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About K12HSN  Professional Development Needs Reform for Common Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013THE Journal: An organization that focuses on advancing professional development for educators has said that it's time for state education leaders to reform their training efforts to address the transition to the Common Core State Standards. Twelve Learning Technologies: Horizon Report Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013eSchool News: Technologies that enable more personalized learning are poised at the forefront of learning trends, according to this year’s Horizon Report K-12, an annual report that forecasts learning technologies that will have a large impact on... Bringing Sensors to the Classroom Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013TechCrunch: One interesting element of Google I/O this year were the sensors laid out everywhere around Moscone tracking environmental data throughout the event. Those types of sensors are now all around us, including in our phones and in various smart... Ed. Schools Lag Behind Digital Content Trends Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013Education Week: Casey Wardynski knew his district had to make a change when he glanced at its crop of history textbooks and spotted one glaring omission. School Ditches Textbooks for Open Resources Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013THE Journal: The Amarillo Area Center for Advanced Learning in Texas is replacing textbooks with digital open educational resources (OER) for its math and science classes using iPads. Report: 85 Percent of Institutions Allow BYOD Tuesday, May 21st, 2013THE Journal: Eighty-five percent of educational institutions allow instructors or students to use their own devices on institutional networks according to a new survey from Bradford Networks. Children's Spatial Skills Seen as Key to Math Tuesday, May 21st, 2013Education Week: Preschools and kindergartens long have taught children "task skills," such as cutting paper and coloring inside the lines. But new research suggests the spatial and fine-motor skills learned in kindergarten and preschool not only ... Here’s how to Scale School Innovation Tuesday, May 21st, 2013eSchool News: In a new TED talk, Adam Frankel, creator of Digital Promise, discusses how technology can help scale-up personalized learning and scale school innovation. Free School Offering 'cross-subject' Learning Tuesday, May 21st, 2013The Guardian: An unorthodox secondary school offering "cross-subject projects" rather than traditional classroom lessons, is among the latest tranche of free schools to be approved. Windows XP Deadline Puts Pressure on Schools Tuesday, May 21st, 2013Education Week: Microsoft's plans to end support for Windows XP, believed to be the dominant computer operating system in K-12 education, could pose big technological and financial challenges for districts nationwide—issues that many school systems... Principal: Educator Evaluation System Unethical Monday, May 20th, 2013Washington Post: A few years ago, a student at my high school was having a terrible time passing one of the exams needed to earn a Regents Diploma. She took the test several times, but despite her very best efforts and the best efforts of her teachers... Pilot Hopes to Draw Students to Computer Monday, May 20th, 2013eSchool News: Students in Mike Reilly’s computer programming classes could be helping to bust the stereotype of the computer nerd hunched over a keyboard, writing programs that crunch numbers and sort lists. Tests in Works for Students With Severe Monday, May 20th, 2013Education Week: Mary Skinner-Alexander, a high school special education teacher in the Sioux Falls, S.D., district, has a student who communicates by directing his gaze at printed cards. Other students in her self-contained special education class... 15 Education Leaders to Follow on Twitter Friday, May 17th, 2013eSchool News: One of the fastest ways to get breaking news, and one of the best platforms for instant networking, is Twitter. Twitter is replete with people who love to discuss education, technology, and current events. Do New Exams Produce Better Teachers? Friday, May 17th, 2013Education Week: It took less than a minute for Mario Martinez to finish the first six questions of the algebra exam that his professor, Ivan Cheng, had just handed to him. Best Crowdsourced iOS Apps Friday, May 17th, 2013Edudemic: We’re proud to introduce you to a new set of resources we think you’ll enjoy. It’s a curated list of the best education technology resources. But it’s not just organized by us. It’s now YOUR turn to share, vote up, and learn about all. Five Ways Teachers Can Use Technology to Help Friday, May 17th, 2013Huffington Post: Thomas Edison once said, "Books will soon be obsolete in the public schools... our school system will be completely changed inside of ten years." Amazingly enough, however, one of our nation's most important inventors was proven quite... Washington Law Boost AP Computer Science Thursday, May 16th, 2013eSchool News: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill opening the door for schools across the state to count Advanced Placement (AP) computer science as a math or science credit. Student STEM Competition Offers $100,000 Awards Thursday, May 16th, 2013THE Journal: The Siemens Foundation has opened its annual Competition in Math, Science & Technology. This year's program will offer scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000. Moodle 2.5 Adds Open Badges Support, Bootstrap Thursday, May 16th, 2013THE Journal: Moodle HQ has released Moodle 2.5, a major update to the widely distributed open source learning management system. California Struggles to Assess Teacher Programs Thursday, May 16th, 2013Hechinger Report: On a recent afternoon at California State University, Northridge, Nancy Prosenjak was attempting to quiet the graduate students spread out across conference tables in the back of her classroom. Google To Launch Curated Android Education Thursday, May 16th, 2013THE Journal: Google is taking a new approach to distributing mobile apps in schools. This fall, it will launch Google Play for Education, an Android app store for K-12 schools that will allow teachers to manage apps on their students tablets. Best EducationTweets of the Week Thursday, May 16th, 2013eSchool News: In today’s social networking world, many people use Twitter to access good information quickly. And the editors of eSchool Media are no exception—we rely on tweets from industry leaders and social media-savvy educators to inform our stor Learning to Love the Interactive Whiteboard Wednesday, May 15th, 2013THE Journal: When Holly Rocchetti started teaching fifth grade at Mount Vernon Community School in Alexandria, VA, about six years ago, she relied heavily on textbooks, Xeroxed handouts, and a chalkboard. LinkIt! Releases Common Core Readiness Assessments Wednesday, May 15th, 2013THE Journal: Data-driven educational technology company LinkIt! has unveiled assessments designed to prepare students in grades 2 to 8 for Common Core standards. The Common Core readiness assessments focus on new assessments from... Google Looks To Challenge Apple's Classroom Wednesday, May 15th, 2013Tech Crunch: Google I/O, the company’s sixth annual developer conference, got officially underway in San Francisco on Wednesday, and it was an eventful day. What if Finland’s Great teachers taught in U.S. Wednesday, May 15th, 2013Washington Post: Finland’s Pasi Sahlberg is one of the world’s leading experts on school reform and the author of the best-selling “Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn About Educational Change in Finland?” E-Rate Needs Overhaul for Digital Era Wednesday, May 15th, 2013Education Week: As school districts strive to put more technology into schools to support 1-to-1 computing initiatives and prepare for the common-core online assessments, the federal E-rate program is in danger of becoming as outdated and insufficient... Common Core Supporters Firing Back Wednesday, May 15th, 2013Education Week: Supporters of the Common Core State Standards are moving to confront increasingly high-profile opposition to the standards at the state and national levels by rallying the private sector and initiating coordinated public relations... 32 Summer Professional Development Opportunities Wednesday, May 15th, 2013eSchool New: It’s a common misconception that education professionals have summer vacation like their students. But anyone who’s been a teacher, administrator, or even superintendent knows that summer is the perfect opportunity for professional... Common Science Standards Face Capacity Issues Wednesday, May 15th, 2013Education Week: With the completion of new standards intended to reshape science education, the real heavy lifting now begins. How School Uses Social Media To Empower Parents Wednesday, May 15th, 2013Edudemic: Kristin Magette, Communications Director at Eudora School District in Eudora, Kansas, recently shared how Eudora Public Schools had set out to create a “digital-friendly school district.” Jerry Brown Adds Acountability in May Revision Tuesday, May 14th, 2013Mercury News: After proposing a bold new education-funding plan in January aimed at helping schools better educate disadvantaged students, then facing push-back from his own party, Gov. Jerry Brown stuck to his guns in his May budget revision... More teens use smart phones to get online Tuesday, May 14th, 2013eSchool News: Keep computers in a common area so you can monitor what your kids are doing: It’s a long-standing directive for online safety—but one that’s quickly becoming moot as more young people have mobile devices, often with Internet access. Federal Grant Competition Favors Education Gaming Tuesday, May 14th, 2013THE Journal: The United States Department of Education (ED) has overwhelmingly favored educational gaming in its annual Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract awards. This year, 12 of the 20 awards went to educational game and game-related... Jerry Brown's Revise Offers More Money for Schools Tuesday, May 14th, 2013Mercury News: California schools would get $1 billion more than proposed in January to enact stringent new "common core" academic standards, plus almost a quarter-billion dollars more as part of his education-funding overhaul, under a revised... Mobile Apps MAke Field Trips Interactive Tuesday, May 14th, 2013Education Week: As districts cope with tightening budgets and testing schedules, field trips often fall by the wayside. But a new generation of field trips may make it easier to integrate curriculum and even assessment into real-world local settings... How teachers use Pinterest in the classroom Tuesday, May 14th, 2013eSchool News:Long a favorite among craft enthusiasts, the popular DIY site Pinterest, in which users “pin” online images to virtual pin boards for later reference, is gaining ground in education. Weebly lets you easily create websites for class Monday, May 13th, 2013eSchool News: Weebly for Education is a free online service that is perfect for creating classroom websites, student blogs or e-portfolios, and websites for assigned projects. Its drag-and-drop website editor… Closing California's Education Gap Monday, May 13th, 2013Los Angeles Times: As the overall education level declines, the state faces not only social ills but also major economic problems. Study Ranks Accessibility of Top LMS' Monday, May 13th, 2013THE Journal: The review examined four major LMSes: Blackboard Learn version 9.1 Service Pack 6 and 8, Desire2Learn version 10, Moodle version 2.3, and Sakai version 2.8. Eleven new ed-tech services to watch Monday, May 13th, 2013eSchool News: An online simulation in which students create their own company, then compete with each other by buying and selling shares of stock, and an iPad app for visual learning and assessment of special-needs students are two of the products... Students’ ‘magic school bus’ increases colle Monday, May 13th, 2013eSchool News: The students at Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C. have a “magic school bus” of their own, but this one is tasked with a different kind of journey—one that will make attending college a reality. Bill would encourage AP computer science classes Monday, May 13th, 2013eSchool News: Washington's high school students may have a greater incentive to take Advanced Placement computer science courses in the future, which state lawmakers hope will spur more school districts to offer the classes. Why Video Cameras and Teacher Evaluation Monday, May 13th, 2013Washington Post: Bill Gates’ latest big idea is the creation of a new $5 billion teacher evaluation system that includes the placement of video cameras in every classroom in America. Geoconferencing: GPS, travel bugs, and learning– Monday, May 13th, 2013eSchool News: Gone are the days of traditional school pen pals and classrooms mailing packages back and forth—today’s students and teachers are using ed-tech to have virtual conversations with classrooms across their states and throughout the nation.. Libraries Can Lead in Parent Engagement Sunday, May 12th, 2013The Plain Dealer: I've written a lot about how schools must become more effective at getting parents involved. But they're not the only institution that can do this important job. Keys to Successful Mobile Learning Sunday, May 12th, 2013eSchool News: Mobile learning has grown exponentially in K-12 schools, allowing educators to deliver a more engaging and personalized experience for students that doesn’t end when the school bell rings.… California Moves to Carry Out National Standards Friday, May 10th, 2013Sacramento Bee: For generations, first-grade students learned how to add using math tables and flashcards. Carolyn Goehring employs plastic cubes and circles drawn in purple crayon. 10 Ed-Tech Tools of the 70s, 80s and 90s Friday, May 10th, 2013eSchool News: We don’t know about you, but sometimes the eSchool News editors are amazed to hear about the ed-tech students use to learn in schools these days: mobile gaming apps, 3D printing, and robots? Proper Role of Ed-Tech in Pre-K a Rising Issue Thursday, May 9th, 2013Education Week: Educators see an important place for technology in the preschool classroom, but say it is just one of many learning tools that can be incorporated among a range of developmentally appropriate materials and activities. SIIA Innovation Incubator Awards Thursday, May 9th, 2013THE Journal: Ed tech startup projects simCEO and See.Touch.Learn took home the top prizes in the Software & Information Industry Association's (SIIA) bi-annual Innovation Incubator Program. Apps for Turning Your iPad Into a Collaborative De Thursday, May 9th, 2013THE Journal: The iPad is a success at engaging individual students in critical thinking and creativity, but how about collaboration? A host of apps are helping the iPad realize its potential as a collaborative device. The best tweets of the week for education Thursday, May 9th, 2013eSchool News: Here are the education-related tweets that we found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week.… New high school designed for, and by, students Thursday, May 9th, 2013eSchool News: Most years, Chris Freeman’s Advanced Placement Environmental Studies students design a hypothetical, sustainable house for a class project. More recently, they’ve been designing a high school—their own School principals share keys to success Thursday, May 9th, 2013eSchool News: What does it take to be an effective school leader, and how can school principals best support teaching and learning in their buildings? A new video series examines these questions and more, through the eyes of school principals... 10 Resources For Learning Over The Summer Thursday, May 9th, 2013Edudemic: It’s been a long, long school year between hurricanes, snow, and days off from school. Many parts of the nation won’t be getting out on time this year. The Teacher’s Guide To Using Badges In Your Clas Thursday, May 9th, 2013Edudemic: What encourages students to do well in school? Often, it comes down to grades. Many students will work harder in order to earn a higher grade. Colleges want to see good grades. Parents want to see good grades. Grades are good, right? HTML5 Moodle Mobile App Comes to Android, iOS Thursday, May 9th, 2013THE Journal: Moodle Mobile, which was initially released in April as version 1.2 and updated just today as version 1.2.1, is a complete revamp of the previous Moodle app, My Moodle, which was only ever released on iOS. Engaging Families Next Year by Soliciting Feedback Thursday, May 9th, 2013Edutopia: As we near the end of the school year, it's time to take stock of our efforts in teaching, learning and leadership, and how well they’ve worked. We should also be looking at what has or has not worked in regards to engaging all of the... How to Turn an Urban School District Around Thursday, May 9th, 2013The Atlantic: Cincinnati has improved students' test scores by fostering cooperation between teachers, administrators, and local community service organizations. Common Standards Set for Federal Education Researc Wednesday, May 8th, 2013Education Week: As part of an effort to improve the quality of educational research and make it less balkanized, the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences have introduced a common set of evidence standards for federally... The Best Educational Tool I Have In My Classroom Wednesday, May 8th, 2013Edudemic: We spend hours and hours in search of the latest, greatest, and best educational tools to help our kids. Parents are always wanting to know what they can do to help their child get ahead in the classroom. Are American Schools Going Backward? Wednesday, May 8th, 2013THE Journal: In our blog we usually don't toot our own horn. In fact, if memory serves, we have never written a blog that featured our research in schools. But today we break with the past to present results from a research study at Nan Chiau Primary... Students Use Smart Phones and Tablets for Schools Wednesday, May 8th, 2013THE Journal: Most elementary and secondary students are using mobile devices in their studies, either in the classroom or at home. And, according to a new study, the majority would like to be able to use them more in class. Diversity at Issue as States Weigh Teacher Entry Wednesday, May 8th, 2013Education Week: Slowly but surely, a growing number of states are eyeing policies to select academically stronger individuals for their teaching programs as one avenue to improve the quality of new teachers. Rifts Deepen Over Direction of Ed. Policy in U.S. Wednesday, May 8th, 2013Education Week: In statehouses and cities across the country, battles are raging over the direction of education policy—from the standards that will shape what students learn to how test results will be used to judge a teacher's performance. CrunchU: TechCrunch Partners With Udemy To Offer Wednesday, May 8th, 2013Edudemic: Everyone and their mother is jumping into the online learning space it seems. TechCrunch is no exception. They’ve just announced a partnership with Udemy to offer an online school for startups. New Standards Set for Federal Education Research Wednesday, May 8th, 2013Education Week: Two federal agencies are rolling out a common set of evidence standards for federally funded work. CoSN and AASA Publish PD Toolkit for Ed Leaders Tuesday, May 7th, 2013THE Journal: The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) have released the latest addition to the collaborative Closing the Gap: Turning Data into Action project. How to train students’ brains for the Common Cor Tuesday, May 7th, 2013eSchool News: The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) ask students to perform with higher levels of cognition and application, and brain training and specific teaching methods can help students succeed with these new standards, experts say. Community Colleges Lack Rigor, But Incoming Tuesday, May 7th, 2013Christian Science Monitor: Standards are too low both in high schools and at America's community colleges, if students are to be prepared for the careers they hope to have, says the author of a report on first-year community college requirements. When To Put The Tech Away In Your Classroom Tuesday, May 7th, 2013Edudemic: When we work with schools embarking on 1:1 programs, losing classroom culture often tops the list of concerns. Teachers worry about too much screen time and lack of face-to-face interaction. Teacher Guide To Choosing The Best Digital Content Tuesday, May 7th, 2013Edudemic: A blended learning environment means you’re mixing technology with standard teaching practices in order to enhance education. In other words, you’re mixing a little bit of tech with a little bit of in-classroom learning and you’re getting. ACT to Move Toward Computer-Based Testing Monday, May 6th, 2013New York Times: High school students will take the ACT college admissions exam by computer starting in the spring of 2015 — but at least for a while, the paper and pencil version will be available, too. Schools Act to Prevent High-Tech Cheating Monday, May 6th, 2013Los Angeles Times: Officials fear students will take pictures of exam items and post them on social media sites. Some schools are taking away students' electronics at test time. Five education grants you don’t want to miss Friday, May 3rd, 2013eSchool News: School funding difficulties show no sign of abating, and school budgets are stretched to the limit. Many educators and administrators rely on school grants to fund important projects and opportunities for students. Apps of the Month Friday, May 3rd, 2013eSchool News: In our "App of the Month" feature, we highlight every "App of the Week" from the past month. Online Test Problems Raise Common-Core Concerns Friday, May 3rd, 2013Education Week: Technical glitches during recent online assessments in a number of states are prompting worries about schools' ability to administer common-core testing in 2014-15 Survey: Most parents support mobile learning devic Thursday, May 2nd, 2013eSchool News: A majority of parents overwhelmingly think that mobile apps, mobile content, and technology in the classroom promote positive learning habits and yield benefits, according to a new survey released on May 2. The best tweets of the week for education Thursday, May 2nd, 2013eSchool News: ere are the education-related tweets that we found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week.… Parents Willing to Buy Mobile Devices for Use in S Thursday, May 2nd, 2013Education Week: Fifty-six percent of parents would be willing to buy a mobile device if their child is required to use it in school, and support for those purchases is strongest among parents of high-school-age students, a newly released nationwide survey Smartphones a Standard for Majority of HS Students Thursday, May 2nd, 2013Education Week: A new nationwide survey reveals the extent to which mobile devices have become an inextricable part of students' and families' lives—while also indicating that parents see potential benefits, and drawbacks, to those technology tools. Free social writing platform for teachers and stud Wednesday, May 1st, 2013eSchool News: A free resource for social writing and online learning offers new tools for students and teachers who want to use safe social networking, group learning projects, and real-time formative assessments. Wikispaces Classroom. 'MOOC' Provider Coursera Jumps Into K-12 and Teach Wednesday, May 1st, 2013Eductaion Week: Coursera, a major name in providing "massively open online courses," takes a step into K-12 schools by arranging to provide teacher training. Maine’s school laptop contract revives PC-Mac de Wednesday, May 1st, 2013eSchool News: A spokeswoman for Maine's pro-business governor said one of the factors that tipped the scale in favor of Hewlett-Packard in a contract to provide new laptops to thousands of public school students is that its laptops utilize Windows... Online Listing Service Maps Available Broadband Si Tuesday, April 30th, 2013Government Technology: Governments and businesses now have an easy way to turn buildings and other sites into revenue-generating broadband resources. The Connected Nation Exchange (CNX) pairs property owners that have assets such as towers, utility poles Online Testing Problems Emerge in Indiana, Other S Tuesday, April 30th, 2013Education Week: Technological breakdowns are plaguing statewide assessments in Indiana, not long after testing woes surfaced in Minnesota and Oklahoma. Schools of Education To Offer Free Teacher PD Tuesday, April 30th, 2013THE Journal: Seven schools of education have banded together to work with massive open online course (MOOC) provider Coursera to offer free online professional development courses for teachers and others. Rocketship Education: technology in a blended clas Tuesday, April 30th, 2013EdSource: Rocketship Education has attracted national attention for its innovative use of technology and impressive test scores for its largely low-income, Hispanic students. Now the school is considering moving toward a different 21st century classroom CENIC And ESnet Connect at 100 Gigabits per Second Tuesday, April 30th, 2013CENIC: CENIC and the Department of Energy’s Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) have announced a 100-Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) link between their networks at the Sunnyvale backbone node of CENIC’s California Research and Education Network (CalREN). Ten keys to a successful school iPad program Tuesday, April 30th, 2013eSchool News: It seems that every school is considering purchasing iPads these days, and Apple has reported that iPad sales to schools are currently outpacing MacBook sales by a very large margin. Ten facts about K-12 students’ technology use Tuesday, April 30th, 2013eSchool News: More than half of students in grades 6-8 now have access to a tablet computer—a percentage that has doubled since last year. And Twitter use has grown three-fold... How Schools Are Making Solar Power Affordable Tuesday, April 30th, 2013THE Journal: Solar power can save schools money and give students a valuable educational experience. Fueled by a desire to save on utility bills, decrease their carbon footprint, and give students a practical educational opportunity, districts are adding Teachers: Ed-tech boosts students’ abilities, se Monday, April 29th, 2013eSchool News: Technology's potential to aid teaching and learning when properly implemented and used is widely agreed upon, and teachers say that ed-tech has the potential to both positively and negatively impact students’ learning. 4 Tips for Teachers Working with Visually Impaired Monday, April 29th, 2013THE Journal: A school for the blind and visually impaired in Washington State uses distance learning to accommodate offsite teachers and students. Internet2 Seeks to Knock Down Technology Barriers Monday, April 29th, 2013Center for Digital Education: A world without network, storage and computer barriers could become reality if research and education network Internet2 has its way. Beta Testing Ed. Products Can Get Tricky for Schoo Monday, April 29th, 2013Education Week: Beta testing is one of the most basic steps on the path to getting education products and ideas into the classroom—and, researchers and developers say, one of the trickiest to get right. Schools Weigh Privatization of Support Services Monday, April 29th, 2013Education Week: Districts' decisions about whether to contract out services or keep them in-house are influenced by myriad and often competing factors. N.Y.C.-IBM Partnership Focuses on Students' Tech. Monday, April 29th, 2013Education Week: Many schools aspire to give students the skills they need to make it in the workforce. The school known as P-TECH is trying to accomplish that goal in a more direct way—by bringing the workforce to students. Senate Democrats offer own school funding plan Friday, April 26th, 2013Mercury News: Gov. Jerry Brown has a fight on his hands over his sweeping plan to overhaul the way public education is funded -- and it's coming from fellow Democrats. School Safety Legislation Since Newtown Friday, April 26th, 2013Education Week: After the devastating school shootings in Newtown, Conn., in December, state lawmakers around the country vowed to act. The mission: Devise ways to prevent a similar tragedy. New: 10 of the Best Education Apps in 2013 Friday, April 26th, 2013eSchool News: Last year we presented “New: 10 of the best Apple apps for education in 2012,” which highlighted some of the best apps for iPhones and iPods. However, with new upgrades in touch technology, and the emphasis on Common Core State Standards iPads Soar in Popularity in K-12 Friday, April 26th, 2013eSchool News: Desktop and laptop PCs still dominate in schools, but iPads already are the second most widely used ed-tech devices in K-12 classrooms just three years after their introduction in 2010, according to an informal survey of educators... District’s $38M technology bond issue would add Thursday, April 25th, 2013eSchool News: Tulsa Public Schools leaders are asking voters to approve a $38 million “Smart and Secure Schools” bond issue so the school district can catch up to its neighboring districts in instructional technology. The best tweets of the week for education Thursday, April 25th, 2013eSchool News: Here are the education-related tweets that we found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week.