PBS "Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century" February 20, 2011 (Submitted by: Monica Williams)

Watch the full episode. See more Digital Media - New Learners Of The 21st Century.

Calling ALL Creative's and Innovator's (WHAT would that LOOK LIKE?)

Editorial

Tough assignment: Lift schools while cutting

   
Gov. Rick Snyder has set the bar pretty high for himself with regard to education.

   The governor says he’ll outline his plans to make Michigan’s schools more competitive and efficient in a major address this April. But in his budget plan released last week, he proposed deep cuts to both K-12 and higher education. And the state Department of Education released a report this week that suggests the vast majority of students graduating from Michigan’s schools are not college-ready. It is a dramatic indication of how poorly Michigan has kept pace with educational excellence.

   So the governor starts from a premise that Michigan’s schools must do more with less — a theme that has emerged in his approach to many other areas, but that may not translate as cleanly in education.

   Snyder is surely right when he asserts, as he did during the campaign, that something about Michigan’s’ schools just doesn’t add up. The state ranks 18th in per-pupil spending and fourth in average teacher salaries, but it has been sliding in overall performance rankings and is 49th in ACT scores — a key measure of college readiness.

   Snyder has talked about applying his value-for-money approach to Michigan schools, trying to set guidelines and benchmarks for evaluating how wisely schools allocate their resources, instead of just how much they spend.

   A business approach may finesse some of the funding issues Michigan’s schools face. But as the Department of Education report makes clear, the state’s schools need something close to a comprehensive rebuild — of teaching methods, standards and the accountability to make sure they all work to prepare kids for higher learning.

   Teachers need to have their evaluations — and at least some of their pay — tied to student performance, and they need access to training and other professional development resources that will help them do better in the classroom.

   And the state’s standards — for student learning as well as teacher quality — need to be consistent with the highest in other states.

   Snyder will also have to lead on those fronts, even as he cuts funding and insists on efficiencies on other fronts. His business background will not be sufficient for that task; he will need dynamic educational leaders to take the helm and pull the state through a serious period of reform.

   Snyder’s rhetoric has set the bar high. He’ll need to match it with action to get Michigan’s schools back among the best.

Horizon Report 2011

Horizon Report 2011
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/HR2011.pdf

A Case for our Business Case

Editorial

Michigan cities’ future: Doing less with less

   Michigan cities are in crisis, staggered by a one-two punch of declining property values and dwindling state revenue. Nearly 30 of them are close to bankruptcy.

   Unfortunately, it will take more than shared services, best practices and lower legacy costs to make them and other troubled municipalities solvent. Barring a new way to finance local government, cities must start examining — now — what services they can afford to provide and eliminate those they can’t.

   “Fundamentally, we’re going to have smaller government,” said Paul Tait, executive director of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. “Efficiencies alone won’t do it in this economic climate.”

   Libraries, property inspection, parks and recreation, and activities for youths and seniors are among the many services that local governments might have to drop — or maintain only with volunteers or special millages.

   Even core services like public safety will increasingly face cuts. Municipal leaders should prepare themselves for the worst with multi-year budgets that set priorities as governments continue to starve and shrink.

   With a new government efficiency team, SEMCOG is urging local governments to poll citizens on what municipal services they most value. It is an exercise all government leaders should undertake, even as they fight for better ways to finance local government.

   Gov. Rick Snyder’s call to reduce aid to local government not mandated by the constitution from $300 million to $200 million a year — doled out of a competitive fund — is just the latest in series of blows to cities. The proposal could cost the city of Detroit up to $176 million.

   State government has already cut revenue sharing to Michigan’s municipalities by more than $3 billion during the last decade, and property values have dropped by 30% or more. Cities must now also prepare for big cuts in federal assistance, such as Community Development Block Grants.

   Michigan’s big and middle-size cities have been hurt most. Sterling Heights, for example, has lost $25 million in property taxes and $26 million in revenue sharing since 2002. Residential assessments have dropped more than a third. The city of 130,000 has had to eliminate 75 positions, cut benefits, reduce library hours, eliminate recreation programs, negotiate shared-service agreements and labor concessions, and approve user fees.

   “Our last resort is to reduce services,” said City Manager Mark Vanderpool.

