Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Communo Magazine, Spring 1998, School Of Communication

CommUNO Magazine

CommUNO magazine is currently produced annually by the UNO School of Communication: 6001 Dodge Street, ASH 140, Omaha, NE 68182: Phone: 402.554.2600. Fax: 402.554.3836. For more information, follow us on Twitter@ CommUNO, join the “UNO School of Communication” page on Facebook or visit communication.unomaha.edu.

Leaders Of The New School: A Comparative Analysis Of Selected African American Rap Artists, Andrew P. Smallwood

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

“This is a presentation examining the cultural influence of rap groups Gang Starr, The Roots, and Rakim to examine their message directed at African American youth culture . . . It is through examining the messages in Rap music that we can educate Black youth about Black culture and Black life at the dawn of the 21st century.”

Performance-Based Standards For Juvenile Corrections, Doris Layton Mackenzie, Gaylene Armstrong, Angela R. Grover

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Total quality management (TQM) has revolutionized business, and some of its components can be applied to corrections. The importance of information for developing performance-based standards is obvious. Much more difficult is the process of deciding what information to obtain and how to use it. In the area of juvenile corrections, information about the conditions or environments of juvenile facilities and how these conditions are associated with intermediate and longterm outcomes will be invaluable in developing performance-based standards.

Weaving Service-Learning Into The Fabric Of Your College, Nan Ottenritter, C. David Lisman

Higher Education

Institutionalizing service-learning can be a rich and complex process. The following ideas about sustainability are offered as points to keep in mind as we go about getting service-learning programs more solidly grounded within our institutions. We've organized our ideas into the following categories: institutional mission, faculty outcomes, student outcomes, community impact, coordination of services, and advancement of the field. Most topics are accompanied by a checklist and "thought prompts." The checklist provides a guide for improving service-learning programs from the perspective of many different constituencies across an institution. The thought prompts are key words that frequently surface in discussions about …

Cross-Cultural Field Placements: Student Teachers Learning From Schools And Communities, Laura L. Stachowski, James M. Mahan

Higher Education

The student teaching experience is typically characterized by a collaboration of school and university-cooperating teacher and university supervisor- to prepare novice educators for the instructional, managerial, and disciplinary demands of classroom teaching. Less often are individuals and groups outside of the immediate school environment perceived as active and important contributors to learning outcomes and professional development for student teachers. However, an increasing number of teacher educators are addressing the role of the community in providing student teachers with information and insights that will enhance the classroom experience in vital ways.

A Pedagogy For Citizenship: Service Learning And Democratic Education, Meta Mendel-Reyes

Higher Education

Maria clutches the papers tightly. After over two hours of waiting through reports, announcements, awards, and other agenda items that seemed much less urgent than hers, the chance to speak has nearly arrived. She looks at the determined face of the African American woman seated beside her, one of several residents living across the street from a trash incinerator that has brought pollution, disease, noise, and rats to their quiet neighborhood. At last, they would have the opportunity to tell their story to elected officials who could do something about it. Maria glances down at the statistics that took her …

De-Platonizing And Democratizing Education As The Bases Of Service Learning, Ira Harkavy, Lee Benson

Service Learning, General

The theoretical bases of academic service learning are examined, with particular attention to John Dewey’s contributions. The service learning movement is conceptualized as part of an ongoing—and still unsuccessful—effort to “de-Platonize” and democratize American higher education in particular and American schooling in general.

A Comparison Of Two Omaha Radio Talk Shows: Local Vs. National Issues, Jodeane F. Brownlee, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

It's 9:06 a.m. in Omaha, Nebraska. A stout, forty-year-old male with sandy blond air sips a cup of coffee. The "on air" microphone turns red signaling the start of a new morning on talk radio. "Good morning you're on news/talk 1110 KFAB." Tom Becka, a three-year veteran of talk radio speaks quickly and loudly. Becka describes his show and re audience as the gang in the kitchen. "By that I mean, if you're at a party the best part of the party is the gang in the kitchen," says Becka. "They're arguing, they're fighting, they're laughing, they're discussing, they're disagreeing. …

The Airline Quality Rating 1998, Brent Bowen, Dean Headley, Uno Aviation Institute

Faculty Books and Monographs

UNOAI Report 98-1

The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was developed and first announced in early 1991 as an objective method of comparing airline performance on combined multiple factors important to consumers. Development history and calculation details for the AQR rating system are detailed in The Airline Quality Rating issued in April, 1991, by the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University. This current report, Airline Quality Rating 1998, contains monthly Airline Quality Rating scores for 1997. Additional copies are available by contacting Wichita State University or the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

The Airline Quality Rating 1998 is …

Why Are We Here? What Are We Doing? Interdisciplinary Social Studies For The 21st Century, Ann L. Rappaport

School K-12

It's the interdisciplinary potential that drew many of us into social studies from the start, isn't it? Because the human condition is, in fact, interdisciplinary. We're attracted by the study of real people and their challenges. We're magnetized by the processes people use to find solutions to a variety of societal problems. It's appealing to learn how people organize to accomplish certain goals. We thrive on diversity, on relationships, on cultural artifacts, on connections. We love the drama of discovery.

