Technology brings a rising tide of change
It is up to educators to inspire their students to become environmental leaders and help restore and protect the world’s oceans, said Philippe Cousteau, chief ocean correspondent for Animal Planet, at the opening general session of the Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando.
Key concepts: Philippe Cousteau, environment issues, FETC
Gates Foundation to give $22M for education
In its efforts to ensure that students graduate from high school ready for college and success in the future workplace, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced more than $22 million in new grants to support the development of data systems and research initiatives in K-12 education.
Key concepts: gates foundation, decision making process, education grants
West Point will tell soldiers’ stories on the web
Lt. Col. Paul Owen, West Point Class of ’90, came back to the academy to tell his story about Iraq. Sitting before a video camera in his dress uniform, Owen described the oppressive heat, the “moon dust” sand, and a string of some 300 night raids in search of insurgents. Owen’s recorded recollections will be transcribed and posted on the web as part of an ambitious oral history project under way at the U.S. Military Academy’s new Center for Oral History.
Stories are being solicited from old soldiers and those just back from deployments. They are being asked about not only what happened on the battlefield, but what was going on under their helmets, too.
Key concepts: west point military academy, west point academy, web videos, us military academy, usma
Colleges convert cooking oil into biodiesel fuel
Forgive the students at Sinclair Community College if they get the munchies when they pass the tractors that cut grass, blow leaves, or sweep snow on campus: Oil that once cooked french fries and onion rings is being used to power the vehicles. Key concepts: biodiesel fuel, green technology, state university of new york.
Feds expand list of salmonella-tainted peanut products
Federal health officials on Jan. 21 expanded their list of foods contaminated with salmonella-tainted peanut butter or paste, urging the public to check their pantries and trash for any one of the more than 125 products now at risk of carrying the bacteria, Newsday reports.
$3.77M from Gates Foundation to help fund Dallas ISD academic database
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will announce a nearly $3.8 million grant today to help fund a mega-database that gives Dallas school educators instant access to student information from preschool to graduation, reports the Dallas Morning News.
COPA dies quietly in Supreme Court
A federal law intended to restrict children’s access to internet pornography died quietly Jan. 21 at the U.S. Supreme Court, more than 10 years after Congress overwhelmingly approved it.
Key concept: COPA, internet safety, supreme court decisions
Report details upcoming ed-tech trends
A higher-education study released this week highlighted six technologies that soon could change college campuses–including mobile devices with abundant applications, cloud computing that bolsters data accessibility, and web tools that could make campus-based research faster and more thorough. Key concepts: educause, educational technology, mobile devices, pitzer college, onondaga community college
Texas grapples with evolution in new science standards
The latest chapter in a long-running debate over how evolution should be taught in public schools opened Jan. 21 as the Texas State Board of Education ramped up its review of the state’s science standards. Experts say the state’s actions could have significant implications for schools nationwide, because Texas is one of the country’s largest purchasers of textbooks–and publishers are reluctant to produce different versions of the same material.
Key concepts: evolution theory, Texas State Board of Education, science curriculum
Judge delays hearing in file-sharing case
A federal judge has postponed a hearing in a high-profile music file-sharing case that would have been the first in federal court in Massachusetts to be streamed online. Judge Nancy Gertner postponed oral arguments set for Jan. 22 in the copyright infringement lawsuit that pits a Boston University graduate student against the music recording industry. Proceedings will resume Feb. 24. Key concepts: file share, p2p file sharing, file sharing programs, copyright infringement, boston university.