From the comments section of the LA Times site linked in the OP:
Gerald Grow
Deriving teacher rankings from student test scores involves use of a complicated statistical methodology that has many critics. This controversial statistical method is the hidden link in discussions of teacher quality, and that methodology itself needs to be the subject of an investigative series. There is no straightforward way to use student test scores to measure a teacher's effectiveness. Far too many other factors intervene.
The original and probably most widely used value-added methodology is proprietary -- meaning you have to pay to use it, and its methods are secret. This methodology has been widely sold to decision-makers as if it were not controversial.
Which methodology did the LATimes use? Have they discussed it with statisticians who have doubts about whether so many multiple regressions can produce a meaningful result?
I worry that the effort to tie teacher performance to student test scores will result in huge sums being diverted from the classroom and spent on more standardized tests, given to more students, in more grades, and to the cost of analyzing these and improving those scores.
Please follow up with experts who can analyze whether this approach to eduction reform can ever become cost-effective, or whether it will always divert more funds away from schools than the value of the results it produces.
Schools arrived at this externally imposed method of evaluation because they failed to initiate ways to prove that they produce results that are worth what they cost. Too bad. A great opportunity was missed there for bottom-up improvement.
Seeing as how Netflix offers DVD and Blu-Ray movies, and Gamefly offers video games... I fail to see how they are competitors, rather than offering complementary services? I've actually been surprised that they haven't yet joined forces.
I did three IT internships at the turn of the century; one for a family member's business in the Midwest, and two in Silicon Valley - the first for a big red-logo'd company, and the second for a Big Blue one. Admittedly, the most valuable parts of the experiences were the knowledge learned, and the networking connections I was able to make (the third internship was a direct result of a contact made at the previous one, and was originally offered as a full-time position). That being said, I must echo the general surprise and commentary that your pay rate seems remarkably low considering your certification status and that you will be at a "major" laptop manufacturer. Is the staffing company taking a portion of your pay for their "service"?
In my experience, the advice I'm about to give is applicable not only to IT, but to most professions:
Firstly, know what you are worth and expect as much. That's not to say that you should be arrogant and make salary demands, but do you honestly feel that the work you'll be doing is worth $8/hr? If not, perhaps you should look into the college credit option mentioned by Stuckey above, or look elsewhere for an opportunity that will pay you not only in experience, but in dollars (or your local currency). Your college/university should have a Career Office or somesuch that will have leads and contacts to help you find an internship without having to go through a staffing company.
Secondly, never stop learning. Read books. Build relationships with those who know more than you, and ask questions. Don't be afraid to spend some (but not all) of your free time furthering your knowledge about something you love.
But most of all, just make it count. Ensure that whatever you get paid, and whatever projects/tasks you work on will help you take the next steps on your career path. The whole point of an internship is that it should benefit YOU the most - not so that ABC Company can get cheap labor.
I've heard a rumor before about documenting your idea thoroughly, and then sending it to yourself via certified mail and leaving it unopened. That way, there's a legal timestamp proving that the idea was yours. I'm not sure how well it may hold up in court, though.
Sucks though, when you install 2k, use all of the Microsoft drivers, install all of the critical (and most of the recommended) updates from the Windows Update site, and the damn thing still crashes running Microsoft software (Office2k), or sometimes even reboots itself in the middle of an application.
However, I do agree that 2k has been the nicest OS M$ has come up with. Widespread support, hardware and software compatibility, that's where Microsoft still holds the market; but stability is where Linux holds true. Props to JosefKerr's 306 day uptime and still running - which isn't even near a record; in December, Alan Cox posted this siting of a box that was up for over 500 days... is it still running I wonder? (try THAT, Windows!)
Slashdot Mirror
... that P != NP for all values of N except where N = 1? What's all this rukkus?
From the comments section of the LA Times site linked in the OP:
Gerald Grow
Deriving teacher rankings from student test scores involves use of a complicated statistical methodology that has many critics. This controversial statistical method is the hidden link in discussions of teacher quality, and that methodology itself needs to be the subject of an investigative series. There is no straightforward way to use student test scores to measure a teacher's effectiveness. Far too many other factors intervene.
The original and probably most widely used value-added methodology is proprietary -- meaning you have to pay to use it, and its methods are secret. This methodology has been widely sold to decision-makers as if it were not controversial.
Which methodology did the LATimes use? Have they discussed it with statisticians who have doubts about whether so many multiple regressions can produce a meaningful result?
I worry that the effort to tie teacher performance to student test scores will result in huge sums being diverted from the classroom and spent on more standardized tests, given to more students, in more grades, and to the cost of analyzing these and improving those scores.
Please follow up with experts who can analyze whether this approach to eduction reform can ever become cost-effective, or whether it will always divert more funds away from schools than the value of the results it produces.
Schools arrived at this externally imposed method of evaluation because they failed to initiate ways to prove that they produce results that are worth what they cost. Too bad. A great opportunity was missed there for bottom-up improvement.
So THAT's the committee which decides which is a "bad" word? I've been wondering about them for years...
Seeing as how Netflix offers DVD and Blu-Ray movies, and Gamefly offers video games... I fail to see how they are competitors, rather than offering complementary services? I've actually been surprised that they haven't yet joined forces.
I did three IT internships at the turn of the century; one for a family member's business in the Midwest, and two in Silicon Valley - the first for a big red-logo'd company, and the second for a Big Blue one. Admittedly, the most valuable parts of the experiences were the knowledge learned, and the networking connections I was able to make (the third internship was a direct result of a contact made at the previous one, and was originally offered as a full-time position). That being said, I must echo the general surprise and commentary that your pay rate seems remarkably low considering your certification status and that you will be at a "major" laptop manufacturer. Is the staffing company taking a portion of your pay for their "service"?
In my experience, the advice I'm about to give is applicable not only to IT, but to most professions:
Firstly, know what you are worth and expect as much. That's not to say that you should be arrogant and make salary demands, but do you honestly feel that the work you'll be doing is worth $8 /hr? If not, perhaps you should look into the college credit option mentioned by Stuckey above, or look elsewhere for an opportunity that will pay you not only in experience, but in dollars (or your local currency). Your college/university should have a Career Office or somesuch that will have leads and contacts to help you find an internship without having to go through a staffing company.
Secondly, never stop learning. Read books. Build relationships with those who know more than you, and ask questions. Don't be afraid to spend some (but not all) of your free time furthering your knowledge about something you love.
But most of all, just make it count. Ensure that whatever you get paid, and whatever projects/tasks you work on will help you take the next steps on your career path. The whole point of an internship is that it should benefit YOU the most - not so that ABC Company can get cheap labor.
I've heard a rumor before about documenting your idea thoroughly, and then sending it to yourself via certified mail and leaving it unopened. That way, there's a legal timestamp proving that the idea was yours. I'm not sure how well it may hold up in court, though.
See works by B.F. Skinner, specifically Walden Two.
$_ =~ s/siting/sighting/;
Sucks though, when you install 2k, use all of the Microsoft drivers, install all of the critical (and most of the recommended) updates from the Windows Update site, and the damn thing still crashes running Microsoft software (Office2k), or sometimes even reboots itself in the middle of an application.
However, I do agree that 2k has been the nicest OS M$ has come up with. Widespread support, hardware and software compatibility, that's where Microsoft still holds the market; but stability is where Linux holds true. Props to JosefKerr's 306 day uptime and still running - which isn't even near a record; in December, Alan Cox posted this siting of a box that was up for over 500 days... is it still running I wonder? (try THAT, Windows!)