Service Learning On The Information Superhighway, Bonnie Bracey

Service Learning, General

The Information Superhighway is more than the Internet. It is a series of components, including the collection of...high-speed, interactive...networks that exist today and will emerge tomorrow. It is the satellite, terrestrial, and wireless technologies....It is the information and content that flow over the infrastructure....It is the computers, televisions, telephones, radios, and other products....It is the people who will provide, manage, and generate new information....And it is the individual Americans who will use and benefit from the Information Superhighway. The Information Superhighway...encompasses all these components and captures the vision of a nationwide, invisible, seamless, dynamic web of transmission mechanisms, information, appliances, …

What Are Students Learning?: Assessing Service Learning And The Curriculum, Kathryn Blash Cumbo, Jennifer A. Vadeboncoeur

Service Learning, General

Service learning, a method of learning and teaching, has the potential to move our educational system into the 21st century by providing a vehicle for integrating the needs of schools and communities while reflecting current reform agendas and providing meaningful learning experiences for students. In order for service learning to play a role in the transformation of our schools, however, educators must become successful at linking service to learning- making connections between service experiences and academic learning explicit. This paper explores the meaning of learning in service learning by explicating: a) how service learning links to current standards based reform …

Animal Tracks Northern Forest Action Pack, Elizabeth Soper, Marsha A. Lakes Matyas, Sara Bradley, Cheryl Dixon, Elenor Hodges, Jennifer Kier, Margaret Tunstall, Charles Wilkinson

Curriculum

Welcome to Animal Tracks®, a classroom education program of the National Wildlife Federation focusing on teacher training and environmental education resources. In Animal Tracks materials, the animals and their tracks lead educators and students on an exploration of conservation issues.

Thank you for using this Action Pack, our newest resource. We hope you find the Action Packs useful and as a ''work-in-progress,'' we welcome any comments you might have for improvements. As you turn the page you'll see our questionnaire. Please take a minute to fill it out and put it in the mail. We'll include you on our mailing …

Awarding Credit For Service: A Study Conducted For The Corporation For National Service, Robert D. Shumer

Higher Education

The expansion of service-learning and service programs throughout the educational system in the United States continues at a strong rate. Bolstered by the national initiatives sponsored by the Corporation for National Service (CNS) and by state movements such as the mandated graduation requirement for service in Maryland, many people are interested in where and in how this reform movement is being implemented. Specifically, they are interested in understanding what counts for service, how service is monitored, and how service counts or is credited in school districts. A central issue focuses on the criteria school systems and school personnel use to …

Why Service-Learning Is Bad, John Eby

Service Learning, General

Service-learning has potential to transform teaching and learning in the academy and to call a generation of students to develop social responsibility and an ethic of service. Research on the learning side of the service-learning equation shows that students develop social responsibility, reduce racism, develop leadership and gain personal and social skills. There are however important questions which must be examined on the service side of the equation. The demands a learning orientation places on service limits its effectiveness and its ability to address community needs at a structural level. The service students do is often ameliorative and the explanations …

Animal Tracks Wetlands Action Pack, Maria Hagedorn, Marsha A. Lakes Matyas, Sara Bradley, Cheryl Dixon, Elenor Hodges, Jennifer Kier, Margaret Tunstall, Charles Wilkinson

Curriculum

Welcome to Animal Tracks®, a classroom education program of the National Wildlife Federation focusing on teacher training and environmental education resources. In Animal Tracks materials, the animals and their tracks lead educators and students on an exploration of conservation issues.

Thank you for using this Action Pack, our newest resource. We hope you find the Action Packs useful and as a "work-in-progress," we welcome any comments you might have for I improvements. As you turn the page you'll see our questionnaire. Please take a minute to fill it out and put it in the mail. We'll include you on our …

Integrating Community Into Training, Robert D. Shumer

Partnerships/Community

Community involvement and partnership are key to the success of National Service programs. The best way to show members and the community - the importance of working with the community is to incorporate the community Into every aspect of your program, including your training - from pre-service training and continuing through in-service and close-of-service activities.

Academic Effects Of Service-Learning, Elizabeth B. Gardner, Corinne M. Baron

Higher Education

Service-learning is growing in popularity. Ziolkowski (1996) pointed out that if service-learning is to become a lasting component in American education, it must have a clear link to "the academy" (in addition to the development of moral and civic values and the benefit to the community). We therefore examined students' perception of their learning of specific aspects of course content. We measured perceived learning in two sections of Cognitive Psychology in which half of the students did service-learning. We asked each student to rate his or her knowledge of Attention, Memory, Language, Cognitive Development, Metacognition, Individual Differences in cognitive processes, …

Designing Collaborations Between Community Based Organizations And Schools To Produce Curriculum Models For Service-Learning Programs (Tree Trust), Tree Trust

Guides

Tree Trust's T.R.E.E.S. for TEENS program is a curriculum-based, school-to-work program, that emphasizes on the environment, and integrates classroom education with community service, service learning, and local resources.

