Building a Cost-Effective Digital Classroom
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
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eSchool News Money Matters Supplement
With a rough economy and shrinking school budgets, school leaders who don't fully understand technology's importance often cut funding tech from classrooms. This supplement examines ways to save money, cut costs without cutting technology, and how to find grants and raise money. [ Read More ] -
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. [ 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). [ 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. [ 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. [ Read More ] -
Voters urge teaching of 21st-century skills
In yet another sign that momentum is building for the teaching of so-called "21st-century skills" in the nation's classrooms, results of a new poll indicate that voters overwhelmingly agree: The skills students need to succeed in the workplace of today are notably different from what they needed 20 years ago.[ Read More ] -
Public wants more tech in classrooms
Americans understand that fundamental changes must be made to the U.S. educational system if the country is to remain competitive in the 21st century, a report released July 26 by Cisco Systems finds. Americans especially realize the importance of adopting information technology to upgrade schools, connect communities, and improve educational content, the report suggests--but they're often conflicted about how to implement these changes. [ Read More ] -
21st-century school represents 'the will to change'
At the end of a dimly lit corridor in the heart of the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering (AITE), a 450-student public high school in Stamford, Conn., a student stares into a camera lens. The wall behind him is plastered with dull green paper ripped from a giant spool in a nearby art classroom. [ Read More ] -
eSchool News and Elluminate Webinar: Developing A Digital Signage Strategy For Higher Education Facilities
Today's technology-savvy world provides many options for those transitioning from static signage to a digital signage system, but what makes an installation unique to a campus? How does it apply specifically to your educational facility, and how do you go about integrating this new application? When considering switching over to a digital signage system, many questions arise in the brainstorming process, and this webinar will identify those qualifying questions. [ 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. [ 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. [ Read More ]
Additional resources - Case Studies
University of Ottawa - This Canada-based bilingual university has a student population of more than 35,000 from 150+ countries. The school uses professional installation projectors in its multi-purpose conference room.
Niagara Catholic School District - In choosing NEC LCDs for a new school and overall technology upgrade, this Ontario, Canada-based school district was able to cut down power consumption and heat generation.
Seneca College - When this Toronto-based college wanted to upgrade to LCDs while maintaining the durability and image quality of its CRTs in its computer labs, 19" NEC LCDs were the displays of choice.
Cesar Chavez High School - Through the integration of people, technology and business systems, a collaborative learning environment was created with NEC projectors so graduates will meet the challenges of the future.
Chandler Unified School District - To keep up with its technology and as one of the fastest-growing school districts in Arizona, Chandler Unified School District supplemented its teaching visuals with NEC VT Series projectors.
University of Illinois at Springfield - A technologically advanced university, UIS often serves as the prototype for the University of Illinois family, influencing others with its use of NEC projectors and interactive whiteboards.
Terrebonne Parish School - In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Terrebonne Parish School District used a stroke of good luck and 17" NEC LCDs to help prevent disaster to its student and employee records.
St. Louis University - Ranked among the top research institutions in the nation, St. Louis University fosters the intellectual and character development of 11,000 students with the help of NEC projectors.
Verbum Dei High School - Verbum Dei is known for its award-winning corporate work study program and for providing its financially-challenged students with the most technologically-advanced tools, including NEC projectors.
Arizona State University - One of the largest universities in the country with nearly 60,000 students at four separate campuses, ASU installed projectors in its classrooms and auditorium.
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology - SAIT is Canada's premier institute of advanced technology, known worldwide for its quality technical education. NEC's portable projectors provide SAIT with high quality and low maintenance.