… Lawmakers to colleges: No more social media prying Thursday, April 25th, 2013eSchool News: Oregon legislators passed a bill through the state’s Senate April 21 barring community colleges and universities from asking prospective students for their social media log-in information as part of a school’s application process. Tips for guiding the learning of students with aut Thursday, April 25th, 2013eSchool News: Classrooms come with their own unique characters, props, and soundtracks. To the average student, these things meld into the background, setting the scene for learning. However, for children affected by autism, simple disruptions... Can computers really grade essay tests? Thursday, April 25th, 2013The Washington Post: Can computers really grade essay tests? The National Council of Teachers of English say no, even if there is new software that says yes. Edgenuity Launches Suite of Blended Courses Thursday, April 25th, 2013THE Journal: Blended learning solutions provider Edgenuity has released a new suite of courses in math, English language arts (ELA), and career explorations for middle school students Six Tips to Guide Learning of Autism Students Thursday, April 25th, 2013eSchool News: Classrooms come with their own unique characters, props, and soundtracks. To the average student, these things meld into the background, setting the scene for learning. Why iPads? It’s a question of innovation Wednesday, April 24th, 2013eSchool news: By the end of 2012, Apple reported that it had sold more than 4.5 million iPads directly to educational institutions. In recent educational history in the United States, no single tool has been as readily and rapidly adopted as Apple’s iPa Common Core testing will require digital literacy Wednesday, April 24th, 2013eSchool News: The shift toward online exams aligned with the Common Core standards will require much more preparation than simply making sure networks can handle the extra bandwidth constraints and that schools have enough devices for every student. Growing the Nation’s Best Charter Schools Wednesday, April 24th, 2013Digital Learning Now: In a forthcoming report, a coalition of 24 charter management organizations outlined the key policy challenges and opportunities they’ve experienced on the ground in their day-to-day activities. Gov. Jerry Brown promises fight over education ove Wednesday, April 24th, 2013Los Angeles Times: Jerry Brown says lawmakers will get 'the battle of their lives' if they balk at his plan to give more funds to poor districts and more spending flexibility to all school districts. ACLU sues state over English Instruction Wednesday, April 24th, 2013San Diego Union Tribune: The ACLU of California filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Education and top officials on Wednesday claiming that more than 20,000 students who need to learn English are not getting the language instruction they need. Schools Vet Ed. Companies' Research with Critical Wednesday, April 24th, 2013Education Week: Educators are struggling to balance a desire for evidence of effectiveness with the need to try new approaches Tech-savvy superintendents share keys to their suc Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013eSchool news: Change is never easy—but when you start with a clear vision that focuses on learning outcomes, and you involve all stakeholders in the process, and you model the effective use of technology to accomplish your goals, then transforming the.. How the Common Core is changing math instruction Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013eSchool News: What does teaching math look like under the Common Core standards? Lots of classroom interaction and more inquiry-based approaches to learning, according to experts who are helping schools... An assistive technology guide for autism Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013eSchool news: In recent years, educators and parents have touted iPads, tablets, and mobile apps as assistive technologies that can help children or students diagnosed with autism communicate and learn basic concepts. Augmented Reality Is Going Mobile Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013THE Journal: Among the many technologies poised to reshape the way we communicate and interact with the world around us, few evoke the same sense of excitement and curiosity as augmented reality. 12 Advanced iPad Tips All Educators Should Learn Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013THE Journal: It's no secret that the iPad has become a big hit with educators, due in part to its ease of use and the more than 20,000 educational apps available in the App Store to meet a wide range of learner needs. But are you and your students really Louis Fox Receives Internet2 Richard Rose Award Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013Internet2: CENIC's Louis Fox Receives Internet2 Richard Rose Award for 30 years of Exemplary Contributions to the K-20 Education Community. Making The Most Of MOOCs: The Ins And Outs Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013NPR: Don't email the professor, never friend the teacher on Facebook, those are just some of the rules A.J. Jacobs was surprised to learn when he joined millions of other students worldwide who've registered for massive open online courses, or MOOCs. After Newtown, Schools Turn to Technology to Keep Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013THE Journal: Following a rash of school shootings, districts around the country are deploying a variety of technological solutions to help protect their campuses. Technology’s role in foreign language learning Monday, April 22nd, 2013eSchool News: Although educators and policy makers emphasize skills in STEM courses, today's students are competing in a global society--and foreign language skills can help students gain an edge when it comes to college acceptance and workforce success. Schools’ ed-tech budgets shrink as demand grows Monday, April 22nd, 2013eSchool News: While educators and parents continue to report a growing need for technology use in education and learning, schools are struggling to meet today’s needs and tomorrow’s expectations, according to the latest report from the Speak Up 2012 s Rapid Rise Seen in Educators' Use of Digital Tools Monday, April 22nd, 2013Education Week: Teachers and principals are becoming increasingly comfortable using online tools to hone their professional skills, and are turning to options from social networking to Web-based classes to do so, a new nationwide survey reveals. Free, Online Project-based Geometry Course To Laun Monday, April 22nd, 2013THE Journal: Math teachers will be able to access a new, free online Geometry course come this fall. Curriki, a nonprofit K-12 Web community where educators can create and share learning tools and resources, will soon add a project-based Geometry course. New Initiatives Aim to Make School Data Interopera Monday, April 22nd, 2013THE Journal: An array of new initiatives is helping make student data interoperable. To help technology leaders understand the various data initiatives, SETDA has written a white paper that explains each of them as well as how they overlap and intersect. The 6 Key Drivers of Student Engagement Monday, April 22nd, 2013THE Journal: Relevant, personalized, collaborative, and connected learning experiences enhance student engagement, which in turn drives student achievement. Although these learning experiences were available in a more limited way before the advent of tech Everything You need to know about Chromebooks Monday, April 22nd, 2013THE Journal: At under $300 a device, Chromebooks are an attractive alternative to pricier laptops and tablets. Learn everything you need to know about deploying them from two districts who have taken the plunge. California Telehealth Network and CENIC Renew Agre Monday, April 22nd, 2013CENIC: California Telehealth Network (CTN), the state’s partnership for telehealth and the Corporation for Educational Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) have renewed their agreement to provide CTN member sites with Internet access through CENIC SB 714 Monday, April 22nd, 2013Digital Learning Now: B 714 was amended in the Senate Education Committee on April 15 and re-referred to the same committee. Administrators share top 10 thoughts on digital le Friday, April 19th, 2013eSchool news: More and more educators, parents, and education technology advocates see the need for classroom technology and digital learning, but say that stagnant or shrinking budgets continue to impede progress in many cases. Digital Public Library of America Opens Access to Friday, April 19th, 2013Center for Digital Education: The Digital Public Library of America launched a new platform, which will aggregate digital resources from libraries and museums across the U.S. PARCC Releases Draft Policy on ELL Accommodations Thursday, April 18th, 2013Education Week: The first of two groups of states working to design assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards today released its recommendations for the types of supports that can be used to help ELLs demonstrate their content knowledge New NAEP to Gauge Engineering, Technology Literacy Thursday, April 18th, 2013Education Wee: The computerized exam will ask students to apply their knowledge of technology and engineering principles to solve problems. ON[the]LINE: the CA 21st Century School District I Thursday, April 18th, 2013Dr. Kelly J. Calhoun (Santa Clara COE) brought together the top educational professional organizations in CA around one goal — making navigation through the complex issues surrounding technology in education SIMPLER for districts and COEs... FCC Appoints Director of Digital Learning Thursday, April 18th, 2013Education Week: The Chairman of the FCC has announced the appointment of Michael Steffen as the Director of Digital Learning, a newly created position at the agency with a focus on expanding Internet access in the nation's schools. The best tweets of the week for education Thursday, April 18th, 2013eSchool News: Here are the education-related tweets that we found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week.… How an LMS can help with digital content integrati Wednesday, April 17th, 2013eSchool News: With so many technology-based resources--such as video, eBooks, and Google Docs--now available to help teachers deliver dynamic lessons, many teachers still find it challenging to incorporate digital content seamlessly within their lessons. A failing grade for broadband Wednesday, April 17th, 2013Slate.com: The internet is becoming as critical to student success as textbooks and blackboards—in many parts of the country, even basic homework assignments require access to the web. School Board Transparency a Challenge in Digital A Wednesday, April 17th, 2013Education Week: School board members are struggling to interpret laws that govern where and how they do business now that as many conversations take place digitally as they do face to face. Strapping Jet Engines to Stagecoaches; or iPads in Wednesday, April 17th, 2013Greg Kulowiec's keynote address at the iPad Summit borrows an evocative analogy from Seymour Papert on the challenges of technology in schools. Report: District Use of Social Networks up 44% Wednesday, April 17th, 2013THE Journal: The Center for Digital Education (CDE) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA) have released key findings of the latest Digital School Districts Survey and have named top-10 districts in three classifications. 2013 Ed Tech Policy Summit Wednesday, April 17th, 2013SETDA: Last week, CoSN, ISTE) and SETDA, in conjunction with SIIA, co-hosted the 2013 Washington Education Technology Policy Summit. Don’t plan for technology; plan for learning Tuesday, April 16th, 2013eSchool News: You never know how someone will react when you suggest that they junk their title and replace it with a new one that leads to a different focus... From 'Director of Technology' to 'Learning Design Facilitator.' Karen Cator to Lead Digital Promise Tuesday, April 16th, 2013Education Week: Karen Cator, who until recently directed the U.S. Department of Education's school technology office, is joining a nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to improve schools through digital innovation and other means. Focusing Web Searches for K-12 Students Tuesday, April 16th, 2013THE Journal: Today’s K-12 students have a plethora of information at their fingertips—a phenomenon that presents a double-edged sword for educators who want to give pupils access to the information superhighway in a safe, age-appropriate manner. Stakeholders advocate for autism awareness, suppor Monday, April 15th, 2013eSchool News: News that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated its autism diagnosis estimate to 1 out of every 50 children drew the attention educators, parents of children with with autism, and autism awareness advocates... 51 award-winning apps, games, sites for learning Monday, April 15th, 2013eSchool News: This year, Common Sense Media has recognized 51 children’s apps, games, and websites with its highest (five-star) rating for learning potential. These digital resources are really engaging and take an excellent approach to learning... BYOD Recommendations and Dilemmas Monday, April 15th, 2013Government Technology: Do you use a personal device on your organization’s network? If so, what are the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies within your enterprise or organization? Free EduCore Website Eases Transition to CCSS Monday, April 15th, 2013ASCD: With a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ASCD created the EduCore tool, a repository of evidence-based strategies, videos, and supporting documents that help educators transition to the Common Core State Standards. Kentucky Moves 173 School Districts to the Cloud Sunday, April 14th, 2013Government Technology: In Kentucky, a private cloud now handles the financial information of 173 school districts, and according to state education leaders, other school districts and states should consider something similar. Education, STEM receive boost in federal budget pr Friday, April 12th, 2013eSchool News: The U.S. Department of Education (ED) would see a 4.6 percent boost in discretionary funding, to $71.2 billion, under President Obama’s proposed 2014 budget, which focuses on STEM education and emphasizes early education... The best tweets of the week for education Friday, April 12th, 2013eSchool News: Here are the education-related tweets that we found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week. Discovery Ed offering free trial of its techbooks Friday, April 12th, 2013eSchool News: During a conference on digital learning, award-winning Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told peers, publishers, and congressmen that going digital in schools is more than just incorporating cool gadgets.... FCC Commissioner Calls for Overhaul of E-rate Friday, April 12th, 2013Education Week: A member of the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday offered a detailed and far-reaching case for overhauling the E-rate program in order to ensure Web access for students and schools amid rising demands for online access. Should Elementary School Students Learn How to Cod Friday, April 12th, 2013Center for Digital Education: Yes, according to Tynker and a number of International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) LinkedIn group members. Push is on to streamline online learning Thursday, April 11th, 2013Deseret News: A former secretary of education is pushing a plan to streamline the way colleges and universities offer online education across state lines. K-12 science instruction poised for change Thursday, April 11th, 2013eSchool News: Science teaching in at least some of the nation’s classrooms is about to undergo significant changes as states adopt a new set of K-12 science standards. Final draft of Next Gen Science Standards released; states must decide whether to ado Success of Blended Learning Depends on Innovation Thursday, April 11th, 2013Education Week: As blended learning becomes increasingly prevalent nationwide, a new study on its impacts on classroom learning techniques comes with a caveat: educational technology is ineffective without ways of analyzing its results. California Bill Proposes New University to Test St Thursday, April 11th, 2013Center for Digital Education: A bill in the California Legislature could create a New University of California -- a university that would have neither teachers nor classes, and only test students on knowledge and skills they've learned elsewhere.... Classroom robot boosts STEM, engages children with Wednesday, April 10th, 2013eSchool News: To help celebrate National Robotics Week, one little robot-that-can is making its home in U.S. classrooms, helping train children with special needs and advancing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricula. How Mobile Technology Is Creating Today's Active L Wednesday, April 10th, 2013THE Journal: Today's students learn the way they live: in communities connected by mobile technology. 7 Tips for Effectively Managing Your iPad Classroo Wednesday, April 10th, 2013THE Journal: The author of iPad in Education for Dummies offers solid advice for unlocking the possibilities of iPads in a classroom. Eight key considerations for acceptable use polici Tuesday, April 9th, 2013eSchool News: With digital technologies taking hold in classrooms across the nation, school technology leaders know they must change acceptable use policies to keep students and school networks safe, while also giving learners flexibility and access to... Math 'Publishers' Criteria' Aim to Guide Common-Co Tuesday, April 9th, 2013Education Week: With educators on the lookout for instructional materials that fit with the content and vision of the common-core standards, a new set of 'publishers' criteria' aim to influence decisions by both the developers and purchasers of such offer Deeper Learning 2013 at High Tech High Tuesday, April 9th, 2013Education Week: The Deeper Learning conference in San Diego brought together a diverse set of educators interested in preparing students for the complexities of our time, from organizations like High Tech High, the New Tech Network, the Asia Society, etc. Smithsonian Partners with Polycom To Offer Online Tuesday, April 9th, 2013THE Journal: The Smithsonian Institution (SI) has partnered with Polycom to provide interactive online classes, briefings, and tours of the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA). Virtual Field Trips Take Students Across the Globe Tuesday, April 9th, 2013Center for Digital Education: Not every student has the chance to travel across the world. But a nonprofit organization is bringing the world to them through multimedia lessons designed for schools. Over the last 10 years, ProjectExplorer.org has produced Top Interactive Devices for Student Collaboration Tuesday, April 9th, 2013THE Journal: Interactive devices can inspire student collaboration--but only when coupled with inspired teaching. Educators, Parents, Students Urged to Sign Petitio Tuesday, April 9th, 2013ISTE: ISTE-Initiated Call to Action Asks Obama Administration to Accelerate Digital Transformation for Education to Ensure Success for All Students. Push to the core with 'Teaching Channel' Tuesday, April 9th, 2013TICAL: How will classrooms look different in the Common Core era? The Teaching Channel (Tch) can help answer that question. Check it out! Creating Interactive Game Boards in the Common Cor Monday, April 8th, 2013Classroom Freebies: Getting ready for assessments can be tedious and stressful in the common core classroom, plus students always dread the word “test.” How can you make test preparation more fun and meaningful for students? Ten of the best virtual field trips Monday, April 8th, 2013eSchool news: To help educators save time, we've chosen these 10 virtual field trips based on their relevancy, depth and quality of resources, and potential for student excitement.... NMSI Offers Free Common Core Resources, and LMS Monday, April 8th, 2013THE Journal: Teachers will now have free access to implementation-related CCSS resources and materials, along with an open-source learning management system (LMS), via a partnership between the National Math and Science Initiative and PARCC. 7 Tips for School Leaders New to Twitter Monday, April 8th, 2013Center for Digital Education:One of the most popular social media platforms for educators looking to build a Personal Learning Network (PLN) online is Twitter. Twitter provides educators the opportunity to connect with peers around the world and engage in How Teachers Are Integrating Technology Into The C Monday, April 8th, 2013Edudemic: Schools across the globe are disrupting the traditional educational model through the incorporation of technology into instruction. Could your school lead in world rankings? Friday, April 5th, 2013eSchool News: A new test from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will let individual schools see how their achievement ranks compared to schools in other countries around the world. The best tweets of the week for education Friday, April 5th, 2013eSchool News: Here are the education-related tweets that we found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week.… Making the CFO Your BFF Friday, April 5th, 2013THE Journal: Forging a connection between technology and financial leaders is key to any digital transformation. CENIC Update Friday, April 5th, 2013CENIC: In this quarterly newsletter, you'll find conference highlights in Teaching & Learning and Research & Technology, information on the latest CENIC network updates, and more. CENIC Network Updates: First Quarter 2013 Friday, April 5th, 2013CENIC: California's K-12 System received several new 10-Gigabit connections this quarter. $21 million Coachella Valley Unified bond sale OK' Friday, April 5th, 2013Riverside County supervisors voted Tuesday to authorize the sale of $21 million in bonds by the Coachella Valley Unified School District to support district-wide technology upgrades and supply every student with an Apple iPad. Engaging learners through games: Help or hype? Thursday, April 4th, 2013eSchool News: Games are often trumpeted as the perfect tool for creating learner engagement. But what do we really know about how engagement works? What opportunities and risks do games present as tools for increasing engagement? Five examples of innovation in today’s schools Thursday, April 4th, 2013eSchool News: A student-developed vocal warm-up app … Graphic novel biographies … Robotics competitions: Students and teachers using technology to drive innovation is a theme woven throughout this year’s Follett… Solving the PD Puzzle Thursday, April 4th, 2013THE Journal: From video lessons to full courses, there's an enormous amount of professional development available online. But where does it fit in with districts' existing delivery methods? How three districts are tracking student data Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013eSchool News: Education stakeholders and reformers increasingly focus on data to help inform instruction and offer clues on student achievement patterns, and a partnership among three organizations aims to help districts use data in pursuit of those goals Microsoft Office 365 or Google Apps for Education Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013THE Journal: Entire counties and states are moving away from locally hosted e-mail and document-sharing software. The big question they have to answer: Google Apps or Microsoft Office 365? From Beijing to Wichita: Mandarin Courses Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013THE Journal: A growing number of students in Kansas and across the country are discovering Mandarin through new distance ed programs that feature native-speaking teachers, lower costs, and plenty of flexibility. Skyping from the Frozen Wilds to the Classroom Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013THE Journal: World explorer Mark Wood uses Web-based videoconferencing technology to educate and interact with schoolchildren. Gates, Facebook Staging "Hackathons" on Education Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013Education Week: "Hackathons," collaborative and often competitive events designed to challenge programmers and developers to come up with new technologies and ideas around specific goals or themes, have gained traction in the public and private sector... Try these free resources for the flipped classroom Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013eSchool News: The flipped classroom is an education trend that has generated a lot of buzz, but some educators have struggled to create or find videos that are both short enough and engaging enough to hold students’ attention. Three key takeaways from the National Conf on Ed Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013eSchool News: This year’s National Conference on Education, from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), was held in Los Angeles in February. Collaboration Helps Districts Share the Cloud Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013THE Journal: Cloud-based software is often touted as the easiest way to collaborate online. But what about collaborating to maintain the infrastructure of the cloud itself? That’s the general idea behind the Ohio Collaborative Services Consortium (OCSC) School Districts, Colleges Identify Tech. Infrastr Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013Education Week: A new report offers advice to districts scrambling to improve outdated technology infrastructure without wasting money or causing the systems they have in place to run aground. Should School Districts Merge IT and PD? Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013Center for Digital Education: A disconnect between IT and professional development traditionally keeps school districts from making the best use of instructional technology. It's time that these 2 groups get connected. 50 Ed Tech Tools Every Teacher Should Know About Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013Edudemic: Technology and education are pretty intertwined these days and nearly every teacher has a few favorite tech tools that make doing his or her job and connecting with students a little bit easier and more fun for all involved. Here is a list... Calif. Districts' Waiver Bid Now in Review Phase Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013Education Week: The U.S. Department of Education and a band of outside peer reviewers are now weighing the details of a precedent-setting waiver application from nine districts in California that want flexibility under the NCLB Act... Ten Digital Learning Questions About the Budget Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013Digital Learning Now: With the news that the Administration will release their 2014 budget proposal on April 10, we wanted to post Ten Digital Learning Questions About the Budget. 3-D printer enlivens students’ ideas Monday, April 1st, 2013eSchool News: In the corner of Jason Steele's classroom at Oblock Junior High School in Plum, Pa., two 3-D printers whirred softly as they slowly created two objects out of blue plastic thread. What makes a good teacher preparation program? Monday, April 1st, 2013eSchool News: To make sure students graduate from high school prepared to tackle whatever path they choose, teacher preparation must focus on making today's education system a learner-centered instructional model, supported by proven digital learning tech North Carolina pushing for digital devices to repl Monday, April 1st, 2013eSchool news: Over the next four years, students in North Carolina public schools will trade in their traditional textbooks for digital devices as the state shifts how it funds educational materials.… 17 Ways Teachers Are Using iPhones In Education Monday, April 1st, 2013Edudemic: Think iPhones don’t belong in the classroom? Well, think again. Technology in higher education is going mobile, and smartphones are becoming more and more ingrained in daily life for faculty and students alike. Higher Ed v. Lower Ed: Personalized Learning Monday, April 1st, 2013THE Journal: Both higher ed and lower ed are seeking to provide learners with personalized instruction. The issue, however, is this: Who does the personalizing -- the individual or the computer? We argue that higher is choosing the former approach while K Six steps to effective teacher development and eva Thursday, March 28th, 2013eSchool News: Effective teaching is a complex alchemy—requiring command of subject matter, knowledge of how different children learn, and the ability to maintain order and spark students’ interest. Rover Revamps Free Flash Browser for iPad Thursday, March 28th, 2013THE Journal: Rover Learn has announced that it is revamping its free education browser, Rover, capable of delivering interactive Flash content, with a newly released version to improve speed and performance. Southern States See Changes in Virtual Education Thursday, March 28th, 2013Education Week: Increased access to online learning, particularly at the district level, has states working to help school systems improve the delivery and quality of online courses. CalREN traffic doubles in 2013 Thursday, March 28th, 2013CENIC: Traffic flowing through CalREN to external networks topped out at 18 Petabytes in February 2013, with a 99.1% growth rate over February 2012. The growth rate from January 2012 to January 2013 was similarly impressive at 93%. 