Educational Technology

By Jennifer Howard, Chronicle of Higher Ed

More Americans are reading e-books than ever before, on more kinds of devices, a new report from the Pew Research Center has found. That news won’t come as a shock, given the rapid spread of e-readers and tablet computers and the rise of e-content. What might be a surprise, though: The report contains good news for print lovers, too. Readers of e-books like to read in all formats, they favor print books for sharing and to read to children, and on average they read more books over all than print-only readers do. “They’re heavier readers. They’re more frequent readers,” said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the group behind the report. “These devices have allowed them to scratch that itch.”

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/rise-in-e-book-readership-good-news-for-reading-over-all-report-says/35955

by KATE HILPERN, the Independent

You’ll never find a queue for the ladies’ room at a technology conference, says Cary Marsh, who runs a software company. “As a technology entrepreneur, I often find myself at conferences where I’m one of only a handful of women among hundreds of men.” It’s concerning not only because women are missing out on a dynamic industry, but because the UK economy will suffer if the underrepresentation of women in technology continues, she says. “In India, China and Japan, there is a far stronger focus on science and technology in education across both sexes. Something needs to change in the UK if we want to remain competitive globally.” Philip Whiteman, the chief executive of the sector skills council Semta, agrees. “Things are changing, but far too slowly. At this rate, we estimate it could take at least 50 years for women to catch up with male counterparts.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/women-in-tech-its-time-to-drop-the-old-stereotypes-7608794.html

By KATIE HAFNER, NY Times

When educators speak of women in computer science, they often refer to the “pipeline,” which tends to start in high school and wind its way through graduate studies. Along the way, the pipeline becomes increasingly porous, losing women at a discouraging rate. By the time it reaches the workplace, the pipeline has become a veritable sieve. Even a degree in computer science isn’t enough to propel some women into programming jobs. On average, about 18 percent of computer science degrees go to women, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 19 percent of software developers are women. But experts say that at many prominent tech firms, where coding is king, the percentage of female programmers is in the single digits.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/science/womens-pipeline-to-programming-jobs-has-many-leaks.html

by Elaine Thompson, Associated Press

When Maria Klawe became president of Harvey Mudd College in 2006, she was dismayed — but not surprised — at how few women were majoring in computer science. A mathematician and computer scientist herself, she arrived at Harvey Mudd (the smallest of the five so-called Claremont Colleges) in the midst of a nationwide downturn for women in computer science. As recently as 1985, 37 percent of graduates in the field were women; by 2005 it was down to 22 percent, and sinking. And the situation at Mudd was even grimmer. Of the college’s 750 students, about a third were women (the figure is now closer to half), but for years the percentage of computer science graduates had been hovering around the single digits.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/science/giving-women-the-access-code.html

by Abir Qasem, Chronicle of Higher Ed

In my introductory programming courses, my pedagogy relies heavily on collaborative problem solving during class time. A big challenge for me, until recently, had been getting the “quiet” students in my class to participate in class discussions. (Judging by the ProfHacker archives, I am not alone!) Piazza is a Web 2.0 tool that allows students to ask questions and engage in dialogue on the Internet with the professor and with each other. One of the most interesting aspects of Piazza is that the students can be anonymous in their participation. I found the interface to be a great deal “flatter” (less hierarchical) and more interactive than the forum facilities of traditional Content Management Systems like Moodle and Blackboard.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/using-piazza-to-encourage-interaction/39317?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

By Tanya Roscorla, Converge

By recycling obsolete computers and other electronics, Kentucky government and education organizations are receiving revenue to help them in tight budgetary times. In February, one school brought in more than $1,200 in revenue, said Tom Heil, an environmental scientist at the Kentucky Division of Waste Management. And he’s seen other schools gain a couple thousand dollars from turning in whole classrooms of computers when they bought newer models. While that money may not cover much of the new computer purchases, it does cover some labor and other implementation costs, he said. Since the commonwealth’s e-scrap recycling program started in 2009, government agencies, school districts and universities have received a net payment of almost $212,000, Heil said. This number comes from almost $315,000 in total reimbursements minus nearly $103,000 in charges to take certain types of electronics such as TVs.

