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

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

Education technology spending to top $56 billion by 2012.(what's ONLINE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the United States, IT spending in education will reach $47.7 billion by the end of this year and is expected to top $56 billion by 2012, according to a new report from Compass Intelligence, an IT consultancy and...

CafeMom launches $10 million schools initiative.(HOT TOPICS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... CafeMom, an online community site for moms, is enlisting parents in an initiative to donate up to $10 million to support schools nationwide and, presumably, increase its own web traffic. CafeMom has created 100,000 school groups so that K-12...

$96,000 system checks for sex offenders at New Orleans schools.(HOT TOPICS)(St. Tammany Parish Public School System )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... After a two-year pilot, St. Tammany Parish Public School System near New Orleans will be implementing new ID scanners to check visitors against the National Sex Offender Public Registry. The system, put together by ID Group in Jackson, MS,...

IBM releases virtual storage optimizer.(HOT TOPICS)(International Business Machines Corp.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... IBM has unveiled a new storage solution designed to help organizations take advantage of cloud computing technology in order to significantly reduce their virtual desktop infrastructure storage needs. www.thejournal.com/ articles/23307

Trussville City Schools regains control of its network.(CASE STUDY)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... If you were designing a new school district network, what forms of security would you implement? That was the challenge faced by Shawn Nutting, director of technology for Trussville City Schools in Alabama. Three years ago, Trussville became an...

DoE funds video game research for middle School science.(RESEARCH)(Department of Education )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The US Department of Education has awarded $9.2 million to the Education Development Center. a nonprofit education research organization, to study how video games can be used in middle school science instruction in the classroom,...

Education decisions: looking for strong research and better implementations.(OPINION)
October 1, 2008... In the second half of this series, find guidance on what to look for in a research report, tips on how to read a study, and resources for research and interventions that work or are promising. What is strong research? How do you know if...

First look: Adobe Creative Suite 4.(RESOURCES)(Adobe Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Adobe recently debuted Creative Suite 4, with all-new versions of its major development, design, publishing, and video/motion graphics applications, along with new and modified pricing and licensing schemes for both K-12 and post-secondary...

President ed tech: following a rough ride with the Bush administration, only one candidate offers the policies and vision that can reinvigorate our industry and help our students gain a foothold on the future.(commentary)
October 1, 2008... BARACK OBAMA for president. I say this with equal parts gravity and enthusiasm, and after a great amount of consideration. It's certainly not something I am in the practice of doing. In my long tenure at T.H.E. Journal, I have aggressively...

Keynotes.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... "People need to realize that the day of the open campus is changing." --Allan Measom. CEO of Raptor Technologies. on the need for the use of a visitor monitoring system on K-12 campuses like the one his company created (S6) [ILLUSTRATION...

Tech::watch: this issue's ups and downs.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [up arrow] WEB-BASED DATA RETENTION: Student storage device ushers in new incomplete-homework excuse: My dog ate my digital drop box. [up arrow] COLLABORATIVE LEARNING: Students dress up like businesspeople as part of marketing project....

Seeing the 'Green' Light: a new essay competition asks secondary students to describe how schools can best use technology to preserve the environment.(in::brief: Technology + Online + Industry + Partnerships)
October 1, 2008... WITH TECHNOLOGY and the environment increasingly at the forefront of global discussion, PC Mall Gov (www.pcmallgov.com) is giving middle and high school students an opportunity to examine how one can be used to make a positive impact on the...

SETDA offers tips for stem teaching.(in::brief: Technology + Online + Industry + Partnership)(State Educational Technology Directors Association )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... THE STATE EDUCATIONAL Technology Directors Association (SETDA; www.setda.org) recently released a report titled "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics," which addresses the need to provide all children with rigorous instruction in...

Spectrum K12 hosts RTI webinar series.(Industry News)
October 1, 2008... Spectrum K12 School Solutions (www.spectrumk12.com) is hosting the "Architecting Success: Manage RtI and Student Achievement" Exceed/Response to Intervention webinar series for K-12 educators who want to improve student achievement through...

STR loans microscope kits to schools.(Industry News)(School Technology Resources)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... School Technology Resources (www.schooltr.com) has launched a program to provide free loaner microscope kits to science teachers, including free shipping of the kits to and from anywhere in the US. The loan program coincides with the...

Teachscape offers free PD modules.(Industry News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... By joining the Module of the Month Club, teachers can explore the online professional development resources found in the Teachscape XL web-based PD platform. After signing up for the club on www.teachscape.com, teachers will have access to a...

