Top ed-tech news: March 2013


Here are some of the top ed-tech stories in the March 2013 issue of eSchool News.

Schools confront digital textbook challenges … Nanotechnology comes to an Illinois high school … Ed-tech consultant Alan November calls for a new approach to one-to-one computing: These are among the top ed-tech stories in the March 2013 issue of eSchool News.

The digital edition of our March issue is now available online. You can browse the full publication here, or click on any of the headlines below to read these highlights.

Schools confront digital textbook challenges

The federal Education Department has called for schools to use digital textbooks within the next five years, but what does that mean for school leaders?

For one thing, it means figuring out how to deal with a number of challenges, including—but not limited to—ensuring equitable access, overcoming budget constraints, choosing preferred device and textbook platforms, and building infrastructure and capability.

In Part 2 of our series on digital textbooks, we examine how a few forward-thinking districts are using these new instructional tools—while overcoming many hurdles in the process…

Robotics on the rise in schools

An explosion in the popularity of high school robotics teams suddenly has made it chic to be geek: Robotics team members are getting varsity letters and patches, being paraded before school assemblies like other sports stars, and seeing trophies in the same lobby display cases as their football, basketball, or baseball counterparts…

Aspiring teachers ill-prepared to use ed tech effectively

Students who are studying to become teachers use social media in their personal lives more frequently than in-service teachers do, and they want to use ed tech in their classrooms—but their teacher education programs aren’t fully preparing them to do this, according to a new report from Blackboard Inc. and Project Tomorrow…

U.S. honors digital learning

With an overwhelming 25,000 educators participating in Digital Learning Day on Feb. 6, ed-tech supporters used technology-based projects, lessons, and enthusiasm to mark what they called a perfect time to launch a national digital learning campaign…

Nanotechnology comes to an Illinois high school

Students at an Illinois high school will have an opportunity to study nanotechnology in a special lab featuring equipment that typically isn’t seen in high schools, local officials said…

Four steps to flipping the classroom

The flipped classroom, in which students watch a video explaining a particular lesson or topic at home and then come to school prepared to complete assignments related to that lesson or discuss the topic in class, is gaining ground. But how, exactly, can educators go about flipping the classroom?

Merely taking a lesson and flipping it won’t ensure success, said Shannon Holden, a middle and high school teacher and administrator in North Dakota, Texas, and Missouri for 20 years. During an edWeb webinar, Holden outlined four basic steps that educators can take to ensure that their flipped classroom experiments are successful and resonate with students…

How to engage girls with gaming

Many people associate video games and gaming with boys, but researchers have discovered that girls become just as engaged when playing interactive educational games featuring certain motivating elements…

Beyond one-to-one computing: Time for a new approach

Adding a digital device to the classroom without a fundamental change in the culture of teaching and learning will not lead to significant improvement, ed-tech consultant Alan November argues. Unless clear goals across the curriculum are articulated at the outset, one-to-one computing becomes simply “spray and pray”…

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