   If Snyder wants Michigan to become economically competitive, he must understand that the health of its cities is even more important than its tax structure. Long-term, the state must find ways to adequately assist cities, while continuing to push them to pursue shared-service agreements, mutual aid pacts, consolidations and other efficiencies.

   “If we want to create a prosperous state, we can’t cripple our communities,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League.

   City managers and mayors should not expect relief soon, however. Working with their constituents, they should start planning now for government that provides only those services people are willing to pay for.

50/50

A new cash contest — may your best idea win

FREE PRESS STAFF

   The Detroit Media Partnership announced today Idea-Quest 2011, a contest with $10,000 in prize money for the two best ideas that help the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News better serve the community and help grow their audiences.

   Ideas might include something that enhances news coverage — in print, digitally and other ways — or helps the community in new ways or suggests how to do business more effectively. Ideas can be submitted by both employees and members of the public at http:// ideaquest.michigan.com  .

   Two cash prizes of $5,000 each will be awarded to the winning ideas; one will be chosen from company employees and one from the public.

   The deadline for entries is midnight March 31, and the contest is open to anyone 18 years or older. Ideas may be submitted by individuals, teams or groups.

   Once submitted, ideas will be voted on April 1-14 by the public. The top five vote-getters in each category will have the opportunity to make a pitch to a final judging panel April 29 about why their idea should win.

   The judges are Patrick Doyle, CEO of Domino’s Pizza; Susie Ellwood, CEO of the Detroit Media Partnership, and Myron Maslowsky, senior vice president of group finance and administration at USA Today.

   The ideas selected will be implemented by the Detroit Media Partnership — and winning entrants will have the opportunity to be part of the implementation process.

PBS "Need to Know" February 11, 2011

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

PBS Need to Know (Segments)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/uncategorized/need-to-know-february-11-2011-an-education-hour-preview/6949/

Impromptu Visit: Wilkop Garden Center (Bob Wilkop, Dave & Mike) Wednesday, February 9, 2011 12:00PM

Agriculture, Education and something Unfolding........

Group aims to replace state fair

Silverdome event wouldn’t use taxes

By BILL LAITNER FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

   The Michigan State Fair died in 2009, but a team of politicians and businesspeople plans to unveil a statewide replacement Monday that will again bring together agriculture and entertainment — but at no taxpayer expense.

   They’ll unveil plans for the Great Lakes Agricultural Fair, to be held inside and outside the Pontiac Silverdome, and without any need for the state funding that former Gov. Jennifer Granholm said required her to close down the state fair.

   “I think it’s a done deal,” state Rep. Eileen Kowall, R-White Lake Township, said Saturday.

   No tax dollars would be needed, Kowall said, because expenses will be covered by admission fees and sponsors — led by Auburn Hills’ Genisys Credit Union, whose public relations staff came up with the idea, Kowall said.

   “The hope is to make the festival an annual event, with a farm market, and live animals and judging, and a huge educational and wellness area … and what’s really exciting is that everything is going to be a Michigan product,” state Rep. Gail Haines, R-Lake Angelus, said.

   Like the state fair, the festival would have lots of live music, too, from rock to country, but with the Silverdome indoorseating available, the event would not suffer drooping attendance on rainy days, as did the state fair, Haines said.

   “Michigan’s agricultural industry is the second-largest industry in our state. This is a great way to showcase it,” she said.

   Silverdome General Manager Grant Reeves, who works for the venue’s Toronto-based owner, said: “The bottom line is there’s been a huge void left by the loss of the state fair.”

   The Michigan State Fair, which was the nation’s oldest state fair at more than 160 years old when it was canceled in 2009, required about $350,000 of public money in 2008, former general manager Steve Jenkins said Saturday.

   “But during the entire seven years before it was closed, we generated $31 million in revenue and only $2.1 million was provided in assistance” from Lansing, Jenkins said.

   “I think there are individuals and nonprofits who would be willing to step forward and revive the Michigan State Fair(without tax dollars) if the Snyder administration would allow utilization of the fairgrounds,” he said.

   • STAFF WRITER KATHLEEN GRAY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT.

