ?We?re back to the same level we were in 2007,? he says. ?We have seen a distinct uptick in new housing applications. Mortgage rates must have something to do with that.?
Although mortgage rates are low, not everyone will qualify for refinancing, Owen points out. ?There is still evidence credit standards are pretty tight,? she says.
About 20 percent of the refinancings involve people whose homes are worth less than their mortgages. They have qualified for the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), a government program run through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These individuals have a good credit record, a Fannie or Freddie loan, and a job. ?If you have weaker credit, it is much tougher to qualify,? says Fratantoni.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? California Community Colleges on Thursday named a veteran administrator to lead the nation's largest system of public higher education as it confronts a host of financial and academic challenges.
Brice Harris, who previously headed the Los Rios Community College District in the Sacramento area, will become the 15th chancellor of the state's 112-campus system. He starts the job Nov. 6.
Harris will replace Jack Scott, who retired this month after more than three and a half years in the position. Scott recently joined Claremont Graduate University as a scholar in residence.
As the statewide chancellor, Harris will receive an annual salary of $198,500 plus benefits, the same as his predecessor.
"I am extremely confident that we have chosen the right person at the right time," board President Scott Himelstein said at a news conference in Sacramento. "He has the knowledge and the skills to lead this system during what we all know are going to be some difficult days ahead."
Jonathan Lightman, executive director of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, called Harris an "excellent choice."
"He's a visionary. He's a good listener. He deeply cares about the educational mission of the California Community Colleges, and the students in particular," Lightman said.
Harris will be inheriting control of a higher education behemoth buffeted by budget cuts and debates about its mission and student success rate.
In response to state budget cuts over the past four years, California Community Colleges has reduced enrollment from 2.9 million to 2.4 million students, cut course sections by 24 percent and raised student fees from $20 to $46 per unit, officials said.
Harris, who is married with three grown children, attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University, the University of Arkansas, Nova Southeastern University and Harvard University before joining Kansas City's community college system as a faculty member and later vice chancellor.
Harris served as president of Fresno City College before spending nearly 16 years as chancellor of the 85,000-student Los Rios Community College District. At the four-campus district, Harris led two local bond measures to improve facilities and oversaw the establishment of the Folsom Lake campus, according to a release from California Community Colleges.
Harris said the community college system must continue to educate the public about the importance of Proposition 30, Gov. Jerry Brown's tax initiative.
If the Nov. 6 ballot measure fails, California Community Colleges would face a midyear funding cut of $338 million and be forced to turn away more than 100,000 students, officials said.
"It's a critical election for the future of California," Harris said.
Even as the system grapples with strong financial headwinds, Harris said he would continue to focus on increasing student access and academic success.
On Thursday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation aimed at improving graduation and transfer rates at California Community Colleges.
Under the Student Success Act of 2012, all students will receive support services to help them reach their goals, colleges must report the academic progress of all students, and students must meet minimum academic standards to receive fee waivers.
"I am bullish on California Community Colleges," Harris said. "I believe the best days are ahead of us, and I look forward to this challenge."
Students from various colleges around the United States are helping to design a mobile game for the Department of Energy that promotes and encourages recruitment into the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The students are taking part in a virtual internship to create the app, which is supposed to deliver with challenging puzzles tied to the theme of linking buildings with energy resources. The activities that players partake in are meant to give them a general idea of what the Department of Energy does.
The game is currently in development for iOS and Android devices and is scheduled to be released as a free download sometime in October.
GENEVA ? The County Board soon could decide whether to put in writing an intention to collect more in property taxes next year ? and whether to leave it to newly elected board members to reduce that amount come spring.
Tuesday, the County Board Finance and Budget Committee recommended the full County Board approve a budget that calls for the county to increase its property tax levy by 3 percent, the maximum amount allowed by law this year.
Should such a tax levy increase ultimately be approved, it could increase the tax bill owed by county taxpayers owning a house with an assessed value of about $250,000 about $5 to $12 next year, with an average increase of about $7 a year, according to county finance officials.
However, while the budget, which must be enacted by November, would state the county?s spending and taxing intentions, the actual tax levy on which that budget is based will not be acted upon until spring.
So, members of the Finance Committee said they believe the current County Board should leave it to the next County Board ? which will be seated after the November elections ? to decide whether to leave the property tax levy alone or scale it back.
