Educational Technology

By KATE DUBINSKI, The London Free Press

The students are back, Western embraces a new crop of first year students as they get ready to enter residence life and start school. Play Video Most students returning to school Tuesday are wired, connected and know how to use the online world to their advantage. Then there are The Others. For those whose last classroom experience involved blackboards and assignments written in longhand, the shift to checking marks online, PowerPoint presentations, even writing essays with Microsoft Word — never mind Facebook and Twitter — can be daunting. Adults are going back to school in droves at a time when more technology is making its way into lecture theatres, college classrooms and assignment requirements than ever before, leaving post-secondary institutions to make sure everyone — young and old — is up to speed.

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010/09/06/15262846.html

By Ryan Boetel The Daily Times

Most parents would hardly recognize the inside of a Farmington classroom these days. Every student stares at a computer screen; assignments are handed in and graded with the push of an enter key. About 5,100 students from sixth through 12th grade in the Farmington school district have their own laptops this year as part of the biggest laptop initiative in the state. The laptop program has evolved and accelerated faster than anticipated since starting with middle school students in 2008, said Robert Emerson, the assistant superintendent of technology and assessment.

http://www.daily-times.com/ci_16008471

By Kerry McCray, Sacramento Bee

Until a few months ago, she could type using Microsoft Word — and that was it. “Now I can do a lot of stuff,” said Stephanie, a junior at Modesto High School. “I can make my own accounts, video edit, upload pictures.” In fact, Stephanie is so proficient that she teaches adults how to use computers as part of the Digital Connectors program, which trains teens in computer skills, then helps them pass on their knowledge. Their students? Clients of the Stanislaus Literacy Center, which serves adults who want to improve their reading skills in order to land jobs, take high school equivalency exams or otherwise enhance their lives.

http://www.modbee.com/2010/09/08/1329838/teens-help-teach-adults-about.html

by Jennifer Ludden, Talk of the Nation, NPR

Grounding once meant being confined to the house or handing over the car keys. But isolating a teen to reflect on his misbehavior is harder in the age of Facebook and cell phones. The Pew Internet Project’s Amanda Lenhart describes how more parents are taking away social media tools to keep kids in line.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129727769

by the Telegraph

Workshy schoolchildren no longer rely on traditional excuses such as “the dog ate my homework”, prefering more modern variations including “my computer crashed”, according to a survey. A study of pupils and teachers found lines such as “I spilt my dinner on it” and “I dropped it on the way to school” are a thing of the past. Modern children are more likely to claim “I finished my homework but deleted it by accident”, “The internet was down” or “my printer broke”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7989203/Technology-becomes-most-popular-homework-excuse.html

by Patrick Wellert, News Techno

It has long been difficult for teachers to effectively communicate the objectives and goals in a fun and exciting way that reaches the students. In the changing times teachers need to find ways to include students into the lesson using the technology made available to them. It has long been believed that teachers need to get over their fear and use technology openly with students in order to meet their educational needs. By including students into the lessons teachers will experience a more positive classroom experience.

http://newstechno.org/breaking-the-technology-barrier-using-technology-in-education

by Alex Lluch, ADEK.US

Bullying has been around since the beginning of time. Parents, you may remember you or your friends being bullied as a child. No doubt you remember the hurt, frustration, and sadness it caused. These days, however, bullying isn’t just happening on the playground or at the bus stop, it’s happening on the Internet and on your kids’ cell phones, making it possible to bully a child 24 hours a day and include thousands of participants. Cyberbullying follows children around the clock, and into the safety of their homes. Many times, kids are scared to tell their parents about cyberbullying, thinking they will be blamed, lose their Internet privileges, or that their parents will call the school or other parents, probably making the bullying worse.

http://adeck.us/cyberbullying-technology-takes-bullying-to-a-scary-new-level/

By Janeal Roberts, Health News Digest

Most kids today are natural technophiles-gracefully and enthusiastically adopting technology into their everyday lives. In fact, a recent study showed that, on average, today’s school-aged children are consuming and using media about 7.5 hours a day. From first graders to high schoolers, technology is not something children “turn on” after school or on the weekends but is now more than ever an integral and organic addition to life. As their children move seamlessly from computer screens to video games, many parents ask “What is the appropriate level of ‘screen time’ for my child?” It’s all a matter of balance.

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Family_Health_210/Keeping_Up_With_Today_s_High-Tech_Kids.shtml

By Tanya Roscorla, Converge

In this global marketplace, kids need to learn the proper skills and gain hands-on, real-world experience if they hope to survive the workforce. If teachers mix career-oriented projects into their classrooms, they will help students master core subjects and learn skills including communication, problem solving, critical thinking, global awareness, financial literacy and technology.

http://www.convergemag.com/workforce/Teaching-for-the-21st-Century.html

By Jeff Cormier, the Next Web

Dropbox is one great service. Dropbox, for those who don’t know, uses cloud computing to enable users to store and share files and folders with others across the Internet using file synchronization. Dropbox is accessible anywhere, be it on a Mac, Windows, Linux, or mobile device, once you establish an account. Notesy ($.99) is a simple notes app which includes Dropbox syncing.

http://ow.ly/2DTc7

By Glenda Watson Hyatt, Do It Myself Blog

For anyone who thinks the iPad is just some kind of over-priced, hipster toy, read this review …Then, I did something I had never done before: I went into one of the many Starbucks at O’Hare and ordered my first mocha frappuccino by myself. No misunderstanding or hand gesturing involved. It was so cool, like another door had just opened for me! I feel like technology is finally catching up with what I truly need.