http://www.convergemag.com/policy/E-Waste-Nets-Kentucky-a-Profit.html

by Eric Weddle, Indianapolis Star

St. Olaf College won the 25th national Rube Goldberg Machine Contest today on the Purdue University campus. The student team from Northfield, Minn., wowed judges and the audience with a flawless run of its 191-step machine that ended with a balloon being inflated and then popped by a laser. Based on the theme of an apocalypse, the team combined chemical reactions and mechanical doodads for quirky machine that included a Mayan calendar, erupting volcano and a Earth-style balloon that exploded into a cloud of white smoke. A student also performed a suite of thematic music on keyboard. St. Olaf, a private liberal arts school, won the 2009 contest, too. Unlike the seven other teams taking part today, the college does not have an engineering program.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120331/NEWS04/120331011/1013/NEWS04

by Gerry Broome, Associated Press

A message on Twitter from former North Carolina football player Marvin Austin in 2010 revealed that he was receiving impermissible benefits and was a factor in his being suspended for the season. Among the services the company and others like it provide is a computer application that searches social media sites that athletes frequent, looking for obscenities, offensive commentary or words like “free,” which could indicate that a player has accepted a gift in violation of N.C.A.A. rules. “Every school, we work to customize their keyword list,” said Sam Carnahan, the chief executive of Varsity Monitor, which has offices in Seattle and New York and also provides educational programs to universities. “We look for things that could damage the school’s brand and anything related to their eligibility.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/sports/universities-track-athletes-online-raising-legal-concerns.html?_r=1

by John Naughton, the Guardian

1. We welcome the clear signs that the government is alert to the deficiencies in the teaching of information and communications technology (ICT) in the national curriculum, and the indications you and your ministerial colleagues have made that it will be withdrawn and reviewed. We welcome your willingness to institute a public consultation on this matter and the various responses you have already made to submissions from a wide spectrum of interested parties.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/mar/31/manifesto-teaching-ict-education-minister?newsfeed=true

By Angie White, School CIO

In this posting we will examine the first two groupings of essential skill areas from the Framework of Essential Skills for the K-12 CTO, developed by the Consortium for School Networking—leadership and vision, and understanding the educational environment. This framework provides a context in which to place the key practices of effective servant leaders and the new success factors of boundaryless organizations discussed in my previous posting.

http://www.schoolcio.com/Default.aspx?tabid=136&EntryId=3965

by John Naughton, the Guardian

A vigorous debate has begun – within government and elsewhere – about what should be done about information and communication technology (ICT) in the school curriculum. Various bodies – the Royal Society, the Association for Learning Technology, Computing at School (a grassroots organisation of concerned teachers) and the British Computer Society, to name just four – have published reports and discussion documents aimed at ministers and the Department for Education. Michael Gove, the education secretary, made an enigmatic speech at the recent BETT technology conference indicating that a rethink is under way in the bowels of Whitehall. Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, there are some astonishing developments happening – such as the fact that more than a million people have already placed orders for Raspberry Pi, the cheap, credit-card-sized computer developed by Cambridge geeks, which began shipping last week.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/mar/31/why-kids-should-be-taught-code?newsfeed=true

By Maureen Quinlan, Boston Globe

Today, students sit at computers, read Kindles, work on netbooks, and browse online databases for the information they need. The high school library is no longer just a room with books on a shelf. It is a multifunctional space meant to unite a community and aid the creative and innovative learning and teaching process. High school librarians have had to adapt to the changes and master resources an earlier generation of high school students never had.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2012/04/01/high_school_libraries_more_than_just_a_place_to_study_these_days_1333162611/

By Steven M. Baule, CIO Advisor

As educators are being fed the mantra of being data driven, I have to express some concerns about the focus on good sound bites about test scores, standard deviations of the values added, etc., as the single focus of educational practitioners in America. It is important for leaders to realize there are other types of data to gather, some of which don’t fit neatly into spreadsheets or databases. Take a morning and leave your office and go to visit schools to gather some random qualitative data about the schools in your district. Spend some time walking through classrooms and visiting with students and teachers actually engaged in using technology or—possibly—not using technology. Try to see what is going on at their level from the student perspective. The classroom is the front line in our war on ignorance. All leaders need to spend time on the front line. It is the only way to know what is really going on in the schools.

http://www.schoolcio.com/Default.aspx?tabid=136&EntryId=3964

by Steve Wheeler

I recently wrote about how libraries are adapting to the digital age. The traditional library is viewed by many as a place for stacks of books to gather dust, and where stern librarians in tweed jackets tell you to keep quiet. Libraries are shaking off this image, and embracing new technologies and approaches to support learning in the 21st Century. In Library 2.0 I outlined some of the changes that are taking place in libraries as they align their services toward technological developments such as the digitisation of content, social media and the widespread use of mobile devices. To extend this discussion, I recently sat down for a conversation with some of my colleagues in Plymouth University’s library and resources centre to ascertain their views on how libraries are changing in the digital age. I firstly wanted to find out what the contemporary library had to offer today’s ‘tech savvy students’. The answer was four-fold – libraries provide content, services, spaces and skills. My library colleagues then proceeded to elaborate on these four key areas of provision.

