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

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

Vex debuts 2008-2009 Robotics competition for middle, high schools.(what's online)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Innovation First is launching a new Vex Robotics game for high schools and middle schools for the 2008-2009 school year. Dubbed "Elevation," the new competition tests students' robot-building skills and pits them in team challenges in which...

Green survey: are schools geared up for energy reduction?(RESEARCH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Information technology leaders in K-12 schools are more concerned about energy issues than their counterparts in every other sector. But they also feel less equipped to effect measures that would reduce energy consumption and energy costs,...

E-mail security: trends and best practices.(ON-DEMAND WEBCASTS)
September 1, 2008... An overview of current and future security trends, plus the benefits of implementing a gateway e-mail security solution.

Unwired infrastructure: implementing next-gen WiFi at your school.(ON-DEMAND WEBCASTS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Experiencing spotty coverage, erratic performance, dropped connections, or worse? Recent advances in WiFi technology have now made it possible for schools to implement a high-end wireless LAN without going broke.

Data breach uncovered a year after it happened.(HOT TOPICS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... A school district in Tennessee found itself scrambling to communicate with the parents of several thousand students after one student discovered that a security incident had occurred nearly a year earlier, but had never been reported to the...

Kindergarten goes virtual.(HOT TOPICS)(Rose Tree Media School District )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Rose Tree Media School District in Pennsylvania will be continuing its Virtual Kindergarten program this year at one of its elementary schools after piloting it during 2007-2008. The program uses Wimba Classroom, a suite of virtual classroom...

2009 Teach Award K-12 grants open.(HOT TOPICS)
September 1, 2008... Nominations for the 2009 Best Buy Teach Awards are now open. The program will award $2 million in K-12 grants this year for the use of technology in ways that engage students in the classroom and help keep those students in school,...

Ocean Springs School District adopts hosted document management.(CASE STUDY)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Ocean Springs School District in Mississippi is moving its data center to a hosted environment. The district recently announced that it has adopted the ImageNow hosted enterprise document management system from Perceptive Software in an effort...

Online and on board: web-based publishing has one sure advantage over its ink-dwelling counterpart.(our::SPACE)
September 1, 2008... JIM HIRSCH MAY need some convincing of this, but God bless online content. In a recent article on data-driven decision-making, we mistakenly elevated Mr. Hirsch to the summit of his profession, identifying him as a school superintendent. (Cut...

Getting beyond us vs. them: our recent conference reveals the common ground K-12 and higher ed share in the effort to bring technology into learning.(commentary)
September 1, 2008... AT CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY 2008, the annual conference hosted by our sister publication, Campus Technology, hope flared in my educator heart for technology's use in higher education and K-12, which both struggle at integrating technology into...

Keynotes.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... "We can set all of the acceptable use policies in the world, but as soon as the bell rings at 3:05, these kids go home and get online."--Mike Ribble, technology director, on the need to get parents involved in developing their children into...

Tech::watch: this issue's ups and downs.(keynotes)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [up arrow] ULTRAPORTABLES: HP Mini-Note's keyboard built at 92 percent of standard size to suit small hands. Third-grader Johnny "Meat Hooks" Mendelson forced to make due with conventional model. [up arrow] COMMUNITY COLLEGES: Serving as...

Netiquette.(go look it up)
September 1, 2008... A general term describing responsible behavior in online forums.

Congress gives okay to new tech research center.(in::brief: Technology + Online + Industry + Partnerships)(National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... AS PART OF THE LATEST reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which sets the provisions of the major federal student aid programs, Congress has approved the creation of a new research facility: the National Center for Research in Advanced...

Are changes coming to E-Rate? The FCC puts out a call for feedback on proposed alterations to the federally funded telecommunications program.(in::brief: Technology + Online + Industry + Partnerships)
September 1, 2008... MAJOR CHANGES may be coming to the federal E-Rate program as soon as the 2009-2010 school year, and educators and other stakeholders can have a say in whether or not those changes occur. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC;...

ILC 2008 preregistration still open.(Industry News)
September 1, 2008... Discover new, creative ways to advance student achievement at the Innovative Learning Conference 2008 (www.ilc2008.org), taking place Oct. 14-16 in San Jose, CA. To receive a discount on the conference registration fee, you must preregister by...

TeleParent, CABE announce study.(Industry News)(TeleParent Educational Systems and California Association for Bilingual Education)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... TeleParent Educational Systems (www.teleparent.net), a provider of multi-lingual school-to-home communication solutions, and the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE; www.bilingualeducation.org) have announced a collaborative...

