Families crowded around black-and-white television sets in 1969 to watch Neil Armstrong take man's first steps on the moon. Now, they'll be able to watch the Apollo 11 mission recreated in real time on the web, follow Twitter feeds of transmissions between Mission Control and the spacecraft, and even get an eMail alert when the lunar module touches down. Key words: Apollo 11, JFK Library, lunar module

A new analysis of existing online-learning research by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) reveals that students who took all or part of their class on line performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction. Key words: Arne Duncan, President Obama, Department of Education, online learning, education research, education, technology

The economic recession doesn't seem to have dampened enthusiasm for the 2009 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, D.C.: At a time when tight school budgets have left little room for travel expenses, conference organizers report that a record 18,000-plus educators and exhibitors converged on the nation's capital June 28 through July 1 to share strategies and success stories for integrating technology effectively into instruction. Key words: NECC 2009, Malcolm Gladwell, storm the hill, education, technology, national educational computing conference

A free online learning program from Microsoft is helping middle and high school students think about careers they might like to pursue and the skills necessary to attain those careers. Key words: 21st century skills, U.S. competitiveness, CareerForward, Microsoft, education, technology

Some influential members of the Democratic party want to give electronic reading devices to every student in the country, reports the New York Times.

The fight over school curriculum in Texas -- recently focused on biology -- has entered a new arena, reports the Wall Street Journal, with a brewing debate over how much faith belongs in American history classrooms.

Acer, a manufacturer of PCs, notebook computers, and other IT products, is letting schools test its products for free in exchange for the chance to win a new computer lab, TMCNet.com reports.

Mobile County, Ala., Public Schools has selected IBM analytics technology to measure student performance, identify at-risk students, and adjust academic programs in real time to help it comply with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's transparency and reporting mandates, reports Information Management.

With its acquisition of Terriblyclever Design LLC, which makes a suite of iPhone and mobile web applications for education called MobilEdu, Blackboard has taken a major step in its efforts to support students' mobile lifestyle, reports FOXBusiness.com.