100 million ‘offline’ Americans to get cheap b Wednesday, March 27th, 2013eSchool News: Three in 10 Americans are offline, citing both cost and digital skill barriers—but thanks to Everyone On, a new nonprofit initiative, more than 100 million offline Americans will including homes with children, will have cheap broadband acc 5 Emerging Technology Categories that Exist Across Wednesday, March 27th, 2013Center for Digital Education: Five key categories describe a decade of emerging technologies that the annual NMC Horizon Reports outline. 7 CTOs Discuss 'The Incredible Shrinking Budget' Tuesday, March 26th, 2013THE Journal: .H.E. Journal and CoSN recently convened a panel of CTOs and technology directors to talk about how they are working within constrained finances to not only meet their IT obligations, but to move their district forward. Tips, Tricks, and Secrets to Winning Distinguished Tuesday, March 26th, 2013THE Journal: Being recognized as an ed tech leader by a company like Apple or Google carries both prestige and perks. Find out what it takes to join the ranks. How Common Core Could Breathe New Life Into OER Tuesday, March 26th, 2013THE Journal: Will the new state standards push more districts to start using open educational resources? 'Personalized Learning' Varies for Race to Top Dis Tuesday, March 26th, 2013Education Week: The 16 Race to the Top district winners, pushed by $400 million in federal grants that put a premium on personalized learning, are embarking on vastly different makeovers of the classroom experience... Schools' tech motto is 'BYOT' Monday, March 25th, 2013Sacramento Bee: Educators and policymakers continue to debate whether computers are a good teaching tool. But a growing number of schools are asking students to bring their own smartphones, tablets, laptops and even their video game players to class. Common Core Pilot Tests Expose Glitches, IT Weakne Monday, March 25th, 2013Center for Digital Education: The first large-scale pilot of online assessments that measure students against the Common Core State Standards is underway — and the more than 6,000 participating schools are figuring out how to deal with minor test glitch How the Common Core is redefining math instruction Friday, March 22nd, 2013eSchool News: What does teaching math look like under the Common Core standards? Lots of classroom interaction and more inquiry-based approaches to learning, according to experts who are helping schools integrate the standards into instruction. The best tweets of the week for education Friday, March 22nd, 2013eSchool News: Here are the education-related tweets that we found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week.… FREE School Leadership Summit on March 28 (online) Thursday, March 21st, 2013TechSETS: This year, TechSETS is proud to be partnering with TICAL (Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership) as they host the first School Leadership Summit. Online occupational therapy for special-needs stud Thursday, March 21st, 2013eSchool News: The San Francisco company PresenceLearning has provided live online speech therapy to thousands of K-12 students in the last few years through a process known as “telepractice.” Student app developers win national prize Thursday, March 21st, 2013eSchool News: Thanks to six students at Emory H. Markle Intermediate School in Pennsylvania, students nationwide soon will have access to a smart-phone app that takes note-taking to a new level… Digital Learning Now! Grades States on Ed-Tech Pol Thursday, March 21st, 2013Education Week: While only six states—Utah, Florida, Minnesota, Georgia, Virginia, and Kansas—earned an A or B on the 2012 edition of the Digital Learning Report Card, digital learning continued to be a hot topic in legislatures across the country... Home Broadband Effort Will Extend Internet Access Thursday, March 21st, 2013Education Week: Nearly 18 months after its conception, the nonprofit Connect to Compete organization Thursday launched its promised trio of programs aimed at an estimated 100 million Americans without home broadband Internet access, including tens of mill How the ‘Big6’ can aid in Common Core implemen Wednesday, March 20th, 2013eSchool News: With implementation of the Common Core State Standards under way, a method known as the Big6 can help ensure that a curriculum put in place to meet the standards is rich in information, problem-solving, and decision-making, its creators say. Digital learning MOOC now open to school leaders Tuesday, March 19th, 2013eSchool News: Enrollment opens today for a first-of-its-kind MOOC for Educators that will help school district leaders make the shift to digital instruction in their schools. This free online course is offered by the Alliance for Excellent Education. ESEA reauthorization could be trouble for waiver s Tuesday, March 19th, 2013eSchool News: A new report surveying states that have applied for and received NCLB waivers finds they are worried that reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) could hinder progress painstakingly made in school reform over the past Online Polling Engages Math Students Tuesday, March 19th, 2013THE Journal: Designed for use in the college classroom, Top Hat Monocle is a web- and mobile-based response system that allows teachers to get real-time feedback on student comprehension without using handheld clickers and bulky software systems. What it means to be an ‘audacious leader' Monday, March 18th, 2013eschool News: Transforming schools from places that deliver traditional, factory-era models of instruction to institutions that support engaging, personalized, and student-centered learning requires bold, audacious leadership. Middle school 3D printing program garners internat Monday, March 18th, 2013eSchool News: With a Japanese television news crew keeping close watch last week, science students at Buford Middle School in Virginia crafted their own sound speakers from plastic and paper.… Monitoring kids on Facebook? That’s so 2009. Monday, March 18th, 2013Associated Press: Relieved your kids aren’t posting embarrassing messages and goofy self-portraits on Facebook? They’re probably doing it on Instagram and Snapchat instead. Digital Library of Assessments Tools for SBAC Monday, March 18th, 2013THE Journal: The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has given a $12.5 million contract to Amplify Insight (formerly known as Wireless Generation) to develop a digital library of formative assessment practices and professional learning resources for te 24 iPad apps to support Bloom’s Taxonomy Friday, March 15th, 2013eSchool News: During a recent webinar, educational technologist Kathy Schrock presented a variety of apps for iPads that can boost student engagement and collaboration, and that can be used for teaching and learning according to Bloom’s Taxonomy. Maine opens its school laptop contract to other st Friday, March 15th, 2013eSchool News: The only state to provide laptops to public school students statewide on March 14 said the contract it's negotiating for new mobile learning devices can be used by other states if they’re interested in following suit. The best tweets of the week for education Friday, March 15th, 2013eSchool News: Here are the education-related tweets that we found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week.… Integrating the ‘four Cs’ into instruction Thursday, March 14th, 2013eSchool News: While policy makers and education leaders have been talking about the need to teach 21st-century skills for more than a decade, not enough attention has been paid to how this can be done, Ken Kay believes. 10 educational technologies you should try this ye Thursday, March 14th, 2013eSchool News:It’s always hard to predict what technology will be a game-changer, but here are 10 educational technologies that have sparked our interest in recent months.… Fragmented Data Systems a Barrier to Better School Thursday, March 14th, 2013Education Week: Many districts and states struggle to provide meaningful, real-time data about student performance to educators. Districts Place High Priority on 1-to-1 Computing Thursday, March 14th, 2013Education Week: Putting a computing device in the hands of every student requires a willingness to take risks and an understanding of what has worked in the past. Making Digital Libraries Work, With or Without BYO Thursday, March 14th, 2013THE Journal: Districts are experimenting with strategies for creating state-of-the-art K-12 digital libraries. Maine Leading Initiative for Multistate Tech Buys Wednesday, March 13th, 2013Education Week: A group of three states have joined together to create a common proposal for purchasing technology products in what could signal other cooperative buying efforts. Seven facts about K-12 ed-tech leaders Wednesday, March 13th, 2013eSchool News: 80 percent of school district technology leaders report flat or declining ed-tech budgets; 80 percent also oversee both instructional and administrative technology Ed-tech leaders brace for online testing Wednesday, March 13th, 2013eSchool news: What keeps ed-tech leaders up at night? Making sure their schools are prepared to roll out high-stakes testing to students online by the 2014-15 school year is a chief concern, said panelists during a March 11 session at the CoSN Conference. More teens use smart phones to get online Wednesday, March 13th, 2013eSchool News: Keep computers in a common area so you can monitor what your kids are doing: It's a long-standing directive for online safety—but one that's quickly becoming moot as more young people have mobile devices, often with internet access. Discovery Ed expands Techbooks to include math Wednesday, March 13th, 2013eSchool News: Discovery Education has announced that it will expand its digital textbook series to include mathematics. The Math Techbook is the latest addition to the company’s Techbook line, which now includes K-12 science and middle school social stu Digital Priorities Influence School Design Wednesday, March 13th, 2013Education Week: Facilities are being designed and redesigned around the belief that classrooms should mirror the workplaces of today and the future. The iPads in Education Conference That's Not About Wednesday, March 13th, 2013THE Journal: App laundry lists and fly-by-night teaching fads are some of the things you won't find at the EdTechTeacher iPad Summit. Instead, the focus is on deeper learning. Idaho Initiative to Integrate Khan Academy Video C Wednesday, March 13th, 2013Education Week: The pilot program represents the first statewide effort to use multimedia material from the online Khan Academy. How I turned my classroom into a living video game Tuesday, March 12th, 2013eSchool News: The notion that struggling and failing is important to learning runs counter to traditional approaches to U.S. education. In the world of gaming, however, the very elements of struggle, challenge, and failure that discourage kids in the clas Digital Devices and Assessments Are Top Priorities Tuesday, March 12th, 2013Education Week: Efforts to put in place "bring your own device" policies and prepare schools for online assessments are viewed as top priorities by district technology leaders, who are also coping with budget constraints, a new survey reveals. Digital Inclusion 'Imperative' for American Educat Tuesday, March 12th, 2013THE Journal: Despite tough economic circumstances and sequestration, federal investment in education technology "can't wait," according to United States Representative George Miller, who addressed education leaders Monday at the CoSN 2013 conference. Choosing the Right Classroom Design Team Tuesday, March 12th, 2013THE Journal: Creating collaborative spaces for different grade levels depends on picking the right design team. State and District NCLB Waivers: Good News and Bad Tuesday, March 12th, 2013THE Journal: Waivers from the onerous No Child Left Behind requirements offer states and districts much-needed financial flexibility, but they can also lead to confusion. Fund That Subsidizes Internet for Schools Should E Tuesday, March 12th, 2013New York Times: The $2.3 billion federal E-Rate program, which subsidizes basic Internet connections for schools and libraries, should be overhauled and expanded to provide those community institutions with new, lightning-fast connections to the Web... Form 471 Deadline Reminder- This Thursday Monday, March 11th, 2013CDE: Reminder: The deadline for filing Form 471 applications for FY 2013/2014 is Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 8:59 p.m. PST. Seven steps to success with mobile learning Monday, March 11th, 2013eSchool News: Implementing a mobile learning initiative is a complicated undertaking, no matter how much funding or stakeholder support you have. A new resource offers an outline for administrators who hope to launch and sustain a successful mobile... Districts Forge School-to-Home Digital Connections Monday, March 11th, 2013Education Week: As increasing numbers of school districts have put 1-to-1 computing programs in place, administrators are wrestling with whether to allow those devices to go home with students at the end of each day. Ramona High School moved toward 1-to-1 What makes a good broadband network for schools? Friday, March 8th, 2013eSchool News: A panel of broadband experts, including K12HSN reps, recently agreed that high-quality access for schools and districts means more than providing a connection to the internet—good broadband provides a foundation for innovative initiatives The best tweets of the week for education Friday, March 8th, 2013eSchool news: Here are the education-related tweets that we found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week.… Assessment Group To Begin Testing Common Core Plat Friday, March 8th, 2013Education Week: The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium hopes to use data from a pilot test to conduct research and prepare for the implementation of Common Core-aligned tests from now through May 2013. Leading Edge Certification Friday, March 8th, 2013Education Week: Because most colleges of education are not preparing teachers or administrators to teach or lead in technology enriched classrooms, the Leading Edge Certification was developed by California educators. CENIC 2013 Annual Conference: Last day to register Friday, March 8th, 2013CENIC: Today is your last day to register online at the conference website -- after today, you may register in person at the conference. Take a look at the full conference program in addition to a detailed schedule of Calit2 demos following a presentation CENIC 2013: Can't come? Watch the Live webstream Friday, March 8th, 2013CENIC: If you're unable to attend the conference in person, you can do so from your office or home thanks to the live streaming video of conference programming courtesy of Calit2. Top ed-tech news: March 2013 Thursday, March 7th, 2013eSchool News: Schools confront digital textbook challenges … Nanotechnology comes to an Illinois high school … Ed-tech consultant Alan November calls for a new approach to one-to-one computing: These are among the top ed-tech stories in the March 2013 Four keys to success with digital textbooks Thursday, March 7th, 2013eSchool News: Moving to digital textbooks is easier said than done—it takes months of planning, stakeholder buy-in, and perseverance. A new infographic from OnlineCollege.org pulls data from the Federal Communications Commission’s Digital Textbook Pla Launching a district data warehousing project Thursday, March 7th, 2013eSchool News: A redesign of a school district’s information systems is always a challenge, but Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WSFCS) was further complicated by rapid growth, changing demographics and school choice.… Amazon, PTA Partner on National Reading Effort Thursday, March 7th, 2013Education Week: The National PTA and Amazon are collaborating on an effort they say is meant to encourage families to promote reading among young children using the company's Kindle e-readers, as well as traditional books and other means. Amplify Launches Tablet, Learning Platform for K-1 Thursday, March 7th, 2013THE Journal: Amplify Education has launched the Amplify Tablet, a 10-inch Android tablet designed for use in K-12 schools featuring a built-in learning platform. Flipped classrooms turning tradition on its head Thursday, March 7th, 2013San Diego Union Tribune: Teachers say video lectures and classroom homework leads to more engaged students. A growing number of teachers nationwide are challenging a long-held educational tradition by asking their students to watch recorded lectures at ho Controlling Social Media: Current Policy Trends Thursday, March 7th, 2013THE Journal: As social media becomes ubiquitous, schools and districts should shift from trying to control its use and toward teaching faculty and students how to build successful learning communities. Schools shift from textbooks to tablets Wednesday, March 6th, 2013eSchool News: Priced at $299, the 10-inch tablet from News Corp.’s Amplify is the latest digital device to target students. It runs on a school’s wireless internet system and comes with software for teachers to watch each student’s activities... Flipped Institute Teaches Schools How to Flip Thei Wednesday, March 6th, 2013Center for Digital Education: A principal known for flipping his high school is helping others understand how to make better use of their instructional time through the Flipped Institute. Seven TED 2013 videos you don’t want to miss Tuesday, March 5th, 2013eSchool News: These days, it seems even the masses—the Silicon Valley masses, specifically—have an education-focused mindset, and to prove that point, this year’s TED Talks focused on education in particular. PARCC Releases Testing Time Estimates Tuesday, March 5th, 2013Education Week: The other group of states designing tests, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, has already come out with time estimates for its tests in December. Follett Challenge showcases how schools are integr Monday, March 4th, 2013eSchool News: More than 100 educators recently took Follett Software’s challenge to create and submit a video showing how they incorporate 21st-century skills such as critical thinking into the curriculum… Study Aims to Evaluate Tech-Related Teacher PD Monday, March 4th, 2013Education Week: As technology is integrated into teacher professional development in new and different ways, researchers are working to answer a key question: What approaches featuring digital tools work best? SBE Meeting Agenda for March 2013 Monday, March 4th, 2013CDE: Agenda for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting on March 13-14, 2013. Digital Learning Now! California SB 714 Monday, March 4th, 2013Sponsored by Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education Chair Marty Block, D-San Diego, was introduced on February 22 in the Senate. 12 Keys to Finding Quality Education Apps Monday, March 4th, 2013Center for Digital Education: Millions of apps vie for educators' attention. And with limited time and budgets, it's not always easy to find the ones that will keep students' attention and teach them at the same time. School leaders brace for cuts as sequestration occ Sunday, March 3rd, 2013eSchool News: School districts around the country are bracing for more than $2 billion in federal spending cuts that kicked in March 1 after lawmakers failed to reach a deficit-reduction deal. How teachers are using technology at home and scho Friday, March 1st, 2013eSchool News: A survey of U.S. middle and high school teachers finds that ed tech has become central to their profession. At the same time, the internet, mobile phones, and social media have brought new challenges to teachers... Viral ed-tech video pushes for coding in the class Friday, March 1st, 2013eSchool News: A new video from Code.org is making waves not just in education circles, but with students who say they want more from their school’s curriculum.… Survey: Gap in Internet access between rich, poor Friday, March 1st, 2013Washington Post: Technology has become essential to middle school and high school learning, but according to teachers, a gap in access to the internet between the rich and poor is leading to troubling disparities in education Calit2, ESnet, and CENIC Convene 100G and Beyond W Friday, March 1st, 2013CENIC: Calit2, ESnet, and CENIC convened the 100G and Beyond Workshop, a free one-day invited workshop on February 26, 2013 at Calit2 on the scenic and beautiful campus of UC San Diego in conjunction with the 12th Annual ON*VECTOR International Workshop. How to prepare for Common Core testing Thursday, February 28th, 2013eSchool News: To prepare for more rigorous assessments aligned with the Common Core standards, teachers will need more time and opportunities to collaborate with each other, education professor Linda Darling-Hammond… What to consider when flipping the K-12 classroom Thursday, February 28th, 2013eSchool News: Flipping the classroom is one of the top trends in school reform, with more and more teachers trying the approach in an attempt to boost student engagement and achievement.… SETDA Appraises Broadband Speed Testing Tools Thursday, February 28th, 2013THE Journal: A national organization of state education technology directors has published the results of a comparison of tools that schools can use to assess their broadband capabilities in preparation for coming online Common Core assessments.... Three federal education policy updates Wednesday, February 27th, 2013eSchool News: As Congress nears a deadline to form a compromise and avoid sequestration, education stakeholders are hoping to avoid devastating school funding cuts that could put an end to some promising practices across the country. The New Ed-Tech Leader Models by Digital Example Wednesday, February 27th, 2013Education Week: Superintendents and chief technology officers are modeling their commitment to use technology to improve schools. Twitter Tips for Educators Wednesday, February 27th, 2013THE Journal: According to instructional technologist Steven Anderson, Twitter holds the key for putting teachers in touch with great ideas from all over the world. Here are 10 ways he offers to get the most out of it. Social Platform Aims To Help Parents Understand Te Wednesday, February 27th, 2013THE Journal: Quib.ly, a service designed to help parents understand technology and the ways it affects their children is launching in the United States today. Teachers Say They Aren't Prepared for Common Core Wednesday, February 27th, 2013Education Week :Even as the Common Core State Standards are being put into practice across most of the country, nearly half of teachers feel unprepared to teach them, especially to disadvantaged students, according to a new survey. California's JobScout App Helps Bridge Digital Div Wednesday, February 27th, 2013Government Technology: As a part of a digital literacy effort called iCALIFORNIA, the California State Library funded an $800,000 project called JobScout. The Web and mobile learning platform teaches Californians basic skills to help find a job in a virtu Seven new iPad apps to know about Tuesday, February 26th, 2013eSchool News: Last month, we launched a brand-new feature called "App of the Week," in which our editors highlight a new educational app every week. Here are the first seven apps we’ve featured. Plagiarism souvenirs Tuesday, February 26th, 2013eSchool News: Most teachers will tell you that when assigned a research paper, students enter a few keywords into a Google search, download some relevant webpages, cut and paste passages into a new document, add a few transitions, and turn it in. Ten facts about K-12 students’ technology use Monday, February 25th, 2013eSchool News: More than half of students in grades 6-8 now have access to a tablet computer—a percentage that has doubled since last year. And Twitter use has grown three-fold among high school students in the last year, with a third of high schoolers n ‘Good to Great’ author: How to have great scho Monday, February 25th, 2013eSchool News: The most important factor influencing a school’s success isn’t class size, length of the school day, or other reforms, says researcher and author Jim Collins—it’s having a great leader at the helm. Revamping the “Core” of education Monday, February 25th, 2013San Diego Union Tribune: Educators in San Diego County are working to incorporate Common Core State Standards in their curriculum in anticipation of the official rollout of the standards in 2014. Attendance data scrubbing tempts low-ranked school Friday, February 22nd, 2013eSchool News: A former superintendent went to prison in Texas for conspiring to remove low-performing students from classrooms to boost average test scores. Principals in Oklahoma and Missouri are out of their jobs after attendance-related scandals. urvey: Principals under more stress Friday, February 22nd, 2013eSchool News: School principals and teachers have high opinions of how effectively each group is working to educate students, but principals say their job is growing increasingly stressful and has changed significantly, according to the latest MetLife Sur ED considering district-by-district NCLB waivers Friday, February 22nd, 2013eSchool News: Education Secretary Arne Duncan is talking with individual school districts about how to free them from unworkable parts of the federal No Child Left Behind law, signaling he is open to an approach he long tried to avoid. The five best Tweets of the week Friday, February 22nd, 2013eSchool News: In today’s social networking world, many people use Twitter to get good information fast. eSchool News editors share the education-related Tweets that they found most enlightening, helpful, or interesting this week. Study compliments and questions Brown’s funding Friday, February 22nd, 2013Ed Source: An analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California, released Wednesday, praises Gov. Jerry Brown’s overall plan for school finance reform, while raising questions about elements of the formula that would steer substantially more money.. States Struggle To Keep Online Schools Accountable Friday, February 22nd, 2013Government Technology: Online classes have exploded in popularity, with more than six times as many students enrolled in electronic K-12 courses now as compared to a decade ago, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The 2013-14 Budget: Restructuring the K-12 Funding Friday, February 22nd, 2013Legislative Analyst's Office: The Governor proposes to restructure the way the state allocates funding to school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education. Views of Tech Differ Among Elem, HS educators Friday, February 22nd, 2013Education Week: Teachers and principals in elementary schools are more likely to see school leaders' competence in using technology as important than high school educators are, according to a new nationwide survey. New ed-tech products abound at TCEA 2013 Thursday, February 21st, 2013eSchool News: During the 2013 Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference in Austin earlier this month, we met with dozens of educational technology companies to learn what they’re up to. 14 recommendations for taming the wild, wild West Wednesday, February 20th, 2013eSchool News: A disruptive factor exists today in educational technology, according to a new report, because while virtual schools, personal digital devices, and open-source materials are transforming education, and create a wild, wild West landscape... Future science: Using 3D worlds to visualize data Wednesday, February 20th, 2013eSchool News: Take a walk through a human brain? Fly over the surface of Mars? Computer scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago are pushing science fiction closer to reality with a wraparound virtual world where a researcher wearing 3D glasses Four steps to admissions superstardom with Google Wednesday, February 20th, 2013eSchool News: With the growth of non-traditional students, campuses must tailor their communication to each audience. A strategy that enrolls adults must differ from one that enrolls high school students.… New Report Outlines IT Requirements for Competency Wednesday, February 20th, 2013THE Journal: CompetencyWorks and iNACOL have released a new report, Re-Engineering Information Technology: Design Considerations for Competency Education, which identifies the technological requirements for a competency-based education model. More schools consider ads on websites Tuesday, February 19th, 2013eSchool News: In Broward County, Fla., the website for Coral Springs High School has an advertisement for a movie theater complex. The website for Fort Lauderdale High School carries an ad for a local dance studio. Coming soon: A national superintendent certificati Tuesday, February 19th, 2013eSchool News: The American Association of School Administrators is about to reinvent itself. As part of this effort, AASA will be unveiling a national vision statement and launching a National Superintendent Certification… Texas district sees boost in elementary reading Tuesday, February 19th, 2013eSchool news: Instructors in the McAllen, Texas, school district see iPads as a tool to boost reading rates among younger students and say they've already seen a difference in the first months… Cloud Computing To Make Up 35% of K-12 IT Budgets Tuesday, February 19th, 2013THE Journal: Within one year, cloud computing in K-12 schools is expected to consume a quarter of the entire IT budget; four years from now, that figure will grow to 35 percent. What's driving that growth? In CA district, teachers help teachers get better Tuesday, February 19th, 2013Hechinger Report: A teaching coach in the Long Beach school district trains a select group of teachers. It’s part of a district-wide training system that relies on teachers working with each other to improve classroom practices. Schools confront digital textbook challenges Sunday, February 17th, 2013eSchool News: The federal Education Department has called for schools to use digital textbooks within the next five years, but what does that mean for school leaders?