T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) articles from March 2006

T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) archives from March 2006

The importance of knowing what's important: separating what matters from what doesn't has become an integral part of the information age.(editor's NOTE)
March 1, 2006... HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE your e-mail? Your answer may provide you with insight into a larger question: What's important? And when examining any new or existing scene, how do you evaluate the data to know what the important elements are? We are a...

A logic deficit: it's hard to make sense out of the president's proposal to eliminate a key technology program.
March 1, 2006... I DON'T GET IT, and all of us in educational technology should be flat sick over it. No, I'm not referring to President Bush's entire 2006 education budget--I could be, but I'm not. Nor am I referring to the lack of logic in a budget that: ...

Event calendar.
March 1, 2006... March 2006 MAR 20-22 BookTech Conference & Expo New York, NY www.booktechexpo.com MAR 22-25 Alliance for Distance Education in California ADEC's Summit XVII Pasadena, CA www.adec-cal.org MAR 31-APR...

FETC 2006 to target 21st-century learning: ed-tech industry set to convene for major annual conference.(florida educational technology conference)
March 1, 2006... THE FLORIDA EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE (FETC; www.fetc.org) 2006 kicks off its 26th year with a promising lineup of professional development workshops targeting 21st-century skills, and will feature more than 200 sessions focusing on...

Software enables after-school program tracking.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Numerous after-school programs in Louisville, KY, are using the KidTrax ID-card scanning and reporting system from nFocus Software (www.nfocus.com) to assist educators in determining a program's effect on school performance. The intent is to...

Girls on technology: a study brings video games into the classroom to address the persistent digital gender gap.
March 1, 2006... The digital divide most often at issue is the one that separates schools with technology from schools without. But there is a second technological chasm that warrants the same attention: the one between girls and boys. The numbers are striking:...

Lodestar Learning launches new showcase awards.(Awards & Contests)
March 1, 2006... In December, LodeStar Learning (www.lodestarlearning.com) will award its first Showcase Awards at the TIES Educational Technology Conference (www.ties.k12.mn.us) in Minneapolis. The awards are intended to create an exchange of learning...

Design contest winners announced.(Awards & Contests)
March 1, 2006... Quark Inc. (www.quark.com) has announced the results of a graphic design contest it sponsored for students attending the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu). The competition was a chance for students to showcase their creative ideas and...

Massachusetts DOE selects Videre.(District-Vendor Partnerships)(Department of Education)(Videre Conferencing)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Videre Conferencing (www.videreconferencing.com) has been awarded a blanket contract by the Massachusetts Department of Education's prime contractor, City Lights Electrical Co. Inc. (www.citylightselectrical.com), to provide videoconferencing...

New site focuses on rich media content.(Industry News)(Mediasite.com)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Sonic Foundry Inc. (www.sonicfoundry.com) has launched Mediasite.com, a searchable Web site focused exclusively on offering expert information in full rich media, video, audio, and graphics. Thousands of hours of high-quality content and...

LearningWare adds regional consultants.(Industry News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Educational software provider LearningWare (www.learning-ware.com) has appointed eight educational consultants to serve the needs of their respective regional K-12 education markets. While the company has been in business for more than 10...

Learning system targets pre-K students.(Industry News)(Robert-Leslie Publishing)(InvestiGator Club Prekindergarten Learning System)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Robert-Leslie Publishing (www.robert-leslie.com) has introduced the InvestiGator Club Prekindergarten Learning System (www.investigator-club.com), a comprehensive system of instruction, teacher support, and materials for the pre-K classroom. It...

Instructional technology program for administrators.(Online Education News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... An 18-credit online graduate certificate program in School Administration and Supervision will be made available to school administrators this rail through Johns Hopkins University (education.jhu.edu/iste-admin), in collaboration with the...

A laptop for every ... teacher! Florida's governor unveils a different kind of 1-to-1 computing program.(policy & advocacy)
March 1, 2006... "In the event of an emergency, an oxygen mask will drop down. If you are seated next to a child, put the mask on yourself first, then assist the child." FOR YEARS I have been ranting that this is exactly what we have not done in technology...

A mobile cause: incorporating handhelds into the classroom means first having to address a few key challenges.(handheld devices)
March 1, 2006... YOU'VE HEARD THE SPIN: Handhelds increase motivation, encourage networking, are portable, and can cost-effectively improve test scores. But implementing a handheld project can be problematic, especially if you're starting from scratch. What...

