eSchool News Top News

When school media specialists and educators make an effort to become familiar with the social-networking web sites and technologies that today's students use each day, they can forge important learning connections with their students: That was one of the key messages to come out of the American Association of School Librarians' annual conference, held Nov. 5-8 in Charlotte, N.C. Key words: educational technology, AASL, library media specialist, school library, school media center, 21st century learning

Three school districts and a coalition of charter schools have agreed to be test kitchens for some radical ideas for improving teacher quality -- from paying new teachers to spend another year practicing before getting their own class to letting student test scores affect teacher pay. Key words: Bill and Melinda Gates, educational technology, school technology, school funding, teacher quality, Gates Foundation

In the second stage of the "I Am What I Learn" video contest from the federal Education Department (ED), 10 student videos have been chosen as national finalists--and ED is asking the public to help it pick the winners. Key words: department of education, i am what I learn, video contest, education contest, education technology

College administrators face a student lending landscape in upheaval at a time when students are borrowing more money than ever to pay for college. Key words: college software, student lending, direct student loans, direct student loan, Arne Duncan

As part of the organization's latest effort to learn from colleagues abroad, a delegation of U.S. education technology leaders from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) visited Scotland and the Netherlands last week to learn more about the world's first national intranet for education, international approaches to online safety, and more. Key words: CoSN, education technology, ict teach, glow, intranet, becta

With an average of one counselor for every 500 public high school students in the U.S., college applicants are often left without professional guidance--and so internet-based companies offering admissions advice are hoping to fill the advising void. Key words: iAdmissions, college counseling, education technology, school technology, college admissions essays, Brown University admissions

Train every pre-service teacher to teach online in teacher-education programs at colleges and universities; invest in the development of open courseware with federal and state funding; encourage the use of technology to create new forms of assessment that better measure student learning gains; provide national standards for school IT support, with recommendations for optimal staffing levels and required skill sets: These are some of the many recommendations the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has received so far as officials prepare a new National Education Technology Plan. Key words: education plan, education technology, department of education, education funding, education assessments, school IT

Penn State, Indiana, and Missouri universities are the first schools to participate in a USA Today initiative meant to test how students respond to electronic versions of printed newspapers. Key words: electronic newspaper, online newspaper, USA Today, education technology

A new survey intended to evaluate online-learning policies and practices from coast to coast reveals significant growth in state and district support for this instructional model at the K-12 level. At least 25 states now lead statewide online-learning initiatives, according to the survey, which is a dramatic increase from the 15 states driving programs only a year ago. Key words: online learning, digital education, educational technology

Internet search leader Google Inc. will ease its control over millions of copyright-protected books earmarked for its digital library if a court approves a revised lawsuit settlement that addresses objections of antitrust regulators. Key words: Google, Google book search, copyright laws, copyrights, education technology, digital books