Obama to Congress: Education is key
In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama on Feb. 24 cited education as one of three keys to economic recovery and long-term prosperity for the United States.
Key words: Obama, congressional address, education support, key to prosperity
Teachers get MySpace, Google training
Teachers from the San Francisco Unified School District are slated to meet Feb. 24 with representatives from Google, MySpace, CNET, YouTube, and Technorati for training on how to bring blogging, podcasting, online video, and social networking into their classrooms, NewTeeVee reports.
Public school web site is a bridge to private aid
It’s like “Craigslist,” except the goal is to bring people together to support public schools in Hawaii, reports the Honolulu Star-Bulletin: School stakeholders can click on the new web site helphawaiischools.com to find out how to help.
Educators wary in wake of Nortel bankruptcy
Acutely aware of how the sudden change or demise of an important technology vendor can wreak havoc on their ed-tech programs, school leaders across North America are watching closely as Toronto-based telecommunications firm Nortel Networks aims to reorganize after filing for bankruptcy protection last month.
Key words: Nortel, chapter 11 bankruptcy, educational technology, owensboro public schools, LearnIT
Court strikes down California video-game law
In a decision that could have a far-reaching effect on other states’ efforts, a federal appeals court on Feb. 20 struck down a California law that sought to ban the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, reports the Associated Press.
Learning with blogs and wikis
Technology has made it easy for educators to embrace continual professional development, writes Bill Ferriter in the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development’s publication, Educational Leadership.
AASA hears what’s about to disrupt schools
If Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen is right, half of all instruction will take place online within the next 10 years–and schools had better get into the online-learning market or risk losing their students to other providers.
Key words: online learning, AASA, disruptive innovation
Electronic tutor helps accounting students
Accounting students now have access to the same kind of artificial intelligence-based tutoring software that math and chemistry students have had for years–and science teachers-in-training soon could benefit from the technology as well.
Key words: artificial intelligence, science teachers-in-training, tutoring software, virtual mentor
Free Microsoft curriculum encourages students to be good ