By Peter West, Author at eSchool News

What you should know about self-paced blended learning

February 28, 2014January 9, 2014 by By Peter West

Some general research supports the move to Blended Learning, particularly self-paced Blended Learning. This research includes sources as diverse as Daniel Pink, Susan Cain and Anders Ericsson. Daniel…

Featured Best Practice

Better data use requires better data systems

January 7, 2014 by By Jenny Grant Rankin

I loved my 4-door sedan but knew it would never outrace a Lamborghini. Even if I had a driving coach and driving training, the tool I was using…

District Management

Data privacy: What school leaders should know

January 20, 2014January 6, 2014 by By Keith R. Krueger

2013 will be known as the year the American public began to focus on privacy. National security breaches pushed the issue to the front pages of papers nationwide,…

Curriculum

‘Iron Chef’ parodies: A perfect use of ed tech?

January 3, 2014 by By Tom Daccord

A few years ago, my high-school-age stepdaughter arrived home from school one afternoon and started watching a video. Nothing too unusual. But Olivia was walking around the kitchen…

Curriculum

Creating systemic change? There is no app for that

February 28, 2014January 2, 2014 by By Scott Kinney

The rise of educational apps has impacted classrooms across the nation, but there’s one major change that apps can’t implement ... Read more

Featured on eSchool News

Are these 8 trends the future of K-12?

January 1, 2014 by By Dr. Jeff D. Borden

In a recent blog I wrote for Wired, I discussed Jack Uldrich’s book, Jumping the Curve. Essentially, it suggests that the best entrepreneurs, innovators, and visionaries are those…

Featured Best Practice

Four must-have tools for improving children’s learning

December 26, 2013 by By Heather Williams and Emily Gooch

Having worked with teachers across the country to implement programs, served on literacy committees, and seen first hand how technology has allowed students to become more creative and…

Teaching Trends

Overcoming ‘print disabled’ curriculum

December 12, 2013 by By Tom Daccord

One of the signature findings of the cognitive revolution of mind, brain and education research over the last few decades has been the overwhelming recognition of the tremendous…

Teaching Trends

Trends towards scalable personalized learning with technology

December 11, 2013 by By Anthony Kim

For the past few years, the innovation was around school models, with ideas ranging from classroom rotation to flex, with schools experimenting with different configurations around time, place…

District Management

How to prepare for eRate funding year 2014

January 16, 2014December 10, 2013 by By John Harrington

Here are several strategies to help you get the most out of the new eRate funding year.

Teaching Trends

Walk on the Light Side

December 10, 2013 by By Lisa Fratt

Sometimes a sense of humor is the best I.T. defense. Some days (and weeks) it seems like school IT is all project management and troubleshooting. But there are…

District Management

How technology is transforming student counseling

December 2, 2013 by By Richard Yep, CAE, FASAE

Almost a year has passed since the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where 20 school children and six school staff members were killed.…

District Management

How an iPad can overcome ‘print disabled’ curriculum

November 29, 2013 by By Tom Daccord

One of the signature findings of the cognitive revolution of mind, brain and education research over the last few decades has been the overwhelming recognition of the tremendous…

District Management

Smart education networks: An action plan for leaders

November 28, 2013 by By Keith R. Krueger

In my September column, “Time to ask for more eRate funding,” I discussed how this is a historic moment. The eRate program is the largest and most important…

Teaching Trends

Online & Blended Learning Resources

November 25, 2013 by By Carri Schneider

Our friends at iNACOL have been busy lately. In addition to bringing together more than 2,500 believers in personalized learning at the International Blended and Online Learning Symposium,…

Teaching Trends

How iPads can foster new models for learning

November 21, 2013 by By Tom Daccord

Featured Best Practice

The Affordable Care Act: Making Sense of District Dollars

November 13, 2013 by By Mark Bedford and Craig A. Schilling

Meeting Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requirements is challenging for most school districts because managing and monitoring eligibility requires ready access to date-driven information. It also must…

District Management

We have to do what? The new face of teacher evaluations

November 6, 2013October 24, 2013 by By Jenny Froehle

As someone you’d politely call a “veteran educator,” I’ve been fortunate to work in schools for more than a quarter century, and in that time, like all of…

District Management

Can you be for-profit and for K-12 students?

