T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) articles from April 2008

T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) archives from April 2008

Desire2Learn CEO makes case against Blackboard patent, court ruling.(what's ONLINE)(Chief executive officer John Baker)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Desire2Learn recently became the first education technology provider to fall victim to litigation stemming from Blackboard's patent covering learning management systems. In February, the company lost a patent-infringement lawsuit filed by...

Student hacker sought class rankings data.(HOT TOPICS)(New Trier Township High School District )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Chicago newspapers reported on a student who hacked into the computer system of the New Trier Township High School District (IL). The intent, according to investigators, was to obtain grades and ACT scores to determine class rank and share it...

Gates to Congress: improve math, science education.(HOT TOPICS)(Bill Gates)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In testimony before the Committee on Science and Technology at the US House of Representatives, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates implored Congress and the president to "act decisively" to ensure that the country...

Mobile broadband Internet use growing dramatically.(HOT TOPICS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The number of computers using mobile broadband technology to access the internet grew by 154 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 versus the same period in 2006, according to ComScore, a research firm. www.thejournal.com/articles/22192

Bloomfield SD's migration to Broadband and VoIP.(CASE STUDY)(Bloomfield School District )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... As the IT director for Bloomfield School District in New Mexico, Sondra Adams faced a major challenge with infrastructure when it came time to upgrade the district's network and voice systems. Bloomfield is located in a rural area of New...

Gov. Schwarzenegger promises reprieve to California homeschoolers.(NEWS)(Arnold Schwarzenegger)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... In late February. California's Second District Court of Appeals issued a ruling that effectively bans every form of homeschooling in the state. The ruling is now being challenged by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. www....

Further declines in computer science, but turnaround may be on the horizon.(RESEARCH)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Computing Research Organization said that enrollments and degrees at US-based computer science departments dropped further in 2006 and 2007. The nonprofit association, which is composed of academic and private industry members, has done...

Podcasting basics: simple steps for introducing podcasting into your K-8 class, part 2.(RESOURCES)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Podcasting Basics: Simple Steps for Introducing Podcasting Into Your K8 Class, Part 2 In the first segment in this two-part series, teacher and consultant Brad Pearl explained what types of hardware and software you'll need to introduce...

The X man cometh: what might have been? A career as a math teacher, perhaps.(our::SPACE)
April 1, 2008... SHORTLY AFTER OUR EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, Geoff Fletcher, wondered in his column last month what profession he might have entered had he not gone into education, I myself was given some possible occupational alternatives by a group of first-graders...

Let them act out: having to constantly drill for tests, students are being kept from performing in ways that would reveal the best they have to offer.(commentary)
April 1, 2008... "I KNOW WHAT IS WRONG with our education system!" I cried out to my cat Taco, who was seated on my lap, and to the mountains outside my window, which, usually enshrouded in clouds, were making a surprise March appearance. Taco was unimpressed;...

Testing, testing.(your::LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... AS AN EDUCATOR, I take offense that Jeff Weinstock [Our Space, February] would insinuate that teachers are opposed to being accountable or opposed to state standards. Teachers are opposed to the entire concept of No Child Left Behind, not just...

Worn-out stereotypes.(your::LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... I WAS DISAPPOINTED in your February cover photo and the corresponding article photo for "How Geek Became Chic." The nerdy white kid is an old cliche, and the time for it to leave academics is overdue. What is implied? Are kids of color too...

Striking an eNerve.(your::LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... JEFF WEINSTOCK'S EDITORIAL, "eNough Already" [Our Space, December 2007], made me smile. These were the words of someone who was having fun writing. I wonder if most of us have simply absorbed the onset of words like eLearning, eControl,...

Report: NCLB prompts major curriculum shifts.(in::brief: Technology + Online + Industry + Partnership)(No Child Left Behind Act)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... AS PART OF AN ONGOING study on the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) recently conducted a deeper analysis of data on changes in classroom instructional time it first reported on last July. The...

SIIA lays out a vision for change: with defined goals and benchmarks, the association's new initiative urges increasing technology use in K-20 classrooms.(in::brief: Technology + Online + Industry + Partnership)(Software & Information Industry Association)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TO ENSURE THAT all students have access to a learning environment that will prepare them to compete globally and enjoy innovative careers, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA: www.siia.net) has...

