Chris and Cru - A fight for Justice

Ok - it's late - but it's passionate!!

Human rights have been disregarded this week. Two young children - twins - three months old - were murdered. After two years of investigation, a charge filed against their father, a trial, and TEN MINUTES of deliberation - somebody has gotten away with murder.

This CAN NOT happen! New Zealanders CAN NOT let this slide!

I do not know if their father, Chris, who has stood trial for their murders, did deal the final blow. Maybe it was their mother, who is rumoured to have gone out drinking on the town the night the children died, who beat them so badly before going out for the night.

The Day Chris and Cru Died - Macsyna King returned from a night away and discovered the boys had sustained substantial bruising. She and her husband took them to the GP - "who ordered immediate hospitalisation for the infants. Instead of going to Middlemore Hospital, which was only 10 minutes away, the parents went to McDonalds and returned home after several hours" (wikipedia). When the children were eventually taken to the hospital it was discovered that they had suffered serious brain injury as the result of skull fractures from blunt force truama.

As the investigations began the public were told that the Kahui family refused to speak to police.
WHAT does that mean?
How is it that children can be murdered in their home and the ones in the house at the time can decide whether or not they would like to speak to the police?
I did not understand then and I do not understand now why the police scrambled as the whanau (extended family) pointed fingers at eachother, defended the parents, and defied police. Why did the police investigating these murders allow this family to get away with it? It took 5 months for a charge to be laid.

During the trial there were many references of the abuse that Chris and Cru suffered at the hands of their parents. It is not doubted that these children sustained continual abuse during their 3 traumatic months. And even on this the law enforcers seem powerless to act.

Are we really going to allow New Zealanders to get away with the abuse of children AGAIN?
Are we really going to allow New Zealanders to get away with the murder of their children?


You can read a slightly different but equally as brutal, version of events here.



A late addition to the May 15th, Blogging for Human Rights Campaign BUT not just a post - THIS IS a call for action. See below.



Does anyone know of a public online forum, where New Zealanders can have their voice? A site that has a moderator who will oversee a mature fight for justice. I would like to see somebody like the Commissioner for Children facilitate such a site. Children need us to fight for their rights. We need to fight for our children!

Other's Uniting in Human Rights
Pentad
DrowsyMonkey
Everyone deserves a good Education
The Right to Exist
For more...

Bloggers Unite - 15th of May

As I curl onto my bed and surf the net before I shut my eyes - with wireless broadband I can help to change the world!!!

Tomorrow BlogCatalog is running it's initiative - uniting bloggers around the world to raise awareness of a single topic of world wide concern. Bloggers Unite's previous campaigns have addressed Organ Donation Awareness (sorry I missed that one), Bloggers against Abuse, Acts of Kindness. On the 15th of MAY 2008 - bloggers will unite again to raise awareness on Human Rights Issues.

So surfers on the web, on the 15th of May, will find themselves reading a similar message over and over again as more and more people unite on world concerns.

For my small part - I discussed this event with Ash at the new and responsive DotDash social network. They too are joining this event. Hopefully more and more social networks, ...... schools, teachers, students, parents and more .... will use this time to band together and unite on a single topic of world wide concern...
and use the internet as a POWER FOR GOOD.

How will Early Childhood respond?
How will YOU change the world from your place in it?

To find out more - go to www.unite.blogcatalog.com

Mathmaticious

I have realised that many of my blog posts are not so much about ICT in early childhood - but are focusing on ICT in schools. The reason for this is that as a teacher in the early childhood sector, dedicated to making education relevant, exciting and explorative, I find it motivating to see and share the ICT exploration happening in the primary and secondary sectors. I have been concerned about our students moving on to primary and secondary schools where there is a very 'traditional' approach to education. So it is really motivating to come across videos such as Mathmaticious. I highly recommend Early Childhood Teachers, Parents and School teachers check this out and encourage a wider spectrum of learning methods. See what school children are saying about this approach to learning via theYouTube comments.

My Great Imaging of the World

Found My Great Imaging of the World from Free Technology for Teachers

Thought this was a great place to display my own photos, but it is also a great site for students looking to extend their knowledge about countries and cultures around the world. Students can also add their photos depicting their view of their world. Like a photographic wiki.

Beyond the Classroom walls

As a kindergarten community exploring the possibilities of information and communication technology, we continue to discuss and promote it's uses higher up the education spectrum. Where are our children heading? What will their primary and secondary schools be offering to further their excitement of learning using technology as a resource?

Second Life is not new to Education - but I challenge you.. are YOU thinking beyond the classroom walls?



Then again, I challenge myself. Is there any room for young children in Second Life? What are the implications? What are the possibilities?

You might like to engage in discussion about this here through comments or at BlogCatalog as part of the Education Today group.

Education today - Where to from here?