… New ed-tech bill supports digital learning, Common Friday, February 15th, 2013eSchool News: A new bill calls on Congress to fund $500 million in grants to states and districts for educational technology, and supporters say it could replace the old Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program, which died in 2011. My classmate, the robot: NY pupil attends remotely Friday, February 15th, 2013eSchool News: In an elementary school hallway, a teacher takes her second-graders to the library, leading a single-file line of giggling boys and girls that's perfectly ordinary until you get a sleek white robot with a video screen showing the face of a s How a flipped classroom flipped a student’s pers Friday, February 15th, 2013eSchool News: The idea of graduating high school is supposed to be exciting: the beginning of a brand new life filled with experience and opportunity. FCC, Federal Housing Agency Collaborate on Digital Friday, February 15th, 2013Education week: The Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are announcing a national plan to expand broadband access for families and children in public housing. E2020 Changes Name to Edgenuity, Releases New Plat Friday, February 15th, 2013THE Journal: E2020 has changed its name to Edgenuity and is releasing a new platform for its online and blended-learning programs. The platform, which provides content for core curriculum, elective, advanced placement, credit recovery, and CTE courses... How a district deployed 10,000 iPads in 5 weeks Thursday, February 14th, 2013eSchool News: Sticking to its resolution to put iPads in students’ and teachers’ hands, the Mansfield Independent School District in Texas deployed 10,600 of Apple’s popular devices in just 5 weeks. US Public Libraries and BTOP Thursday, February 14th, 2013District Dispatch: The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy released the first national report detailing U.S. library engagement with the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). New online assessments to include accommodations Wednesday, February 13th, 2013eSchool News: One of the two state consortia developing next-generation assessments to be taken online is seeking comments on a draft policy that proposes accommodations for students with disabilities who who need help expressing themselves in writing... Obama calls for more investment in education Wednesday, February 13th, 2013eSchool News: Laying out an ambitious post-election agenda, President Barack Obama on Feb. 12 said his goal was to reignite a "rising, thriving middle class," in part by investing more in education. NCLB waivers weaken accountability, study says Wednesday, February 13th, 2013eSchool News: Many states granted waivers from the No Child Left Behind law are relaxing or ignoring federal regulations designed to hold schools accountable for the number of students who graduate from high school on time, according to a new study. Designing Collaborative Spaces for Schools Wednesday, February 13th, 2013THE Journal: When architects discuss the educational facilities of the next century and beyond, the conversation turns to collaborative spaces. They envision flexible and fluid spaces that will encourage creative and critical thinking... College Scorecard Wednesday, February 13th, 2013U.S. Department of Education: the U.S. Department of Education released an interactive College Scorecard, which provides students and families the critical information they need to make smart decisions about where to enroll for higher education. LAUSD approves $50M for computer tablets Tuesday, February 12th, 2013Daily News Los Angeles: Los Angeles Unified took the first step Tuesday in closing the digital divide with the school board's approval to spend $50 million to provide computer devices to students at nearly four dozen campuses this fall. Is Your OS XP-ired? Tuesday, February 12th, 2013THE Journal: New minimum requirements for assessment have district leaders talking about technology. As they consider upgrades, they should plan not just for testing, but for teaching. Making Search Engines Work for Education Resources Tuesday, February 12th, 2013THE Journal: The Learning Resource Metadata Initiative has a complicated name but a simple purpose: to make web searches more useful for students and teachers San Diego Unified To Implement Online Registration Tuesday, February 12th, 2013THE Journal: The San Diego Unified School District will implement an online school registration system in an effort to streamline data management. Missouri Educator Pushes Power of Social Media Tuesday, February 12th, 2013Education Week: An instructional technology specialist is teaching teachers how to take charge of their own professional development through social networking. Tablets, Smartphones Influence Reading Instruction Monday, February 11th, 2013Education Week: With the proliferation of tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices, the number of games, apps, and software to help students learn to read and increase their literacy skills is growing fast. R.I. Students Gaining 'Badges,' Credits Outside Sc Monday, February 11th, 2013Education Week: Many schools encourage students to get real-world experience outside school walls. But very few offer course credit and digital "badges"—virtual records of skills and achievements—for those experiences. Districts Move to the Cloud to Power Up, Save Mone Monday, February 11th, 2013Education Week: Schools need to be aware of the reality that putting a student-information system in a cloud environment means the cloud provider has access to personal information about students Schools Set Boundaries for Use of Digital Devices Monday, February 11th, 2013Education week: Crafting smart policies outlining privileges and restrictions will help keep schools on track for responsible yet dynamic use of student-owned digital devices for learning Districts Plan for Progress in Digital Learning Monday, February 11th, 2013Alliance for Excellent Education: More Than 250 School Districts Already Signed Up for Campaign Providing Districts with Free Resources to Help Meet Growing Demands for College- and Career-Ready Students. Transforming Education Through Technology Act Monday, February 11th, 2013SETDA: A coalition of national education leadership organizations today hailed the introduction of the Transforming Education Through Technology Act. Legislation Would Help Ensure Students are College and Career Ready Through Digital Learning. Digital Textbook Laws Signal Shift in Education Co Monday, February 11th, 2013Center for Digital Education: Two recent developments in California portend a sea-change in the way educational content is created, delivered and paid for. Education Group Launches Video Tool for Teachers Sunday, February 10th, 2013Education Week: The Southern Regional Education Board has launched a new online tool designed to help teachers share strategies for improving teaching and learning through instructional videos. Digital Learning Day aims to change education’s Friday, February 8th, 2013eSchool News: With an overwhelming 25,000 educators participating in Digital Learning Day on Feb. 6, ed-tech supporters used technology-based projects, lessons, and enthusiasm to mark what they called a perfect time to launch a national digital learning c White House allies produce preschool-for-all plan Friday, February 8th, 2013eSchool News: Days before President Barack Obama outlines his agenda for the coming year, a think tank with close ties to the White House is outlining a plan that would provide preschool for all children within five years. Digital Directions -- Winter 2013 Friday, February 8th, 2013Education Week: The Winter 2013 issue of Digital Directions is now available online. You will have access to the entire issue. CENIC 2013 Annual Conference: Conference Program Friday, February 8th, 2013CENIC: Attendees can now find the full conference program online at the conference website. Check out the detailed schedule and register now! Aspiring teachers ill-prepared to use ed tech effe Thursday, February 7th, 2013eSchool News: Students who are studying to become teachers use social media in their personal lives more frequently than in-service teachers do, and they want to use ed tech in their classrooms—but their teacher preparation programs aren’t fully prepa Report: California schools misspent millions Thursday, February 7th, 2013Huff Post: California school districts have misspent tens of millions of dollars intended to provide subsidized meals to low-income students, according to a state Senate report released Wednesday. College credit recommended for free online courses Thursday, February 7th, 2013AP: Students may soon be able to receive college credit for the free online courses that are reshaping higher education, the Associated Press reports. … Course hooks students' interest with hands-on lab Thursday, February 7th, 2013The News Gazette: The six-day lab is giving these students a hands-on lesson in DNA purification and bar coding. It's part of a science course that's being piloted in six classrooms in the United States this year. Snapshot: This is how teachers use technology Wednesday, February 6th, 2013eSchool News:With Digital Learning Day on the horizon, technology is once again in the national spotlight. But are teachers using new resources in today’s classroom? The answer, according to a new survey, is a resounding yes. State, Federal EdTech Leadership Key to Innovation Wednesday, February 6th, 2013Education Week: State and federal policymakers can play a crucial role in bolstering or hindering a culture of digital innovation. But it's not always about passing legislation or relaxing outdated policies, and there can be hurdles to this leadership. 'Big Three' Publishers Rethink K-12 Strategies Wednesday, February 6th, 2013Education Week: Arizona's Vail school district is the kind of customer that gives big textbook publishers pause. The 12,000-student school district swapped out printed textbooks for digital material in 2006, but students aren't using e-textbooks. BYOD Boundaries Wednesday, February 6th, 2013Education Week: Crafting smart policies that outline privileges and restrictions will help keep schools on track for responsible yet dynamic use of student-owned tech tools. The Math of Khan Wednesday, February 6th, 2013THE Journal: Khan Academy has inspired both unconditional love and virulent criticism. But the controversy around the videos has sparked something truly valuable: a national conversation about math instruction and the role of technology, data, and teacher Leaders to Learn From: 15 Good Ideas Wednesday, February 6th, 2013Education Week: A new annual report from Education Week showcases Leaders to Learn From—16 leaders who have seized on some smart or creative ideas and put them to work in their school districts. Trans-Pacific Agreement Signed To Increase Global Wednesday, February 6th, 2013CENIC: Trans-Pacific Agreement Signed To Increase Global Ultra-High-Performance Networking. Pacific Wave International Peering Facility and Trans‐Eurasia Information Network*Corporation Center Working Together on Next‐generation Networking, Global Col Infographic: How to Implement Blended Learning Wednesday, February 6th, 2013Digital Learning Now: Today, Digital Learning Now! released the “Blended Learning Implementation Guide” in honor of Digital Learning Day. Below is the infographic that accompanies the guide. Study seeks more effective teacher development Tuesday, February 5th, 2013eSchool News: As the nation pushes to improve the quality of its teachers, it’s pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into teacher development with little way to measure the results. The Gates Foundation is testing 2 ways to give teachers quicker feed Nationwide Digital Learning Day Kicks Off Feb. 6 Tuesday, February 5th, 2013Education Week: The second Digital Learning Day, an event meant to tout the use of technology in education, is set to begin Wednesday, February 6. One of the headliners of the agenda is a "Digital Town Hall," a 90-minute discussion held in in Washington, From Twitter to Edmodo: Schools Collaborate Tuesday, February 5th, 2013THE Journal: Schools are using a variety of social media tools to help students connect and work together. CoSN Assesses Cloud Risks and Realities Tuesday, February 5th, 2013THE Journal: Nearly all K-12 schools now use cloud technology in some form. But how many understand all the possibilities and pitfalls? That's the question posed by Security and Privacy of Cloud Computing, a new report to members of CoSN Digital Learning Day Activities To Take Place Tuesday, February 5th, 2013THE Journal: More than 20,000 teachers and four million students from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will take part in the second annual Digital Learning Day, which takes place on February 6. Science in the Cloud Tuesday, February 5th, 2013THE Journal: Science teachers must continue their own education to stay current. One professional organization that takes an integrated approach to learning, including making use of the cloud, is the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Report: Teachers Crave Digital Education Resources Tuesday, February 5th, 2013THE Journal: The benefits of technology for education aren't just hype--at least not according to the teachers using it. Roughly three of four teachers say that technology lets them reinforce and expand on content, motivate students to learn... Nooks replace books in Wash. state pilot program Tuesday, February 5th, 2013The Spokesman-Review: In 2 Spokane Public Schools pilot programs, Nooks are becoming available, and 150 students are invited to bring their own handheld devices for lessons in math, science and writing. School turnarounds prompt community backlash Monday, February 4th, 2013eSchool News: The federal government’s push for drastic reforms at chronically low achieving schools has led to takeovers by charter operators, overhauls of staff and curriculum, and even school shutdowns across the country. 3 Websites for High School Teachers to Try in 2013 Monday, February 4th, 2013US News & World Report: Technology continues to make inroads into high school classrooms via BYOD initiatives, 1:1 programs, and blended learning models. But teachers don't need a classroom stocked with iPads to start incorporating tech into their lessons Does the Smartphone Have a Place in the Classroom? Monday, February 4th, 2013THE Journal: With an increasing number of social networks and technologies commanding more and more of our students' time and attention, are we too far gone to successfully integrate smartphones and mobile technologies into classroom learning? Playing To Learn Monday, February 4th, 2013THE Journal: Imagine a school where the kids play iPad games to learn about genetics or take on the personas of ghosts to learn about the American Revolution. California abandons algebra requirement for 8th gr Monday, February 4th, 2013Mercury News:By falling in line with other states, California is abandoning its push for all eighth-graders to take algebra. Last month, the State Board of Education unanimously shifted away from a 15-year policy of expecting 8th-graders to take Algebra I Education Standards Spur States to Create Portals Monday, February 4th, 2013Government Technology: Education Standards Spur States to Create and Share Web-Based Curriculum and Portals 7 elements for effective community-school partners Sunday, February 3rd, 2013eSchool News: The phrase "It takes a village" is at the heart of a school reform movement called partnerships for learning, which aims to integrate community resources with local schools to educate the “whole child.” Now, a new report reveals the keys 2013 Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards Friday, February 1st, 2013eSchool News: These eight superintendents were chosen by eSchool News for their outstanding ed-tech leadership and vision Taking Technology to its Limit Friday, February 1st, 2013District Administration: Technology is so prevalent today, why not engage students in school with the same interactive devices and communication tools they love using? That’s the approach one Ohio School District is taking... Nanotechnology comes to Illinois high school Thursday, January 31st, 2013eSchol News: Students at an Illinois high school will have an opportunity to study nanotechnology in a special lab featuring equipment that typically isn't seen in high schools, local officials… Robotics on the rise in schools Thursday, January 31st, 2013eSchool News: An explosion in the popularity of high school robotics teams suddenly has made it chic to be geek: Robotics team members are getting varsity letters and patches, being paraded before school assemblies like other sports stars... The Web Revolution: This is Just the Beginning Thursday, January 31st, 2013THE Journal: "The computer revolution brought unbelievable change in very rapid fashion." Over the last 10 years, we have seen the Internet become embedded in our culture, creating an environment where most of us simply take the Web for granted Brain Matters: Maximizing Your Classroom for Learn Thursday, January 31st, 2013THE Journal: This educational consultant advises teachers to keep brain science in mind when figuring out how to help their students learn. Four steps to flipping the classroom Wednesday, January 30th, 2013eSchool newS: The flipped classroom, in which students watch a video explaining a particular lesson or topic at home and then come to school prepared to complete assignments related to that lesson or discuss the topic in class, is gaining ground. Pennsylvania taps the brakes on cyber charter scho Wednesday, January 30th, 2013eSchool News: All eight applications for new cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania for the 2013-14 school year have been rejected, a decision that comes as state legislators debate charter school funding... Microsoft retools Office for touch screen, web use Wednesday, January 30th, 2013eSchool News: Microsoft is aiming its redesigned Office software at the growing number of people who expect their favorite applications to be at their fingertips, wherever there's an internet connection.… Interdisciplinary Exploration Is Key to the Future Wednesday, January 30th, 2013THE Journal: In his keynote address at FETC 2013 in Orlando Tuesday, science writer Matt Kaplan proclaimed, "There is no reason to limit science education to the expertise of the teacher in the classroom." The Digital Resistors Wednesday, January 30th, 2013THE Journal: Every school acknowledges their "digital resistors" and allows them considerable freedom to operate apart from the systems created by the school. Textbooks to Tablets Wednesday, January 30th, 2013District Administration: For years, there’s been an ongoing discussion about the digital divide between the “haves” and the “have nots.” As technology has advanced, so has that gap, which is driving fundamental changes in how we work, learn, and Why schools must move beyond one-to-one computing Tuesday, January 29th, 2013eSchool News: Adding a digital device to the classroom without a fundamental change in the culture of teaching and learning will not lead to significant improvement. Tech Smackdown: 10 Cool Teacher Tools Tuesday, January 29th, 2013THE Journal: This year's FETC's technology smackdown offered plenty of free and cheap gadgets and services that imaginative teachers will have fun with in the classroom. Thornburg Center Unveils Free Standards-Aligned Vi Tuesday, January 29th, 2013THE Journal: The Thornburg Center has released a variety of free short videos that are aligned with next-generation national science and engineering standards coming in the spring, as well as Common Core standards being implemented by the states. Equal Internet Access Is a K-12 Must-Have Tuesday, January 29th, 2013Education Week: The days when spiral notebooks, No. 2 pencils, and a backpack full of textbooks served as the mainstays of the American classroom are rapidly giving way to a new school environment. Learning to "think backwards" when integrating tec Tuesday, January 29th, 2013SmartBrief: Educators need to stay focused on learning while integrating technology in the classroom, teacher and consultant Kristen Swanson writes in this blog post. Swanson suggests beginning the process by learning to "think backwards." How iPads can support learning for students with a Monday, January 28th, 2013eSchool News: Ed-tech advocates are discovering the numerous benefits that mobile devices, including iPads, can have for students. But a growing number of special-education teachers are finding that iPads can have a positive effect on their students with Is BYOT Just a Bridge to 1-to-1? Monday, January 28th, 2013THE Journal: Mobile device trainer Brent Williams explains why BYOT may be just a band-aid until schools can launch their own 1-to-1 programs. How Virtual Schools Can Get Real Results Monday, January 28th, 2013THE Journal: Since the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) opened its virtual doors in 1997, online learning has gone from cutting-edge to commonplace. The question for educators is no longer "How do we do this?" but rather "How do we do this better?" Finding the Right Tech Tools Is Easy Monday, January 28th, 2013THE Journal: Kathy Schrock guides educators through the process of building a personal learning network and organizing a constant flow of information. New website unpacks the Common Core standards Monday, January 28th, 2013eschool News: Scholastic has launched a new website, “Common Sense for the Common Core,” that aims to help teachers, school leaders, and parents understand the standards, and provides instructional programs to implement them. How to build a Professional Learning Network Monday, January 28th, 2013eSchool News: This free e-course includes four modules, covering topics such as PLN basics, ethics and privacy, networking, social media tools, and sustaining a PLN. Coaching program aids teachers, students Monday, January 28th, 2013The Press Enterprise: Menifee USD in California sends curriculum coaches into its schools in six-week rotations to help teams of teachers work on issues selected by the group, such as creating new lessons. The district recently was recognized for the prog Teachers flip for 'flipped learning' class model Sunday, January 27th, 2013Mercury News: It's a technology-driven teaching method known as "flipped learning" because it flips the time-honored model of classroom lecture and exercises for homework—the lecture becomes homework and class time is for practice. Digital Learning Day: Free resources, White House Friday, January 25th, 2013eSchool News: The nation’s second Digital Learning Day is fast approaching on Feb. 6, and with digital learning ideas, a keynote speech from the White House CTO, and more participants, this year’s event promises to be even better than last year's. Tennessee tries innovative approach to boosting st Thursday, January 24th, 2013eSchool News: 15 teachers from across the state will leave their classrooms to become ‘ambassadors’ of success. New partnership aims to transform teacher educatio Thursday, January 24th, 2013eSchool News: Mississippi's two largest universities are teaming up on an innovative program designed to attract the state's top students into the teaching profession. If successful, the program—announced Jan. 22—could be a model for teacher education 5 Takeaways on Using Social and Professional Netwo Thursday, January 24th, 2013Government Technology: On Saturday, Jan. 19, Google held its one-day gathering of innovative thinkers — called The Intersection — to “uncover new ideas, tools and ‘intersections’ that can … help inspire social change.” Next-generation science standards open for comment Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013eSchool News: A second draft of the Next Generation Science Standards, which are being developed with input from 26 states, is open for public review and comment until Jan. 29.... The benefits of using social media in the classroo Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013eSchool News: Hesitation on administrators’ part is often cited as a top barrier to incorporating more social media tools in classrooms. But with a carefully crafted social media policy, educators and administrators can learn to use social media tools.. How Technology Is Building on Math's Foundation Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013THE Journal: Ted Hasselbring sees a fundamental problem with the way we teach math, not just to special needs students, but to all students. He is researching the use of technology to deliver the foundational knowledge behind mathematical concepts. Game-based Learning Is Playing for Keeps Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013THE Journal: The Institute of Play's Katie Salen helps educators understand the valuable connection between digital gaming and classroom instruction. Teachers’ test boycott draws growing support Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013eSchool News: Frustrated with the amount of testing their students must undergo, a group of Seattle teachers is boycotting the district’s use of a computer adaptive test as a formative assessment tool—and their stand has drawn nationwide attention. NH's Shift Away From “Seat Time” Offers Lesson Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013Alliance for Excellent Education: For a century, most students have advanced from grade to grade based on the number of days they spend in class, but in New Hampshire, schools have moved away from “seat time” and toward “competency-based learning. ActivTables Help Middle Schoolers Collaborate Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013THE Journal: The superintendent of the Edison (NJ) Township Public Schools recounts how Edison became the first district in the country to use Promethean ActivTables for its middle-school classrooms, and how the new technology has helped his students. Mobile Video Streaming Changes the Way Students Le Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013Center for Digital Education: Video streaming on mobile devices is changing how students and professors connect with their learning. Library Services in the Digital Age Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013Pew Internet: Patrons embrace new technologies – and would welcome more. But many still want printed books to hold their central place 25 Google+ Accounts Educators Should Follow Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013Ed Tech Magazine: A lot of educators and education organizations are sharing useful insights and information on Google+. Here is a list of 25 ed-tech Google+ accounts to follow ‘STEAM’ education gains momentum in schools Monday, January 21st, 2013eSchool News: For years, educators have been told about the importance of STEM education in ensuring the nation’s competitiveness in a global economy. Now, a new movement seeks to amend that acronym to “STEAM”—with an “A” for the arts. With Common-Core Costs in Mind, Schools Turn to E- Monday, January 21st, 2013Education Week: Many school districts are likely to need to add more bandwidth, and improve their overall technology capacity, in anticipation of giving new common assessments online, experts say. Health Online 2013 Monday, January 21st, 2013Pew Internet: 35% of U.S. adults have gone online to figure out a medical condition; of these, half followed up with a visit to a medical professional. Making the Case for Project-Based Learning Monday, January 21st, 2013Edutopia: What should students learn in the 21st century? At first glance, this question divides into two: what should students know, and what should they be able to do? But there's more at issue than knowledge and skills. The pros and cons of U.S. education Friday, January 18th, 2013eSchool News: As President Obama enters his second term, his education policies are sure to be in the spotlight again soon. But are international tests, which help to influence education policies in the U.S., as accurate as we thought? Discussion Board Focuses on Change for Cleveland S Friday, January 18th, 2013THE Journal: The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) this week opened up an online discussion forum to encourage citizens to provide input on changes they want to see in the schools and ideas for boosting student performance. How to engage girls with gaming Thursday, January 17th, 2013eSchool News: Many people associate video games and gaming with boys, but researchers have discovered that girls become just as engaged when playing interactive educational games featuring certain motivating elements.