Educational Technology

Study: Students want more online learning - eSchool News

2009-07-06T00:40:00.000+01:00

Despite a growing interest in online learning among students, the availability of online classes in K-12 schools and districts hasn't kept pace with the demand, according to a new report from Project Tomorrow and Blackboard Inc. According to the report, more than 40 percent of sixth through 12th graders have researched or demonstrated interest in taking a course online, but only 10 percent have

Microsoft tests free security software - Maya T. Prabhu, eSchool News

2009-07-06T00:35:00.001+01:00

In a move that could help keep higher-education campus networks safe, Microsoft Corp. released a beta test of a free computer security program on June 23 and is on track to launch a finished product in the fall. The program, Microsoft Security Essentials, is designed to find and eliminate malicious software that can steal passwords and other personal information or turn PCs into spam distribution

7 million YouTube hits make kids' choir famous - eSchool News

2009-07-06T00:30:00.001+01:00

A New York fifth-grade chorus has become a world-famous cyber phenomenon touted by top media outlets, celebrities, and politicians, thanks to the online video-sharing web site YouTube.And yet, the young singers from Public School 22 have rarely left Staten Island, a water-ringed New York City borough reached by ferry from Manhattan. Much of the credit for the group's newfound celebrity goes to a

Meta-Analysis: Is Blended Learning Most Effective? - David Nagel, THE Journal

2009-07-05T00:40:00.001+01:00

The United States Department of Education reported recently that it's found some evidence to support the notion that blended learning is more effective than either face to face or online learning by themselves. Further, between online and face to face instruction, online is at least as good and may even have the advantage in terms of improving student achievement and potentially expanding the

Energy-Saving 'Green' PC Targets Education Market - Scott Aronowitz, THE Journal

2009-07-05T00:35:00.002+01:00

Tangent has introduced Vita LT, a PC aimed at the education market and notable for its energy-saving capabilities. The system boasts a low-voltage CPU that claims 72 percent lower energy usage than standard Energy Star 4.0-compliant PCs. Promoted as a cost-efficient "all-in-one" with a price point below $1,000, the Vita LT offers all the functions necessary, including built-in 802.11n wireless,

Is Twitter the news outlet for the 21st century? - JAKE COYLE, AP

2009-07-05T00:30:00.000+01:00

The popular technology blog TechCrunch recently questioned whether Twitter is "the CNN of the new media generation." "Twitter absolutely changes the media landscape," said Ross Dawson, author and communications strategy analyst. "I like to refer to Marshall McLuhan's description of media as `an extension of our senses.' Now, Twitter is extending our senses to tens of millions of people who are

E-rate Sees Surge in Support - David Nagel, THE Journal

2009-07-04T00:40:00.000+01:00

The federal E-rate program has seen a spike this year in its approval among applicants, according to a new report released this week by Funds For Learning, a firm that provides consulting services to E-rate applicants. The report was announced at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) being held this week in Washington, DC. E-rate provides schools and libraries with discounts on

13 Groups to Pursue STEM Equity with ED Funding - David Nagel, THE Journal

2009-07-04T00:35:00.001+01:00

The United States Department of Education is looking to give girls a boost in science and math. ED revealed this week that it will fund projects from 13 organizations to help high school girls improve their proficiency in STEM subjects. The four-year grants are being provided under the Department of Education's Women's Educational Equity Act Program. The 13 groups--ranging from K-12 school

Partnership Releases 21st Century Skills Maps for Science, Geography - David Nagel, THE Journal

2009-07-04T00:30:00.001+01:00

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has teamed with the National Science Teachers Association and the National Council for Geographic Education to launch the latest in its series of 21st century roadmaps for core academic subjects, in this case K-12 science and geography. The maps were introduced at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) being held this week in Washington, DC. The

Project seeks to measure ed tech's value - Laura Devaney, eSchool News

2009-07-03T00:40:00.000+01:00

An ambitious new research project aims to revolutionize education by showing that well-implemented technology initiatives can save states money after an initial investment. Project RED (for Revolutionizing EDucation) will examine the outcomes of educational technology initiatives using a cost-benefit analysis to determine which ed-tech programs and devices are having the most cost-effective

LEDs light up InfoComm 2009 - Dennis Carter, eSchool News

2009-07-03T00:34:00.001+01:00

School administrators, teachers, and professors were among thousands at the InfoComm audio-video conference in Orlando June 15-19, where technology vendors unveiled the latest in digital signage hardware and software and LED projectors that could prove energy and cost efficient. Projectors powered by LED (Light Emitting Diodes) technology, rather than the traditional lamp, have displayed longer

Scholarships for College Dwindle as Providers Pull Back Their Support - JONATHAN D. GLATER, New York Times

2009-07-03T00:30:00.001+01:00

Students looking for college scholarships are going to have a harder time this year as providers, hammered by falling investment returns and declining philanthropic support, cut back. The Fulfillment Fund, a nonprofit that works with Los Angeles public high school students, has reduced the number of college scholarships offered over the last three years by nearly half and has tightened

Obama Administration: Technology at the Heart of Education Reform - Geoffrey H. Fletcher, THE Journal

