Monday, November 13, 2006
Our Evolving Language
Copied below is a recent news item from CNN. It made me think of a debate we had a couple of years ago on writing styles. As I recall, the debate arose from a VCAA sample exam question which asked students to classify bits of copy about a new toaster (you all remember that one don't you?) Trouble was that we teachers did not have a list of what examiners might consider to be acceptable writing styles.
I remember jokingly making the comment, that who knows one day the language of text messages might be considered an acceptable writing style. Well guess what?
New Zealand students may 'text-speak' in exams
POSTED: 7:14 a.m. EST, November 11, 2006
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- New Zealand's high school students will be able to use "text-speak" -- the mobile phone text message language beloved of teenagers -- in national exams this year, officials said.
Text-speak, a second language for thousands of teens, uses abbreviated words and phrases such as "txt" for "text", "lol" for "laughing out loud" or "lots of love," and "CU" for "see you."
The move has already divided students and educators who fear it could damage the English language.
New Zealand's Qualifications Authority said Friday that it still strongly discourages students from using anything other than full English, but that credit will be given if the answer "clearly shows the required understanding," even if it contains text-speak.
The authority's deputy chief executive for qualifications, Bali Haque, said students should aim to make their answers as clear as possible.
Confident that those grading papers would understand answers written in text-speak, Haque stressed that in some exams, including English, text abbreviations would be penalized.
Post Primary Teachers' Association President Debbie Te Whaiti said the authority's move reflects the classroom situation.
Teachers would have concerns if text slang became acceptable in everyday written language in classrooms, she said.
Critics said the National Certificate of Educational Achievement or NCEA, the main qualification for high school students, would be degraded by the authority allowing text speak use in exams.
Internet blogger Phil Stevens was not amused by the announcement. "nzqa[New Zealand Qualifications Authority]: u mst b joking," Stevens wrote. "or r u smoking sumthg?"
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
I remember jokingly making the comment, that who knows one day the language of text messages might be considered an acceptable writing style. Well guess what?
New Zealand students may 'text-speak' in exams
POSTED: 7:14 a.m. EST, November 11, 2006
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- New Zealand's high school students will be able to use "text-speak" -- the mobile phone text message language beloved of teenagers -- in national exams this year, officials said.
Text-speak, a second language for thousands of teens, uses abbreviated words and phrases such as "txt" for "text", "lol" for "laughing out loud" or "lots of love," and "CU" for "see you."
The move has already divided students and educators who fear it could damage the English language.
New Zealand's Qualifications Authority said Friday that it still strongly discourages students from using anything other than full English, but that credit will be given if the answer "clearly shows the required understanding," even if it contains text-speak.
The authority's deputy chief executive for qualifications, Bali Haque, said students should aim to make their answers as clear as possible.
Confident that those grading papers would understand answers written in text-speak, Haque stressed that in some exams, including English, text abbreviations would be penalized.
Post Primary Teachers' Association President Debbie Te Whaiti said the authority's move reflects the classroom situation.
Teachers would have concerns if text slang became acceptable in everyday written language in classrooms, she said.
Critics said the National Certificate of Educational Achievement or NCEA, the main qualification for high school students, would be degraded by the authority allowing text speak use in exams.
Internet blogger Phil Stevens was not amused by the announcement. "nzqa[New Zealand Qualifications Authority]: u mst b joking," Stevens wrote. "or r u smoking sumthg?"
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Pixeled Dinner
Each year the pixeled committee send out an invitation to all teachers of Multimedia to come and celebrate or commiserate the exam. We hold them on the night of the exam and luckily each year the exam has always fallen on either a Friday or the day before the Cup. Either way that means we can all go out late and have a drink and not worry about the next day.
This year we went to a Greek restaurant in Abbotsford whose choice of menu was a banquet or a banquet. No menu was available because all they ever serve is a... banquet! I've never been to a restaurant that has never had a menu before but hey, when in Rome!
Anyway, the point of the dinner is usually to discuss the exam and for most of us it is the first glimpse we have of it. So you'll always find a few laptops at our dinners and people either horrified at the questions or happy that the kids will know enough to at least attempt an answer.
The general consensus this year was that the exam was better than 2004 (that wouldn't be hard) but worse than 2005. The problem once again was the scripting questions. They are simply too hard! We don't have the time to go indepth with scripting so kids only get a superficial knowledge of conditionals, functions etc... I mean I've been teaching this subject for 3 years now and I couldn't answer some of those questions under exam conditions. VCAA seem to forget that these students are 17 years old with 4 to 5 other subjects to contend with. As if they have the time to become fully fledged programmers in half a term. It is really ridiculous and puts to much pressure on teachers. I would have thought the exam panel would have learnt by now that complex scripting questions should be left to IT exams, not multimedia ones. And where was the visual design questions? A whole competency was missed so that they could shove in more scripting questions.
I could moan all day but instead would rather leave on a positive note and hope the exam results will be happy ones for you and your students.
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