RASHAUN RUCKER/Detroit Free Press A group wants to use the Pontiac Silverdome, inside and outside, to hold a Great Lakes Agricultural Fair.

Silverdome is home for state’s new fair

By ELISHA ANDERSON FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

   The Great Lakes Agricultural Fair coming to Pontiac in September will incorporate elements found at the former Michigan State Fair without using taxpayer money to help fund the event.

   Organizers, wanting to fill a void left when the state fair ended in 2009, came up with the agricultural fair, which will run Sept. 2-5 inside and outside the Pontiac Silverdome.

   The fair will have midway rides, arts, crafts and livestock. Reptiles also will be part of the livestock program.

   “We’ve purposely designed this event to help merge both rural and urban cultures,” Silverdome general manager Grant Reeves said at a news conference Monday.

   Music will be a big part of the fair, with each day having a theme:

   • Friday — R&B/hip-hop day.

   • Saturday — Country music.

   • Sunday — Classic rock.

   • Monday — Battle of the bands competition.

   The names of the artists performing at the fair were not released.

   “It’s a great thing for the city,” said Pontiac Mayor Leon Jukowski. Local restaurants and hotels will benefit the most.

   Reeves said funds for the fair will come from a partnership between the Great Lakes Agricultural Fair nonprofit corporation and the Silver-dome .

   “We truly do believe we have a financial model that can make this thing a success,” Reeves said.

   Former Gov. Jennifer Gran-holm said the need for state funding required her to close the Michigan State Fair.

Meeting: OCP Greenhouse, Saturday, February 5, 2011 10:00AM

AGENDA

INITIAL DRAFT: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Todays Focus: Originating Operational "Tent-Poles" for MOU

• Follow-on secondary word-smithing, addendum's, iterations and/or alterations (Next Meeting)

Some of the questions we should be prepared to address:

1. Who is the first party?
2. Who is the second party?
3. What is the general situation of your arrangement?
4. What is the product/service/value the first party will provide?
5. What is the compensation/commission/value the first party will provide to the second party?
6. What will the second party provide for the compensation/commission/value?
7. What services will the first party provide prior to the onset of the arrangement?
8. What services will the first party provide during operation of the arrangement?
9. What services will the first party provide after conclusion of the arrangement?
10. What services will party two provide prior to the onset of the arrangement?
11. What services will the second party provide during the operation of the arrangement?
12. What services will the second party provide after conclusion of the arrangement?
13. When will the arrangement between the parties officially commence?  And so many more…

• Timeline, Scope & Sequence of Events

Bring your brain!

Solar Greenhouse bio-shelter

                                                        Bioshelter Market Garden


A Permaculture Farm
By Darrell Frey
To ensure food security and restore the health of the planet, we need to move beyond industrial agriculture and return to the practice of small-scale, local farming. The Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm describes the creation of a sustainable food system through a detailed case study of the successful year-round organic market garden and permaculture design at Pennsylvania’s Three Sisters Farm.

At the heart of Three Sisters is its bioshelter — a solar greenhouse which integrates growing facilities, poultry housing, a potting room, storage, kitchen facilities, compost bins, a reference library and classroom area. The Bioshelter Market Garden examines how the bioshelter promotes greater biodiversity and is an energy efficient method of extending crop production through Pennsylvania's cold winter months.

Both visionary and practical, this fully illustrated book contains a wealth of information on the application of permaculture principles. Some of the topics covered include:

Design and management of an intensive market garden farm

Energy systems and bio-thermal resources

Ecological soil management and pest control
Wetlands usage
Solar greenhouse design and management.
Whatever your gardening experience and ambitions, this comprehensive manual is sure to inform and inspire.

About the Contributor(s)
Darrell Frey is the owner and manager of Three Sisters Farm, a 5 acre permaculture farm, solar greenhouse and market garden located in Western Pennsylvania. Darrell writes extensively on permaculture design and ecological land use planning and has been a sustainable community development consultant and permaculture teacher for 25 years.


Paperback - 480 pages
Width: 7.5 Inches x Height: 9 Inches
Weight: 975 Grams
BISAC: GARDENING /
Pub. Date: 2010-10-01
$CAD 34.95
$USD 34.95

More about this book can be found at - http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/4082