2009-07-02T00:40:00.001+01:00

"Technology is core and essential to the strategies we are using to reform education." That was the message from both Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement at the United States Department of Education, and Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer in the White House. Chopra said that technology in education is less about hardware and software and more about what we

Gartner Forecasts Better-Than-Expected PC Shipments - Herb Torrens, THE Journal

2009-07-02T00:35:00.002+01:00

Gartner reported a better-than-expected first quarter for PC shipments and is now forecasting a healthy market recovery in 2010, according to a statement. "We may have been a little pessimistic in our previous forecast for 2009," said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner, in a telephone interview. "We expected a very bad first quarter, but it didn't happen. Looking at it, consumer demand

5 States Developing Green Curriculum - David Nagel, THE Journal

2009-07-02T00:30:00.001+01:00

Five states have committed to developing green career and technical education initiatives. In collaboration with the United States Department of Education, the Education Department's Office of Vocational and Adult Education, and the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, the states will create secondary and post-secondary programs that will lead to certificates and associate

Cerebral Imprint 2.5.0 for Mac

2009-07-01T00:25:00.001+01:00

If you're preparing for the bar exam or a gross anatomy quiz, you may want to give Cerebral Imprint the once over. Created by developer Alex Rose, this open source application allows users to create a wide range of flash cards.Visitors can import card decks from existing text files and also export card decks to text files, if necessary. It's an easy-to-use application, and compatible with

Waste Online

2009-07-01T00:20:00.000+01:00

Sure enough, there is a good deal of "waste" online, so it's nice to learn about the Waste Online website which serves as a great repository for information about an entirely different set of waste-related matters. This British-based website has been funded by the New Opportunities Fund Digitise project. The project is overseen by Waste Watch, which is "the leading environmental charity dedicated

Intelligent Virtual Environments

2009-07-01T00:15:00.000+01:00

The research goals of the British-based lab, Intelligent Virtual Environments, of the University of Teesside are to develop "new models of interactivity based on Artificial Intelligence techniques." The website contains access to current projects, past and completed projects, technologies, as well as all publications and a tool to search those publications. Visitors can view the more than two

New Internet2 CTO pushes multicast, IPv6 - Carolyn Duffy Marsan, Computer World

2009-06-30T00:40:00.000+01:00

Next week, Randy Frank will take over as the new CTO of Internet2, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based consortium of 200 U.S. universities conducting advanced networking research. Frank joins Internet2 from Fidelity Investments, where he was chief technologist for the financial services firm�s Center for Applied Technology. Now, Frank is looking forward to getting back into academia, where he can get

Myths and realities of teen media trends - Dave Rosenberg, CNet news.cnet.com

2009-06-30T00:35:00.001+01:00

Nielsen is out with a new report on media consumption by teens and the results are counter-intuitive to what we commonly believe to be the norm. According to the How Teens Use Media report (PDF), "teens exhibit media habits that are more similar to the total population than not."Key takeaways from the report:Teens are not abandoning TV for new media: In fact, they watch more TV than ever, up 6

Rendell: Science, math pros needed to teach school - The Associated Press

2009-06-30T00:30:00.001+01:00

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell is asking the Legislature to create a fast-track into the teaching ranks for technology and engineering professionals. Under Rendell's proposal, candidates for the "residency certification" would have to complete an intensive, four-month training program on instructional strategies and child development.

The Disruption of the Traditional Textbook Model Continues - Geoffrey H. Fletcher, THE Journal

2009-06-29T00:40:00.000+01:00

Texas Governor Rick Perry signed HB 4294 June 19, and the world of textbooks will never be the same in Texas or across the country. Because Texas purchases all the textbooks for all the subjects for school districts, and because of its sheer size--more than 8,000 schools educating 4.6 million students--Texas drives the textbook market. This means most publishers create their products to fit Texas

German teacher loses battle against pupils' web rankings - AFP

2009-06-29T00:35:00.001+01:00

A German teacher who had sued to shut down a website where pupils rank their instructors according to competence and "coolness" lost her battle in court Tuesday. The Federal Supreme Court, Germany's top civil tribunal, rejected the claim of the teacher, Astrid Czubayko-Reiss, that her right to privacy was violated by the site, spickmich.de, (loosely translated, checkmeout.de) where she received a

Cheaper eBook reader challenges Kindle - Maya T. Prabhu, eSchool News

2009-06-29T00:30:00.000+01:00

With the popularity of electronic reading devices on the rise, and a handful of colleges set to pilot Amazon.com's Kindle DX this fall, a new eBook reading device from New York-based Interead, called the COOL-ER, offers a less expensive alternative that its creator, Neil Jones, says educators could find appealing. "I thought about what readers need from an eBook. The COOL-ER is 45 to 50 percent

Carnegie Corporation: 'Do school differently' - Laura Devaney, eSchool News

2009-06-28T00:40:00.001+01:00

Urging the nation to "do school differently," a new report recommends a set of concrete actions for federal, state, and local education leaders to take to transform math and science instruction and bring the United States back to the forefront of global competition. "The Opportunity Equation: Transforming Mathematics and Science Education for Citizenship and the Global Economy," released by the