Grant-grabbing experience gets more tech into classrooms
When Benjamin Tasker Middle School teacher Selena Ward has an idea for a new class project, she spends a lot of time online -- though she's not researching…
Around the Web
News from around the web.
Survey: Family time eroding as internet use soars
Whether it's around the dinner table or just in front of the TV, U.S. families say they are spending less time together. The decline in family time coincides…
Study paints a bleak picture of art education in U.S. schools
Music and art instruction in American eighth-grade classrooms has remained flat over the last decade, according to a new survey by the U.S. Department of Education, and one…
Layoffs mean LA schools lose new breed of teachers
Thousands teachers in Los Angeles will receive pink slips. By next school year, 2,100 city teachers are slated to lose their jobs -- a 5 percent hit to…
Data-Driven Schools See Rising Scores
The Edline system used by the Montgomery County, Md., Public Schools emails poor grade to parents as soon as teachers logged it in, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Colo. governor’s education plan includes increasing technology
Gov. Bill Ritter says his administration is working on a master plan to change the face of education in Colorado and that he'll present his proposals to lawmakers…
Stations Turn Off Analog Signals as Digital TV Deadline Arrives
The New York times reports that across the United States today, television stations will power down the analog signals that have sent TV shows into homes for six…
Grant to help track Minnesota students’ progress
A Jackson County, Minn., ninth-grader whose geometry grade suddenly declines now might get an eMail summons from the school counselor, asking him or her to stop by for…
Aboriginal kids get free laptops to fight illiteracy
In hopes of combating illiteracy and truancy, about 2,000 low-cost laptops from the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child initiative have been delivered to three schools in Aboriginal communities…
Schwarzenegger: Digital textbooks can save money, improve learning
"Today, our kids get their information from the internet, downloaded onto their iPods, and in Twitter feeds to their cell phones. A world of up-to-date information fits easily…
Slanderous site catering to teens is shut down
A web site that catered to anonymous slander and insults by and about teenagers -- and was especially popular in Montgomery County, Md., high schools -- was closed…
U.S. parents rearing a gadget-laden generation
Research released June 9 indicates that U.S. parents are rearing a young gadget-laden generation that is at home with smart phones, laptop computers, and video game consoles, AFP…
Rolling science labs bring tools, inspiration to youngsters
Boston University Medical School's Carl Franzblau wanted to expose more young people to science, and he had a vision inspired by a bloodmobile. The result -- mobile science…
District cancels graduation after computer breach
District administrators in Centerburg, Ohio, canceled their June 6 high school graduation ceremony because of a breach in the school's computer system that allowed a student to make…
Wis. schools to get tech vouchers from Microsoft
Wisconsin education officials say more than 850 schools are in line for up to $80 million in technology reimbursements from Microsoft Corp., reports the Chicago Tribune.
Connecticut district tosses algebra textbooks and goes online
Westport, Conn., teachers were frustrated at having to rush through the algebra curriculum only to find students didn’t grasp important concepts, so they created their own online program,…
Eau Claire schools considering teleconferencing use for board meetings
Eau Claire, Wis., Superintendent Ron Heilmann is working on a draft policy that would allow school board member participation in board deliberations via teleconferencing, reports the Leader-Telegram.
Michigan school official indicted on eRate bribery charge
A former superintendent of a school district in Michigan has been indicted on a conspiracy charge for allegedly accepting a bribe to award an internet services contract through…
Knox County schools unblock gay-issues web sites
Educational web sites about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues will be accessible now at Knox County, Tenn., schools after a glitch blocking the sites was corrected, reports…
New program exposes teachers to modern workplace
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe says a new state program for teachers will make them more aware of employers' needs in today's work place, reports the Arkansas News Bureau.
Free digital book plan is costly, educators say
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger believes schools can save hundreds of millions of dollars by using free digital textbooks, but educators are disputing that notion, reports the San Francisco…
46 states, D.C. plan to draft common education standards
Forty-six states and the District of Columbia have announced an effort to craft a single vision for what children should learn each year from kindergarten through high school…
Effort to reshape U.S. schools faces challenges
As chief executive of the Chicago Public Schools, Arne Duncan closed more than a dozen of the city's worst schools, reopening them with new principals and teachers. Now…
Danish schools consider allowing the internet for exams
It might seem self-defeating to some, but Denmark's Education Ministry is seriously considering allowing the use of the internet during school exams, IceNews reports.
Seminars in Mass., R.I. address ‘sexting’ danger
Students in a number of Massachusetts and Rhode Island schools will be warned this week about "sexting" and other cyber dangers, reports the Boston Herald.
In war zone, soldier uses blog to teach
Sixth-grade social studies students at Ballard County Middle School in Kentucky know what time it is in Afghanistan and what the weather is like there on a given…
Web site lets New York City parents track data on students
After several months of delays, a web site that offers an interactive portfolio of New York City public school students' test scores, grades, and attendance rates will be…
‘DTXTR’ translates teen text into English
Wot r ur students txting? If you're wondering -- or 1dering -- there's a new online translation tool that helps decipher the code, AFP reports.
Tennessee passes cyber-bullying legislation
Tennessee legislation aimed at preventing cyber bullying is headed to Gov. Phil Bredesen, who is expected to allow it to become law, reports the Commercial Appeal.
Economic woes could reduce technology in K-12 classrooms
A report released by the American Association of School Administrators reveals that many school budgets will be cut during the 2009-10 school year because of reduced funding --…
Should teachers, kids be digital ‘friends’?
With online social networks and similar tools rocketing in popularity, some teachers have started using these tools to build rapport, update students on classroom activities, and keep an…
Microsoft’s DigiGirlz Day helps girls tackle tech
During DigiGirlz Day at Microsoft's New England Research and Development (NERD) site in Cambridge, Mass., 177 high school girls recently programmed miniature robots, made musical Play-Doh, learned about…
UI center provides software to help those with reading difficulties
Thanks to a free new software program, University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff who have difficulty reading online will now have help with BrowseAloud, reports Media-Newswire.com.
L.A. Unified makes computer science accessible
With President Obama calling math and science education the key to good jobs in our future economy, Congress was told May 20 that a pilot program in Los…
UN agency seeks protection for children online
The UN telecommunications agency is drawing up guidelines to protect children from sexual predators operating on the internet, cyber bullying, and the temptations of online commerce, AFP reports.
Sixth grader wins Google logo contest
Technology prizes for you and your school, worldwide exposure, and the Google empire at your beck and call, if only for 24 hours -- not a bad day…
North Carolina lawmakers want kids out of Google images
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and legislators from Charlotte and Raleigh on May 19 joined a child internet safety group as one of its leaders called for…
New web site prepares Colorado students for life after school
The U.S. ranks 15th out of 29 developed countries in the percentage of college students who complete their degrees, and 10th in the world in the percentage of…
No guidance on how to rein in the flu
As schools continue to shut down in New York and elsewhere because of swine flu, health officials are asking a question for which there is little guidance, even…
Facebook users hooked in new ‘phishing’ scam
Facebook on May 15 was blocking links to bogus web sites set up to look like the home page of the popular online social network in a "phishing"…