If today’s students are to compete in an increasingly global economy, schools will need much more than textbooks and traditional pencil-and-paper approaches to succeed. Students need the benefit of technology-rich classrooms to give them marketable skills that they will use throughout their professional lives.
But often, technology has a hefty price tag, and many educators, administrators, and superintendents find it hard to stretch already-strained school budgets.
The stimulus package that Congress passed in February 2009 provides $106 billion for education–but that money must be spent wisely, in ways that will last and be most beneficial to each school.
With the generous support of NEC Display Solutions, we’ve put together stories from our archives that will help school leaders manage limited budgets while trying to create digital classrooms that will shape students for life in the 21st century.
–The Editors
eSchool News Articles
Saving school budgets in a recession »
Buying from large group contracts, aligning budgets with school improvement plans, starting an educational foundation, and mastering the art of passing school bond issues were among the strategies for surviving the current fiscal crisis discussed at the American Association of School Administrators' annual conference in San Francisco Feb. 19. Key words: school budgets, school budget cuts, schools and recession... Feb 20 2009 / Read More »
Technology empowers differentiated instruction »
Although many educators realize technology's enormous potential to help them differentiate their instruction so that all students can learn, regardless of students' needs, abilities, or learning styles, it might be hard for them to find concrete applications of this approach to emulate in their classrooms. But in a Jan. 28 webinar from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), experts provided several examples of classroom projects that can help all students learn while keeping them engaged. Key concepts: ISTE, differentiatied instruction, technology in education... Feb 2 2009 / Read More »
Report: Reinvent schools for digital age »
Educators can't truly deliver 21st-century instruction in schools that reflect Industrial-Age designs, with rigid schedules, inflexible facilities, and fixed boundaries between grades, disciplines, and classrooms, according to a new white paper from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). Key concepts: P21, 21st century skills, learning environment, digital age... Jan 26 2009 / Read More »
Electronic displays a sign of the times »
Billboards are getting a makeover, and not just at the mall or your local bank: On university campuses from coast to coast, administrators are realizing there's more to digital signage than just a pretty picture--it can enhance communication and maybe even help save lives.... Aug 7 2008 / Read More »
Digital signage a big focus at InfoComm 2008 »
Enterprise buyers and technology managers from educational institutions, companies, and government from around the world will be attending InfoComm 08, a professional audiovisual tradeshow, June 18-20 in Las Vegas, Nev. Conference officials expect more than 32,000 attendees at this year's show.... May 12 2008 / Read More »
eSN Special Report: Visual Learning »
These are special times for visual learning. Spurred by dramatic advances in digital technology, the use of video as an instructional tool is finally coming into its own as a mainstream feature of American education.... Jan 2 2008 / Read More »
Voters urge teaching of 21st-century skills »
Results of a new poll commissioned by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills shows the vast majority of U.S. voters believe students are ill-equipped to compete in the global learning environment, and that schools must incorporate 21st-century skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, communication and self-direction, and computer and technology skills into the curriculum. But the upcoming presidential election, researchers say, presents a perfect opportunity to charter a new path to success for America's students. ... Oct 15 2007 / Read More »
Public wants more tech in classrooms »
Americans recognize the importance of technology in reforming the nation's schools and making them relevant for the 21st century, a new survey suggests--but they disagree on how schools should impart key 21st-century skills to their students.... Aug 1 2007 / Read More »
21st-century school represents ‘the will to change’ »
At the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering in Stamford, Connecticut, educators have turned a 40-year-old school building into a modern model for teaching and learning. And if it can be done here, school leaders say, it can be done anywhere. ... May 1 2007 / Read More »