http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2010/the-ipad-as-an-affordable-communicator-initial-review/

Compiled by Indeed.com

Check out the salaries, trends and opportunities for school technology employees. This site has a Middle School Technology teacher in Detroit at $31,000. There’s a Multi-Media Specialist at $43,000. And, much more.  Find salaries and trends of jobs in your city.

http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=Middle+School+Computer+Technology+Teacher&l1=Detroit%2C+MI

News Release by the IRS

It’s school time, and the Internal Revenue Service Thursday reminded college students and parents about expanded tax benefits for education and rule changes for tax-free college savings plans known as 529 plans. Two key changes from the Recovery Act of 2009 may help students and parents in 2010. One change allows 529 plan users to pay for a student’s computer-related technology needs such as internet access. The other change means more taxpayers will be eligible to claim a new education credit to offset cost of college and maybe even get a bigger refund.

http://www.heartlandconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=506252

By Andy Thompson, Post-Crescent News

“We’ve been spending a lot of time on this,” principal Patrick Batey said. “We wanted to be very careful.” Batey stressed that the laptop program will not replace classroom teaching, but will enhance and supplement it. He said it became obvious to school officials that digital-based learning is here to stay and keeping current with changing technology is important. “That’s one of the reasons we need to do it,” he said. “Things explode so quickly. If you’re not looking forward and looking on the horizon, then you are behind.” Young said the laptops will be more useful than the traditional desktop computers in school settings. Students will bring the laptops to class, utilize them during study periods and take them home to do class assignments.

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20100903/APC0101/9030449/Teachers-say-laptops-help-digital-learners–

By Kristen Durbin, the Notre Dame Observer

As the academic year kicks into high gear, many students have heard of the buzz surrounding the “iPad class.” Inside of Corey Angst’s project management class, the use of Apple’s popular gadget allows students to take advantage of the iPad’s capabilities in a unique way. The seven-week course is the first of several pilot classes that will use 50 University-owned iPads as means to determine the role e-publishing technology should play in the classroom, Angst, assistant professor of management, said.

http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/news/nd-utilizes-the-ipad-1.1552756

by Newington Town Crier

As students enter the classroom this year they will be met with a host of new technological teaching tools, including the Smart Board and the Mimio. This is the first year that the Newington Public Schools has incorporated “Smart Boards” in every classroom in the school district. “We have been chipping away at this over the last six years,” said Superintendent Dr. William Collins, adding he was excited to see the technology in place. “The technology is what engages [the students],” he said.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20445890&BRD=1647&PAG=461&dept_id=11410&rfi=6

by Brittany Anas, Camera Staff Writer

A theater and dance professor whose research focuses on the application of lasers and computers will lead a University of Colorado panel charged with determining the future of media education. After announcing last week that the university is considering discontinuing the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, officials said Thursday that Merrill Lessley will lead the committee that will generate recommendations for a new information, communication and technology program.

http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_15971946

By SAM DILLON, NY Times

The new tests, which Secretary of Education Arne Duncan described in a speech in Virginia on Thursday, are to be ready for the 2014-15 school year. They will be computer-based, Mr. Duncan said, and will measure higher-order skills ignored by the multiple-choice exams used in nearly every state, including students’ ability to read complex texts, synthesize information and do research projects. “The use of smarter technology in assessments,” Mr. Duncan said, “makes it possible to assess students by asking them to design products of experiments, to manipulate parameters, run tests and record data.” Because the new tests will be computerized and will be administered several times throughout the school year, they are expected to provide faster feedback to teachers than the current tests about what students are learning and what might need to be retaught.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/education/03testing.html?_r=1

By Paige Chapman, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Lots of colleges are experimenting with e-book readers. St. John’s College is fighting them. At a recent meeting, the faculty of the liberal-arts college’s Annapolis campus voted “to discourage students from loading up Homer or Aristotle on their Kindles or iPads and bringing them to seminar,” said Rosemary Harty, the college’s communications director. The faculty stopped short of banning the devices, Ms. Harty said in an e-mail to The Chronicle.

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/No-Homer-on-Your-iPads-Please/26782/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

By JEFFREY WEISS / The Dallas Morning News

“Whoa!”

The kids were responding to a relatively new kind of technology just starting to filter into North Texas classrooms: a 3-D projection system, coupled with interactive, computer-driven content. In her class at Richardson ISD’s Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet elementary school, Johnson was teaching a lesson about the human senses. Down the hall, Brittany Russo gave her third-grade class a tour of the solar system. The sun, planets and asteroids spun gently like an animated chandelier. Russo “grabbed” a comet and took the class on a virtual ride though an orbit, all the while engaging her students in a spirited question-and-answer session. Both teachers were part of a pilot program coordinated last school year by DLP, a division of Texas Instruments that produces hardware for this kind of 3-D projection. This week, both teachers welcomed the technology back into their classrooms.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/090310dnmet3Dschools.27e7761.html

by the Edinburgh (Scotland) Evening News

More than 70 per cent of children under 16 in Edinburgh use a laptop or desktop computer to complete their school work, new figures have revealed. The average Edinburgh child now spends 3.5 hours per week on a computer doing school-related activities, according to the findings by education provider Pearson. The research also shows that 68 per cent of Edinburgh parents believe that their children’s career opportunities would be held back without good IT skills.

http://news.scotsman.com/news/Most-school-work-done-on.6508616.jp