Finance Committee Chairman Jim Mitchell, R-North Aurora, said the next County Board will know more about the county?s financial footing than the current board does.
He noted the County Board is still waiting to learn how much Kane County will have collected in sales taxes and its portion of the state income tax.
?It means that [the County Board] will actually know what you?re levying for,? Mitchell told the committee.
Other committee members also backed the levy increase.
?All we?re doing is setting a budget,? said board member Cathy Hurlbut, R-Elgin. ?We can?t ask for more than what we budget.?
The levy increase will not be needed to fund raises for county employees, committee members said.
Instead, the Finance Committee backed a proposal to use the county?s general contingency fund to pay for a 2 percent increase for most of the county?s nonunion, nonelected employees and for raises specifically for the county?s assistant state?s attorneys and public defenders.
In all, those raises would total about $1.06 million that would come from money the county already has on hand, Mitchell said.
While stressing the levy increase will not be used to pay for raises, committee members did not state why the levy increase might be needed.
Mitchell said that will be discussed by the full County Board when it takes up the matter, perhaps as soon as Oct. 9.
That lack of specificity caused at least one committee member, Christina Castro, D-Elgin, to question the need to increase the levy at all.
?When I talk to constituents, they say they can?t even take another $5,? Castro said. ?I?m OK with using the money out of contingency to pay for these raises, but I?m totally opposed to raising the levy.?
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Emphasis on high-stakes, standardized testing in the United States, dates back to the mid-1800s and parallels what was happening in England during this period. At that time, decision makers used high-stakes testing for purposes of accountability and ?the stakes were much higher for teachers than for students?. Indeed?there were no repercussions at all for students? (Wiliam, 2010, p. 109). Wiliam went on to note that in the United States between 1910 and 1940, the norm was for students to attend school until they were 18, and it was ?inappropriate to assess students against standards intended for the small proportion going on to higher education? (p. 109). In terms of 21st-century school accountability, a research study conducted by Stranahan, H. A. Borg, and Borg (2009) concluded that schools ought to be held accountable for the quality of the education they provide, whereas the school?s performance grade is best determined by how much students? test scores improved over time and not based on the aggregate level of student scores in a year. This conclusion is contrary in theory to the guidelines outlined in the Federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).Through current research, Amrein and Berliner (2003) found that the importance placed on high-stakes testing denies students? ?opportunities to direct their own learning as they ?become less intrinsically motivated to learn and less likely to engage in critical thinking? (p. 32). Moreover, in a recent Texas study, McNeil, Coppola, Radigan, and Heilig (2008) found that too often in-class curriculum takes the form of standardized test drills that ?drifts towards ensuring that students can answer the questions that will appear on the tests?. This narrower, more rigid curriculum affects students and their motivation to complete school? (p. 28). These authors found that ?teaching to the test? had a negative effect on students? desire to complete school. In addition, a lack of motivation often led to students repeating a grade because of poor standardized test results. The authors concluded that as a result, ?students who are required to repeat a grade lose face in front of their parents, community, and peers? (McNeil, Coppola, Radigan, & Heilig, 2008, p. 30). In a recent study by Williams (2003), she concluded that high-stakes testing erodes students? enthusiasm for learning, and that motivational assessment strategies, based on predominantly formative and relevant lessons, were more effective and meaningful. In addition, high-stakes testing de-personalizes the learning process by placing the primary ?focus on standards, accountability, and assessment rather than providing a multicultural education? (University of Phoenix, 2012, ?Week Eight Lecture Notes,? p. 1).According to Gunzenhauser (2003), ?the default philosophy underlying high-stakes testing is a philosophy of education in which tests designed to be part of a system of accountability drive the curriculum, limit instructional innovation, and keep educators from establishing their own priorities and vision? (p. 52), which inevitably results in conflicts regarding these tests? effectiveness as assessment tools. Gunzenhauser went on to warn school communities not ?to settle for the default philosophy of education associated with high-stakes testing? (p. 58). Another significant drawback of placing too much importance on standardized test results is that various studies have shown questions on these tests are inherently bias. Freedle (2006) found that questions on both the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) were ?racially biased in terms of mean correct responses because they make the false assumption that all examinees have had equal opportunity to learn the concepts and materials used in the test? (p. 187). In addition, Freedle noted multiple examples of ethnic bias in the SAT in terms of vocabulary, which led to ?false conclusions regarding racial and ethnic differences? (p. 187). The author concluded that these particular standardized ?test results influence racial theories of genetic superiority and inferiority? [and that these] tests can distort the true ability of large groups of disadvantaged students? (p. 225). Ultimately, such biased results and their interpretation negatively influence the educational and career choices students have who are affected by these standardized tests. In other recent research, Boaler (2003) noted in a localized study that standardized testing caused barriers for many California math students by disrupting the classroom learning process because teachers were mandated to ?teach to the test.?Even though many private/prep schools, colleges, universities, and graduate schools use standardized test scores for placement purposes, unless these institutions place less emphasis on standardized testing, allowing admission decisions to be based more on personal attributes rather than impersonal test scores, the injustice of the current system will remain. In terms of high-stakes testing determining school performance, decision makers need to re-evaluate the accountability criteria used to measure such assessments, placing more emphasis on classroom effectiveness and the learning process, while de-emphasizing grades and test results.