… Water fountains go high-tech in California schools Thursday, January 17th, 2013eSchool News: In today’s rapidly changing world, even school water fountains are going high-tech: Since the start of the 2010 school year, many Central Valley, CA, students have wet their whistles—and filled their glasses, bottles, and containers—at Google is bringing voice control to Chrome Thursday, January 17th, 2013VentureBeat: As the rise of Siri and its competitors has shown, voice control has become a huge part of how we interact with mobile devices. So you shouldn’t be too surprised that Google is bringing voice control to the desktop as well. College Enrollment in Online Courses Continues to Thursday, January 17th, 2013Education Week: A total of 6.7 million college students—almost one-third of the students in higher education—have enrolled in at least one online course, a new survey shows. Growing Demand for Ed. Software, Digital Products Thursday, January 17th, 2013Education Week: The market for educational software and digital products in schools, driven partly by demands in testing and assessment, grew over the most recent year and now stands at $7.7 billion, a new analysis reveals. Education Could Use More 'Connected Learning' Thursday, January 17th, 2013THE Journal: The possibilities inherent in digital learning won't in and of themselves flatten the global playing field for students, according to new research, unless we first give attention to the idea of creating "connected learning environments." Building Broadband Adoption Infrastructure Thursday, January 17th, 2013JCPES: On Wednesday, U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary Larry Strickling gave a speech at the Brookings Institution discussing the progress of the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP), funded by ARRA funds. 10 Steps to Become a Relevant Tech Leader Thursday, January 17th, 2013Center for Digital Education: A technology director shares 10 steps for technology directors to take if they want to stay relevant in today's education environment. Obama to unveil gun violence, school security meas Wednesday, January 16th, 2013eSchool news: President Barack Obama's broad effort to reduce gun violence and boost school security will include proposed bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, as well as more than a dozen executive orders... Report: International tests severely misrank U.S. Wednesday, January 16th, 2013eSchool News: Prominent international tests skew comparisons of test scores, and U.S. student performance actually ranks much higher than believed, according to a new report released by the Economic Policy Institute.… How Disruptive Technologies Are Leading the Next G Wednesday, January 16th, 2013THE Journal: These days it may seem like education is changing faster than educators can keep up--Common Core State Standards, the charter school movement, "new normal" shrinking budgets -- but it's not moving nearly as fast as technology. Board Approves Career Tech Education Standards Wednesday, January 16th, 2013CDE: Sweeping updates to California's career technical education (CTE) standards—designed to reflect the changing face of technology and set higher academic goals—received approval from the State Board of Education Wednesday. California Gov. Jerry Brown Spurs Online Education Wednesday, January 16th, 2013Government Technology: California Gov. Jerry Brown has been pushing online courses as one way for the state's universities to expand access to students and reduce student costs. And he's getting results. Publishers answering the call for digital textbook Tuesday, January 15th, 2013eSchool News: The call for U.S. schools to move toward digital textbooks within the next five years has some education officials pondering their options. Publishers, meanwhile, are starting to answer the call. 4 Tech Tools to Bring History Alive With Primary S Tuesday, January 15th, 2013THE Journal: A new crop of digital tools featuring primary sources and immersive lessons are giving students an active role in bringing history--or at least social studies class--to life. 5 K-12 Technology Trends to Watch in 2013 Tuesday, January 15th, 2013THE Journal: Here are five key areas that K-12 districts, administrators, and teachers should keep an eye on in the year ahead. Supporting Deep Conceptual Learning With Technolog Tuesday, January 15th, 2013THE Journal: Technology can help educators train students' focus away from rote memorization toward deep conceptual learning by building on prior knowledge and making connections between concepts. Calif. Districts Seeking Waiver From Ed. Dept. Tuesday, January 15th, 2013Education Week: An official in the U.S. Department of Education said that they are exploring the possibility of granting a waiver to a group of eight school districts in California that will soon seek a reprieve from provisions of the No Child Left Behind CSU Will Experiment With Offering Credit for MOOCs Tuesday, January 15th, 2013State universities in California, looking for creative ways to reduce education costs at a time of budget stress, are turning to MOOCs to offer low-cost options for students. Top ed-tech news: January 2013 Monday, January 14th, 2013eSchool News: A new tech spec could improve school web searches … Schools use Gallup to predict teacher success … A lawsuit targets the use of “smart IDs” for students:... Will longer school year help or hurt U.S. students Monday, January 14th, 2013eSchool News: Students might get their wish of more holiday time from school off under proposals catching on around the country to lengthen the school year calendar. But there's a catch: a much shorter summer vacation. What RTT's School Leadership Evaluations look like Monday, January 14th, 2013THE Journal: If you thought teacher evaluations were a challenge, welcome to the new federal requirements for evaluating principals and superintendents. Survey: E-book Popularity Soaring Monday, January 14th, 2013Education Week: Children are embracing e-books by the millions, but most say they still would choose the printed version, according to a survey released today. Ideas Put Forward for Reaching ELs Through Tech Monday, January 14th, 2013Education Week: Titled "Technology-Driven Innovations for Teaching English Learners," the paper explores technological systems and software, and overall academic approaches used by schools, that the authors argue are showing promise in helping ELs No-Book Library? BiblioTech Is Coming Monday, January 14th, 2013ABC News: A book-less library. It sounds like an oxymoron, but come the fall of 2013, San Antonio's Bexar County is going to be home to the BiblioTech, the country's first book-less public library. Of course, there will be books -- just e-books... In Predicting Ed Tech's Future, SETDA Marks Safe B Monday, January 14th, 2013THE Journal: Douglas Levin, executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association speculates about what 2013 will look like for ed tech... Code of Conduct:Safety, Discipline, School Climate Monday, January 14th, 2013Education Week: As a shocked nation struggles to come to terms with the recent school shootings in Newtown, Conn., policymakers, school leaders, and the public alike have renewed their attention to the need to ensure a safe and secure environment... Schools Aim to Craft Environment for Learning Monday, January 14th, 2013Education Week: A school's social and disciplinary atmosphere can have a profound impact on student achievement What's Hot and What's Not in Ed Tech Monday, January 14th, 2013THE Journal: Our panel of experts determines which ed tech devices and practices are heating up, and which are losing steam, in 2013. Tips for understanding copyright rules Friday, January 11th, 2013eSchool News: With headlines about tough copyright rulings fresh in their minds, educators across the nation might hesitate when it comes to using copyrighted material in their lessons or sharing copyrighted works with students. Laptops go up against tablets at CES Show Thursday, January 10th, 2013eSchool News: At the 2013 CES in Las Vegas, the laptop is attempting a comeback: The stodgy clamshell design is being cast aside by manufacturers who are trying to create a new category of device that combines the feel and functions of tablets and laptops Quarrelling Over K12 Inc. Thursday, January 10th, 2013Education Week: Few education organizations are receiving as much scrutiny these days as K12 Inc., a major for-profit provider of virtual education with a presence in states across the country. The company is now the subject of a pair of dueling papers... Digital Learning Day - Digital Town Hall Thursday, January 10th, 2013Alliance for Excellent Education: Please join Gov. Bob Wise and the Alliance for Excellent Education on February 6, 2013 to celebrate the wave of innovation sweeping across the nation’s schools. The Higher Education Short List of Emerging Techno Thursday, January 10th, 2013Center for Digital Education: A shortlist of 12 emerging technologies reveals a few different options than the last number of years. Other countries facing common ed-tech struggles Wednesday, January 9th, 2013eSchool News: US educators spend much time touting the benefits of taking a global look at classroom technology, but many countries struggle with the same ed-tech challenges, including dwindling funds, accessibility issues, and teacher support... Test scores not enough for teacher evaluation Wednesday, January 9th, 2013eSchool News: After three years of research on measuring teacher effectiveness, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Jan. 8 that it takes multiple measures to most accurately evaluate teachers.… Teachers Gravitate to Social Networks for Educator Wednesday, January 9th, 2013Education Week: Within the wide expanse of social networking, educators appear to be gravitating to more protected and exclusive spaces. Creating Device Neutral Assignments for BYOD Class Wednesday, January 9th, 2013THE Journal: One expert argues that educators don’t have to alter lessons for each device in a BYOD environment. Governor's budget likely will help schools,colleg Wednesday, January 9th, 2013Sacramento Bee: Offering a brief glimpse of his new spending plan, Gov. Jerry Brown said Tuesday he will propose a "live-within-our-means" budget on Thursday that spends more money on higher education and K-12 schools in the next fiscal year. Realizing Increased Student Achievement With Mobil Wednesday, January 9th, 2013THE Journal: The writers of this article offer three steps to help schools use mobile technology to better improve student achievement -- the so-called "Holy Grail" of K-12 education. Five key questions about the Common Core standards Tuesday, January 8th, 2013Washington Post: Here’s a broader look at what Common Core standards may mean for public education... By Yong Zhao. Federal Program Puts Focus on Learning Technologie Tuesday, January 8th, 2013Education Week: The National Science Foundation is seeking to promote bold ideas in educational technology through a cyberlearning program. Here's an overview of the projects funded so far through the program... Bringing Passion and Collaboration to PD Tuesday, January 8th, 2013THE Journal: For "community of practice" expert Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, the first steps toward improving teachers’ professional development are bringing them together and keeping them interested. Website grants easier access to education funding Tuesday, January 8th, 2013Ed tech Magazine: CDW•G’s searchable database of current grant and award opportunities helps schools streamline the process of finding funding. 9 templates to help educators leverage school data Monday, January 7th, 2013eSchool News: Educators and administrators are collecting an enormous amount of data about the progress of their students and schools. Now that this information has been collected, how can it be used to improve education? Online classes target high school dropouts Monday, January 7th, 2013eSchool News: Arizona’s Sunnyside Unified School District has become the latest K-12 school system to turn to online instruction to help high school dropouts earn their diplomas.… Closing the Gap: Turning Data into Action Monday, January 7th, 2013Education Week: The American Association of School Administrators and CoSN have joined forces Gartner to help counsel districts about how to select student information and learning management systems, and how to get them up and running smoothly. SBE Agenda for January 2013 Monday, January 7th, 2013CDE: Agenda for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting on January 16, 2013. When Computers Are 'Free' What is K-12 Going to Do Monday, January 7th, 2013HE Journal: Why would a clear thinking school suffer the pedagogical, curricular, and support issues that come with a classroom full of different devices when each child could bring essentially the same device to school – for … nothing? Closing the Data Gap Monday, January 7th, 2013THE Journal: There is a veritable chasm between the shiploads of data collected on student performance and the teachers who could use that data to make instructional decisions. How do districts bridge that divide? How Teachers Use Tech to Support Learning Monday, January 7th, 2013KQED: This article compiles examples of how classroom teachers are using technology to further learning. Included among the case studies is a SF classroom, where chemistry students are greeted each day by a text message asking them a challenge question... Here Comes 2013: The Big Themes in Learning Sunday, January 6th, 2013KQED: Here are three big stories concerning education and learning that you’ll be hearing about in the year ahead—and some pointers on how to think about them. Four key parts of successful online education prog Friday, January 4th, 2013eSchool News: Progress monitoring tools and proper training in online teaching are critical factors in supporting and sustaining successful online education programs, according to a survey of school leaders.... Schools embrace graphic novels as learning tool Friday, January 4th, 2013eSchool News: Once aimed at helping struggling readers, English language learners, and disabled students, graphic novels are moving into honors and college-level Advanced Placement classrooms and attracting students at all levels. Google's 80/20 Principle Applies to Students Friday, January 4th, 2013Center for Digital Education: The 80/20 principle that Google practices has trickled down to students in classrooms across North America. For at least 20 percent of their week, students work on projects that interest them. at U.S. schools can learn from Russia Thursday, January 3rd, 2013eSchool News: There is a tendency to beat up on our public schools based on the performance of American students on international tests. The impression that is created is that our schools are not as good as those in the rest of the world. School Design, Classroom Layout Can Heavily Affect Thursday, January 3rd, 2013Huffington Post: Great teachers, stable families and a school’s location have long been said to be key to student success. But a new study out of the UK suggests that a school’s physical design can improve or worsen children’s academic performance.. Federal Effort Aims to Transform Learning Technolo Thursday, January 3rd, 2013Education Week: A National Science Foundation program is attempting to create a space within the agency devoted to supporting research on advanced learning technologies. CLRN Publishes 100th Online Course Review Thursday, January 3rd, 2013CLRN: CLRN has published their 100th online course review. Just two and half years ago, CLRN began this journey to better inform schools about online courses and assist them in their purchasing decisions. Blended learning: teachers + computers = success Thursday, January 3rd, 2013Desert News: Carpe Diem Collegiate High School in Yuma, Ariz., looks more like a call center than a high school. It features a huge room full of rows and rows of cubicles where students, who attend classes four days a week, work for half a day at computer How to sustain technology funding in schools Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013eSchool News: Involving the community, identifying backup revenue sources, and dedicating time and resources for professional development are the keys to sustaining technology funding and ed-tech initiatives, according to a survey. Lawmakers approve deal to avoid ‘fiscal cliff’ Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013eSchool News: Federal funding for programs such as Title I, Head Start, students with disabilities, and higher-education research will remain intact—for now—after Congress approved an 11th-hour deal to avoid tumbling off the fiscal cliff. Pearson invests in Barnes & Noble’s Nook Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013eSchool News: Pearson, the U.K. publisher and education company, is buying a 5-percent stake in Barnes & Noble's Nook eReader as technology companies seek new inroads into the potentially lucrative business of digital textbooks for schools. Is homework worth the time? Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013eSchool News: A recent study led by an Indiana University professor found that traditional homework assignments won't improve a student's grades but could boost standardized test scores. With many students reporting they spend more than 100 hours each yea A 21st Century Librarian Helps Students See Throug Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013THE Journal: Many schools have renamed their libraries Media Centers, and the people who help students access their resources need to be as tech-savvy as any IT person. Today’s librarians have to know things like responsible use policies and how to guid K-12 Aid Faces Uncertain Future, Despite Deal Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013Education Week: Education programs will be spared the prospect of the largest across-the-board cuts in history, but only temporarily, under a bill to avert much of the so-called "fiscal cliff," overwhelmingly approved by Congress on Tuesday. Taking a Closer Look at Teachers' Technology Short Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013Education week: One of the biggest concerns about how technology is being used in the classroom today focuses on what some see as a fundamental breakdown in the system: many teachers aren't comfortable with technology, and are unsure how to weave it into PARCC Releases its Technology Guidelines Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013Education Week: The PARCC Consortium has released new guidance on the minimum technology standards states will need to meet to give common core tests, beginning in 2014-15. Brown plans extensive changes for school funding Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013Los angeles Times: He says he wants more of the state's dollars to benefit low-income and non-English-speaking students. He would also scale back dozens of rules that districts must abide by to receive state funds. Training Was Key to Oregon's Statewide Google Apps Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013THE Journal: A growing number of school districts have embraced Google Apps for Education as their cloud-based e-mail and content-management platform. But how these districts approach the effort—and the challenges and problems they encounter—differ wi 7 Technology Issues that Higher Education Faces Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013Center for Digital Education: As the New Year rings in, higher education leaders reflect on IT challenges they face. CoSN and SchoolDude Survey the Cloud Tuesday, January 1st, 2013THE Journal: The value of cloud computing to schools is usually broken out as a cost/benefit analysis assessing risks to privacy and data versus cost savings and access to resources. CoSN and SchoolDude announced the launch of their 6th annual K-12 surve Online Guides Help Teachers Flip Their Classrooms Tuesday, January 1st, 2013THE Journal: Enter the Flipped Learning Network Ning: a professional learning community for teachers using screencasting in education. The site brings together related cloud resources and offers forums, groups, video lessons, and professional training. Colleges using online chat rooms to reach high sch Tuesday, January 1st, 2013Los Angeles Times: The service, called CollegeWeekLive, is a sort of a virtual college fair, without a crush of students crowding around a table in a school gymnasium. 2012 Rewind: E-Textbooks, Tablets, Common Core, an Monday, December 31st, 2012Education Week: Biggest stories in educational technology in 2012... Connected Educator Story List Monday, December 31st, 2012Center for Digital Education: A list of connected educator stories show why educators need to network, how to do it and what resources could help. State schools lose bid for exemption from federal Saturday, December 22nd, 2012Sacramento Bee: California has been denied a waiver from federal sanctions associated with the No Child Left Behind law, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said in a news release Friday. Educational gaming gaining steam Friday, December 21st, 2012eSchool News: Educational gaming is a well-known concept in educational technology by now, though many schools have yet to implement it in their classrooms. But as experts often agree, gaming can have a positive effect on student achievement & engagement. After Newtown, Students' Online Postings Bring Dis Friday, December 21st, 2012Education Week: In the week following the shootings in Newton, Conn., leaders in several districts around the country were forced to quell rumors of future violence posted by students on various online sites. 9 Priorities to Move Ahead with Common Core Friday, December 21st, 2012CED: ASCD — a community made up of 140,000 superintendents, principals, teachers, professors and advocates — recommends these nine priorities in its Fulfilling the Promise of the Common Core State Standards report. Changes in law aim to protect kids’ internet pri Thursday, December 20th, 2012eSchool News: Aiming to prevent companies from exploiting online information about children under 13, the Obama administration on Dec. 19 imposed sweeping changes in regulations designed to protect a young generation with easy access to the web. Montana's Rising Online Enrollments Prompt Higher Thursday, December 20th, 2012Education Week: Montana state schools superintendent Denise Juneau is asking lawmakers to provide more funding to the state's digital academy to meet rising enrollment. What Do Students Really Need to Know? Thursday, December 20th, 2012District Administration: Breakthrough technologies challenge the fundamental premises of schools. We should focus on the cognitive processes like prediction, judgment, causation, and negotiation that would serve them better given abundant access. How to promote literacy skills in the digital age Wednesday, December 19th, 2012eSchool News: Digital apps that claim to teach children important reading and literacy skills do not always impart higher-level abilities that children need to develop strong reading skills, according to a report from the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Panel: Teacher preparation needs overhaul Wednesday, December 19th, 2012eSchool News: Today’s digital-age students are expected not only to communicate effectively, think critically, and collaborate with one another, but also to analyze information while meeting rigorous state and national benchmarks. States nervous about new Common Core curriculum st Wednesday, December 19th, 2012eSchool News: In Kentucky this year, the percentage of elementary and middle school students who rated "proficient" or better on statewide math and reading tests declined by about a third. Kentucky high schoolers also experienced a double-digit percentage Picture Perfect: Teaching to Visual Literacy Wednesday, December 19th, 2012THE Journal: Visual Literacy proponent Lynell Burmark explains why the use of images is so important in the classroom and how it can help teachers meet the challenges of getting through the curriculum and engaging students... Districts Put Millions into Personalized Learning Wednesday, December 19th, 2012THE Journal: 16 districts out of 372 applicants that vied for funding from the Race to the Top program have been chosen as the recipients of four-year multi-million grants from the US Department of Education. Among the winners, 3 districts in California. New Federal Rules on Children's Privacy Set for Di Wednesday, December 19th, 2012Education Week: The Federal Trade Commission finalized rules that specify the types of personal information that cannot be collected from children without parental notice and consent. Research: IT Predictions for 2013 Wednesday, December 19th, 2012THE Journal: The IT industry's transition to mobile computing, cloud services, social networking, and big data technologies--collectively referred to as the third platform--will accelerate in 2013, according to a recent report from IDC. Research: Non-Hardware Ed Tech Spending up 3.5% Wednesday, December 19th, 2012THE Journal: The PreK-12 non-hardware education technology market in the United States grew by 3.5 percent in 2011, reaching $7.76 billion from $7.5 billion in 2010, according to a new report from the education division of the SIIA. How social networking in school can drive innovati Tuesday, December 18th, 2012eSchool News: Countries around the world are leveraging the power of social networking in school to prepare students for highly competitive workplace environments, and the U.S. education system could learn from some of those best practices. Kindles in school make reading fun for students Tuesday, December 18th, 2012eSchool News: From the outside looking in on Christy Collins' seventh-grade language arts class at Baldwyn Middle School in Mississippi, it might seem odd to find students surfing the internet and perusing articles on everything from professional football Teaching With Content Curation Tuesday, December 18th, 2012THE Journal: Stockton Collegiate International School isn’t exactly a hotbed of ed tech. That stumbling block doesn’t stop the K-12 charter school in Stockton, CA, from doing what it can to cultivate its 21st Century learners and prepare them for coll K-12 Leaders Worried About Tech. Costs of Common-C Tuesday, December 18th, 2012Education Week: The vast majority of states are moving toward implementing new tests to coincide with the Common Core State Standards. But major questions remain—perhaps the most pressing of which is who's going to pay for the new technology needed to g High-Tech Partnerships Mean Business Tuesday, December 18th, 2012District Administration: Districts teaming with Qualcomm, Samsung, Intel, and other companies are realizing a large return. Twitter Addresses Data Analysis Skill Shortage Tuesday, December 18th, 2012CDE:Because users send 400 million tweets a day, Twitter needs complex algorithms to analyze all that data. And it needs skilled engineers to do the job. So it partnered with UC Berkeley on a class that teaches students how to analyze data using real twee District offers students Internet access as a priv Tuesday, December 18th, 2012The Times: A school district in Indiana is altering the way students access the Internet, granting four levels of access based on grades and behavior. Under the plan, all students start at the 2nd level, but earn greater privileges in the 3rd and 4th leve 10 Predictions for Blended Learning in 2013 Tuesday, December 18th, 2012THE Journal: In the ninth installment of their monthly column, blended learning experts Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker predict how blended learning programs will evolve in 2013. Create Smart Policies to Support Student Tech Use Tuesday, December 18th, 2012KQED: Technology has become a seamless part of students’ lives in and out of the classroom, and schools must find ways to integrate it. This is one of the conclusions in a report by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) The 20+ Apps To Know About In 2013 Monday, December 17th, 2012Edudemic: Education got a lot more mobile in 2012 as in-school iPad initiatives, the iPhone 5 launch and online learning providers in general made classroom experiences more interesting—and don’t expect to see teaching head back to desktop PC’s in 2 Leaders eye school safety plans after Connecticut Monday, December 17th, 2012eSchool News: The mass killing inside a Connecticut elementary school has educators across the country reviewing their school security measures, reassuring parents, and asking, "What if?"