Safe passages
Chicago has had major problems with gangs attacking people throughout the city, including school kids going to and from school each day. I’m sure many of us remember…
Month: July 2010
Lawmaker to push for open online textbooks
While college professors and book publishers must abide by new rules aimed at reducing the cost of textbooks, the law's sponsor says he will push for another bill…
Update: Google touts encrypted search fix
Responding to concerns from education technology officials, internet search giant Google Inc. has moved its encrypted search feature to a new domain name. The move is intended to…
India unveils prototype of $35 tablet computer
It looks like an iPad, only it's one-fourteenth the cost: India has unveiled the prototype of a $35 basic touch-screen tablet aimed at students, which it hopes to…
Once a leader, U.S. lags in college degrees
Adding to a drumbeat of concern about the nation’s dismal college-completion rates, the College Board warned July 22 that the growing gap between the United States and other…
Civil rights groups skewer Obama education policy
It is most politely written, but a 17-page framework for education reform being released July 26 by a coalition of civil rights groups amounts to a thrashing of…
U.S. looks to improve disabled access to internet
The Obama administration on July 23 offered a series of proposals aimed at enhancing access to web sites for people with disabilities, Reuters reports.
Oregon school computer labs overwhelmed by demands
It used to be students needed only a No. 2 pencil to take the Oregon state assessment, but now it requires a computer. At the same time, the…
K12 Inc. announces acquisition of KC Distance Learning
K12 Inc., one of the nation's largest providers of proprietary curriculum and online school programs for students in kindergarten through high school, has announced an all-stock acquisition of…
Proposed federal rules crack down on for-profit schools
The Education Department proposed much-anticipated regulations July 23 that would cut off federal aid to for-profit college programs—including many of the nation's largest online schools— if too many…
Are computers for every student a wise investment?
Daily technology use in core subject-area classes, frequent technology use in intervention courses, and a low student-to-computer ratio can play a critical role in reducing dropout rates, new…
Researcher finds Safari reveals personal information
Computerworld.com reports that a feature in Apple's Safari browser designed to make it easier to fill out forms could by abused by hackers to harvest personal information, according…
L.A. Unified superintendent says he’ll depart next spring
Amid persistent budget woes and increasing political pressure, Los Angeles schools Supt. Ramon C. Cortines confirmed on July 22, his 78th birthday, that he plans to step down…
Dell to pay $100 million settlement
Dell, several former executives, and its founder, Michael S. Dell, agreed on July 22 to pay more than $100 million in penalties to settle charges of disclosure accounting…
Q&A: Rumors, cyberbullying, and anonymity
Last week in this space, I shared excerpts from an interview with David Mikkelson, half of the husband-and-wife team behind Snopes.com, the online clearinghouse for internet rumors and…
Flipboard’s iPad web-zine flops under weight of its own hype
A nifty new iPad application called Flipboard has gone from fascination to mockery at startup speed, reports the Washington Post. This free program, which lets you read web…
Feds to create an Online Learning Registry
In a move to help rural schools keep pace with more developed districts, the U.S. Department of Education said it will create an Online Learning Registry that will…
Barnes & Noble launches eBook software for students
Barnes & Noble has joined the growing list of companies and organizations giving college students electronic alternatives to their pricey textbooks with the book retailer’s free NOOKstudy software…
GOP senators move to block FCC on net neutrality
Seven Republican senators have announced a plan to curb the Obama administration's push to impose net-neutrality regulations on the internet, CNET reports.
The web means the end of forgetting
The digital age is facing its first existential crisis, reports the New York Times: the impossibility of erasing your posted past and moving on.
Analysis: ‘Common Core’ standards clearer, more rigorous
An analysis by an education policy think tank finds that the common academic standards many states will be adopting are clearer and more rigorous than those currently used…
Massachusetts panel wants to set limits on virtual public schools
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, apprehensive about a new state law that allows public schools to operate almost entirely in cyberspace, will consider imposing limits…
Data project will track North Dakota students’ progress
North Dakota is developing a statewide data project to track student progress in school and provide information about whether young people are learning skills that the job market…
InfoComm 2010 highlights changing nature of AV
The lines between traditionally defined categories of products and services in the audio-visual (AV) field are blurring—and never has that been more apparent than at this year’s InfoComm…
Other InfoComm 2010 exhibitor news
Other news from InfoComm 2010 exhibitors included new developments in digital signage, interactive whiteboards and displays, and video capture and editing tools—including a video “control room in a…
Projectors becoming more interactive
Earlier this year, Epson and Boxlight introduced projectors that can turn virtually any surface into an interactive whiteboard. Now, Texas Instruments has developed a similar ability for projectors…
College CIO: Embrace virtualization, but not too much
Using one computer to power many has saved money as school budgets have been slashed, but too much of this good thing can lead to “virtualization sprawl”—an emerging…
Many states embracing Common Core standards
Less than two months after the nation's governors and state school chiefs released their final recommendations for national education standards, 27 states have adopted them and about a…
Find everything you need to know about starting a small business at Business.gov
Business.gov, the U.S. government's online portal for small businesses, recently was added to FREE (Federal Resources for Education Excellence), the Education Department's collection of federal web sites that…
Wireless broadband network set to launch next year
U.S. schools, businesses, and consumers might get more options in wireless service starting next year, with the launch of a new wireless broadband network that aims to provide…
‘Wikiracing’ picking up speed among college students
The latest procrastination-tool-of-choice on college campuses is called "Wikiracing," reports the Philadelphia Inquirer--and like the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game, albeit modified for the internet age, it…
Law allows ads on school web sites, but few districts selling space
Arizona school districts can offer bus and web site space for advertising, but it appears few in the East Valley are seeing a big impact from the state's…
Editorial: Ed-tech funds sit idle as California bickers
California is the home of Silicon Valley and the most sophisticated data systems in the world, yet it continues to rank near the bottom for student and teacher…
Let cops carry the guns
One thing that still surprises me is the number of states willing to allow college and university students to carry concealed weapons on campus. More than 30 years…
Forget grade levels: Schools try something new
As Kansas City, Mo., students return to their age-assigned classrooms this fall, they will begin to take assessments in math and reading—tests that will determine their mastery of…
Digital movie locker UltraViolet nears launch
The Associated Press reports that a group of media and electronics companies will soon start testing a system that will let you watch the movies you buy wherever…
Amazon: Kindle titles outpacing hardcovers
The Amazon.com Kindle eReader and bookstore have reached a "tipping point," the company said July 19, with Kindle titles outselling hardcover books on the massive online marketplace for…
Nokia Siemens agrees to pay cash for division of Motorola
Nokia Siemens Networks said July 19 that it had agreed to buy the wireless-network equipment division of Motorola for $1.2 billion in cash, the New York Times reports.
Harvard profs dropping final exams
Final exams are probably not anybody’s primary concern at the moment, but it is worth noting that the July-August edition of Harvard Magazine reports that many Harvard professors…
What price on student safety?
One of the most important security measures any district can employ is a program in which…