The grow network sponsors leadership board.(Industry News)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The Grow Network (http://info.grow.net), a division of McGraw-Hill Assessment and Reporting, has created a board that advocates academic success through parental involvement. The Parent Engagement Leadership Board comprises family and...

PBwiki launches Web 2.0 challenge.(Awards and Contests)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... More than 100,000 teachers and librarians can win educational prizes by entering the Back to School Challenge sponsored by Web 2.0 collaboration host PBwiki (http://pbwiki.com). To participate in the challenge, educators simply need to log on...

Vernier, NSTA seek innovative science teachers.(Awards and Contests)(Vernier Software & Technology and National Science Teachers Association)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Vernier Software & Technology (www.vernier.com), an innovator of data collection technology, and the National Science Teachers Association (www.nsta.org) are teaming up to present the Vernier/NSTA Technology Awards to the most resourceful K-16...

Correction.(Correction notice)
September 1, 2008... In our August article "Make It Work," Scott Weston of Funds for Learning was incorrectly quoted. The amount of money available for the E-Rate program has remained at $2.25 billion a year since 1997, as Weston also notes on page 16, not a...

Small device, big appeal: ultrahandy, ultramobile, and ultra-low-cost, miniature PCs may one day unseat conventional laptops as the machine of choice for 1-to-1 programs.(1-to-1 computing)(Fresno Unified School District)
September 1, 2008... LAST YEAR, the Fresno Unified School District undertook a pilot program to put Asus (www.asus.com) Eee PCs in the hands of students in four classrooms at each of 16 of its schools, at a ratio of one laptop for every two kids. With 7-inch...

From gathering information to taking action: four new projects herald the bold next phase of our Congress on the Future of Content.(policy and advocacy)
September 1, 2008... I SEEM LATELY to be suffering from a bout of what I call the "Volkswagen Bus syndrome." The name dates back to the time I bought a Volkswagen Bus, and soon after began to notice that every other driver on the road seemed to own one as well. It...

Designs on the future: hired to create websites for local businesses, high school students are building up their online portfolios while gaining a glimpse of the world that awaits them. (e-learning).
September 1, 2008... AT MANY SCHOOLS, THE SCOPE of the technology program is too limited to showcase the full extent of students' tech savvy. Solution? Simply widen the boundaries: Take the program out past the restraints of the classroom, the firewall, and the...

A pathway to achievement: an innovative IT skills program is laying students a trail between high school, higher education, and ultimately, the job market.(higher education)
September 1, 2008... CLINT JOHNS, TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR and teacher at Irvington High School in Fremont, CA, is determined to create what he calls "seamless pathways" between his school's students and both the modern job market and the demands of higher education....

Making, a comeback: lacking the resources companies have to protect their data in the event of disruptions, K-12 technology directors are devising their own backup solutions.(disaster recovery)
September 1, 2008... YOU'RE AN IT ADMINISTRATOR. When it comes to disaster recovery planning, you know the drill. Back up everything. Store records in a separate location. Install redundant systems. Trouble is, you're in charge of a K-12 school district, and you...

Text unto others ... as you would have them text unto you: schools can teach basic principles of good citizenship to help shape students' behavior in the virtual world.(digital citizenship)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Define digital citizenship. It's nothing anyone would have thought necessary to do only a decade ago, but the concept of citizenship no longer exists only within the realm of the physical world. With K-12...

Lego education.(product::Focus: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LEGO EDUCATION announces the WeDo, a new product that makes it possible for students ages 7 through 11 to build creative thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. With WeDo, teachers can create curriculum-based...

Serif.(product::Focus: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... SERIF has bundled together its four leading applications with free teacher resources in the company's new Design Suite. The package includes PagePlus X3, WebPlus X2, PhotoPlus X2, and DrawPlus X2--powerful, easy-to-use design tools that help...

Microsoft.(product::Focus: The latest releases, services, and new product versions)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MICROSOFT Office 2008 for Mac: Home and Student Edition has simplified creating and sharing documents with Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Entourage. With this updated suite of software, students and teachers can easily...

What is most important to you in a learning management system?(extracurricular: For technologists who do their homework)(Statistical table)
September 1, 2008... HIGHLIGHTS: * MOST IMPORTANT TEACHER-ORIENTED FUNCTION: PROVIDING ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIATION SOLUTIONS * MOST IMPORTANT STUDENT-ORIENTED FUNCTION: PROVIDING RICH CONTENT FROM MANY SOURCES TEACHER-ORIENTED FUNCTIONS: ...