… State Chiefs to Examine Teacher Prep, Licensing Monday, December 17th, 2012Education Week: Twenty-five state schools chiefs are vowing to take action to update their systems of teacher preparation and licensing, with an eye to ensuring teachers are ready the minute they take charge of their own classrooms. U.S. State Department Unveils Online Game Monday, December 17th, 2012Education Week: The U.S. Department of State has developed an online game, Trace Effects, designed to help students abroad learn English and understand American culture. Protecting Data in the Eye of a Storm Monday, December 17th, 2012District Administration: Superstorm Sandy swept the East Coast in late October, leaving thousands of schools in the region without power. It reminded administrators of the need for comprehensive emergency plans to ensure student, staff, and data security. How Google Plus Communities Could Connect Students Monday, December 17th, 2012CED: A new Google+ tool could help students make connections, both locally and globally. How to Gain Parent Buy-In for Classroom Technology Monday, December 17th, 2012Powerful Learning Practice: Every teacher who has attempted to integrate technology into the classroom knows that getting parents on board can sometimes be a challenge. The 12 most popular eSN stories of 2012 Friday, December 14th, 2012eSchool News: We’ve assembled a list of the dozen most popular stories we’ve published in the last year, as measured by the number of page views each received. If you missed any of them before, here’s your chance to read them now. New Directions: Online Learning and UC's A-G Req Friday, December 14th, 2012University of California: Very informative powerpoint presented at the eLearning Strategies Symposium. This session focuses on the University’s revised online policy, which offers an improved, streamlined process for the approval of online courses... Do Tablets Make Employees Better Multi-Taskers? Friday, December 14th, 2012Center for Digital Education: In a survey of 610 higher education, state and local government, healthcare and business workers, CDW found that 84 percent said tablets make them better multi-taskers. Comparing the leading classroom observation tools Thursday, December 13th, 2012eSchool News: Policy makers are demanding more rigorous teacher evaluations—and central to this effort are software tools that help school leaders record their observations of classroom teaching. Survey Highlights Best Practices For Online Learni Thursday, December 13th, 2012THE Journal: Progress monitoring tools, teacher availability and training, and challenging curriculum are critical elements of a successful distance learning program, according to a new survey, Best Practices for Implementing Online Learning in K-12 Distr Google Plus Communities Show Promise for Education Thursday, December 13th, 2012CDE: Educators across the globe have been experimenting with a new tool designed to create communities around specific topics. Educational apps alone won't teach your kid to rea Thursday, December 13th, 2012Mercury News: The iTunes App Store boasts more than 700,000 apps and, as the Joan Ganz Cooney Center discovered earlier this year, nearly 80 percent of the top-selling paid apps in the education category are aimed at children. Feds investigating makers of cell-phone apps for k Wednesday, December 12th, 2012eSchool News: The government is investigating whether software companies that make cell phone apps have violated the privacy rights of children by quietly collecting personal information from mobile devices and sharing it with advertisers and data brokers U.S. fourth graders show gains in science, math Wednesday, December 12th, 2012eSchool News: American fourth-graders are performing better than they were four years ago in math and reading, but students four years older show no such progress, a global study released… 4 No-Cost Tools for Educators Wednesday, December 12th, 2012THE Journal: Technology doesn't have to be expensive. Just ask John Kuglin, a long-time tech guru who shows educators how to tap into myriad free Web resources that can be used in and out of the classroom. NC District Wins $30 Million To Provide Tablets Wednesday, December 12th, 2012THE Journal: A North Carolina school district will receive $30 million through a federal Race to the Top District grant. It plans to use the funding to provide tablets for its sixth- through eighth-grade students. Free online tool enables users to create digital s Wednesday, December 12th, 2012eSchool News: Meograph is an easy way to create interactive digital stories out of video, audio, pictures, text, maps, timelines, links, and other media. Florida Leads International Student Literacy Test Tuesday, December 11th, 2012Foundation for Excellence in Education: The National Center for Education Statistics today released results of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), highlighting the Sunshine State as not only a national example, but a world leader iPads to enhance learning for education majors Tuesday, December 11th, 2012eSchool News: Beginning this spring, 575 undergraduate students at the University of Oklahoma's Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education will be given fourth-generation iPads to complete assignments and create lesson plans... Five common misconceptions about today’s student Tuesday, December 11th, 2012eSchool News: It seems that every generation has a few gripes about the younger ones. But are there misconceptions specific to today’s students?… Arne Duncan Picks 16 Race to Top District Winners Tuesday, December 11th, 2012Education Week: Sixteen winners—including three charter school organizations—will share $400 million in the Race to the Top district competition, the U.S. Department of Education announced today. NASA Project Gives Students Virtual Tour of Mars Tuesday, December 11th, 2012Education Week: The program allows students from across the country to explore, virtually, the surface of Mars, right alongside the Curiosity rover. More Educators Joining Online Social Networks Tuesday, December 11th, 2012THE Journal: The number of educators who participate in online social networks has increased 34 percent since 2009, according to new research, with 82 percent now belonging to social networks compared to 61 percent in 2009. Librarians have the highest rat For Educators, the Merits of a Mobile OS That Does Tuesday, December 11th, 2012THE Journal: Apple may have a runaway success in education with its iOS platform and corresponding app store, but ed tech consultant and trainer Leslie Fisher isn't quite ready to throw in the towel for Android just yet. Smart Devices Continue Surge, Hit New Record Tuesday, December 11th, 2012THE Journal: More smart connected devices--desktops, laptops, tablets, and smart phones--shipped in the latest quarter than in any other quarter in history, topping 303.6 million units, growing 27.1% from the same period last year... 3 Organizations Join Forces to Recruit and Connect Tuesday, December 11th, 2012THE Journal: The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, Education Pioneers, and the Strategic Data Project have banded together to create Activate ED, a collaboration intended to connect leaders, managers, and analysts with school systems. British School Brings Desktop Apps to Students' Mo Tuesday, December 11th, 2012THE Journal: Futures Community College, a secondary school in the United Kingdom, has implemented new technology to accelerate BYOD adoption on its campus by providing access to desktop applications via students' mobile browsers. The key skills today’s employers desire Monday, December 10th, 2012eSchool News: Education stakeholders are quick to champion students’ need for “21st century skills”—but what do employers say they want students to learn? And, how should schools adapt as a result?… School districts ask parents to insure iPads Monday, December 10th, 2012eSchool News: Covering textbooks with paper grocery bags isn’t going to cut it anymore when it comes to protecting learning materials in public schools. Math game scores with students Monday, December 10th, 2012eSchool News: Fourteen- and 15-year-olds can be a tough crowd—especially when it comes to math. But featuring the unpopular subject in an interactive video game and turning it into a competition managed to transform hundreds of freshmen at Waipahu High Smarter Balanced Brings in Wireless Generation for Monday, December 10th, 2012THE Journal: The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which is one of two organizations working on developing new online assessments to go along with the Common Core State Standards, has brought in Wireless Generation to help build reporting functional Google Sets Up Donor Program Monday, December 10th, 2012THE Journal: Google has announced a limited time program with online charity DonorsChoose.org to match donors with public classrooms in need of Chromebooks. AIR Promotes Google Chromebooks for Online Testing Monday, December 10th, 2012THE Journal: The American Institutes for Research is working with Google to make sure the latter's Chromebook devices are ready for use by school districts in delivering high-stakes online tests. 5 Ways to Prepare Schools for Bring Your Own Devic Monday, December 10th, 2012CED: Bring your own device initiatives have been exploding in schools. But not every school is carefully considering how to make these initiatives successful. Here are five ways that schools can prepare for student devices. Social networking on the rise for educators Friday, December 7th, 2012eSchool news: Educators’ use of social networking sites has seen a large jump since 2009, according to a new report that surveyed educators' membership, use, privacy practices, and other social networking habits. Teachers union calls for certification exam Friday, December 7th, 2012eSchool News: School teachers should have to pass a stringent exam—much like the bar exam for lawyers—before being allowed to enter the profession, one of the nation's largest teachers unions said December 7. Better Learning Through Game Design Friday, December 7th, 2012THE Journal: The World Wide Workshop's six-year-old social learning network, Globaloria, is designed to teach science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills through hands-on game design and programming. CENIC Today Friday, December 7th, 2012IC's Monthly Newsletter is now available. In this newsletter, you'll find information about what's on the horizon for CENIC's Associates, CalREN, etc... iNACOL Virtual School Symposium 2012 Friday, December 7th, 2012Watch the webcast of the opening Keynotes and Plenary Session from VSS 2012, featuring Susan Patrick, Stacey Childress, and Supt. John White here and be sure to check out other breakout sessions! Test Designers Seek Help of Students, 1 at a Time Friday, December 7th, 2012Education Week: The labs for development of common-core tests allow scientists to get inside students’ heads and use what they learn to craft questions and tasks. Parents Want Tighter Online Privacy Laws for Child Friday, December 7th, 2012Education Week: Parents overwhelmingly support a requirement for online companies to seek parental approval before collecting personal information from children under 13, a new survey says, suggesting that parents would support a series of proposed update New spec could improve educational web searches Thursday, December 6th, 2012eSchool News: A major effort to help publishers tag educational content using a new specification could help teachers quickly find age-appropriate resources online.… Online Language Learning that Works Thursday, December 6th, 2012THE Journal: Most classroom models for world language instruction inherently limit the amount of exposure and immersion available to students. The result is frustration coupled with a fundamentally limited world language experience. Digital Learning Changes in California Thursday, December 6th, 2012Digital Learning Now: Governor Brown signed AB 644/Chapter 579 on September 26. It takes effect January 1 and will provide that online, synchronous students in grades 9 to 12 will be included in computing average daily attendance beginning in 2014-15. How Many States Deliver Tests with Technology? Thursday, December 6th, 2012Center for Digital Education: At least 33 states deliver at least one test via technology, according to the State Educational Technology Directors Association. The 10 biggest ed-tech stories of 2012 Wednesday, December 5th, 2012eSchool News: Touch-screen tablets transform special education … States and schools ramp up for new online assessments … Educators “flip” over a revolutionary instructional model: These are among the many key ed-tech developments affecting K-12 sc Prospective College Students Face Digital Divide Wednesday, December 5th, 2012Education Week: Online resources now dominate the college-admissions process, but disadvantaged students often lack the hardware or the know-how to navigate them. Breaking Down Technology's Barriers Wednesday, December 5th, 2012THE Journal: Rushton Hurley proves to educators that implementing technology in the classroom isn't as difficult as they think and along the way makes the learning process fun for them. Back to School with Broadband Wednesday, December 5th, 2012iNacol: Watch iNACOL and Internet Innovation’s webinar on how broadband is changing the education landscape. Speakers include Kwawme Simmons, DC’s Kramer Middle School principal, which is one of the lowest performing schools in the city, and David Te Will school computers be able to handle new testin Wednesday, December 5th, 2012Hechinger Report: Schools in about 25 states set to roll out new online standardized tests in the next two years can now find out whether the computers they have on hand will be able to handle the new technology. SBAC released guidelines on Tuesday.... Open Educational Resources Kickstart Student Succe Wednesday, December 5th, 2012Center for Digital Education: Research studies show that student success increases when colleges replace traditional textbooks with resources that are open to anyone who wants to use and repurpose them. Tech classes correlate with better achievement Tuesday, December 4th, 2012eSchool News: High school students in Florida who took at least one technology course and industry certification exam had higher attendance rates and GPAs, on average, than students with similar backgrounds who did not take such a course, a study finds Cultivating Tech-Savvy Teachers Should Be Higher P Tuesday, December 4th, 2012Education Week: Teachers may be the undisputed authorities on academic content in their classrooms, but when it comes to their knowledge of technology, many of them have a lot of catching up to do. Building and Tinkering to Meet Students' Individua Tuesday, December 4th, 2012Education Week: Creating programs to encourage students to build and tinker in ways that meet their individual learning needs was high on the priority list of the speakers for the Tuesday morning presentations here at the second day of the Big Ideas Fest. Cyberbullying Against Educators a Criminal Offense Tuesday, December 4th, 2012Education Week: In a move that has already sparked discussion among educators and civil rights advocates, North Carolina is set to become the first state to make student cyberbullying against educators a crime. Smarter Balanced Updates Common-Core Tech. Require Tuesday, December 4th, 2012Education Week: The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has released an updated guide to technology requirements and recommendations for member states planning to implement the common core assessment system the consortium is developing for the 2014-15 Computer glitch keeps some students from retaking Tuesday, December 4th, 2012eSchool news: Advocates of computer-based testing point out there are several benefits to delivering exams online, such as the ability for test-makers to design richer assessments and for educators to get the the results back much faster. The Price of Free Cloud Resources Tuesday, December 4th, 2012THE Journal: All students, educators, and administrators are subject to data-gathering when they use cloud resources. Everyone's online movements are followed by a number of service providers, especially when the services they are using are 'free' Five states to increase class time in some schools Monday, December 3rd, 2012eSchool News: For thousands of public school students, school is about to get quite a bit longer... Five states were to announce Dec. 3 that they will add at least 300 hours of learning time to the calendar in some schools starting in 2013. iPad app allows students to report bullying Monday, December 3rd, 2012eSchool News: Police at the McAllen Independent School District in Texas hope students will use a new mobile app to report bullying or other threats to authorities before they happen.… E2020 Launches Online Career and Technical Educati Monday, December 3rd, 2012THE Journal: E2020, a provider of online learning solutions, has launched a new career and technical education (CTE) curriculum, Career Pathways, which is a suite of interactive online courses to help high school students gain practical career training... School field trips turn to virtual, digital techno Monday, December 3rd, 2012USA Today: Field trips to museums, historic sites and other traditional landmarks are occurring virtually these days, as schools rely more on online broadcasts and interactive programs because of budgets cuts and tight testing schedules. Unorthodox math lessons add up to real gains Monday, December 3rd, 2012Daily Breeze: Much of what you thought you knew about math class has been turned on its head at Dana Middle School in the Wiseburn School District. Fostering Big Ideas to Solve Problems in Education Monday, December 3rd, 2012Education Week: ISKME, or the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, which runs the OER Commons, brings together educators across the P-20 spectrum, along with policymakers, entrepreneurs, and education thinkers to tackle major chal iPad app allows students to report bullying Monday, December 3rd, 2012eSchool News: Police at the McAllen Independent School District in Texas hope students will use a new mobile app to report bullying or other threats to authorities before they happen. Rio Mesa, Hueneme schools go online to fight bully Saturday, December 1st, 2012VCStar:Schools have always had their share of bullies. But in recent years, the problem has gained nationwide attention because modern-day bullies are taking their harassment online. Now students and teachers trying to combat bullying are going online too Reports highlight need for data mobility Friday, November 30th, 2012eSchool News: Educational data must follow students as they cross state lines, and policy makers must be equipped with the tools needed to ensure that teachers, students, and parents have access to this important information, according to two reports... Ed-tech best practices: November/December 2012 Thursday, November 29th, 2012eSchool News: How to make “bring your own device” programs work for your schools, and how to assess your students’ reading skills without losing valuable instructional time to testing... 10 tips for success with analytics, information ma Thursday, November 29th, 2012eSchool News: Launching information management, reporting, and analytics systems can be difficult. Sustaining them – and creating enthusiastic users – is even trickier. Students Using Smartphones More Interested in STEM Thursday, November 29th, 2012THE Journal: Middle school students who use mobile devices for school work are more likely to express an interest in STEM subjects, yet there's a large gap in the number of students using the devices at home and those using them in school. Common-Core Test Group Reduces Performance Items Thursday, November 29th, 2012Education Week: The Smarter Balanced consortium will present only one performance task each in math and literacy, in addition to multiple-choice and other items. Standardized Testing Costs States $1.7 Billion/yr Thursday, November 29th, 2012Education Week: Standardized-testing regimens cost states some $1.7 billion a year overall, or a quarter of 1 percent of total K-12 spending in the United States, according to a new report on assessment finances. South Korea Works to Stem Digital Addiction Thursday, November 29th, 2012Education Week: In a country that prides itself on embracing technology, some now fret about the effects that South Korea's digital utopia is having on its children. Desks Get a High-Tech Makeover for Math Class Thursday, November 29th, 2012Center for Dgital Education: Touchscreen desks have the potential to help young students with math, researchers from Britain's Durham University discovered. Important considerations for blended learning Wednesday, November 28th, 2012eSchool News: As blended learning programs grow in popularity, proponents of the approach—which involves a combination of computer-based learning and face-to-face instruction—say there are a few key considerations school leaders should keep in mind... Systemic Approach to Digital Learning Initiatives Wednesday, November 28th, 2012THE Journal: As school districts prepare for the implementation of Common Core State Standards or Career and College Readiness standards, as well as online assessments, the Alliance for Excellent Education has released a report that identifies... Engaging Without Restrictions Wednesday, November 28th, 2012THE Journal: Restrictive approaches to social media in the classroom are hurting K-12 districts that expect their teachers to successfully guide students into the new media world, according to Steven Anderson. What Race to the Top-D Means to You Wednesday, November 28th, 2012THE Journal: The latest Race to the Top competition will have a long-lasting impact on federal funding. Survey: School web filtering can impede learning Tuesday, November 27th, 2012eSchool News: More and more students are bringing personal mobile devices to school, but a new survey from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) finds that internet filtering often prevents students from taking advantage of learning’s soc Georgia schools use Gallup to predict teacher succ Tuesday, November 27th, 2012eSchool News: The three largest school systems in Georgia, tasked with screening avalanches of job applicants, use a high-tech tool that's supposed to identify people with a passion for teaching.… To Create 21st Century Leaders, One District Lets Tuesday, November 27th, 2012THE Journal: A rural Iowa school district is using technology to develop student leaders, foster creativity, and drive learning beyond the status quo. See how. Four CA districts make Race to the Top finals Tuesday, November 27th, 2012Ed Source: The U.S. Department of Education passed over Californias largest school districts in selecting finalists for the Race to the Top district competition. Out of 17 districts that applied, only four made the cut to the finals... Mobile That Works Tuesday, November 27th, 2012THE Journal: In order for mobile technologies to be effective in the classroom, teachers and administrators will need to let go of the reins and let students take the lead, according to University of Michigan professor and researcher Elliot Soloway. New ed-tech products and services: November/Decemb Monday, November 26th, 2012eSchool News: A convertible computing device with three different modes (tablet, productivity, and presentation); software that simplifies management of school bell schedules and AV systems; and replacement lamps for school projectors starting under $100 eSchool to stream Iowa Bullying Prevention Summit Monday, November 26th, 2012eSchool News: eSchool Media, in partnership with EduVision by JDL Horizons, will be streaming live video coverage of the Iowa Governor’s Bullying Prevention Summit on Nov. 27.... Some states preserve penmanship despite tech gains Monday, November 26th, 2012eSchool News: The pen might not be as mighty as the keyboard these days, but California and a handful of states are not giving up on handwriting entirely.… Michigan takes big step forward in online testing Monday, November 26th, 2012eSchool News: Students ditched their No. 2 pencils in favor of a mouse and a keyboard to take Michigan’s state social studies exam—and in the process became part of a crucial project that will give state officials a glimpse into the future of online t McGraw-Hill Selling Education Business to Investme Monday, November 26th, 2012THE Journal: McGraw-Hill is selling its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management (Apollo) for $2.5 billion, subject to closing adjustments, and will be renamed McGraw-Hill Financial. California ranks in bottom half of states in gradu Monday, November 26th, 2012California ranked in the bottom half of states in the overall high school graduation rate in the 2010-2011 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. District’s answer to overcrowding: Blended learn Wednesday, November 21st, 2012eSchool News: Could technology help solve the problem of crowded classrooms? The Manchester, N.H., school district is poised to find out as soon as next semester, when it plans to offer virtual classes that students at the three high schools would be able BYOD transforms teaching, shapes Christmas lists Wednesday, November 21st, 2012eSchool News: As teachers implement more student-centered learning, parents are asking what devices they should buy their kids for school District Administration - December 2012 Wednesday, November 21st, 2012The digital edition of District Administration - December 2012 is available now. In this issue, you'll find articles about the top 100 K-12 products of 2012, iPads replacing desktops and textbooks, neuroscience in schools, and more Magnet School First in Vista, CA District with 900 Wednesday, November 21st, 2012North County Times: Vista Magnet Middle School recently became the first Vista Unified School District campus to surpass 900 out of 1,000 on state assessments. How proper ed-tech implementation can transform le Tuesday, November 20th, 2012eSchool News: A new report outlines four critical challenges facing public education and identifies steps that school and district leaders must take in the next two years to ensure that digital learning has a lasting effect on students. Schools changing texting policies Tuesday, November 20th, 2012eSchool News: At a time when many school districts are crafting stricter regulations about teachers text messaging with students, the Franklin Local Schools district in Ohio is embracing texting as an effective means of engaging students. Idaho education board repeals online class obligat Tuesday, November 20th, 2012eSchool News: Idaho students won’t have to take any online classes before graduating, at least for now, after the state education board voted to repeal the online-learning requirement. The move comes after voters in the state rejected other technology-r Tablets v. Textbooks Argument Presented on Website Tuesday, November 20th, 2012Center for Digital Education: Newer tablets and paper textbooks face off on a website launched Tuesday, Nov. 20. Top ed-tech news: November/December 2012 Monday, November 19th, 2012eSchool news: The nation’s top education chief wants textbooks to go all-digital within the next five years … a Georgia elementary-school teacher has made about $1 million selling her lesson plans online Cisco Systems to buy Meraki for $1.2 billion Monday, November 19th, 2012Associated Press: Cisco Systems Inc., the world’s largest maker of computer networking gear, said Sunday it is buying Meraki for $1.2 billion to expand its ability to let customers compute in the cloud The 2012 Readers' Choice Top 100 Products Monday, November 19th, 2012District Administration: DA readers shared how these innovative products have made a positive difference in the operation of their schools and classrooms. Windows 8 for Education Gets Personal Monday, November 19th, 2012Center for Digital Education: Microsoft's release of the Windows 8 operating system signals a shift in both the economics and the mobile mindset for schools. More training is key to better school data use Friday, November 16th, 2012eSchool News: States have continued to make progress in building robust data systems—but stakeholders must know how to use student data effectively How the government can drive school innovation Friday, November 16th, 2012eSchool News: Most of the funding and decision-making around education in this country occur at the state and local levels. The federal government has limited ability to effect change. LAUSD tablet program nixed Friday, November 16th, 2012Los Angeles Daily News: The panel that oversees spending of Los Angeles Unified's bond revenue on Wednesday refused Superintendent John Deasy's request for nearly $17.5 million to jump-start the purchase of computer tablets for every student. School Leaders Implored to Do Better Job Using Tec Friday, November 16th, 2012Education Week: The Alliance for Excellent Education has released a new report that implores school leaders to take a more deliberate approach in using technology reforms as part of a comprehensive plan to address four pressures that face contemporary sch 2013 CENIC Annual Conference: Call for Proposals Friday, November 16th, 2012CENIC: The CENIC 2013 Program Committee is seeking proposals for presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions focused on applications and research that benefit from access to broadband networks and/or incorporate use of network technologies. TechSETS eNewsletter Friday, November 16th, 2012TechSETS: The latest edition of the TechSETS eNewsletter is now available for your review… Next step for MOOCs: Helping with remedial math Thursday, November 15th, 2012eSchool News: A free online math course being developed by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse could dramatically reduce the need for students to take remedial math when they start college and put them on a faster, less expensive track to graduation. Plato Learning gets new name: Edmentum Thursday, November 15th, 2012eSchool News: Bloomington, Minn.