Technology gives engineering programs a real-world impact
Risk assessments are awful, but necessary
Here are 5 ways to improve risk assessments in your district
Superintendents say they need resources, flexibility to transform schools
Finalists in the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) National Superintendent of the Year competition met to discuss ways that districts and the federal government can transform education.
Educators get lessons in green living
The 30th annual Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC) opened with actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. urging educators to inspire their students to make a difference --…
Groups seek to challenge U.S. gov’t on seized laptops
The policy of random laptop searches and seizures by U.S. government agents at border crossings is under attack again, with a pair of civil rights groups seeking potential…
Microsoft brings kids developer tool to the PC
CNET reports that Microsoft researcher Matt MacLaurin came up for the idea for Kodu in his kitchen in the fall of 2006, noticing the way his three-year-old daughter…
New projectors make any wall an interactive whiteboard
In a move that could shake up the interactive whiteboard (IWB) market, two projector manufacturers have just released new products that can turn virtually any surface into an…
New group will fight cell-phone use by drivers
Safety advocates credit Mothers Against Drunk Driving with helping to change attitudes about getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. Now, they hope a new organization will similarly dissuade…
France plans its own rival to Google Books
France's culture minister on Jan. 12 unveiled a plan to develop what he hopes will prove a uniquely Gallic competitor to Google Books, reports the Associated Press.
Warner Brothers to produce ‘Sesame Street’ video games
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has signed a deal with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization that produces "Sesame Street" in more than 140 countries, to create and publish…
Google Docs upgrades storage to all file types
Users of Google Apps for Education now will be able to store photos, videos, and other media files on Google Docs, after Google announced an upgrade to its…
AFT: Education must change to move forward
Moving public education to a model that will better prepare students for today's knowledge economy, and one that will strengthen teacher development and evaluation, is critical to the…
States lower test standards for a high school diploma
On the way to creating a statewide exit test for graduation, many states have softened standards, delayed the requirement, or added alternative paths to a high school diploma,…
White supremacist groups target children online
With Martin Luther King Day coming up, many teachers will be assigning projects on African-American historical figures. With that in mind, now is good time to teach students…
Giving electronic commands with body language
PC makers soon will sell devices that allow people to move computer documents with simple hand gestures, reports the New York Times.
Going rogue: IT officials fight student-run web networks
Campus technology officials say there's only one surefire way to stop students from creating their own wireless internet connections in dormitories, thereby creating a security risk for computer…
Blindness groups, ASU settle lawsuit over Kindle
Two organizations representing the blind have settled a discrimination lawsuit against Arizona State University over its use of Amazon's Kindle e-reader device.
Are pico projectors the next big cell-phone trend?
Large flat-screen TVs were all the rage at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, but companies such as Microvision Inc. are putting their bets on…
England to give poor students free laptops
A plan to give free laptops to pupils from poor backgrounds is being rolled out to 270,000 families in England, reports the BBC.
Net-neutrality dispute heads to court
The Federal Communications Commission ran into a potential setback Jan. 8 in its push to draft rules that would require internet providers to give equal treatment to all…
e-Reader boom kindles variety of new options
When most people think of electronic book readers, Amazon's thin, white Kindle probably springs to mind. But that could be about to change: A cascade of new eBook…
New electronic devices could interest schools
New netbooks, tablet computers, and eBook reader devices, as well as fresh developments in television and even a wireless tether to keep cell phones from getting lost, are…
Hackers raid school coffers for $3 million
Over three days last month, about $3 million was drained by computer hackers from the bank account of the Duanesburg Central School District in New York and deposited…
National STEM program increases reach
President Barack Obama on Jan. 6 announced an expansion of the Educate to Innovate program he launched last November, including the creation of several new partnerships to help…
Feds roll out simpler FAFSA form
The new online version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will allow college applicants to skip series of questions that don't apply to them and…
Five ed-tech stories to watch for 2010
Recently, we posted a look back at the 10 most significant education technology stories of 2009, as chosen by our editors. Now, here's a look at five stories…
Google to take wraps off new mobile phone
Educators and their students soon could have another communications and mobile computing option that isn't tied to a specific cellular provider, giving schools more flexibility in deploying a…
Arizona expands K-12 online course offerings
This year, Arizona has joined a national effort to get more students to take their courses online, reports the Arizona Republic.
eSN Special Report: Convergent Education
While some experts agree that change is happening, and happening quickly, others think the education sector does not feel the urgency it needs to force real transformation to…
Open courseware gains momentum
For years, tech-savvy educators and product developers have pushed for more open educational resources in classrooms as a way not only to engage students through technology, but also…
Do we need more male teachers?
Ronald Maggiano is somewhat unusual in the teaching profession, the Washington Post reports. That is because he is male.
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 1
Schools' use of digital textbooks began long before 2009, but it was a watershed year for this emerging trend in education.
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 5
Online learning might prove disruptive to education, but it also helped many schools avoid a disruption to the learning process as hundreds of schools closed temporarily amid swine-flu…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 3
The economic stimulus package approved by Congress in February included $7.2 billion to help bring broadband internet access to more citizens. It also required the Federal Communications Commission…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 4
The federal stimulus package approved by Congress in February included $650 million designated specifically for education technology. That doesn't include billions more for other programs, such as Title…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 5
Online learning might prove disruptive to education, but it also helped many schools avoid a disruption to the learning process as hundreds of schools closed temporarily amid swine-flu…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 6
Although technically it was published in 2008, "Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns," by Clayton Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson, and Michael Horn,…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 7
In October 2008, Google settled a lawsuit with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers over its extensive book-scanning project, and a federal judge was expected…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 8
It might not be on par with the infamous platform wars between Microsoft and Apple that have spanned three decades--at least, not yet--but the rivalry between technology giants…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 9
Despite the growth in internet safety education over the past year, one alarming trend continued to get worse: "sexting," or the act of sending explicit photos or text…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 10