Ok - I looked up YouTube about Education some months ago and found an interesting video that made me think about my support for a new way of thinking and teaching in today's educational environment. It seemed to support some opinions I had heard about the way children are taught today. I thought at the time Maria McDermott (Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Rochester ) made some good points. Something upset me about this and I hesitated to reflect on it because I was nervous that I might have to rethink my basic fundamental beliefs about today's education (both positive and negative).

After a good deal of personal reflection, discussion with colleagues, and research - I am happy to share this video with you, and encourage you to think about it's message - and TO READ FURTHER. Compare this video with the accompaning video below and the post "Back Up Educaiton". Tell me your thoughts, reflections, on what you know, see here and other research you have discovered.



After re-searching for the above video - I also discovered this YouTube video. Watch and compare. I have added the crux of the lyrics (but not the repetitions - you can retrieve all the lyrics from the YouTube site).



LYRICS:
what you know about math
what you know about math
what you know about math

hey, dont you know I represent LC
when i add, shorty subtract
Got my notebook
where I'm showin' all my work
.......

Rollin 24s, mathematicians in the business
We'll be your future boss
Don't make us mad or you'll be useless.
.........

ti-89 titanium
know I'm shinin' dog
fresh batteries in the back
to do my natural log

(hey)you know we multiply
(hey)while memorizing pi
(hey)take limits to the sky
(hey)be sure to simplify

graphing utility(okay)
does trigonometry(okay)
I'm goin' to GT(okay)
dont you cheat off me

(oh)distance is rate times time
(oh)the sine graph ain't no line
(oh)exponential decline
(oh)bet your score can't beat mine

(cheah)here everybody hates
(ch-ch-ch-cheah)cuz i can integrate
(ch-ch-ch-cheah)we're bout to graduate
(ch-ch-ch-cheah)not gettin many dates

(what)i got to find a mate
(now what)but girls just player hate
(now what)and always make me wait
(now what)but i know im not gay
........

calculators too slow
test is done i gotta go
all the maths inside my brain
final grade is 10 Hoe!

(ey)we rollin twenty fo's
(ey)Reimann sums are low
(ey)now calculus is known
(ey)thank GALILEO

few things here i wanna say
I can integrate all day
e to the 2x is fine
gimme something worth my time

so what you wanna do (okay)
derivative or two (okay)
think i know a few (okay)
now i wont be screwed

(oh)see all those like terms
(oh)them things you never learned
(oh)nothin' to calculate
You must have skipped that day

(what)you're stuck in algebra 1
(now what)you'll never have this fun
(now what)quadratic equation
(now what)forgot you're too dumb
.......
(BROCK) -- "I Know All About Math"

---------------------------------------- ----
YouTube Quote "This video was made for the furthering of math by myself and my friend. Among that it was also made for a great math teacher(featured ending) that myself and others have come to respect over the years. I used an idea from the original video(www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooa 8nHKPZ5k) and made it my own. This video is by all means a REMIX. Also, this video stands as a response to all others willing to compete with their math-rapping abilities as well as video editting skills. 100% of the video was made by those SEEN in the video. Yes, Steven and I know math and yes we are that funny. Steven really is that white, I really wrote that solo, and I really do play guitar!"



Now read Back Up Education post. Your thoughts are welcome. Please leave your comments.

Back Up Education - Marc Prensky

I would just like to acknowledge the great link that Cheryl (kindergarten teacher for the Northland Kindergarten Association) shared with me in a recent comment.

I am just exploring Marc Prensky's website and thus far I think he has some inspiring things to say to todays teachers and parents. Marc has a page in his site listing his writings. Thus far I have read Digital Native, Digital Immigrants and another quick easy read is Back Up Education which you can download as a pdf file to read, keep and share, share, share. What I loved about Back Up Education is how succinctly Marc puts into perspective the role of ICT in today's education environment. ICT is not going away. It is deeply embedded in the lives of young people today - they are as he writes in his earlier publications - Digital Natives.

As teachers and parents we sometimes confuse the methods of learning with the basics of learning. He suggests that we no longer teach children how (the method) to read or make a sundial - because we have newer quicker methods of (the basics) reading the time - with a machine strapped to our wrist. In the same way, why are we so caught up with putting long division algorithm and cursive writing (or any writing penmanship) for example, before ICT, - when we have calculators and keyboards?

Some teachers argue that if this technology breaks down (back up education) children need to know how to do these things manually. Realistically, Marc suggests, that if these things break down - we fix them (and I would go on to say, maybe we need to teach children HOW to fix the technology if it breaks down rather than throwing it out). And if computers, phone lines, satellites, televisions - if this whole IT network breaks down - our children's algorithms and penmanship will be the least of our worries.

You should check out Marc's website and see what else this visionary has to say.
Thanks Cheryl! If you too have any sites worth sharing, or have any views on this post - PLEASE share - Leave a comment - that's what education is about!!