Educational Technology

by Today’s ABC 6

A virtual learning high school in Boise is coming into the spotlight thanks to the education debate. The I-Succeed High School, a completely online school teaches close to 1000 students across the Gem State . And the enrollment numbers are only going up. “I Succeed” virtual high school is just like any other public high school in Idaho, just like any other school district in the state,” says executive director, Monte Pittman. Its objective may be the same, but the setting is completely different. And, the setting is also different for teachers.

http://www.kivitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14138064

by Reuters

If Adrian Hartog has his way, college kids will be sporting tablet computers instead of backpacks loaded down with heavy textbooks. The CEO of educational tablet maker mySpark Technologies is among a growing number of entrepreneurs attempting to change the way students study, share and do homework. “Everybody is learning how to use the digital form,” said Hartog, a former executive with graphic chipmakers AMD (NYSE:AMD) and ATI. “We’re really trying to provide a comprehensive solution for students.”

http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Spotlight/Tablet-Computer-Makers-Target-Education-Market-628510/

by Natalie Craig, the Age (Australia)

Quan Chen loves anarchy. At 10, he hacked into his school’s website, but since learning that hackers can go to jail, he has tried to limit himself to admiring the online ”invasions” of others. ”Look – it’s a horribly altered SpongeBob SquarePants!” he says excitedly, showing us on his laptop how spammers have infiltrated the virtual Second Life world with endless, evil versions of the cartoon character. Quan, 12, barely stops for breath when talking about computing, but two years ago he spoke to no one except his mother. He has autism, as well as a very high IQ, and was so miserable at his former primary school he became suicidal. Mother Joy Ding credits technology experts at Victoria University, together with his new school, for helping to uncover a ”brand-new Quan”.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/autistic-kids-learn-to-fly-in-cyberspace-20110219-1b0fj.html

By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff

Residents who graduate from a trio of federally funded computer training programs will be eligible for broadband service for $10.95 a month in the first year, and $15.95 a month for a second year — substantially cheaper than Comcast’s standard prices. “It starts us on the way to everybody having access to technology and the ability to use it,’’ said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who joined US Senator John F. Kerry to unveil the low-cost service at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2011/02/19/putting_web_within_reach/

By ANDREA JOHNSON, Minot Daily News

Regular books might be going the way of the dinosaur in a few years, with the advent of e-readers like Barnes and Noble Booksellers’ Nook and Amazon’s Kindle, as well as the Apple iPad, which runs those e-reader applications and has multiple other uses. Schools across the country are just beginning to see their appeal. In northwest North Dakota, iPads are more likely to be in the hands of teachers and administrators who are testing them on a trial basis, than they are to be used in classrooms, but several area schools are beginning to test them out in a classroom setting.

http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/552101/Technology-invasion.html?nav=5010

By ANDREA GILLHOOLLEY, Lebanon Daily News

Amy Stamm was hired by the Cornwall-Lebanon School District 16 years ago to teach students keyboarding – on electric typewriters. “I’ve seen a lot of changes,” said Stamm, the Cedar Crest High School business department chairwoman. “There is certainly more available in most classrooms.” These days, Stamm uses an online virtual business program for her business students at Cedar Crest that allows them to make real-time decisions in real-world scenarios. Meanwhile, social studies teacher Rick Dissinger asks his students to use their cell phones to text answers to a question that will then appear instantly on a screen during class to determine if students understood the lesson.

http://www.ldnews.com/news/ci_17428008

By Amy Crawford, TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Elizabeth Jackson is different from other 17-year-olds. “Most kids are like, ‘Ooh, a computer! I can go on Facebook,’ ” the Ligonier Valley junior said. “They don’t think, ‘What a cool piece of technology!'” Today, she is studying mechatronics, a combination of mechanical and electronic engineering, at the Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in Derry Township. The class is centered around building and programming robots, and students graduate with knowledge of computer hardware, software and programming languages.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_723777.html

by Tomorrow’s Professor, Stanford University Center for Teaching and Learning

Serious thought gives way to skimming and multitasking. If, while perusing the articles of this month’s Prism, you’ve paused to check your e-mail, read online news, blog, tweet, connect on Facebook, catch a YouTube video, buy on Amazon, or perform one of any number of other Web activities that now permeate our lives, then author Nicholas Carr has a message for you: It’s time to consider how our constant, often disjointed engagement with the World Wide Web is changing us – both individually and as a society. In a widely discussed 2008 Atlantic Monthly article, Carr asked, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” His answer has sometimes been interpreted as an antitech creed, yet many recognized themselves in Carr’s descriptions of faltering ability to concentrate and the suspicion that the Internet is a key contributor.

http://derekbruff.com/site/tomprof/?p=61

by Bill Husted, Atlanta Journal Constitution

If you own a computer long enough it’s going to let you down. But there are ways to disaster-proof that will help you cope with even the most dramatic failures. Today, we’ll tackle that job.  Let’s start with ways to lessen the chance of disaster striking. I won’t sugar-coat things. Even if you faithfully do everything I suggest, you’re not immune to trouble. It’s more like getting a flu vaccination: There’s no guarantee you’ll be immune but you’ve shifted the odds in your favor.

http://economy.kansascity.com/?q=node/9834

By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER, New York Times

Google said Thursday that it had made a major change to its algorithm in an effort to improve the rankings of high-quality Web sites in its search results — and to reduce the visibility of low-quality sites. While the company did not say so explicitly, the change appears to be directed in part at so-called content farms like eHow and Answerbag, that generate articles based on popular search queries so they will rise to the top of the rankings and attract clicks.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/25/google-tweaks-algorithm-to-push-down-low-quality-sites/