-based Plato Learning, the education software firm that was acquired by a private equity firm in 2010, will announce Nov. 15 that it's changing its name to reflect newfound growth and broader online-learning product offerin The Hard(ware) Choice: Selecting a 1-to-1 device Thursday, November 15th, 2012THE Journal: When it comes to implementing a large-scale 1-to-1 computing initiative, deciding which device students will use every day to support their learning requires a significant amount of thought and research. 'Soft Skills' Pushed as Part of College Readiness Thursday, November 15th, 2012Education Week: Resiliency and grit, along with the ability to communicate and advocate, are all crucial life skills. Yet, experts say, many teenagers lack them, and that's hurting college-completion rates. Report: Schools Must Create Culture of Better Data Thursday, November 15th, 2012Education Week: While states have made significant progress in building robust longitudinal data systems, they now face the more challenging task of building a culture that encourages intelligent use of data, a new study says. Cator To Step Down from Office of Ed Tech Thursday, November 15th, 2012THE Journal: Karen Cator, director of the Office of Educational Technology at the United States Department of Education, is stepping down from her office, according to two reports. Common Education Data Standards Thursday, November 15th, 2012ED:The Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) project is a national collaborative effort to develop voluntary, common data standards for a key set of education data elements to streamline the exchange and comparison of data across institutions and sectors 2013 eRate filing window announced Wednesday, November 14th, 2012eSchool News: Schools and libraries can begin requesting their share of $2.3 billion in telecommunications discounts through the federal eRate program on Dec. 12, and they'll have until March 14 to apply for 2013 funding. How accessible are Google Apps? Wednesday, November 14th, 2012eSchool News: Technology, often associated with helping to make life easier and more accessible, isn’t always as usable for some as others, accessibility researchers say. And with Google Apps quickly becoming a go-to solution for schools and colleges... Karen Cator Stepping Down as U.S. Ed-Tech Chief Wednesday, November 14th, 2012Education Week: Cator told Education Week she will be stepping down in 2013 from her post as the director of educational technology for the U.S. Department of Education. Reading in the Common-Core Era Wednesday, November 14th, 2012Education Week: Sitewide Open House, Nov. 14-16. Free access to our special report: Reading in the Common-Core Era 21 California districts apply for federal grant Wednesday, November 14th, 2012Los Angeles Times: Twenty-one California school districts and educational consortiums have applied for a $400 million federal grant program that has been strongly opposed by many teachers unions. As standards shift, schools rediscover science Tuesday, November 13th, 2012eSchool News: In the last decade, elementary school principals have watched reading and math—the two core subjects that used to make or break a school under the No Child Left Behind Act—get all the attention. College credit for open online courses gains momen Tuesday, November 13th, 2012eSchool News: The American Council on Education, a nonprofit organization that represents most of the nation's college and university presidents, is preparing to weigh in on massive open online courses—MOOCs, for short—a new way of teaching and learni How to help wired students learn to focus Tuesday, November 13th, 2012eSchool News: Today's digital technologies are creating an easily distracted generation with short attention spans. Here's one way to fight back.… In This Flipped Class, Teachers Learn From Student Tuesday, November 13th, 2012THE Journal: As many students can attest, video creation doesn't have to be difficult and it certainly doesn't have to be scary. One teacher shares how the flipped classroom can be a lesson in media literacy for students and teachers alike. School Takes Mobile Device Management to the cloud Tuesday, November 13th, 2012THE Journal: New Providence High School in New Jersey has selected a cloud-based mobile device management system to support its deployment of 500 iPads for student use. Why allow edtech access? We owe it to our students Monday, November 12th, 2012eSchool News: Technology can be intimidating, and even frightening—but Eric Sheninger, principal of New Jersey’s New Milford High School (NMHS), says that educators must overcome their fear of putting technology into students’ hands. Taking the next step with open source Monday, November 12th, 2012eSchool News: By now everyone knows that open-source software can be a cheaper alternative to proprietary software, though there are costs associated with hosting and support. So, how can you tell if open-source software might be a good fit for your campu Broadcasting lessons across an entire district Monday, November 12th, 2012eSchool News: Math teacher Rachel Hendrickson has the capability to teach every algebra class in Cumberland County, N.C., high schools at the same time: All it takes is a SMART Board, laptop, webcam, and a computer program that allows teachers to interact Tips from a successful mobile learnin program Monday, November 12th, 2012eSchool News: Starting small might be the key to success when it comes to deploying a mobile learning initiative, according to two educators whose district has implemented a successful mobile program that now reaches 500 students. Free mobile tools for online students Friday, November 9th, 2012eSchool News: Educators are looking for ways to effectively integrate social media into their online courses, and a number of free, mobile-friendly resources make it easy for students to use blogs, polls, and other tools. Officials defend online math program Friday, November 9th, 2012eSchool News: Officials with the online math program Reasoning Mind defended the course to Dallas ISD school board members Nov. 8 and implored the district to better implement it and expand its use in the coming years. CENIC 2013 Annual Conference Friday, November 9th, 2012CENIC: CENIC 2013 Annual Conference: Building Blocks for Next Gen Networks -- website is up How to sustain Common Core efforts Thursday, November 8th, 2012eSchool News: Educators and policy makers are heavily invested in the Common Core State Standards, and a new ASCD report aims to help school leaders effectively implement the standards to begin educational transformation. 20 Districts, Nonprofits Set to Share $150 Million Thursday, November 8th, 2012Education Week: Twenty winners are slated to share $150 million in prize money from the third round of the Investing in Innovation competition, the U.S. Department of Education just announced. i3 Winners Show Heavy Technology Focus Thursday, November 8th, 2012Education Week: The winners of the U.S. Department of Education's annual Investing in Innovation, or i3, competitive grant competition have been announced, with a healthy portion of them using technology directly as part of their innovation How 'Big Three' Publishers Are Approaching iPad Te Thursday, November 8th, 2012THE Journal: Questions and opportunities surround the still-nascent iPad textbook market. T.H.E. Journal looked at the offerings from the 'big three' publishers--Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and HMH--to discern where the industry is, and where it might be headed In California, a tight battle over a tax initiativ Wednesday, November 7th, 2012New York Times: California voters weighed in on a ballot measure Tuesday that would raise taxes by $6 billion annually over seven years. Connecting with Students Wednesday, November 7th, 2012THE Journal: It's the little things that can help a teacher connect with every student in the class, according to author Lynell Burmark: A good place to start: Show the image first, then use the words. Schools Are Using Social Networking to Involve Par Wednesday, November 7th, 2012Education Week: Digital technology is providing a growing variety of methods for school leaders to connect with parents anywhere, anytime—a tactic mirroring how technology is used to engage students. California Passes Proposition 30 Wednesday, November 7th, 2012District Administration: On Election Day, California voters passed Proposition 30, a temporary tax increase that will prevent a nearly $6 billion cut to the state’s public schools. Companies Resist Proposal to Strengthen Online Pri Tuesday, November 6th, 2012New York Times: Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter have all objected to portions of a federal effort to strengthen online privacy protections for children Student-run Tech Support Programs Advance Tuesday, November 6th, 2012THE Journal: As student-run IT initiatives evolve into full curriculum programs, schools find that students aren't just supporting technology--technology is supporting them. Student Techs Have Their Heads in the Cloud Tuesday, November 6th, 2012THE Journal: Code libraries, open-source software, and Web forums are just a few of the cloud resources that students can use to further their personal IT education. Instructors teaching these would-be student technicians in their schools not only see the Rural schools still facing ed-tech challenges Monday, November 5th, 2012eSchool News: Educational technology stakeholders tout the benefits of mobile devices, broadband internet, and technology in the classroom—but in some rural schools, even the most basic ed-tech access is still a pipe dream. By Banding Together, Some Districts Save Big On Cl Monday, November 5th, 2012THE Journal: A major statewide initiative in North Carolina is showing how a consortium model can minimize risks for districts and help them exploit the advantages of cloud computing. The Best Little Teacher Education Program Out Ther Monday, November 5th, 2012THE Journal: The Blue Valley School District’s teacher training program models pedagogy and technology for tomorrow’s teachers while they’re today’s high school students. Colleges of education should take notice. Budgets vs. Cloud Computing Monday, November 5th, 2012THE Journal: With government data centers on the verge of major changes, how can states balance their technology needs with their financial reality? CFY To Study Whole School Blended Learning at 4 LA Monday, November 5th, 2012THE Journal: CFY, a nonprofit organization that uses digital learning in an effort to improve educational outcomes for low-income students, has received a $1 million grant to study and develop its whole school blended learning model, the Digital Learning 2012 Yearbook: Technology Innovation in Education Monday, November 5th, 2012The Center for Digital Education: The 2012 Yearbook aims to support and inspire education leaders on their paths to a more digital education. (Free download) The Blended and Virtual Learning Frontier Monday, November 5th, 2012Center for Digital Ed: Explore the new blended and virtual learning frontier sweeping the nation in this Special Report. Discover critical data supporting these new learning models, and read about why they hold so much promise for our educational system Fresno teachers union lets district apply for fede Monday, November 5th, 2012Los Angeles Times: After a marathon debate, the Fresno teachers union agreed to endorse its school district's application for a federal grant that would require controversial changes in instructor evaluations. Your annual ‘eRate Survival Guide’ Friday, November 2nd, 2012eSchool News: Over the years, the eRate has undergone many rule changes to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse—and the application process can be confusing. To help you navigate this process with a minimum of pain and a maximum return on your time invested. Why are women so underrepresented in educational l Friday, November 2nd, 2012eSchool News: Eye-opening forum explores this topic—and provides support to female administrators... Digital Technologies Have Mixed Effect on Students Friday, November 2nd, 2012THE Journal: Teachers are conflicted about the effect of the Internet and digital search tools on their students' research and writing habits, according to the Pew Research Center's report, "How Teens Do Research in the Digital World." 5 Professional Development Tips for Open Education Friday, November 2nd, 2012THE Journal: Here are five ways to make sure your school's teachers are ready to use and embrace open educational resources. Scores Drop on Ky.'s Common Core-Aligned Tests Friday, November 2nd, 2012Education Week: On the first such tests in the nation, the share of elementary and middle school students "proficient" or better fell by a third or more. How Are Districts Covering the Tech. Costs of Comm Friday, November 2nd, 2012Education Week: Online testing is soon be a staple of every district's assessment plan thanks to the Common Core State Standards, but education officials across the nation are worried they won't have enough resources to put the testing measures in place Social learning networks promote student engagemen Thursday, November 1st, 2012eSchool News: One of the goals of a social studies curriculum is to ensure that students are aware of different cultures and geographies—including how these are similar to or different from their own. How will iPad Mini fare? Thursday, November 1st, 2012eSchool News: The next big thing just got a little smaller: After months of speculation and anticipation, Apple finally unveiled the hotly rumored iPad Mini. The leaks and rumors were so accurate, however, that Apple had little new to add. Technology changing how students learn Thursday, November 1st, 2012New York Times: There is a widespread belief among teachers that students’ constant use of digital technology is hampering their attention spans and ability to persevere in the face of challenging tasks, according to two surveys of teachers being releas Backing for Proposition 30 slips below 50 percent Thursday, November 1st, 2012Capitol Weekly: While support for Proposition 30, the income and sales tax increase initiative advanced by Governor Jerry Brown, has fallen below the majority needed for passage, Yes voters continue to outnumber No voters 48% to 38%. Daggett: Schools must teach thinking skills Wednesday, October 31st, 2012eSchool News: The institution entrusted with preparing citizens for a rapidly changing world has been one of the most resistant to innovation, a well-respected education expert said Oct. 30.... Antioch to offer free online classes taught by Ivy Wednesday, October 31st, 2012eSchool News: Students soon will be able to take online courses taught by Ivy League professors and—through a unique new partnership forged by Antioch University—earn college credit for their work at a fraction of the normal cost. School libraries changing with move to digital res Tuesday, October 30th, 2012eSchool News: As schools across the nation move from printed textbooks to digital materials and digital learning environments, school libraries are adapting to keep pace—and new advancements are changing the very definition of school libraries and libra Samsung, Khan Academy Launch Pilot Tablet Program Tuesday, October 30th, 2012Education Week: The latest chapter in the rise of tablet computing in schools involves technology company Samsung, which announced a partnership with the Khan Academy. How to make BYOD work for your schools Monday, October 29th, 2012eSchool News: Supporters of the BYOD movement say students are instantly more attentive and better behaved when they are encouraged to use their own mobile devices in the classroom, but educators face a number of challenges in making BYOD work in their sc Mobile Devices To Surpass PC in Web Access by 2015 Monday, October 29th, 2012THE Journal: By 2015 more end users will access the Internet through a mobile device than a PC, according to a new report from the International Data Corporation. Taiwan tries to recruit California students to its Sunday, October 28th, 2012Los Angeles Times: Taiwan's minister of education, Wei-Ling Chiang, traveled to California last week to address a rarely discussed trade imbalance with the United States. Project-based learning prepares students for the Sunday, October 28th, 2012Washington Post: Part of a push in Montgomery County, Md., to prepare students for life after high school includes the adoption of project-based instruction at Wheaton High School. The initiative -which includes a redefined role for the classroom teacher Exploring the BYOD Trend in Education Sunday, October 28th, 2012TMCnet: Enterprises might have struggled a little with security and compliance of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) issue in the beginning, but they are seeing the growing productivity rates associated with this trend. Teachers: Involve parents in the flipped classroom Friday, October 26th, 2012eSchool News: At the beginning of each semester I spend time speaking to my students about what the flipped classroom is: a significant change over the way students have previously been taught. Audit: U.S. oversight of charter school funding is Friday, October 26th, 2012eSchool News: An audit of the U.S. Department of Education's division overseeing hundreds of millions of dollars in charter school funding has criticized the office for failing to properly monitor how states spend the money. Adaptive Testing Evolves to Assess Common-Core Ski Friday, October 26th, 2012Education Week: As many states move to put in place online testing by the 2014-15 school year, at least 20 have indicated they plan to use new computer-adaptive versions of the tests. Final Thoughts on the 2012 Virtual School Symposiu Friday, October 26th, 2012Education Week: Now a couple days removed from the 2012 Virtual School Symposium, let's take a look at some of the key lessons learned from New Orleans... iNACOL Virtual School Symposium 2012 Friday, October 26th, 2012Digital Learning Now: Watch the webcast of the opening Keynotes and Plenary Session from VSS 2012, featuring Susan Patrick, Stacey Childress, and Supt. John White here and be sure to check out other breakout sessions! District Administration - November 2012 Friday, October 26th, 2012District Administration: The digital edition of District Administration - October 2012 is available now. In this issue, you'll find articles about teacher evaluations, sustainable PD, flipping classrooms, enhancing school access control, and more... Everything You Need to Know About eReaders Friday, October 26th, 2012Yahoo News: Whether you're buying, gifting, or expecting an eReader this holiday season, the market's changed a lot from last year and the year before that. Here's a complete buyer's guide, starting with the basics and working through the latest trends. Hawaii plan would give all students computers Thursday, October 25th, 2012eSchool News: The Hawaii Department of Education wants to provide every public school student in the state with a laptop or tablet computer by 2015 as part of an initiative that also would include training teachers on the devices and buying digital materi New study shows early learning helps prevent crime Thursday, October 25th, 2012eSchool News: Four of the top law enforcers from Benton County, Wash., spoke out about the lack of funding for high-quality early childhood education programs and how investing in kids can reduce crime and save money. Data: It’s more than test scores Thursday, October 25th, 2012eSchool News: It’s pretty common these days to hear the term “data-driven decision-making” in education and assume it is synonymous with standardized test scores. But we all know that students are more than a set of test scores. Early childhood skills pave way for later success Thursday, October 25th, 2012eSchool News: Advancements in digital media are helping young children use technology to develop important social and emotional skills as they enter school, and a new PBS Kids resource aims to give children the resources they need to improve those skills. CENIC 2013 Annual Conference: Call for Proposals Thursday, October 25th, 2012CENIC: The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) will hold its 17th annual conference, Building Blocks for Next Gen Networks, on March 11-13 at Calit2 on the UC San Diego campus. Idaho awards $180M school laptop contract to HP Wednesday, October 24th, 2012eSchool News: Two weeks before the November election, in which Idaho voters could cancel the whole program, the state of Idaho has signed a $180 million, eight-year contract with Hewlett-Packard to supply laptop computers to every Idaho high school stude State boards of education weigh in on ed-tech poli Wednesday, October 24th, 2012eSchool news: In a new set of recommendations aimed at advising state leaders on ed-tech integration, the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) discusses how states are integral in meeting the needs of today’s students. Calif. Laws Shift Gears on Algebra, Textbooks Wednesday, October 24th, 2012Education Week: New laws in California have set the state on a course for some potentially significant changes to the curriculum, including a measure that revisits the matter of teaching Algebra 1 in 8th grade and another that revamps textbook adoption... In Blended Learning, a Chance to Build Student Com Wednesday, October 24th, 2012Education Week: In a live Education Week chat held earlier today, English/language arts teacher Catlin Tucker discussed her use of blended learning, which combines online instruction with in-person instruction. A Balanced Approach to E-Portfolios Wednesday, October 24th, 2012THE Journal: An e-portfolio pioneer discusses the value that e-portfolios provide in the K-12 learning environment, what's holding them back in the age of standardized assessments, and which tools teachers can use to improve the effectiveness of e-portfol Half of High Schoolers Own a Smartphone or Tablet Wednesday, October 24th, 2012THE Journal: According to a new mobile learning report from Blackboard and Project Tomorrow, about 50 percent of high school and 40 percent of middle school students now own or have access to a smartphone or tablet, a 400 percent increase since 2007. Amazon Launches Whispercast for E-Book Deployment Wednesday, October 24th, 2012THE Journal: Amazon has unveiled a free online tool to help school districts manage their Kindle devices and deliver e-books and other content for reading programs. North Carolina to outlaw student cyber bullying of Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012eSchool News: It soon will be illegal for a student to bully a teacher online in North Carolina, under an expansion of the state's cyber bullying law that goes into effect Dec. 1 and might be the first of its kind in the country. Online Initiative Launches to Aid Low-Income Stude Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012National Journal: A new initiative in online learning intending to help low-income adults achieve an associate’s degree is set to launch in Colorado and then California before expanding to selected cities nationwide. Evaluating What Works in Blended Learning Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012Education Week: Blended learning—the mix of virtual education and face-to-face instruction—is evolving quickly in schools across the country, generating a variety of different models. Riverside Designs a custom Fit for K-12 Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012Education Week: The California district is building up blended learning programs to address students' individual needs Blended Learning Choices Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012Education Week: A variety of models for mixing face-to-face education and online instruction are generating lessons learned... E-Learning Opens Real-World Doors Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012Education Week: Students in a Grand Rapids, Mich., innovation program blend virtual education and real-world experiences to prepare for college and careers. L.A. School First in KIPP Network to Embrace Blend Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012Education Week: Tough budget times prompt KIPP Empower Academy to use blended approach to pursue its mission of improving achievement for students from underpriveleged areas. Ala. Opens Wide Access to Blended Learning Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012Education Week: Experts credit the state program for helping increase the number of students taking and passing Advanced Placement exams. Blended PD Emphasizes Differentiated Instruction Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012Education Week: Educators say a hybrid approach to training will help teachers differentiate instruction. Court: School board eMail is a public record Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012eSchool News: A decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court should serve as a reminder that eMail correspondence through school-issued accounts is not private, though critics of the ruling fear it could result in a substantial cost to local districts. Apple Unveils Cheaper iPad Mini, Touts School Use Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012Education Week: Schools, already buying iPads in record numbers, could opt for the cheaper version, though competing devices are still less expensive. Officials say arts education may raise test scores Monday, October 22nd, 2012eSchool News: West Virginia high school students who take more than the required amount of arts classes scored better on math and reading portions of the Westest than students who did not, according to a study scheduled for release today. Watch: The future of ed tech Monday, October 22nd, 2012Huffington Post: In a thought-provoking short film, “The Future of Learning,” Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson takes a look at engagement learning in a technological era. The video was made as part of Ericsson’s Networked Society series. 