To address the needs of 21st-century learners, there needs to be measurable changes made to the way in which the current educational system assesses student progress and achievement. High-stakes, standardized testing needs to be de-emphasized in our schools, allowing the learning process to be the priority, rather than relying on the impersonal, and often times inaccurate, interpretation of test results. This represents an educational change in policy and practice that would promote a better and more effective learning experience for the 21st-century student.
Amrein, A. T., & Berliner, D. C. (2003). The effects of high-stakes testing on student motivation and learning. Educational Leadership 60(3),32-38. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/edsBoaler, J. (2003). When learning no longer matters: Standardized testing and the creation of inequality. Phi Delta Kappan, 84(7),502-506. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/edsFreedle, R. (2006). How and why standardized tests systematically underestimate African-Americans? true verbal ability and what to do about it: Towards the promotion of two new theories with practical applications. St. John?s Law Review 80(1), 183-226. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/edsMcNeil, L. M., Coppola, E., Radigan, J., & Heilig, J. V. (2008). Avoidable losses: High-stakes accountability and the dropout crisis. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 16(3), 1-45. Retrieved from http://Epaa.asu.eduStranahan, H. A., Borg, J. R., & Borg, M. O. (2009). School grades based on standardized test scores: Are they fair? Journal of Academic & Business Ethics, 1,38-56. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/edsWiliam, D. (2010). Standardized testing and school accountability. Educational Psychologist 45(2), 107-122. doi:10.1080/00461521003703060Williams, N. M. (2003). Thinking outside the bubble. Educational Leadership, 61(3),82-83. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds
Contact: Ellen Beth Levitt eblevitt@jhmi.edu Johns Hopkins Medicine
Discovery in mice may lead to new therapies for erectile dysfunction in men
For two decades, scientists have known the biochemical factors that trigger penile erection, but not what's needed to maintain one. Now an article by Johns Hopkins researchers, scheduled to be published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), uncovers the biochemical chain of events involved in that process. The information, they say, may lead to new therapies to help men who have erectile dysfunction.
"We've closed a gap in our knowledge," says Arthur Burnett, M.D., professor of urology at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the senior author of the study article. "We knew that the release of the chemical nitric oxide, a neurotransmitter that is produced in nerve tissue, triggers an erection by relaxing muscles that allow blood to fill the penis. We thought that was just the initial stimulus. In our research, we wanted to understand what happens next to enable that erection to be maintained."
In a study of mice, Burnett and his colleagues found a complex positive feedback loop in the penile nerves that triggers waves of nitric oxide to keep the penis erect. He says they now understand that the nerve impulses that originate from the brain and from physical stimulation are sustained by a cascade of chemicals that are generated during the erection following the initial release of nitric oxide. "The basic biology of erections at the rodent level is the same as in humans," he says.
The key finding is that after the initial release of nitric oxide, a biochemical process called phosphorylation takes place to continue its release and sustain the erection.
In a landmark study published in the journal Science in 1992, Burnett and his Johns Hopkins co-author, Solomon S. Snyder, M.D., professor of neuroscience (who is also an author on the current study), showed for the first time that nitric oxide is produced in penile tissue. Their study demonstrated the key role of nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter responsible for triggering erections.
"Now, 20 years later, we know that nitric oxide is not just a blip here or there, but instead it initiates a cyclic system that continues to produce waves of the neurotransmitter from the penile nerves," says Burnett.