A Proposal For The Development Of Fort Hays State University Service Learning Program, Dan Kahl

Higher Education

"Service Learning" is quickly becoming a style of education that is recognized for its' effectiveness and practical benefits. Linking class curriculum with hands-on applications is often referred to as "experiential education". Service Learning is a form of experiential education identified by an equal emphasis on academic learning and service to others. The combination of focusing on meeting community needs, identifying learning objectives, and intentionally reflecting on what is being learned makes service learning different from plain volunteerism or community service.

Service-Learning Projects In Composition And Beyond, Thomas Deans, Zan Meyer-Goncalves

Higher Education

All college teachers want their courses to be relevant and provocative, and to encourage students to be more active learners of the discipline, participants in the academy, and citizens in the wider community. As teachers of composition, we first experimented with combining community service with classroom teaching because it promised to advance teaching aims we value, especially making connections between academic courses and community needs, and between cognitive thinking and ethical social action. And we continue with service-learning projects because our experience and students' responses suggest a significant degree of success in meeting those goals. But we are certainly not …

Service Learning As A Strategy To Prepare Teacher Candidates For Contemporary Diverse Classrooms, Deborah Hamm, David Dowell, Jean Houck

Higher Education

The article describes a service-learning program jointly developed, implemented, and evaluated by a large university and a culturally and linguistically diverse urban school district. Each semester, over 200 undergraduate students preparing to be teachers learn first-hand about contemporary classrooms by assisting at-risk students. Program evaluation found changes in the undergraduates' attitudes about the importance of social and individual difference on children's learning.

Community Service-Learning In Teacher Education: A Report On Innovative Programs In New England, Beth Wohlleb, Robert Maloy

Higher Education

As the strengths of community service-learning are becoming more recognized by educators at all levels, many institutions of higher education are incorporating CSL as a dynamic pedagogy into their teacher education programs. Many schools or departments of education encourage or require certification candidates to perform CSL as part of their teacher training as ways to learn about the teaching profession through the practice of teaching and reflection. Fewer schools integrate service-learning into their teacher education program in another way: by teaching preservice teachers how to use service-learning as a pedagogy with children in their own future classrooms. This second group …

Higher Education And Civic Responsibility, Alexander W. Astin

Higher Education

It goes without saying that higher education plays a major part in shaping civic life in modern American society. Our colleges and universities not only educate each new generation of leaders in government, business, science, law, medicine, the clergy, and other advanced professions, but are also responsible for setting the standards and training the personnel who will educate the entire citizenry at the precollegiate level. Higher education institutions can also exert important societal influences through the scientific, technological, and cultural knowledge produced by their faculties. (Reprinted with permission by the author.)

Expanding And Sustaining Partnerships, Judith A. Ramaley

Higher Education

The Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC) Program requires adaptations in the university environment. We must examine and reinterpret (1) the roles and responsibilities of faculty; (2) the design of the undergraduate curriculum; (3) the structures of the university that create the capacity and support to sustain different working relationships with the community; and (4) our definitions of success and quality.

How Undergraduates Are Affected By Service Participation, Alexander W. Astin, Linda J. Sax

Higher Education

Based on entering freshman and follow-up data collected from 3,450 students (2,287 women and 1,163 men) attending 42 institutions with federally funded community service programs, the impact of community service participation on undergraduate student development was examined. Even after regression analyses controlled for individual student characteristics at the time of college entry, including the propensity to engage in service, results indicate that participating in service during the undergraduate years substantially enhances the student's academic development, life skill development, and sense of civic responsibility.

Central Park East Secondary School (Cpess) At A Glance, David Smith

School K-12

Ramon, a senior at Central Park East Secondary School (CPESS), pushes his way through the doors of the school into the crisp December morning. Covering the three blocks to Mr. Sinai Hospital in minutes, Ramon greets the hospital security guard, heads through the doors marked "employees only," and makes his way to a small auditorium where the weekly CPESS/Mt. Sinai Health Careers Internship Seminar takes place.

Omaha Conditions Survey: 1998, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

The Omaha Conditions Survey: 1998 is the fifth in a series of studies conducted by the Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The purpose of the Omaha Conditions Survey is to produce and disseminate quality information about issues of importance to the community. The 1998 survey focused on measuring detailed characteristics of the local labor force. This information is intended to help members of the community address issues related to labor availability and employment needs.

Local Tv News And The Death Penalty: Social Construction Of A Nebraska Execution, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

This paper focused on the September 2, 1994 execution of Harold Lamont "Walkin' Willie" Otey. Coverage of the execution by the four Omaha, Nebraska television stations was examined. The Otey execution is seen from a social construction of reality perspective. The television portrayal of a confrontation on the night of the execution between supporters and Opponents of capital punishment is seen as a mediated view of what happened that night. The public image of the death penalty as appropriate justice is seen as influenced by media coverage.

Community Connections Kit: Practical Materials For Involving Your Community In Character-Building, Wise Skills Resources

Guides

Many recognize that there is a crisis in American schools today. School violence rates are increasing. Test scores are plummeting in many areas. High dropout rates continue to plague numerous school districts. And our prisons are bursting with men and women who have failed in school. While school districts and state governments wrestle with making our educational system effective, schools are faced with mounting social problems that cannot be solved by merely teaching academic skills.