http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2012/03/libraries-without-walls.html

By Matthew Stolle, The Post-Bulletin

In the last several years, a new kind of campus has emerged at Rochester Community and Technical College. It is one in which message boards, drop boxes and online conversations via Skype have replaced the the face-to-face interactions of the traditional classroom. Nearly 25 percent of classes taught at RCTC are now completely online, and when hybrid courses are tossed into the mix, the number rises to one-third. And those numbers rocket even higher in the summer. Last year, 42 percent of courses taught were of the online variety as university students returned home and decided to work off a requirement by taking an online course. The result: There is now a growing number of RCTC students who never set foot on campus.

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1491558

By GREG ALLMAIN, Federal Way Mirror

The Khan Academy is an online repository of lessons, practice questions and instructional videos that has been recently added to the Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) toolbox to help students and parents better understand the material being taught in schools. Marie Verhaar, director of Standards Based Curriculum and Instruction for FWPS, shared some of the advantages the Khan Academy access could bring to students in the district. “The Khan Academy offers a library of over 3,000 videos covering K-12 math and science topics, such as biology, chemistry and physics,” Verhaar said at the March 27 school board meeting. “Each video on their site is…approximately 10 minutes long and designed to be viewed on the computer. If you have an iPhone, there’s an app for that. It’s called the Khan Archives and you can pull up anything you ever wanted to know about math and science concepts and watch a video right there.”

http://www.federalwaymirror.com/news/145234295.html

by the BBC

There is concern that children are no longer being equipped with the necessary computer development skills needed to fuel a 21st century tech-based economy. The UK Government is looking to industry to inspire school children into making technology of the future.  Click’s Mark Cieslak looks at why this could mean that the way computer science was taught in schools in the 1980s could be making a comeback.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9707886.stm

By Venutra County Star

Cypress Place Senior Living held Seniors Gone Wired, a tech event for seniors. Seniors of all degrees of computer literacy will be able to get help with technology questions. Computer stations hosted by computer care company Swift Chip Inc. was available to teach seniors how to use computers, find information online, use email and learn about innovations. Students from the Ventura High School computer program will assist with one-on-one sessions regarding computers, cellphones and technology.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/25/ventura-event-will-help-seniors-with-technology/

by HOWARD YUNE, Napa Valley Register

The publisher of Encyclopaedia Britannica is phasing out the printed version of its namesake product after 244 years. But in libraries like Napa’s, the passing of the famous encyclopedia set has apparently left no more imprint than a bookmark on a page. In the glass-walled Teen Room behind two dozen computers in constant use, 15-year-old Ben Barush surfed the Internet from his laptop computer. That morning, the New Technology High School freshman had given a presentation on the John Steinbeck novel “Of Mice and Men.” “We made videos of alternate endings, embedded them into an electronic poster, then we presented them to upperclassmen who’d already read the book,” he said of the five-week multimedia assignment about the book and social attitudes toward a character’s mental disability. Absent from his list was even one volume of Britannica or any other similar reference collection.

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/few-students-mourn-death-of-an-encyclopedia/article_2f716488-76ff-11e1-98d3-001871e3ce6c.html

by the Albany Times Union

The iPad isn’t just about fun and games, it’s a voice for those who are unable to or just learning to speak, and a powerful teaching tool. For the last year, many students at ACDS have been able communicate, some for the first time, thanks to the iPad. “With our population, it’s exciting to use 21st century technology to help us with our goal of preparing children to transition on into the public school setting at the age of 5,” explained Cecilia Barry, SBL/SDL, principal of ACDS, an early intervention and special education preschool working with individuals with Down syndrome, Autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities and their families.

http://www.timesunion.com/business/press-releases/article/iPad-More-than-a-Toy-a-Voice-for-The-Disabled-3433077.php

by Kristina Chew, Care2 Make a Difference

Music can help children learn difficult fraction concepts, according to a new study in Educational Studies in Mathematics. Researchers used a curriculum called “Academic Music” that, says Science Daily, uses “music notation, clapping, drumming and chanting” to introduce concepts of fractions to third-graders. The study is small in scope (only including 67 students at one school in the San Francisco Bay Area). But the combination of instruction in music and rhythm to teach math sounds very promising especially as it seems to draw on the notion of multiple intelligences, that there are other ways to learn including using one’s “bodily-kinesthetic” capacities.

http://www.care2.com/causes/teaching-math-with-music.html