With this basic biological information, it may be possible, according to Burnett, to develop new medical approaches to help men with erection problems caused by such factors as diabetes, vascular disease or nerve damage from surgical procedures. Such new approaches could be used to intervene earlier in the arousal process than current medicines approved to treat erectile dysfunction.
In particular, Burnett says, "The target for new therapies would be the protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Now that we know the mechanism for causing the 'activated' form of nNOS in penile nerves, we can develop agents that exploit this mechanism to help with erection difficulties."
One of the agents studied by the researchers was forskolin, an herbal compound that has been used to relax muscle and widen heart vessels. They found that forskolin also ramps up nerves and can help keep nitric oxide flowing to maintain an erection.
"It has been a 20-year journey to complete our understanding of this process," says Snyder. "Now it may be possible to develop therapies to enhance or facilitate the process."
###
The new study, "Cyclic AMP Dependent Phosphorylation of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Mediates Penile Erection," was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), under grant number RO1DK067223.
In addition to Burnett and Snyder, the study article's authors are K. Joseph Hurt from the University of Colorado, Sena F. Sezen, Gwen F. Lagoda and Biljana Musicki from Johns Hopkins, and Gerald A. Rameau from Morgan State University.
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Contact: Ellen Beth Levitt eblevitt@jhmi.edu Johns Hopkins Medicine
Discovery in mice may lead to new therapies for erectile dysfunction in men
For two decades, scientists have known the biochemical factors that trigger penile erection, but not what's needed to maintain one. Now an article by Johns Hopkins researchers, scheduled to be published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), uncovers the biochemical chain of events involved in that process. The information, they say, may lead to new therapies to help men who have erectile dysfunction.
"We've closed a gap in our knowledge," says Arthur Burnett, M.D., professor of urology at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the senior author of the study article. "We knew that the release of the chemical nitric oxide, a neurotransmitter that is produced in nerve tissue, triggers an erection by relaxing muscles that allow blood to fill the penis. We thought that was just the initial stimulus. In our research, we wanted to understand what happens next to enable that erection to be maintained."
In a study of mice, Burnett and his colleagues found a complex positive feedback loop in the penile nerves that triggers waves of nitric oxide to keep the penis erect. He says they now understand that the nerve impulses that originate from the brain and from physical stimulation are sustained by a cascade of chemicals that are generated during the erection following the initial release of nitric oxide. "The basic biology of erections at the rodent level is the same as in humans," he says.
The key finding is that after the initial release of nitric oxide, a biochemical process called phosphorylation takes place to continue its release and sustain the erection.
In a landmark study published in the journal Science in 1992, Burnett and his Johns Hopkins co-author, Solomon S. Snyder, M.D., professor of neuroscience (who is also an author on the current study), showed for the first time that nitric oxide is produced in penile tissue. Their study demonstrated the key role of nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter responsible for triggering erections.
"Now, 20 years later, we know that nitric oxide is not just a blip here or there, but instead it initiates a cyclic system that continues to produce waves of the neurotransmitter from the penile nerves," says Burnett.
With this basic biological information, it may be possible, according to Burnett, to develop new medical approaches to help men with erection problems caused by such factors as diabetes, vascular disease or nerve damage from surgical procedures. Such new approaches could be used to intervene earlier in the arousal process than current medicines approved to treat erectile dysfunction.
In particular, Burnett says, "The target for new therapies would be the protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Now that we know the mechanism for causing the 'activated' form of nNOS in penile nerves, we can develop agents that exploit this mechanism to help with erection difficulties."
One of the agents studied by the researchers was forskolin, an herbal compound that has been used to relax muscle and widen heart vessels. They found that forskolin also ramps up nerves and can help keep nitric oxide flowing to maintain an erection.
"It has been a 20-year journey to complete our understanding of this process," says Snyder. "Now it may be possible to develop therapies to enhance or facilitate the process."
###
The new study, "Cyclic AMP Dependent Phosphorylation of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Mediates Penile Erection," was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), under grant number RO1DK067223.
In addition to Burnett and Snyder, the study article's authors are K. Joseph Hurt from the University of Colorado, Sena F. Sezen, Gwen F. Lagoda and Biljana Musicki from Johns Hopkins, and Gerald A. Rameau from Morgan State University.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 26-Sep-2012
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