The automobile, moving pictures, personal computers, cell phones, and social networks--all of these technologies, once considered frivolous, have made such a huge impact on our culture that our daily lives would change dramatically without them. Could 3-D video be next?

These days, virtual education can be more than a home-schooled child sitting alone in front of a computer. Purveyors of online-education products are creating various delivery methods to suit school districts, students, teachers, and parents with differing needs, requirements, and budgetary constraints--and often the learning takes place within, or is supplemented by, a traditional classroom experience.

As autism diagnoses continue to rise, an alarming new statistic indicates that autism is now diagnosed in one out of every 91 children, instead of one out of every 150 children as previously thought. The increase in autism diagnoses presents a significant challenge for school systems, which already face limited resources as they seek to educate children with the neurological disorder.

Educators are increasingly seeing the value of having students collaborate in small groups on classroom projects--and whether such projects involve producing a written or multimedia presentation, solving a math problem, or creating a video, technology can facilitate the group process.

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 to real-world situations. Their teachers will use interactive whiteboards to help make lessons come alive, while reaching students who learn best through a variety of different learning styles. And school leaders will rigorously track student outcomes and use this information to improve instruction. Key words: San Diego Unified School District, i21 Classroom Initiative, educational technology Intel education, Terry Grier

When Hurricane Katrina ripped through Louisiana's Jefferson Parish in 2005, tornadoes took down some school buildings and floodwaters rushed through others--wrecking classrooms and making many facilities in the 85-school district uninhabitable. Key words: Education 3.0, Cisco Networking Academy, educational technology, Jefferson Parish, Cisco Global Education, 21st century skills

The public has spoken, and 88 percent of voters believe schools need to incorporate 21st-century skills into their curricula. Reporting on its poll, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) cited another study that found employers believe today's graduates are "woefully ill-prepared" in both basic and applied skills, such as strategic thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and professionalism. Joining the chorus are educators, researchers, and thought leaders who say the United States must revamp its approach to education or face a serious threat to its global competitiveness. Key words: SMART, whiteboard, education, technology, 21st century skills

When Sandy Armstrong was studying to become a teacher, technology instruction was limited to learning how to use an overhead projector or run a reel-to-reel movie over a player's spindle. This was 1989. Computers and advanced technology just weren't part of the vocabulary or the curriculum in Armstrong's pre-service program at Auburn University in Alabama. Key words: teacher education, 21st-century skills, teacher technology use, classroom technology use

Zach Bonner is a smart kid, but he's a bit confused to hear that some adults still assume students in online schools are somehow worse off and spend all day chained to a computer, never learning to socialize in the real world. Key words: online learning, K-12 online learning, virtual learning, distance learning

In the same way a utility company delivers electricity, natural gas, or water--you sign up, then don't have to think about it any more--cloud computing delivers IT services to the end user. Advocates of this service model say it's simpler, faster, and cheaper for organizations to implement--which is why cloud computing is soaring in popularity amid the gloomy economy. Key words: cloud computing, cloud computing and higher education, cloud computing and K-12