Classroom makeover video contest launches.(Awards and Contests)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... AVerMedia (www.avermedia-usa.com) has teamed up with eInstruction (www.einstruction.com) to bring the second annual Interactive Classroom Makeover Video Contest to K-12 schools. Participating classes must produce a short music video parodying a...

Update: Vernier/NSTA award deadline extended.(Awards and Contests)(National Science Teachers Association)
October 1, 2008... Vernier Software & Technology (www.vernier.com) and the National Science Teachers Association (www.nsta.org) have extended the submission deadline for the Vernier/NSTA Technology Awards to Nov. 30. The awards, which comprise $1,000 in cash,...

BlueJ or bust! Can a learning environment that simplifies the teaching of programming skills help restore America's dwindling population of computer scientists?(open source)
October 1, 2008... "COMPUTING, IN HIGH SCHOOL, is perceived as a very boring, nerdy activity," Michael Kolling says. "Before a computing teacher even begins speaking, three-quarters of his students have already decided they're not interested." That knee-jerk...

Making history: creating podcasts out of actual World War II-era events offers one example of a collaborative project that is propelling students out of their textbooks and into the real world.(project-based learning)
October 1, 2008... Jennifer Dorman was in a fix. Teaching ninth-grade US history at Holicong Middle School in Doylestown, PA, Dorman wanted to tap into her students' interest in creating "'something of value," she says, "not just for their teachers, but something...

A tight squeeze: as government regulations mandate the long-term retention of districts' rising volume of information, K-12 IT directors are using new storage tools to put their data in its place.(data storage)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE STORAGE NETWORKING Industry Association (SNIA) doesn't mince words when describing the looming data storage problem. In its 2007 report, "Solving the Coming Archive Crisis--the 100-Year Dilemma," the trade...

Curriculum Associates.(product::FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES introduces three new titles in the Let's Go Learn DORA (Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment) and DOMA (Diagnostic Online Math Assessment) lines. DORA Spanish/EDELL allows teachers to assess...

Vivitek.(product::FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)
October 1, 2008... VIVITEK is now shipping its D732MX, a projector designed for maximum portability. The unit has a built-in carrying handle, weighs only 7.3 pounds, and is equipped with a Turbo-Charge Light Engine feature that allows the user to add up to 130...

LearningStation.(product::FOCUS: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LEARNINGSTATION LS Test Builder provides an intuitive online environment for educators to create, deliver, and assess standards-based formative practice tests to help students prepare for state-mandated assessments....

FETC 2009: January 21-24, 2009: Orange County Convention Center: Orlando, FL: www.fetc.org.
October 1, 2008... The Most Comprehensive, Progressive K-12 Education Technology Conference in the Nation? Attend and enjoy: * More than 200 concurrent sessions * 70-plus workshops in a variety of formats to meet individual needs * Conference...

Extracurricular: for technologists who do their homework.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Projecting the Growth of Internet Bandwidth In consecutive America's Digital Schools surveys, tech directors predicted increases in the amount of bandwidth schools will need in future years. ADS' research team foresees an even greater...

Converge your resources: linking physical security and cyber security methods can maximize a district's safety efforts.(COMMENTARY)
October 1, 2008... TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES a prime example of a paradox. It can solve, or at least alleviate, many K-12 security problems, yet it causes many as well. On the plus side, we no longer hear debates at school board meetings as to whether a gas-powered or...

Can I come in? New access-control devices are an important addition to the sophisticated work that one Texas school district is doing to protect its students.(SAFER SCHOOLS)
October 1, 2008... TWENTY MILES NORTH of Houston, Alan Bragg keeps watch over the Spring Independent School District. "Spring ISD began its own police force 18 years ago," says Bragg, who has served as the district's chief of police since the force's...

More is more: no one solution can defend K-12 computer networks against the proliferation of digital threats. A multilayered strategy that addresses cyber safety on many fronts is a district's best hope.(SAFER SCHOOLS)
October 1, 2008... WHAT DO K-12 SECURITY threats have in common with chilly temperatures? The best defense against them is layers. "There is no one silver bullet," says Randy Abrams, director of technical education at ESET, a producer of anti-malware...

A buyer's market: there's no shortage of hardware solutions offering schools the latest advancements in surveillance, control, and security.(SAFER SCHOOLS)(Product/service evaluation)
October 1, 2008... TOSHIBA IK-WDO1A (www.toshibasecurity.com) The Toshiba IK-WDO1A is an IP camera housed in a compact white dome that measures 5 1/2 inches in diameter. The camera's discreet appearance allows it to blend into the decor of schools and...