Curriculum Administrator articles from July 2001

Curriculum Administrator archives from July 2001

Where do you want to go next year? (Editor's letter).
July 1, 2001... Welcome to July. It's the time of year for vacations, fireworks and, also, some long-range planning. In our first Technology in Education issue, we give you plenty of ideas to ponder, from the latest technology statistics to case studies of...

AOL@SCHOOL inks a deal with the Pennsylvania school system. (technology Update).
July 1, 2001... Looking to further its reach into states, AOL@SCHOOL--the free online educational resource for schools--recently signed a deal with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to make its online program available to all of the state's K-12...

Parents in Washington State can use the Internet to track their children's whereabouts. (technology Update).
July 1, 2001... Continuing with the national theme of more accountability in K-12 education, several schools in Washington State are using new computer programs to allow parents to check the Internet on a daily basis to see if their children are in school. In...

New group starts with promise of technological advancements for education. (Technology Update).
July 1, 2001... A new group that is looking at cutting-edge technological applications for the K-12 arena is hoping to have its first innovation well into the testing phase this month. The West Virginia-based Institute for the Advancement of Emerging...

South Dakota developing comprehensive online tests for students. (Technology Update).
July 1, 2001... Looking to capitalize on the new technology the state has purchased for schools in the past few years, education officials in South Dakota had begun developing an online suite of tests in core subjects. The state's Education Secretary Ray...

Student accused of hacking into computer to steal tests. (Technology Update).
July 1, 2001... A 17-year-old Charleston, S.C., student was arrested on a charge of second-degree computer crime for allegedly hacking into his high school's computer system to steal tests, according to authorities. Allegedly using a program that allowed...

Riverdeep and IBM form K-12 marketing alliance. (Technology Update).
July 1, 2001... Looking to jump back into the instructional content business, computer manufacturer and services provider IBM has signed an alliance agreement with educational software developer Riverdeep for the two to co-market each other's products in the...

Lightspan increases presence in Colorado district. (Technology Update).
July 1, 2001... K-8 education software and Internet publisher Lightspan recently inked a three-year, $900,000 extension to its existing contract with the Adams County School District 50 in Westminister, Colo., that expands the company's reach into the...

Mouse clicks to cat swipes: new technologies help link traditional classroom media to relevant Web content. (the online edge).
July 1, 2001... Suppose the students in your school could go directly from textbook topics to interactive multimedia on the Web that would enrich and extend that content. Texts would then come alive through animations, simulations, film clips, sound bites,...

Me and Mr. Jones: the story of a boy's academic pursuits in New Jersey and education's lack of progress since then. (Speaking Out).
July 1, 2001... I recently received a sad e-mail informing me that Paul Jones, my first and only computing programming teacher, had passed away. Mr. Jones taught at Schuyler Colfax Junior High School in Wayne, N.J., for 37 years. If a monument to honor great...

Balancing act: this superintendent leads his New Hampshire school district by getting the most out of technology and the arts. (profile).
July 1, 2001... Raymond Yeagley knew at a young age he wanted to reach music. He saw himself conducting school orchestras and choirs, but his real talent turned out to be conducting school systems. As a professional musician, he was average, he says. As an...

Mega instillation: with 23,00 new laptops in hand, the Henrico, Virginia, district has big plans for going paperless. (District profile).
July 1, 2001... During the first half of May, Time magazine, The New York Times, PBS, CNBC, Associated Press, Newsweek and USA Today, among some 30 other national media outlets--not to mention more than 50 school systems and 100 technology vendors--contacted...

Inspiration & practicalities: back-to-school planning: are your tech tools up to task? Take a look at how this California district is providing high-speed Internet access to the community and then decide what your district needs and how to get it.
July 1, 2001... It's warm in the summer sun and the icy lemonade is sweet yet bracing. Gradually, your mind begins to drift: "Should I upgrade to Mac OS X?" "Just what is Microsoft's new XP software all about?" "Wireless networking sure has gotten cheaper;...

Not your father's operating system.
July 1, 2001... Deciding to switch operating systems is a hard choice when made personally, but when pulling the trigger for an entire school district, the decision becomes even dicier. Windows XP, Office XP and Apple's Mac OS X, all tantalize, but there's...

Speaking his mind: six years after saying every child should have a laptop computer, Newt Gingrich is still trying to show how technology can improve education--and he's still trying to get laptops for all.
July 1, 2001... Newt Gingrich is many things to different people. But for those who haven't heard of the former Speaker of the House much since he left the House of Representatives in 1999, they may be in for a surprise. Gingrich is still very active--he's...

Wide open spaces: considered to be some of the country's final frontiers, Alaska, South Dakota and Wyoming are making their mark as technology pioneers.
July 1, 2001... Society today is a digital world, with computers and the Internet playing an increasingly important role in the lives of children, both at home and at school. No longer is the question whether technology belongs in their lives, but rather how...

Charting the technology explosion.
July 1, 2001... In 1994, a challenge was brought to the nation's educators: Connect all of your schools to the Internet by the year 2000. Now that virtually everyone has met this challenge, the focus is on integrating technology into the daily lives of...

Platform wars: Windows, Mac OS and Linux: when it comes to operating systems, schools need to make smart decisions to keep their computers running smoothly.
July 1, 2001... Some days, a school district can feel like a battlefield. There are skirmishes on the playground and disputes in the staff room. At the end of it all, the last thing an administrator wants is to get involved in an even more frustrating battle:...