Ed tech vendors join coalition.(Industry News)(Partnership for 21st Century Skills)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.21stcenturyskills.org) has announced the addition of four new members to its coalition. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD; www.ascd.org), Atomic Learning...

Lumens donates to teach for America.(Industry News)(Lumens Integration )(Teach for America )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Lumens integration (www.mylumens.com) has donated 100 visual presenters to Teach for America (www.teachforamerica.org), a national corps of new college graduates and professionals from all fields who commit to two years of teaching in urban and...

COSN honors Texas district.(Awards)(Consortium for School Networking awarded Texas' Bryan Independent School District)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Consortium for School Networking (www.cosn.org) named Texas' Bryan Independent School District the winner of its annual Team Award during its K-12 School Networking Conference, held in Washington, DC, in March. The award celebrates the...

School recognized for academic improvement.(Awards)(Palm Elementary School )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Renaissance Learning (www.renlearn.com) has chosen Palm Elementary School in Orosi, CA, to receive its 2008 Dreamers Wake the Nation Award, which recognizes a school's effort to boost student achievement through the use of Renaissance Learning...

Lights ... camera ... PD! As the online delivery of technology training expands, weekly live web shows are being used to demonstrate to teachers how to apply the latest tools.(professional development)
April 1, 2008... IS IT POSSIBLE THAT face-to-face technology training for teachers is going the way of the mimeograph machine? Not so fast. The classroom environment will probably never grow obsolete, but online forms of professional development are making...

How would you like your content? Textbooks? Digital? Web-based? Perhaps a bit of each? The Congress on the future of content brings publishers and educators together in hopes of settling the issue.(digital content)
April 1, 2008... "WE ARE TRYING to build 21st-century learning environments based on 20th-century processes and tools," said Micha Villarreal, director of instructional technology for Ysleta Independent School District (TX), capturing the sentiments of many who...

Got moodle? The free, open source program enjoys great appeal among K-12 teachers, as it allows them to get the upper hand on course management and assessment.(web 2.0)
April 1, 2008... UNTIL RECENTLY, teachers in Bainbridge Island School District on the island of Puget Sound, a mere half-hour ferry ride from Seattle, were handling classroom management tasks the old-fashioned way. Taking attendance, grading, delivering and...

ELL spoken here: online resources and educator networks are providing teachers of English language learners with a support system they don't often get within their own school districts.(english language learners)
April 1, 2008... OF THE COUNTLESS TEACHERS of English language learners to whom Catherine Collier has provided counsel and support, there is one, she says, whose story resonates the most. Collier recalls a talk she had with an ELL classroom aide who approached...

On the road to DDDM: implementing a data-driven decision-making initiative is a painstaking, six-stage process. Two districts are halfway home.(data-driven decision-making)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TWO SCHOOL DISTRICTS--Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Plano Independent School District in Texas--have undertaken ambitious initiatives in recent years to introduce data-driven decision-making into their operations....

Meet the parents: notification tools can do more than alert the school community to an emergency. New systems are cultivating parental involvement by sending home daily reports on students' behavior, attendance, and performance.(notification systems)(Cover story)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AS THE SINGLE PARENT of a student at South El Monte High School, just east of Los Angeles, Marilyn Nihipali is all too familiar with short and cryptic exchanges with her daughter on the subject of academics. The...

Kutoka interactive.(product::FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] KUTOKA INTERACTIVE has added to its line of educational software for children with the new title, Mia Reading: The Bugaboo Bugs. The software focuses on enhancing literacy skills of children ages 5 to 9 by combining...

Weidenhammer.(product: FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... WEIDENHAMMER has released Alio 8.2 software, an upgrade to its original Alio software for human resources and finance management. This suite of products is capable of handling fund accounting, accounts payable and receivable, budgeting,...

Mediatech.(product::FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(MT-XL-BM Starfish room controller )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MEDIATECH designed the MT-XL-BM Starfish room controller with K-12 classrooms in mind. The unit features serial RS-232 and infrared control capability, a built-in infrared learner, scheduling capability, security...

Extracurricular: for technologists who do their homework.
April 1, 2008... The purchase of a mobile student-computing device requires districts to consider several factors, from warranty options to battery life. HIGHLIGHTS * HALF OF RESPONDENTS SAY TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP IS THEIR MOST IMPORTANT...