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[See Issue Online] [Whitelist Us] [Edit Your Account] [RSS] This Week's Top News, Grants, and Information Resources for Today's K-20 Educator May 27, 2008

Top News ...

Microsoft pledge could cut tech costs for schools
	Conversion to open software programs for creating spreadsheets, documents, and other standard office files could become more commonplace in school districts, if a May 22 pledge by software giant Microsoft Corp. comes to fruition.   | Read More

eSN TechWatch: Preparing Kids for 21st-Century Success (Part 2) -- May 26, 2008
	Here's more of our interview with author Dan Pink, who discusses how schools must adapt to 21st-century needs.   | Read More

 

Grant Alert ...

Advanced Placement Incentive Program:
Awards to help low-income students take AP courses and tests

The Advanced Placement Incentive (API) program awards competitive grants designed to increase the successful participation of low-income students in advanced placement courses and tests. The program expands opportunities for low-income students to take college-level classes and earn college credit while still in high school. The program also supports efforts to raise the rigor of the academic curriculum for all students attending high-poverty high schools... | Full Story

Week's Top News ...

Schools' cyber security needs improvement
School districts are improving their physical security, but they might be neglecting the security of their computer infrastructure, if the results of an annual survey are any indication. | Full Story

Municipal broadband projects under attack
In an effort to expand access to high-speed internet service for residents in their communities, many municipalities are building their own broadband networks. But they face growing opposition from the telephone and cable industries in what is shaping up as a battle over U.S. internet policy with important implications for schools. | Full Story

Scientists release educational computer game

Aiming to make learning science fun and engaging for students, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has introduced a free educational computer game called "Immune Attack." | Full Story

Laptop-for-kids project to resume donations

If you missed the opportunity to buy a low-cost mobile computer from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative late last year, you'll have another chance: OLPC plans to resume its Give One, Get One program, in which people spend $400 to buy one of the nonprofit's rugged computers and donate a second one to a child in a developing country. | Full Story

Study probes RFID use in schools
Computer-science researchers at the University of Washington (UW) are tracking students and faculty in an experiment they hope will show the benefits and drawbacks of using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to bolster school safety and security initiatives. | Full Story

High court upholds part of anti-child porn law
The United States Supreme Court on May 19 upheld criminal penalties for promoting child pornography, brushing aside concerns that the law could apply to mainstream movies that depict adolescent sex, computer simulations of children engaged in graphical acts, or even innocent eMail messages that describe pictures of grandchildren. | Full Story

Special Reports ...

Virtual Desktops
A revolution is taking shape that will alter forever how educators and others view and use technology--most specifically their personal computers. Gone will be today's most stubborn IT challenges: conflicting operating systems bulging with fat applications, duplicate programs that must be installed and maintained on individual computers, user-instituted security breaches that threaten whole networks. All these challenges that have drained IT resources and kept hardware costs high could soon be just quaint memories. Reason: The era of the virtual desktop has dawned... | Full Story

 

DLP vs. LCD: New advancements in projector technology cast the market in a new light
For educators who buy or use projectors - those abbreviations (DLP = Digital Light Processing; LCD = Liquid Crystal Display) are of critical importance. Trouble is, conflicting claims and arcane technical terms can baffle even the savviest buyers. That's why the editor's of eSchool News have turned a critical lens on the "Projector Wars" to give you with an objective assessment of what you need to know, all in plain English. With our compliments, get the lowdown in eSN's brand-new Special Report. It's free, and it will cast projector technology in a whole new light... | Full Story

Educator Resource Centers ...

Turning Student Data into Intelligence
No matter how many students a school or district has, one thing remains the same--the vital importance of tracking student attendance, grades, standardized test scores, school or district transfers, and more. Administrators, teachers, students, and parents all depend on a reliable Student Information System (SIS) to give accurate reports and updates.

Easy Email Archiving
Today's schools, much like businesses around the world, depend on technology to survive. As school and district employees' careers become increasingly mobile, eMail has become a quick, easy, and preferred method of communication.

 

Anywhere, Anytime Administration
As schools move toward the newest technologies, school administrators need to be reassured that vital information will reach them instantly, whether they are in the office, in a meeting, or traveling across their district or campus. The need for anywhere, anytime access has led many administrators to depend on mobile, handheld devices for eMail and other applications.

Safeguarding school data
It seems like you can't go a whole week lately without hearing about some major data security breach that has made national headlines. For businesses, these data leaks are bad enough--but for schools, they can be especially costly, as network security breaches can put schools in violation of several federal laws intended to protect students' privacy.

GIS and Geographic Inquiry
"Geospatial" technologies--which include geographic information system (GIS), global positioning system (GPS), and remote sensing (RS) tools--are becoming increasingly important in our everyday lives. These technologies use "smart" maps that can display, query, and analyze geographic databases; receivers that provide location and navigation; and global-to-local imagery and tools that provide context and analysis.

Reading Acquisition: Response to Intervention
When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, was rewritten in 2004, a newfound commitment to helping struggling students make progress in the general reading curriculum was born. Known as Response to Intervention (RTI), the model mandated a new way to determine if a student does not perform at grade level owing to a lack of instruction, and which students require special educationas the result of a disability.

Math Solutions: Response to Intervention
When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, was rewritten in 2004, a newfound commitment to helping struggling students make progress in the general math curriculum was born. Known as Response to Intervention (RTI), the model mandated a new way to determine if a student does not perform at grade level owing to a lack of instruction, and which students require special educationas the result of a disability.

Minimizing Classroom Disruptions
Computers and the internet have become welcome instructional tools in most schools, ushering a wealth of additional resources into today's classrooms. Unfortunately, they also bring with them the potential for unwanted distractions--such as online content that ranges from off-target, to inappropriate, material.

Creating the 21st-Century Classroom
Skills in areas such as global literacy and critical thinking skills help prepare students to succeed in today's digital economy.

 

 

Collaboration & Storage
Today's employers want graduates who can communicate effectively, think critically, solve problems, and work as part of a team--in short, graduates who are well versed in collaborative learning environments. Whether you call it project-based or collaborative learning, it's a strategy that a growing number of educators are employing in their classrooms--and with growing success.

Ed-Tech Partner Press Releases ...

Hitachi demos SK-HD1000 studio and field camera and HV-HD30 P.O.V. CMOS sensor HD cameras at Infocomm

Sharp puts focus on student achievement with PTA

Santee School District infuses technology into primary school curriculum with support from School Web Lockers

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. names Eastern Region Vice President of Sales

School districts in Florida and Maryland recommit to providing educators and students proven digital classroom resource

Profanity filters take the worry out of online collaboration for K-12 schools and school districts

ANGEL Learning releases ANGEL Learning Management Suite v. 7.3

EarthWalk offers power solution for Intel's Classmate PC

Discovery Education to host three special educator events this summer

Atomic Learning professional services offers companies a customer support alternative