Creating the 21st-century classroom
Today’s mobile technology enables children to have nearly 24-hour media access, and many students are spending close to eight hours per day using entertainment media, according to new research from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Yet, when students enter the typical K-12 classroom, they’re forced to “power down” in order to learn.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. And, in a growing number of schools that have embraced 21st-century teaching and learning, it’s not.
Voice amplification systems, digital projectors, document cameras, interactive whiteboards, personal response systems, and other handheld devices–these are among the many technologies that are quickly becoming essential tools for helping 21st-century teachers engage their students’ interest and make learning more interactive.
With the generous support of Calypso Systems, we’ve assembled this collection of stories from the eSchool News archives, as well as other recent articles from around the web, to help you make smart decisions as you consider building 21st-century classrooms in your own schools.
New ed-tech tools and techniques mark FETC 2010
Free online tools that can save teachers time, new innovations that could make online learning more accessible, and keen insight into how educators can let students take responsibility…
Future of eReading might not be iPad, but Blio
Despite all the buzz about Apple’s iPad tablet and how it could be useful for reading electronic textbooks, a new software program on the way might hold even…
Wireless mic frequency change could affect schools
Schools and colleges that use wireless microphones operating on the 700 megahertz (MHz) frequency band have until June 12 to change the radio frequency or buy new equipment,…
Educators intrigued by Apple’s iPad
Apple’s new tablet computer, the iPad, could push other companies to bring more color-capable eReaders to the market in a move that could make digital books more commonplace…
Tapscott: Digital natives need tech-rich education
Educators should change the way they view technology's role in everyday life in order to understand students' educational needs, said Don Tapscott, chairman of nGenera Insight, during a…
Technology gives kids constant media access
Educators face a growing challenge in trying to compete for their students' attention with near-constant access to entertainment media outside of school, a new study suggests.…
New projectors make any wall an interactive whiteboard
In a move that could shake up the interactive whiteboard (IWB) market, two projector manufacturers have just released new products that can turn virtually any surface into an…
New electronic devices could interest schools
New netbooks, tablet computers, and eBook reader devices, as well as fresh developments in television and even a wireless tether to keep cell phones from getting lost, are…
The rise of the globally connected student
Today's students are the first globally connected citizens, able use their computers and cell phones to connect to all regions of the Earth and contribute to a global…
Are netbooks right for education?
During a time of steep budget cuts, many school leaders have turned to netbooks as a less expensive way to get computers into the hands of every student.…
3-D video coming to education
Imagine you're back in school, and you're learning about the human body. You open your book and see the flat image of a skeleton on your page. You…
Reinventing Education
Beginning this fall, third and sixth graders throughout San Diego will use laptop computers to connect with their peers and work on projects that apply what they're learning…
Digital pens: Mightier than MSWord?
A significant key to students' academic success is their ability to take complete and accurate notes during class--and recent developments in digital-pen technology might help students do just…
iPods help ESL students achieve success
As school leaders ponder the implications of new technologies for their classrooms, one dedicated New Jersey educator has turned theory into practice, using the iPod to teach English…
Technology helps reform large lectures
At Virginia Tech, students in most introductory math courses work through problems individually at one of 500 computer workstations in a giant room that is open 24 hours…
Personal response systems take the fear out of class
Bored, bashful, and befuddled students all dread the moment when a teacher calls on them in class. But in a growing number of schools today, students no longer…
Schools fight poor acoustics with mikes and amps
This spring, the classrooms of Concord Elementary School in Portland, Ore., buzzed with the ordinary sounds of a grade school: student voices,…