November 6, 2013October 18, 2013 by By Michael B. Horn

Across industries such as health care, clean energy and even space exploration, private enterprise plays an accepted and critical role. Yet when it comes to education, many view…

Featured on eSchool News

Crafting a successful BYOD policy

July 11, 2014October 15, 2013 by By Michael Shoaf and Dianna R. Foley

With each new school year, districts across the country prepare to provide meaningful educational opportunities for all students. The Rocky River City School District in Ohio is no…

District Management

Six ways to engage in Connected Educator Month

October 11, 2013 by By Patrick Larkin

During Connected Educator Month, it's important to realize that the skills, information, and resources shared among school leaders and teachers should be used and applied all year long…

District Management

Tips for launching a one-to-one initiative

June 16, 2014September 26, 2013 by By Kevin Schwartz

The Clear Creek Independent School District in Texas truly puts the public in public education. I cannot think of a more profound example of this statement than what…

District Management

How ed tech can help with Student Learning Objectives

November 6, 2013September 18, 2013 by By Kimberly Fleming

Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) have gained tremendous momentum in K-12 education over the last 15 years and hold great promise for improving student learning. An SLO is an…

Curriculum

Seven great ed-tech tools for music instruction

November 5, 2013September 4, 2013 by ESchool Media Contributors

As we reported recently, new research confirms that music education can help close student achievement gaps and enhance learning in other subjects. Here are seven music apps and…

District Management

Helping teachers grasp mobile learning’s possibilities

January 8, 2014September 3, 2013 by By Tom Daccord

In constructing ed-tech professional development, the focus should not be on teaching apps, but on helping educators grasp the instructional capabilities that exist in mobile, personalized, and differentiated…

IT Management

Connecting vulnerable students to services

November 6, 2013September 2, 2013 by By Christina Mann

The small, tight-knit community of Eudora, Kan., is nestled between two college towns to the west of Kansas City. With just 1,600 students, our district is committed to…

District Management

Time to ask for more eRate funding

November 22, 2013September 2, 2013 by By Keith Krueger

If educators contact the FCC in large numbers, we might be able to more than double the annual funding available for the eRate.

District Management

‘Technology-enabled active learning’ spurs achievement

November 6, 2013August 29, 2013 by By Pat La Morte

Using a technology-rich environment to promote collaboration and independent learning, we’ve seen student engagement—and achievement—rise.

IT Management

How software streamlined our community service program

November 6, 2013August 28, 2013 by By Róm Crespo

Giving back to the community through volunteer service is a value we want to instill in our students at Morton Ranch High School in Texas. In the 2012-13…

Featured Funding News

How we’ve raised more than $25,000 by recycling eWaste

November 6, 2013August 22, 2013 by By Diana Utroske

The Waugh Elementary School District has raised more than $25,000 for its ed-tech needs over the last decade—simply by recycling electronic waste through FundingFactory.

STEM & STEAM

Engaging, educating students with chemistry app

November 6, 2013August 22, 2013 by By Dr. Layne A. Morsch

This summer’s chemistry section at University of Illinois-Springfield began with the same challenge that I always face with my students: how to get them to engage with the…

District Management

Reducing school emergency response times with X-ray vision

November 5, 2013August 14, 2013 by By Mark Norris

Emerging radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can improve school communications and emergency response times by increasing teacher and student visibility during emergencies.

Curriculum

13 inexpensive ed-tech tools for writing

March 31, 2014July 26, 2013 by ESchool Media Contributors

Being able to write clearly is an essential skill for all students. With these simple online writing tools and apps, students get to practice writing informally in settings…

District Management

How to have more meaningful iPad professional development

April 17, 2014July 23, 2013 by By Tom Daccord

Often, the substantial investments schools make in purchasing iPads are woefully out of balance with the minimal investments they make in preparing teachers to use these new tools…

District Management

Viewpoint: Moving beyond technology initiatives

November 6, 2013July 19, 2013 by By Bill Goodwyn

Walking the show floor in San Antonio at the recent International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) conference, it was hard not to be impressed by the broad…

IT Management

Lowering education’s cost through free or open source tech

November 6, 2013July 17, 2013 by By Arthur Beltran

A few years back, one of my classmates from a graduate course had a complaint. She told me that her school bought an expensive technology system, which included…

District Management

Eight ways kindergarten holds the key to 21st-century instruction

July 3, 2013 by By Sam Gliksman

Several of the "revolutionary" changes we've been calling for in our schools have actually been around for quite a while—just talk a stroll down to any kindergarten class.

District Management