These 8 schools have A+ mobile device programs—here’s why

Technology continues to raise the bar of what is possible in education. As more schools discover the power and benefits of education technology, mobile devices such as Chromebooks, Macs and iPads in the classroom are becoming commonplace.

Here are eight innovative, real-world examples of schools that are using mobile devices along with a mobile device management (MDM) solution to unlock what’s possible in the classroom:

1. School District of La Crosse: Providing Student Equity for All & Managing a Massive Student iPad Handout…Read More

Warning: These fraud attacks are wreaking havoc on education

On March 14, it was reported in CSO (a leading cybersecurity outlet) that 110 organizations experiences successful phishing attacks targeting their W-2 records. This put more than 120,000 taxpayers at risk for identity fraud.  Despite warnings from the IRS in early February, employees continue to fall victim to the bad guys’ ploys.

This wildly successful phishing scheme works like this: malicious actors spoof (or pretend to be) the CEO or President of a company and email a CFO or similarly positioned employee to request copies of all employees’ W-2 forms. The employee falls victim to the fake email, shares confidential information and the damage is immediately done.

W-2 Fraud attacks are particularly dangerous because of the ongoing fall out. In fact, IRS Commissioner, John Koskinen wrote in a statement, “This is one of the most dangerous email phishing scams we’ve seen in a long time. It can result in the large-scale theft of sensitive data that criminals can use to commit various crimes, including filing fraudulent tax returns.”…Read More

Teachers: Online learning goes 2.0 with new technology

Video tutorials in the style made famous by Sal Khan of the Khan Academy changed the face of education, empowering anywhere, anytime learning. However, they were Tutorials 1.0. We now have Tutorials 2.0. The LightBoard has arrived.

A Giant Leap Forward to More “Human” Online Learning

This next stage of evolution of tutorials allows students to get an enhanced experience with a more personal connection between the student and the teacher. Students no longer view only writing with a disembodied voice. They now get to see their teacher, complete with facial expressions, gestures and all the “human” things that make person-to-person explanations appealing. While nothing can replace a one-to-one, face-to-face explanation, this is better than anything in the past.…Read More

Teachers: This change is causing dramatic gains in student achievement

[Editor’s note: This post by Alan November, written exclusively for eSchool Media, is part of a series of upcoming articles by this notable education thought leader. Check back later this month for the next must-read post!]

What if we could empower our teachers to turn student assessment into a process of learning instead of a focus on measurement?  Further, what if this mindset change led to an increase in student achievement on tests?

That’s exactly what is happening at Trailside Middle School in Loudoun County, Virginia; at high schools in Gaston County Schools, North Carolina; and at a few other pioneering classrooms around the country where I have had the opportunity to work with innovative educators.…Read More

How I use Skype to prevent school violence

21st century schools must include effective and high impact approaches to school violence prevention and student conflict resolution. Unfortunately, “school-wide” or “outside speaker” approaches to reducing student violence and conflict have largely proven to be ineffective.

Too often these “imported models” do not have a lasting impact on student conflict and violence prevention.  Students listen to the “guest speaker” and then go back to the old habits after lunch. Predictably, these “dose-effect” programs rarely exist long enough to be properly evaluated.

However, emerging interactive video technologies can support new and innovative approaches to the preventive and reflective side of school violence prevention and conflict resolution.…Read More

Teachers and IT: How to keep kids safe on Chromebooks

Just a few short years ago, Apple was the undisputed king of tech in schools. If you didn’t have iPads in your classroom, you were planning to get them soon. But today the momentum has shifted dramatically. Google’s Chromebook has almost completely replaced Apple’s iconic tablet as the first choice for classroom-tech initiatives.

Chromebooks are in many ways ideal for classrooms, allowing teachers to leverage online resources to provide richer, more differentiated educational experiences to your students. In addition, Chromebooks have multiple, substantial layers of built-in security, providing peace of mind regarding certain types of cyber threats.

To improve on that security, school IT probably also use a secure web gateway appliance and a firewall to protect students and staff from web-borne threats. Depending on the solutions the school or district has chosen to install, this is effective—as long as the devices are connected to the school network.…Read More

5 tips for getting blended learning right

When implementing a blended learning model, it is important for schools to be aware of key components and steps to integrate into their plan. In “Five Tips for Getting Blended Learning Right,” hosted by edWeb.net and sponsored by Achieve3000, Julia Freeland Fisher, director of Education at the Clayton Christensen Institute, gave schools the tips they need to successfully implement blended learning.