Meta-analysis challenges and opportunities: tech funding surveys reveal some familiar concerns, and in response to recent budget-cutting trends, an urgent call for leadership to forge partnerships.(technology funding)
March 1, 2006... NUMEROUS RESEARCH PROJECTS and education surveys confirm what educators know from experience: Keeping up with technology to meet the needs of curriculum and administrative information systems continues to be one of the most difficult challenges...

When disaster strikes: will your network pull through? Switching to wireless broadband is essential to a quick recovery.(technology support)
March 1, 2006... THE DESTRUCTION WROUGHT by Hurricane Katrina only weeks before Hurricane Rita was set to strike put the Nederland Independent School District on heightened alert. A southeast Texas district that supports about 5,000 students across eight...

in pod we trust: beloved by students worldwide, the ubiquitous little MP3 player is becoming a presence in the classroom as teachers discover its many educational uses.(academic MP3s)
March 1, 2006... A SECOND-GRADER at Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, NE, is the speaker in a podcast titled Respect Rocks!. His segment of Radio WillowWeb is freely available worldwide through Apple's iTunes (www.apple.com). Respect is one of the Six...

Using data to support school reform: new technologies have made data gathering easier than ever. Educators now must confront one big question: How can the data be used to improve student achievement?(ISKME Special Series: Part 2)
March 1, 2006... IN A TIME OF WIDENING achievement gaps, accountability mandates, decreased budgets, and high turnover of school leaders, K-12 educators have grown determined to substantiate their decision-making with hard data. This new attention to data...

25 tools, technologies, and best practices: discover how your district, school, or classroom can engage in meaningful, real-world learning experiences.(project-based learning)
March 1, 2006... PROJECT-BASED LEARNING is a great way to immerse students in a fun, rich, and challenging learning environment. Based on real-life learning simulations, PBL is appropriate for all ages and multiple intelligences. Critical thinking, goal...

Can generation M learn its ABCs? From resistance to acceptance to integration: the ultimate education struggle for the 21st century, played out in one teacher's grudging embrace of new technologies.(SCHOOL perspective)
March 1, 2006... ONE PURPOSE OF the Kaiser Family Foundation March 2005 report "Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-olds" (www.kff.org/entmedia) was to help spur a national dialog on the role that media play in the lives of our children. Consider...

Alienware.(product FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(Alienware Sentia m3400)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... ALIENWARE's new Alienware Sentia m3400 notebook features a 14-inch widescreen LCD, Intel Centrino mobile technology, and a built-in Webcam. Its highly portable, 4.5-pound design supplies over 3.5 hours of battery life. ClearView technology...

GTCO Calcomp Inc.(product FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(student response system)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... GTCO CALCOMP INC. announces the arrival of InterWrite PRS RF, the latest radio-frequency version of its award-winning student response system, InterWrite PRS, The new unit features a two-line LCD display that lets students see their answers and...

Scantron.(product FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... SCANTRON has released Clarity 120, a hybrid data-collection scanner that captures mark-sense data and document images in a single pass. The unit is available in an image-only model or bundled with Scantron Intelligent Mark Recognition (SIMR)...

Aequus Technologies Corp.(product FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(AspireReader 4.0)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... AEQUUS TECHNOLOGIES CORP., in a partnership with the nonprofit educational research organization CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology; www.cast.org), has released AspireReader 4.0. The software contains accessibility tools for improving...

WorldVibrations.(product FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(WorldVibrations Radio Station & Podcaster)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... WORLDVIBRATIONS has introduced a device that integrates, in a single appliance, Internet and/or conventional broadcasting with podcasting. The WorldVibrations Radio Station & Podcaster combines the functions of a fully automated radio station...

AT Kidsystems.(product FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(Cosmo's Learning Systems)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... AT KIDSYSTEMS has launched its inaugural product line, Cosmo's Learning Systems, which features Mission Control and Cosmo's Play and Learn software. The software is designed to support the educational and rehabilitative goals of children...

Data storage: products for schools: a Sacramento County technology director understands what it takes to keep a district's data in great shape.(wishlist: shortlist)(Column)
March 1, 2006... JOHN FLEISCHMAN is a nationally recognized authority on the use of instructional technology. He has extensive experience implementing and creating informational and instructional media for use in educational environments. Director of Technology...