Bøger af Bob Pletka

The result of a unique project organized by a school administrator, this photo essay captures the daily lives of a large group of California high school students. Two thousand students from across the state were given digital cameras and a time limit of one month to document, in pictures and words, their day-to-day experiences. As a part of the event, some students were bussed to schools in different parts of the state, including inner cities or rural or suburban areas. All of the students were able to communicate with each other over the Internet, sharing text, audio, photos, and video. Professional photographers, teachers, historians, and community leaders accompanied and advised the students, but the images, thoughts, fears, and hopes are theirs alone. This complex project tracks the students as they take on issues of identity, education, alienation, safety, technology, family, work, and friendship.

Educating the Net Generation: How to Engage Students in the 21st Century addresses the national problem of escalating high-school dropout rates and student disengagement, and offers solutions as to how to best involve students of the millennial generation. The book examines the unique characteristics of the Net Generation and explains how the educational expectations and needs of the Net Generation differ from their Gen-X parents and Baby Boomer grandparents. It also looks at why many students resist engaging in formalized education in schools and ultimately drop out.Chapters featuring student interviews and photographs synthesize the perspectives of current high school students regarding their experiences, beliefs, and thoughts on learning, while a parallel set of parent interviews reveals what parents feel is important in their childs education and how they would like to see schools engage their children in learning.Recommendations for changes in school policy and the financial investment critical to turning the situation around are also included, along with an inventory/ checklist for parents, teachers, and school administrators to determine if their individual school environment has what it takes to keep students motivated and engaged.