9 Creative Storytelling Tools Monday, October 22nd, 2012THE Journal: T.H.E. Journal asked eduTecher founder and FETC speaker Adam Bellow and Donna Criswell, an instructional integration specialist at the Sudbury (MA) Public School District, for the most creative storytelling apps available... $5.4 M Grants Fund Personalized, Blended Learning Monday, October 22nd, 2012THE Journal: Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) has awarded $5.4 million in new grants to assist 13 secondary and postsecondary educational organizations in the development of new models of personalized, blended learning... New Books Highlight Lessons Learned from K-12 Onli Monday, October 22nd, 2012Sacramento Bee: iNACOL released two new books showcasing the latest research and trends in online school teacher mentoring and blended education programs. Half of High Schoolers Own a Smartphone or Tablet Monday, October 22nd, 2012Herald Online: Rapid Adoption Leads to Greater Endorsement from Parents and Principals. According to a mobile learning report from Blackboard and Project Tomorrow, nearly 50% of high schoolers and 40% of middle schoolers now own or have access to a tablet State leaders: Here’s how we’re going digital Friday, October 19th, 2012eSchool News: There’s been much recent talk about schools going all-digital–from Arne Duncan’s call to action to the backlash from educators–but implementing digital resources is no easy task. Common Core Drives Interest in Open Education Reso Friday, October 19th, 2012Education Week: Spurred by the adoption of common-core standards by nearly every state, the movement for open digital resources is growing as educators realign curricula. Developing Teacher Leaders Friday, October 19th, 2012Eductaion Week Teacher: This exclusive online-only story package explores the growing interest in the issue of teacher leadership, highlighting programs and initiatives designed to help teachers advance in their careers and exert more influence in schools The Challenge of Assessing Project-Based Learning Friday, October 19th, 2012District Administration:On the heels of Common Core State Standards, administrators begin assessing critical thinking and content mastery. Wireless experts: Time to move beyond the device Thursday, October 18th, 2012eSchool News: By 2016, 85 percent of all broadband service will be mobile instead of fixed broadband. Last year, there were more smart phones (472 million) than PCs (353 million).... Amazon looks to get Kindle into schools Thursday, October 18th, 2012eSchool News: Amazon.com Inc. has launched a service to help schools and workplaces manage Kindles used by students and employees—by sending out eBooks or blocking certain types of activities, for example. Keeping Pace with Technology Innovation Thursday, October 18th, 2012District Administration: Learn valuable tips, shortcuts and resources to help your district stay on the upside of the digital divide. Managing BYOD Effectively Thursday, October 18th, 2012District Administration: Innovative tools provide low-cost Internet access and help district leaders keep students and infrastructure safe. Higher Ed Has MOOCs, but K12 Still Needs to Catch Thursday, October 18th, 2012District Administration: If higher ed can change—and do so overnight—then we in K12 can be sure that our transformative event will occur very soon. CENIC Today Wednesday, October 17th, 2012CENIC: CENIC's Monthly Newsletter is now available. In this newsletter, you'll find information about what's on the horizon for CENIC's Associates, CalREN, etc... Can school networks keep up with demands? Wednesday, October 17th, 2012eSchool News: School networks must be equipped to support new technologies if educators and students are to realize the full benefits of these changes—and new data suggest they aren't keeping up... Delivering BYOD Security Wednesday, October 17th, 2012THE Journal: This Washington state K-12 district is turning to desktop virtualization to help maintain network security in its new BYOD environment for users who require more than just access to the Internet. New Tools Seek to Evaluate Ed-Tech Products Wednesday, October 17th, 2012Education Week: An ambitious proposal from two economists attempts to create a "Consumer Reports" for educational technology. Meeting the challenges of Common Core Wednesday, October 17th, 2012Education Week: The October 2012 issue of Digital Directions is now available online. You will have access to the entire issue. Atomic Learning Offers Free Accessibility Workshop Wednesday, October 17th, 2012THE Journal: In recognition of National Disability Awareness Month, Atomic Learning is offering its Accessibility: It IS Important workshop at no cost through December 15. Tapping Online Education To Help Reduce Recidivism Wednesday, October 17th, 2012THE Journal: Inmates within the Florida Department of Corrections system are earning their high school diplomas online to prepare themselves for college and future careers. Archive: TechSETS webinar on CDE's SBAC progress Tuesday, October 16th, 2012TechSETS: On Oct. 5, TechSETS hosted a 1-hour webinar featuring Rodney Okamoto, who presented and discussed the latest status of the SBAC system development, including school-level IT-related issues as it relates to the SBAC assessments. Watch the archive Project Lead The Way: Promoting engineering in sch Tuesday, October 16th, 2012eSchool News: Seventh graders in some Illinois schools are designing playground equipment using advanced modeling software. Middlesboro, Ky., eighth graders are going to have a “robot drag race” later this year... Florida officials want more than $400M to expand d Tuesday, October 16th, 2012eSchool News: Convinced that all students should have round-the-clock access to computers, the State Board of Education wants Florida to pay for more than 300,000 digital devices next year so schools can starting issuing them to youngsters who don’t hav State Education Policy Center Tuesday, October 16th, 2012SETDA: SETDA Announces Launch of the State Education Policy Center - One-of-a-Kind Database of State Education and Technology Policies and Practices Charts Education’s ‘Shift to Digital’ David Reese Is New Vice President of CENIC Monday, October 15th, 2012CENIC: President & CEO Louis Fox is pleased to announce the appointment of Dave Reese to the position of Vice President of CENIC. Are You Tech-Ready for the Common Core? Monday, October 15th, 2012Education Week: Common Core State Standards assessments are expected to be given online to students in two years, but many school administrators say they are unsure about what kind of technology, or how much bandwidth, they will need to administer.... Ed-tech firms shaping education policy Monday, October 15th, 2012eSchool News: Ed-tech industry executives are influencing key education policy decisions, a newspaper’s investigation reveals—even providing the wording of legislation they’d like adopted in various states. This raises an important an important ques New Congressional Caucus Focuses on 21st Century S Monday, October 15th, 2012THE Journal: Congress has created a new caucus for the purpose of keeping policymakers up to date on the importance of 21st century skills education as students prepare for college and their future careers. Bandwidth Demands Rise as Schools Move to Common C Monday, October 15th, 2012Education Week: From the outside, experts, advocates, and government agencies appear to be placing more than enough attention on schools’ growing demand for better Internet connectivity. Common Core Tech. Demands Raise Budget Worries Monday, October 15th, 2012Education Week: Paying for digital upgrades for the common core will take a creative redistribution of resources High-Priority Virtual PD Monday, October 15th, 2012Education Week: Ongoing and effective professional development is critical, experts say, and technology holds the key to providing deep learning experiences for teachers that can be scaled across state borders. Digital Learning Changes in California Monday, October 15th, 2012Digital Learning Now: Governor Brown signed AB 644/Chapter 579 on Sept. 26. It takes effect January 1 and will provide that online, synchronous students in grades 9 to 12 will be included in computing ADA beginning in 2014-15, if all of the following appl Competency-Based Schools Embrace Digital Learning Monday, October 15th, 2012Education Week: Tom Rooney, superintendent of the 4,200-student Lindsay Unified School District in California, sees competency-based education—supported by digital learning tools—as the path to building a better school district. District Administration - October 2012 Monday, October 15th, 2012District Administration: The digital edition of District Administration - October 2012 is available now. In this issue, you'll find articles about technology innovation, assessing project-based learning, managing BYOD effectively, etc. Education Cuts At Stake in Tax Battle Saturday, October 13th, 2012Los Angeles Times: Passage of Gov. Brown's Prop. 30 would spare schools and universities. But a Prop. 38 victory would trigger big reductions. Readers: Digital Textbooks Just a Dream Friday, October 12th, 2012eSchool News: Citing a lack of student access at home and other obstacles, many educators say going all digital could worsen the digital divide. Half of Schools Meet Test Target Friday, October 12th, 2012San Francisco Chronicle: California schools have been weighed. They have been measured. And, depending on whom you ask, they have been found wanting or are doing really well. Teachers Make Money Selling Materials Online Thursday, October 11th, 2012eSchool News: Kristine Nannini spent her summer creating wall charts and student data sheets for her fifth grade class—and making $24,000 online by selling those same materials to other teachers. Will iPad Work for High-Stakes Online Testing? Thursday, October 11th, 2012THE Journal: As more schools invest in student iPad programs, one question still unanswered is whether or not those devices can be used for the high-stakes online tests coming in 2014. State School Rankings Rise Again; Federal Ratings Thursday, October 11th, 2012Los Angeles Times: School ratings on the state’s Academic Performance Index continued their rise this year even as hundreds of additional campuses were labeled as failures under rapidly rising and widely criticized federal standards. Smart Shones Require Smart Strategies Wednesday, October 10th, 2012eSchool News: With as many as 49 percent of all U.S. adults using smart phones, according to Nielsen reports, it’s time to get smart about school communications as well. Education Dept. Helps Teachers Combat Bullying Wednesday, October 10th, 2012eSchool News: In recognition of Bullying Prevention Month this October, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has released a free, two-part training toolkit designed to reduce incidents of bullying, for use by classroom educators. Guide: Tying Common Core and English-Proficiency Wednesday, October 10th, 2012Education Week: As school districts forge ahead in putting the common academic standards into practice, many states are still revising or creating new English-language-proficiency standards to spell out for teachers the sophisticated language skills... Denver To Accelerate Blended Learning with Grant Wednesday, October 10th, 2012THE Journal: The foundation for an investment firm based in Denver that manages about $152 billion in assets worldwide is nearly doubling down on a multi-million-dollar investment it made in the local public school system. Solving Formative Assessment's Catch-22 Wednesday, October 10th, 2012THE Journal: Teachers often have a hard time embedding assessment in their instruction, but some technologies are making it a little easier. Digital Conversion Service Publishes Accessible Wednesday, October 10th, 2012THE Journal: A company known for helping clients in the media and retail sectors digitize their publications has launched a version of its publishing platform for converting PDF-based books into interactive texts that can be accessed on multiple... Online Common Core Test Items Released by Smarter Wednesday, October 10th, 2012THE Journal: The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium released a sizable sampling of online assessment items, giving teachers, educational leaders, and members of the public an early look at what kinds of items and tasks will appear on the... How To Achieve True Educational Transformation Tuesday, October 9th, 2012eSchool News: With the country approaching national elections, those involved in education wonder how the results might affect the educational landscape. 'Embodied Learning' Blends Movement, Computer Inte Tuesday, October 9th, 2012Education Week: Zachary Benedek usually can't wait for science class to be over. But when he learns about concepts like light and gravity in a 15-square-foot digitally enhanced laboratory called the SMALLab, he doesn't want the period to end. One Teachers 'Flip' From Flipped Instruction Tuesday, October 9th, 2012Education Week: While flipped classrooms are still all the rage in some education circles, teacher and blogger Shelley Wright explains why her "brief love affair with the flip has ended." Studies Link Students' Boredom to Stress Tuesday, October 9th, 2012Education Week: One glance, and any teacher knows the score: That student, halfway down the row, staring blankly at his tapping pen, fidgeting, sneaking glances at the wall clock roughly every 30 seconds, is practically screaming, "I'm bored!" Teachers Find iPad Slide-sharing App Nearpod Like Tuesday, October 9th, 2012THE Journal: Technology director and teacher Frederico Padovan may be only a few weeks into his school's first 1-to-1 iPad deployment, but he's already figured out how to keep students focused on their lessons. Making Gains with Real-world Science Connections Monday, October 8th, 2012eSchool News: Helping middle school students grasp abstract science concepts can be a challenge. Many times, when we teach something in class, students have nothing to relate it to in the real world. So, they soon forget it. New Director of Analysis, Measurement And Saturday, October 6th, 2012CDE: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced the appointment of Keric Ashley as the new director of the California Department of Education's (CDE) Analysis, Measurement and Accountability Reporting Division (AMARD). Charter Schools Win Grants To Share 'Lessons Learn Friday, October 5th, 2012THE Journal: The United States Department of Education has named seven winners of Charter School Exemplary Collaboration grants, which will receive a total of more than $1.2 million. The funding is provided so charter schools can share lessons learned... Georgia Online School Creates Member Community Friday, October 5th, 2012THE Journal: A Georgia high school has added a group to its online community that includes social and academic resources, including discussions, blogs, and study groups. Student IDs That Track the Students Friday, October 5th, 2012NY Times: For Tira Starr, an eighth grader at Anson Jones Middle School, the plastic nametag hanging around her neck that she has decorated with a smiley face and a purple bat sticker offers a way to reflect her personal flair. School Districts Warned About Expiring Tech Funds Friday, October 5th, 2012LA Times: State officials have urged school districts and charter schools to use $66 million in vouchers to buy technology before they expire next year. Maximizing the Impact of Videoconferencing Thursday, October 4th, 2012THE Journal: The spread of cheap and powerful videoconferencing tools had led to widespread adoption of the technology in an effort to lower costs and put resources to better use. 5 Skills for Blended-Learning Teachers Thursday, October 4th, 2012THE Journal: In the seventh installment of their monthly column, blended learning experts Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker outline the five skills that will increasingly be important for many teachers in the future. Eight Economic Facts about Education Thursday, October 4th, 2012eSchool News: Earning a college degree increases one’s earning potential and economic value significantly—yet the United States is being outpaced by many other countries in the percentage of students completing college. 'Strong Schools for a Strong Economy' Thursday, October 4th, 2012CDE: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson launched a month-long statewide tour today highlighting innovative career technical programs that help prepare students for jobs in the 21st-century economy. Skype in the Classroom Adds New Partners, Resource Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012THE Journal: Skype in the classroom is a free service that provides resources and tools that teachers can use in their classrooms. The service includes over 2,000 projects from Skype in the classroom partners and other teachers. What the Private Cloud Is Not Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012THE Journal: Cloud computing hype is beginning to perpetuate some misconceptions that need debunking, according to information technology research and advisory company Gartner. Its new report, "Five Things That Private Cloud Is Not," clarified... Cloud Storage in the Real World Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012THE Journal: The cloud, in theory, is supposed to help make the lives of IT professionals in schools a little bit easier. Assuming all of the privacy issues are addressed, does the practice support the theory? Education Chief Wants Textbooks to go Digital Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012eSchool News: Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Oct. 2 called for the nation to move as fast as possible away from printed textbooks and toward digital ones. “Over the next few years, textbooks should be obsolete,” he declared. Skype in the Classroom Teams up with NASA Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012eSchool News: In celebration of World Teacher’s Day on Oct. 5, Skype in the classroom—the education outreach program of Skype, the Microsoft-owned service for making free voice and video calls online—has announced new partnerships with NASA... Inadequate Teaching for Special Needs Kids May Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012TakePart.com: The Department of Education has just made their largest investment ever in improving education for students with disabilities. Symposium Revisits Landmark Student-Speech Cases Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012Education Week: Their names are synonymous with U.S. Supreme cases on student speech. John and Mary Beth Tinker, who wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. Matthew Fraser, who made a suggestive speech to an assembly of his high school peers. Schools Falter at Keeping ELL Families in the Loop Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012Education Week: As thousands of communities—especially in the South—became booming gateways for immigrant families during the 1990s and the early years of the new century, public schools struggled with the unfamiliar task of serving the large numbers Exit Exams Face Pinch in Common-Core Push Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012Education Week: With many states crafting assessments based on the common-core standards—and an increasing emphasis on college and career readiness—some are rethinking the kind of tests high school students must pass to graduate, or whether to use suc Some Schools Actually Want Students To Play With Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012NPR: If there is one thing that the mobile-computing era has made clear, it's that kids love touch screens. Because those touch screens — smartphones, iPads, Kindles and the like — are an inevitable added distraction to the classroom, schools across.. The Rise of the Tech-Powered Teacher Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012Education Week: Best known for our collection of education videos, Khan Academy covers every subject from algebra to art history for grades K-12. A significant piece of Khan Academy, however, is the interactive exercises that allow students to practice... PBS LearningMedia And Henry Ford Foundation Launch Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012THE Journal: Innovative preK-12 teachers who find new ways to improve student learning are invited to enter the 2012 Teacher Innovator Awards competition sponsored by Dearborn, MI-based The Henry Ford and PBS Learning Media. National Academy Foundation Partners ConnectEDU Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012THE Journal: The National Academy Foundation (NAF) and ConnectEDU have partnered to measure student achievement through the use of real-time data in an effort to monitor how ready students are for college and careers. Getting Students to Think Like Historians Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012Education Week: If you were to follow a historian around for a day, what would you expect to see him or her doing? Digging for dinosaur bones or sailing on 17th century ships searching for new lands? Watching the history channel, surfing Wikipedia, or... Bill Nye 'The Science Guy' Talks Flipped Classroom Monday, October 1st, 2012THE Journal: Bill Nye "The Science Guy" was fired up when he talked to an audience of students and teachers last week in a webcast, sponsored by Capella University, about flipping the classroom. The scientist and former Disney/PBS television host says... $10,000 Classroom Makeover Contest Opens Monday, October 1st, 2012THE Journal: Nominations are now open for the 2012 Great American Classroom Makeover, which offers prizes of up to $10,000 for supplies for both individual classrooms and schools. Smarter Balanced Leaders Reelected Monday, October 1st, 2012THE Journal: Three members of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium executive committee have been reelected to their posts, including EC Co-Chair Joseph Martineau, executive director at the Michigan Department of Education's Bureau of Assessment... Wireless Generation Offers Districts Gap Analysis Monday, October 1st, 2012THE Journal: A company that specializes in helping teachers teach more effectively through the use of education technology has launched a series of services to help districts prepare for the adoption of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Fostering Tech Talent in Schools Monday, October 1st, 2012NY Times: “My teacher said there’s a lot of money to be made in computer science,” Leandre said. “It could be really helpful in the future.” That teacher, Steven Edouard, knows a few things about the subject. SBAC CDE Update Issue 40 Monday, October 1st, 2012CDE: The SBAC CDE weekly update is an email sent each week to inform California educators and parents of new developments and upcoming events. Please feel free to share information in the update with those who are interested in the SBAC CDE’s work. Online Education Grows Up, And For Now, It's Free Monday, October 1st, 2012NPR: Online education isn't particularly new. It has been around in some form since the 1990s, but what is new is the speed and scale in which online learning is growing. Google Says Apps For Education, 20 Million Monday, October 1st, 2012TechCrunch: Google just announced that its Apps for Education suite is now being used by more than 20 million students, faculty members, and staff worldwide. The company made this announcement in a blog post celebrating the upcoming World Teachers’ Day. Free Digital Textbooks When We Have The Internet? Monday, October 1st, 2012TechCrunch: A new California law funding the replacement of expensive college textbooks with free digital versions is being hailed as a “big step forward” in the press. California, whose massive university system was influential enough to change the.. Google Celebrates Educators Who Make a Difference Monday, October 1st, 2012The Next Web: Every one of us has had a teacher or educator that spent that extra bit of time with us or helped us get through school. It was that person who never gave up and spent those extra precious minutes of their day before, during, or after... Gates Foundation supports college readiness apps Friday, September 28th, 2012eSchool News: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is awarding upwards of $100,000 to developers who propose apps and online tools that help high school students prepare for college, fund their schooling, and complete the sometimes circuitous application p Computers seen as ‘unfunded mandate’ as online Friday, September 28th, 2012eSchool News: As new online testing designed around the Common Core State Standards looms, public school officials are concerned about what they see as an “unfunded mandate” to buy enough computers to accommodate the shift. State Ballot Measures Include Hot K-12 Issues Friday, September 28th, 2012Education Week: Voters in various states will decide on teacher evaluations, funding, and charter school access, among other issues. Q&A: Quest for 'Digital Wisdom' Hinges on Brains a Friday, September 28th, 2012Education Week: Marc Prensky has written a number of books about the integration of technology and education. In his latest, Brain Gain: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom, he argues that technology can be used to enhance the human brain and impr Embodied learning’ blends lessons with student-c Thursday, September 27th, 2012eSchool News: In an Elizabeth Forward Middle School classroom, students in an eighth-grade math class spent a recent morning getting into their lesson—literally. SMALLab Learning uses a projector, motion-sensor cameras, and a computer to create scenario New paper proposes ed-tech evaluation system Thursday, September 27th, 2012eSchool News: In a new paper, two researchers have proposed to create a new third-party ratings system for educational technology products, which would help link ed-tech buyers and sellers and offer reports on software’s effectiveness. Burlington SD Implements ERP To Integrate Manageme Thursday, September 27th, 2012theJOURNAL: Vermont's Burlington School District has adopted a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to manage district resources such as budget management, invoices, and payroll in an effort to integrate management information, regulate finances Splashtop Adds Whiteboard Kindle App Thursday, September 27th, 2012the JOURNAL: Splashtop has added a Kindle Fire app that allows teachers to access their computer desktops remotely and use it as an interactive whiteboard. The company recently released the new Splashtop Whiteboard edition, and it is available now for dow TechSmith Revamps Academic Licensing for Lecture C Thursday, September 27th, 2012the JOURNAL: Riding a wave of flipped classroom action, TechSmith has introduced new pricing structures for its screen capture and recording software specifically for educators. Studies Find Payoff in 'Personalizing' Algebra Thursday, September 27th, 2012Education Week: While "personalization" has become a buzzword in education, it can be hard to determine what really makes a subject relevant to individual children in the classroom. An ongoing series of studies at Southern Methodist University suggests le Standards Backers Seek Out Support of Parents Wednesday, September 26th, 2012Education Week: Backers of the common-core academic standards have worked for years to secure the support of a diverse collection of elected officials, academic scholars, and school employees. Now they're ramping up efforts to court a different and potent Rural States in Hunt for NCLB Waivers Wednesday, September 26th, 2012Education Week: The seven states that have applied for the latest round of waivers under the No Child Left Behind Act represent a large swath of rural America, ensuring that the U.S. Department of Education's experiment in awarding flexibility in... Connected Educator Month Brings Teachers Together Wednesday, September 26th, 2012THE Journal: Jon participated in a Twitter chat on his smartphone about global learning while walking his dog. Claudia appreciated the mix of ages of students who shared in a "Student Voices" event. EXPLO Brings High Schoolers Together in Groups Wednesday, September 26th, 2012THE Journal: Following each of four presidential debates during the month of October, American students will have the chance to get together online and discuss them with peers from across the country. Shared Learning Collaborative Offers App Bounties Wednesday, September 26th, 2012THE Journal: Shared Learning Collaborative (SLC), an organization working to build infrastructure that will make it easier for teachers to use data in the classroom to personalize instruction, is offering hefty rewards to the open source developers who... How to Have Assessments Without Testing Wednesday, September 26th, 2012eSchool News: Most educators can agree that frequent progress monitoring is critical to achieving a data-driven culture. However, under my direction at Cahuenga Elementary School in Los Angeles, we employed a different strategy for progress monitoring... Seven Free Resources For Teaching Election Wednesday, September 26th, 2012eSchool News: The 2012 presidential election is drawing near, and educators across the country are using campaign efforts as a chance to teach students about the democratic process, the major issues in the race, and how these issues might affect students. See AP, SAT Exam Scores for Every School Wednesday, September 26th, 2012Sacramento Bee: The number of California high school students scoring well enough on Advanced Placement exams to earn college credit continued to rise last year, along with the number of students taking AP exams. SETDA Urges Shift to Digital Instruction Tuesday, September 25th, 2012eSchool News: New report offers examples, recommendations to help states and schools move from print to digital content. Lore Extends Social LMS to Academic Groups Tuesday, September 25th, 2012THE Journal: Social learning management system Lore has added a new feature that lets on-campus clubs and groups collaborate using the free tool. The company released Lore for Academic Groups this week, and it is available now. Rediker Unveils Teacher Evaluator Tuesday, September 25th, 2012THE Journal: Software provider Rediker has released Teacher Evaluator, an online teacher evaluation application designed specifically for the iPad and compatible with any Web browser. Follett Announces Joint Release to Support Digital Tuesday, September 25th, 2012THE Journal: Follett School and Library Group (FSLG) has announced the joint release of Destiny 10.5, FollettShelf, and Follett Digital Reader to help districts and schools manage the process of checking books in and out and provide better access to... Classes Make Virtual Science Trek to Kilimanjaro Tuesday, September 25th, 2012THE Journal: For the fifth time in as many years a group of scientists, teachers, and students are heading up Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to research mountain biomes and share what they discover with students online. Samsung, National PTA partner for $1 Million STEM Tuesday, September 25th, 2012THE Journal: Entries for the third-annual Solve for Tomorrow program are now being accepted. Solve for Tomorrow is a contest that calls on teachers and students to compete for $1 million in prizes by submitting videos on the topics of science, tech... Resource Guide: Mobile Devices for Learning Tuesday, September 25th, 2012Edutopia: Getting kids engaged with learning, focused on working smarter, and ready for the future. D.C. Sets Bar for Firing Teachers over Performance Monday, September 24th, 2012eSchool News: Reform advocates say the new performance standards have improved teaching; critics say it promotes instability. How School Stakeholders view the Election Monday, September 24th, 2012eSchool News: Stakeholders involved in K-12 education plan to vote for Barack Obama in the Nov. 6 presidential election, 53 percent to 42 percent, according to an informal poll of eSchool News readers. New Florida School is High-Tech—and Eco-Friendly Monday, September 24th, 2012eSchool News: When students entered Palencia Elementary School in St. Augustine, Fla., for the first time in late August, they stepped into a high-tech, futuristic school focused on environmental sustainability. Report Recommends Shift to Digital Resources Monday, September 24th, 2012THE Journal: A new report from the State Education Technology Directors Association (SETDA) points to the importance of shifting K-12 schools in the United States from printed textbooks to digital educational resources. 9 Keys to Success in Hybrid Programs Monday, September 24th, 2012THE Journal: Blended learning exists at the intersection between traditional face-to-face instruction and online learning, although to what extent each component is employed is open to interpretation. Stackable Touchscreen Display Supports Unlimited Monday, September 24th, 2012THE Journal: MultiTouch recently unveiled its new 55-inch ultra-thin bezel (UTB) LCD MultiTaction cell. |