1. Plan first, technology second: Although it may seem easier to dive right in, schools cannot go technology-first into a blended learning model. Teachers cannot be expected to figure out what to do with technology, but rather should be expected to use the support it provides. Since blended learning is about changing instruction, technology must follow an instructional plan.

2. Create design teams for teachers: It is also important for teachers to be on blended learning design teams. They should be participating in the design process, rethinking blended learning strategies, and solving the problems they are actually facing within the classrooms.…Read More

This is how you make PD engaging for teachers

Teachers constantly juggle a number of different national, state, and district initiatives in today’s fast-paced and complex educational environment. Organizing professional development days that meet the varying needs of every teacher has become increasingly difficult as the pace of change far exceeds the number of days allowed for PD. To that end, Garnet Valley has adopted the acronym C.H.O.I.C.E., taken from Brad Currie (@bradmcurrie) and Jason Bretzmann’s (@jbretzmann) book, Personalized PD: Flipping Your Professional Development for its framework when designing professional learning days.

In keeping with our goals of offering and utilizing C.H.O.I.C.E. (Constant Progress, Honoring Professionals, Ongoing, Individualized, Collaborative, and Energizing) sessions, our district divides the professional learning calendar into three distinct models: Technology Boot Camp, Assigned Professional Development Days, and CHOICE Professional Development Days.

All sessions are driven and organized based on feedback from staff and analyzed by the district’s LEAP Committee, all utilizing face-to-face, synchronous, and asynchronous blended instruction. Our teachers choose their specific learning topics at their own pace with their preferred instructional model.…Read More

4 good computer habits every teacher should have

They say computers make life easier. I say they sometimes make our lives miserable.

During the past two years, I’ve visited Apple’s Genius Bar eight times. I’ve watched a student cry in front of her PC after she found a Word document she had worked on for days corrupted. I’ve witnessed someone spill coffee on my colleague’s MacBook, and then felt enraged when he had to spend almost half its price to make the thing work again.

Now you may ask me: What’s going on with our computers? Well, there is nothing wrong with the computers. It’s us. It’s our bad habits that led to these tragedies.…Read More

Looking inside classrooms can reveal surprising innovation

As any educator will no doubt agree, stepping outside of the traditional classroom box can lead to innovations that result in extraordinary experiences. And sometimes, as Arizona’s Yuma Elementary School District One discovered, those innovations are already sitting in the classroom, waiting to be discovered.

The technology-rich district has always put an emphasis on ensuring students have access to devices even before it rolled out a personalized one-to-one initiative. But educators wanted to take that richness to the next level.

“The technology wasn’t always being used to its fullest potential—there was a conversation about how to ignite that change,” said Christa Fairman, an educational technology specialist in the district.…Read More

Teachers in one district urged to learn in their pajamas

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these [teachers] from the swift completion of their [PD]. You may be thinking of mail couriers, but this motto is also one used by an innovative technology and instructional coach in Iowa, who sees bad weather as a great opportunity to learn in a fun way.

Though teachers are often expected to make learning fun and engaging for their students, too often these same teachers are not given the same exciting opportunities for PD.

But Rachel Langenhorst, K-12 Technology Integrationist and Instructional Coach in Rock Valley, IA, is setting out to change that. Langenhorst, who was interviewed on Education Talk Radio for edWeb.net‘s monthly show by Program Host Larry Jacobs, talked about how her district recently held a PJ PD Day during an unexpected snow storm.…Read More

Why my students are real world-ready with nothing but a device

[Editor’s note: Award-winning science teacher Anthony Johnson, whose real-world ‘Johnsonville’ approach article was a viral hit, delves further into how his students use their devices in every lesson, every day.]

Just as few modern-day workers could function in their jobs without a cellphone, a laptop, or periodic trips to Google, I want my students to learn how to solve problems using devices that will likely be similar to ones they will encounter for the rest of their lives.

I strongly believe in the power of technology to transform learning and the lives of my students. In fact, I’m not sure where my classroom would be without it. My school is fortunate enough to have gone 1:1 with iPads, and I challenge my students to use their devices in every lesson, every project, and every experience we share as a class.…Read More