Technology round up: here is a guide to the hottest technology products being used in schools today--complete with purchasing tips to help bring the best gear into your school.
July 1, 2001... Can less really be more? When it comes to technology purchases for schools, stretching the funding dollar doesn't necessarily mean having staff and students miss out. In fact, even school districts that stay just behind the cutting edge can...

Student-tailored research: kid friendly search tools, references and resources make student research and homework a breeze.
July 1, 2001... ASK JEEVES FOR KIDS ajkids.com This is the student version of the popular Ask Jeeves (www.aj.com) question-asking service, which allows users to ask questions in complete sentences, such as "Why doesn't a spider get stuck in its own web?"...

Office XP strives to make computing an experience. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... One of the first things you may notice about the latest version of Microsoft Office is what--or who--isn't there. Clippy, the ever-cheerful paperclip character who for the past four years has popped up automatically to offer assistance, has...

New versions of Acrobat and Photoshop. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Adobe, www.adobe.com, Software, $249 and $99 Two new releases from Adobe can help your school create a better Web site and other materials. Adobe Acrobat 5.0 allows users to work more efficiently as individuals and with teams, by...

Toast of the town. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Roxio, www.roxio.com, Software, $89.95 Toast 5 Titanium, the newest of Roxio's CD-recording software programs, is now available to Macintosh users. This CD and DVD mastering system allows users to create, store and share digital content and...

The George foreman of math. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Boxer Learning Inc., www. boxerlearning.com, Internet, $10-25 per student/year There's a new addition to the BoxerMath's online course offerings. The company's first early education product, BoxerMath: Fundamental Math introduces basic...

AppleWorks 6.1 educators edition. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Apple, www.apple.com, Software, $39 (single user) Designed for schools, AppleWorks 6.1 integrates six core capabilities--word processing, page layout, painting, spreadsheet, database and presentations. This classroom tool provides the...

One-stop multimedia content. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... AccuNet, AP Multimedia Archive, www.ap.accuweather.com, Internet, Pricing varies The AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive is now using the Internet to bring its extensive online collection of copyrighted materials to students and educators. The...

The basics of CADD from the ground up. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Mailmax Publishing, www. caddprimer.com, Book, $23.50 The new publication CADD Primer is an introduction to the field of computer-aided drafting and design for beginners. While its target student is someone with little computer...

Track discipline problems. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Hayes Software Systems, www.hayessoft.com, Software, $265 per campus Pupil Safe (formerly called School Discipline System) gives school administrators the tools to monitor student misbehavior and track specific incidents and trends. ...

Classroom technology projects. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Tech Directions Books, www. techdirections.com, Book, $14.36/Teacher's Guide $2.40 More Technology Projects for the Classroom is for secondary-level students in technology and science courses. Its 19 hands-on projects use readily...

Affordable flat-panel monitor. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... SyncMaster 570vTFT, Samsung, www.samsungmonitor.com, Hardware, $599.99 Samsung has announced a new flat-panel monitor that saves space and electricity at an affordable price. The 15" screen includes a four-stage power management...

Keeping computers safe and secure. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Fortres Grand, www.fortres.com, from $19 (single) to $595 (site) From the Fortres Grand Corp. comes a slate of computer software programs designed to protect, monitor and maintain computer files, programs and systems. Fortres 101...

Web-footed friends now online. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... RockHill Communications, www.rockhillcommunications.com, Internet, $495/year (for schools with less than 1,000 students) Formerly available only in print, Web Feet is now a subject guide to the Internet for libraries, middle schools and...

Extra help, in a box. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Brainchild, www.brainchild.com, $199.99 per unit, $39.99 per cartridge (classroom packages available at discount) A new portable computer device, PLS-1000, has been designed for use in Title I and special education programs, as well as for...

Drawing on creativity. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... The Learning Company, www.learningcompanyschool.com, Software, $59.95 individual package; $159.95 Lab Pack (6); Network version $600 KidPix Deluxe 3 is a painting and drawing program that lets kids combine sounds, graphics and special...

Easy access to research. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... SIRS.com, www.sirs.com, Software, $300 to $1,350/year SIRS NetSelect is integrated into SIRS Knowledge Source, an online interface for access to the reference databases SIRS Researcher, SIRS Government Reports and SIRS Renaissance. The...

Flash cards go electronic. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... Texas Instruments, www. education.ti.com, Software, Free With the StudyCards Creator learning tool, students and teachers can create electronic flashcards for Texas Instruments' handheld graphing units, including the TI-83 Plus and the...

Protecting laptops with Fort Knox. (New products: tools for schools).
July 1, 2001... AnchorPad International, www. anchorpad.com, Storage, $1,195 This large steel cabinet, called AnchorPad Fort Knox On Wheels, allows up to 20 laptop computers to be stored on adjustable shelves and moved easily between locations. Equipped...

Calendar of events.
July 1, 2001... JULY 2001 JULY 16-21 Fourth Annual National Principals Leadership Institute, Fordham University and the Chase Manhattan Foundation New York, NY www.fordham.edu/gse/programs npli.htm JULY 24-26 Education Technology...

A look back, a look ahead: computers have come a long way; what about the curriculum? (understanding the times).
July 1, 2001... I feel old. Microcomputers have been in schools for more than 20 years, and I was there at the beginning. In my rookie year as a teacher, I became the keeper of my school's first computer--a souped up TRS-80 with a whopping 32K of memory...