T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) articles from December 2005

T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) archives from December 2005

Slowing down for progress: the fastest way to incorporate technology into your district is to pause for a thoughtful consideration of what you want to achieve.
December 1, 2005... WHILE DRIVING through Texas last month, I thought about Sylvia Charp, who was editor-in-chief of T.H.E. Journal from its founding in 1972 until her untimely death in 2003. It wasn't the wide-open spaces between Austin and Dallas that reminded...

Event: calendar.(Calendar)
December 1, 2005... January 2006 JAN 6-9 4th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education Honolulu, HI www.hiceducation.org JAN 9-13 Macworld 2006 San Francisco, CA www.macworldexgo.com JAN 18-21 National Association for Bilingual Education...

Districts embrace on-demand software platform: new system like 'changing channels on your PC.'.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... SCHOOL DISTRICTS in New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Kentucky are adopting a new paradigm for deploying and managing their software in classrooms, computer labs, and libraries in an effort to deliver centrally managed technology while...

T.H.E. Institute, AOL@School launch 'Internet Literacy' course.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... T.H.E. Institute, the research and consulting division of 101communications' Education Technology Media Group, has partnered with AOL@School (aolatschool.com) to offer an online course to help elementary and secondary school teachers integrate...

Redrock reports to acquire school funding services.(RedRock Reports LLC )(School Funding Services)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Las Vegas-based RedRock Reports LLC (www.redrockreport.com), the newly formed information services company for the K-12 education market, has announced an agreement to acquire the assets of School Funding Services, an online, federal grant...

SIIA announces 2006 Education Division Board Members.(Software & Information Industry Association)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA; www.siia.net) named the new members of its Education Division's Board of Directors last month. The board consists of representatives from member companies who are selected by the...

Highlighting vision and innovation.
December 1, 2005... Cable in the Classroom (CIC; www.ciconline.org) has announced its second annual Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards, which will recognize classroom and community program teachers, administrators, community leaders, and policymakers, as well as...

Encouraging successful partnerships.
December 1, 2005... The Council for Corporate and School Partnerships is accepting applications for its National School and Business Partnerships Award through Jan. 30, 2006. The award, which supports and recognizes the efforts of K-12 schools and businesses that...

Wyoming provides statewide access to online courses.(Wyoming Department of Education)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The Wyoming Department of Education, in collaboration with the Wyoming E-Academy of Virtual Education and the Fremont County Board of Cooperative Education Services, has made Apex Learning's (www.apexlearning.com) full catalog of online courses...

Georgia district develops mobile IT inventory management solution.(Zeosoft Technology Group's Mobile AppBuilder used by Grady County Schools)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The Zeosoft Technology Group (www.zeosoft.com) announced that Grady County Schools (GA) is using its Mobile AppBuilder to develop a mobile inventory management solution to track IT inventory at all seven schools in the district. Mobile...

North Dakota signs two-year deal with Atomic Learning.(Atomic Learning's Tutorial Publishing System licensed)(North Dakota Department of Public Instruction)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction has awarded Atomic Learning (www.atomiclearning.com) a two-year contract to help improve technology integration through online training in all K-12 public schools in the state. To ensure a...

E-mail courses help sharpen student writing skills.(www.universityforwriters.com)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Providing students with the flexibility to take courses strictly by e-mail, the University for Writers has developed a Web site, www.universityforwriters.com, to help students of all ages become better writers. The courses feature one-on-one...

Brainpop offers new subscription; expands with Spanish site.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... BrainPOP (www.brainpop.com) has announced a new subscription package that combines school and home access to all of the company's animated K-12 educational movies, quizzes, and activities. The 12-month school/home access subscription is now...

Building a better assessment program: now is the time to utilize the technology we have, to create a system that encourages students to learn--rather than just pass--a test.(Washington Assessment of Student Learning)
December 1, 2005... HAVEN'T WE ALL WANTED to be governor for a day with unlimited powers? I have. But only for a day. I just want to institute two simple policies in the state of Washington that could apply to any state. To wit: 1) The state's assessment...

Plasmas: a new angle on learning: their superior images, enhanced sightlines, and diverse educational benefits have led to the soaring popularity of plasma monitors in the K-12 market.
December 1, 2005... THERE ARE NO DO-OVERS in journalism--only retractions. What's been written stays written. But if I could, I'd withdraw what I wrote a year ago in an article on plasma displays for T.H.E. Focus...

On display.(information on plasma monitors)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
December 1, 2005... Prices for plasma monitors continue to fall as rapidly as their screen sizes increase. Compare these seven school-friendly models to see which one has the features that match your needs. MAKE LG MODEL ...

School libraries go interactive: an Illinois high school library uses online forms to stay in contact with the needs and requests of students and teachers.(Downers Grove North High School)
December 1, 2005... HOW OFTEN HAVE WE SPIED that disoriented look on a parent's face as she visits the school library? She seems to be wondering, Why aren't the students hovering about the old card catalog with its neatly typed Dewey Decimal numbers on index...

