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Midwest City Beacon

Military Spirit Medal Program celebrates 11 years

By Maxine Wheelan overcome in its eleventh
Staff Writer year due to the COVID-19.
Although no ceremony
The “Military Spirit will be held in May, 49
Medal Ltd. Program of recent graduates applica-
Oklahoma” had a lot to tions into the military were
received from the follow- Lighthouse Christian
ing high schools: Carl Academy, McLoud Mid-
Albert, Choctaw, Cres- west City, Moore, Nor-
cent, Cushing, Del City, man, Putnam City North,
Edmond North, El Reno, Shawnee, Southmoore,
EPIC Charter, Harrah, Tuttle, Wayne, Western
Heights, Westmoore and
Yukon. Also a medal was
approved from a graduate
student of Atlee H.S. in
the state of Virginia.
These special medals
are manufactured in Inola,
Oklahoma and designed
by Bob Lambert, founder
and director of Oklaho-
ma’s Military Sprit Medal,
Ltd. Program.
The ceremony is usual-
ly held at one or more of tary-bound high school
the local Armed Forces graduates, but it would
Centers or Metro Tech allow them the opportuni-
Facilities. ty of ensuring that Okla-
With these new 49 mil- homa’s newest “Heroes
itary-bound graduates, in the Making” would in
the number to the MSM fact still receive their cov-
(Military Spirit Medal) eted Medals.
Alumni Hall of Fame in- Yes, the “Military Spirit
creased from 815 to 864 Survives” and each of the
past Medalists since 2010. communities these young
Since the Medals were graduates into the Mil-
unable to be presented in itary come from is very
person the Medals were proud of each of them.
sent USPS Postal Mail For more information
Delivery. This way would concerning the Military
not publically recognize Spirit Medal contact Di-
the patriotic commitment rector Bob Lambert at
made by the local mili- 405-672-7728.

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Choctaw Times

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El Reno Tribune

4 ◆ NEWS Wednesday, April 22, 2020 El Reno Tribune

XOpinion

Digital learning during and after the crisis

By GREG FORSTER, PH.D. with parents called we’re getting now America’s political term future. The old burst” — turn out
Oklahoma Council into service as home- is not representative and economic systems forms of education not to explain how
of Public Affairs school educators. of digital learning are fundamentally were a “bubble” ready people behave when
Digital learning Digital K-12 or home-schooling illegitimate are to burst. it comes to the rearing
and home-schooling schooling, long the generally. They’re the convinced things Today, we can of their children.
have hit K-12 highly controversial emergency substitute. will never be the same see that the edu- Techno-futurists have
education like — province of radical Since the crisis began, again, while people futurists — Matt it all backwards. They
well, like a pandemic. education reformers, my daughter’s digital who were perfectly Ladner dubbed them never seem to learn
As in so many other is the new black. assignments have happy with the old The Cool Kids — that human beings are
sectors, from politics Oklahoma’s largest generally consisted ways are convinced were right about the not a technology they
to business to the virtual charter school of busywork — the status quo direction, but wrong can use to realize the
movies, people are organization, EPIC and haven’t taken up ante will be restored about the scope. Or, promise of the future;
asking to what extent Charter Schools, even nearly a full school overnight as soon as if you prefer, you technology is a future
things can ever offered free training day’s worth of time. health authorities can say they were we can use to realize
return to normal from to teachers and At the university give the all-clear. wrong about the the promise of human
the drastic changes schools in traditional where I work, faculty People who love timing. Perhaps beings.
imposed by our public school districts. members (not the blockbuster movie technology really Hybrid models are
health emergency. Despite their rhetoric most tech-savvy franchises are looking will revolutionize emerging, in both K-12
Now that millions about how “everyone segment of the forward to having the whole education and higher ed, that
of families are in public education population, Lord their superheroes and landscape, but if so, are less revolutionary
experiencing digital must come together,” bless them) struggled spaceships back in it didn’t do it on the but more promising
learning and home- it’s a little like mightily to master the summer 2021, while timetable The Cool than the original big
schooling, at least watching Nixon sell online technology. people who accuse Kids predicted. dreams of The Cool
in a way, will these grain to the Soviets. Nobody’s to blame Hollywood of creative Technology is Kids. These models
alternatives come out “Entrenched for this, of course. bankruptcy gloat over successfully bringing take seriously the
stronger on the other interests will not If I had to reinvent movie theater chains education to people human need for
side of the crisis? welcome digital everything I work on financial bankruptcy. in new ways. My relationship and
I have to admit, learning any more overnight, I’m sure it Let’s try to get daughter’s school community that
some really amazing after the crisis than wouldn’t be pretty. But beyond the wishful has told us they’re are at the heart of
things are happening. they did before it.” it does raise questions thinking and take our looking at switching education. They also
Public schools have At the same time, about whether the bearings. Ten years over to using Khan leverage the capacity
switched to digital the digital learning impression people are ago or so, there was a Academy videos, of technological
learning en masse, and home-schooling going to come away huge boom in digital- and I’m delighted innovation to serve
with will be good for learning techno- to hear it. In the that need in new
digital learning in the futurism. Khan last decade, charter ways.
long term. Academy, founded schools have taken Another challenge
Wishful Thinking in 2008, was — on the surprisingly for digital learning
There’s a lot of everyone said it — unglamorous task of that will still be
wishful thinking going to revolutionize hammering out new there on the other
going around — on schooling overnight. models of education side of the crisis
both sides — with Digital charter that use digital is the opposition of
questions like this. schools were not just learning, and some of entrenched interests.
People who have the future of K-12, those are turning out Given the enormous
always felt that they were its short- well. importance of
But building the digital learning
future turns out to be during the crisis, it
a lot harder than it was disappointing
looks, especially when that the Oklahoma
it comes to something State Department of
as fraught with Education refused
personal significance for a long time to
as education. Models exempt digital schools
that explain how from the state’s
people behave when mandatory shutdown.
they buy copper wire Entrenched interests
— “the market is a will not welcome
huge bubble right
now, it’s about to
Turn to LEARN, Page 7

RESIDENTIAL LISTINGS

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El Reno Tribune

about how today’s parents have looked cherished conventions now. But radicals who home-schooling
Learn children will be
disadvantaged by
in the closet and
seen for themselves
in things like the size
and functions of their
view institutional
schooling as a false
will gain marginal
advantages from
their home-schooling that the Boogeyman phone. consciousness widespread
From Page 4
experience have doesn’t live in there. Yes, it’s true that everyone will experience of
digital learning any exposed the anti- That sympathy from that people typically suddenly wake up their methods.
more after the crisis parent attitude personal experience accept institutional and realize they never But I don’t expect
than they did before it inherent in their may serve home- schooling without really believed in radical changes
— and predictions of position. schoolers well in deliberative are a little like the to the landscape of
the imminent demise Home-schooling future battles over reflection, as a social “heteronormativity” education in the
of those interests in has always tended state regulation of default. It is the mode theorists who think short or even medium
the face of dramatic to produce high- their educational pressed upon people people are only term as a result.
new events have performing students. practice. by government and attracted to the Education policy
proved overconfident Few results are more On the other culture. But social opposite sex because remains political, and
for generations. consistent in the hand, it’s also structures don’t society programs for all the changes
Home-schooling empirical literature. hard to believe that become a society’s them that way. we’ve been through,
What about home- However, without significant numbers “default” unless I think it’s likely politics remains more
schooling? This is a relevant control of parents who they are profoundly digital learning and or less what it was.
not a new model of group, we are unable have built the whole plausible to the
education but an to perform even the structure of their people of that society
old one — indeed, most rudimentary child-rearing around for some important
the oldest one. Yet empirical analysis to institutionalized reason. Institutional
home-schoolers have determine whether schooling will schooling was
also long embraced these high outcomes suddenly reverse not imposed upon
the use of digital are the result of course. Most people American society
learning, using it as home-schooling just do not have by some kind of
a tool for their more as such, rather that high a level of totalitarian regime.
traditional vision of than byproducts risk tolerance when Home-schooling is
what education is. of factors such as it comes to child- the right choice for
The appeal of home- the demographics rearing. This is not some, and perhaps Our lobby may be closed, but you
schooling has always of home-schooling like asking people to the right choice for can get anything in our store through
been “let’s go back families. In other abandon their long- more than choose it Curbside, Drive-Thru or Delivery!
to the future.” Is it a words, we have no
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We’re all in this together!
arrogant comments Anything we can do to help you while 'sheltering in place'
just call and let us know!

dili l l i h d f ll i C C
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Eastern Times Register

EPIC Assisting Schools, DOC with Distance Learning Options

As distance learning to Oklahoma public eral governments are work cooperatively.” of the website also has
has begun for all Okla- schools, including two going to recommend or In addition to free been made available for
n homa public schools, hours of staff develop- require social distancing staff development, in Oklahoma teachers or
EPIC Charter Schools ment. Several districts re- to protect public health,” the last week, EPIC also parents without inter-
announced it is providing sponded positively to the said EPIC Superinten- publicly posted on its net connectivity in their
several Oklahoma school offer and EPIC reiterated dent Bart Banfield. “We website (https://epic- homes.
districts and the Oklaho- today its willingness to understand many schools charterschools.org/ Educate Without
ma Department of Cor- help in any way it could are having to get a crash distance-learning-for- Walls: A Powerpoint pre-
rections (DOC) with free any Oklahoma school course in distance learn- traditional-schools) the sentation to accompany
staff development regard- that requested it. ing from both a faculty following free resources: two hours of free, interac-
ing distance learning. EPIC staff is working training perspective and EPIC Ed: Academic tive staff development or
After the State Board with DOC to enhance ed- a student engagement lessons for each core as a standalone resource.
of Education required ucational opportunities perspective. We want to Oklahoma Academic Online Teaching Help:
distance learning of all for inmates by providing help in any way we can. Standard that can be A repository of best
public schools for the access to curriculum and We are in this together, delivered via Zoom or practices and online re-
remainder of this school staff training on technol- and it’s never been more Google Hangouts, in- sources created by EPIC
year, EPIC announced it ogy like Zoom. important for our coun- cluding practice and as- teachers with demon-
would offer several free “We don’t know how try that all facets of our sessment resources. A strated success in dis-
distance learning tools long our state and fed- public education system mobile-friendly version tance learning.

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