Keep your program growing after the money runs out: the success of your grant application will depend in part on how effectively your project can perform post-funding.(technology funding)(Column)
December 1, 2005... IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR with the concept of project sustainability, you'd be well-served to acquaint yourself with it before applying for a US Department of Education (DOE) or foundation grant, when you'll get a quick lesson in its importance....

Keeping tech support in step with technology: maintaining a thriving, leading-edge learning environment requires a reliable base of tech support. But building that base is no easy task.(technology support)(Column)
December 1, 2005... FACED WITH THE CRITICAL task of making sure her computers are kept up and running, Christine Lorenz, technology director of St. Matthew's Parish School in Pacific Palisades, CA, was being stretched too thin. In addition to managing the...

Why blog? Will your Web log add to the world of knowledge? In 12 days of blogs, our expert demonstrates the myriad benefits this new form of communication holds for teachers, students, and parents alike.(educational blogging)(Column)
December 1, 2005... WHAT ARE WE BLOGGING ABOUT? The headline from an August 25, 2005, article in the San Francisco Chronicle says it all: "Thanks to new media, we have all become messengers but what are we saying?" Technology is allowing anyone with a...

VoIP to the rescue: faced with the challenges hampering school communications nationwide, three districts forge into the 21st century with Web-based telephony.(telecommunications)
December 1, 2005... DON'T LOOK NOW, but Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is everywhere. The technology lets users make and receive phone calls over the Internet, transporting voice traffic alongside data traffic such as instant messages (IMs) and e-mail....

Connecting for change: the second annual National Education Summit brings together education technology leaders and policymakers from across the country to discuss leadership, learning, and technology for the 21st century.
December 1, 2005... HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY in education affect the workforce and economic development? What kind of leadership will it take to align learning and technology in the 21st century? Can we bridge the gap between education reform, technology, and No Child...

Podcasting: transforming middle schoolers into 'middle scholars': an innovative seventh-grade teacher has turned her students into expert podcasters by integrating the new Apple technology into her daily curriculum.(mac educator)(Column)
December 1, 2005... WANT YOUR STUDENTS taking on--make that, volunteering for--new assignments? Then round up the following: one creative middle school teacher, an enthusiastic group of young people, and some powerful technologies from Apple Computer...

NSBA's T+[L.sup.2] Conference.
December 1, 2005... (TECHNOLOGY) SURVEY SAYS... During the 2005 T+[L.sup.2] Conference (which took place at the end of October in Denver, CO), Anne L. Bryant, executive director of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), held a press conference to reveal...

CMC South Annual Conference.
December 1, 2005... IT'S ALL IN THE NUMBERS. At the beginning of November, the California Mathematics Council (CMC, www.cmc-math.org) held the largest of its three fall conferences in Palm Springs, CA, based around the theme "Creating Mathematical Curiosity:...

Seiko Instruments USA.(new label printer)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... SEIKO INSTRUMENTS USA (www.siibusinessproducts.com) has added three new models to its line of Smart Label Printers: the SLP 410 (one-inch model), 420 (two-inch model), and 430 (two-inch, high-speed model). Each label printer, which is about the...

Adobe.(Adobe Systems Inc. enhanced Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements for Windows)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... ADOBE (www.adobe.com) has released new versions of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements for Windows users, which are now available individually or together in one package. Photoshop Elements 4.0 provides a simple way for students to...

Destiny Media Manager.(enhaced product from Follett Software Co.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... DESTINY MEDIA MANAGER the latest addition to the Destiny Resource Management Solution from Follett Software Co. (www.fsc.follett.com), enables teachers to search, reserve, and track materials from a browser-based system that assigns a bar code...

Launchpad.(ClassLink Inc.'s ClassLink System 2000 suite)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... LAUNCHPAD, one of three components of the ClassLink System 2000 suite from ClassLink Inc. (www.Classlink2000.com), is an easy-to-use electronic gateway where teachers and students can access their individualized software applications and...

Taking interactive learning.(product::FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(LeapFrog L.L.C. introduced educational software)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... TAKING INTERACTIVE LEARNING to the next level, the innovative Fly pentop computer from LeapFrog (www.leapfrog.com) is an affordable, portable, personal learning tool that provides real-time audio feedback to students as they touch, write, or...

You can believe.(product::FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(PLUS Vision Corp. introduced projector called V339 DLP)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... YOU CAN BELEIVE PLUS Vision Corp. of America's (www.plus-america.com) claim that its new V339 DLP projector is "two projectors in one." The company's patent-pending Dual Color Mode technology actually provides educators with two color-wheel...

Driving high-tech assessment: solutions for providing quality assessments and data to educators and the community top the list for this Maryland deputy superintendent.(wishlist shortlist)
December 1, 2005... John Q. Porter is deputy superintendent of Strategic Technologies and Accountability for Montgomery County Public Schools in Rockville, MD. The district, located northwest of Washington, DC, has a diverse student population of more than 140,000...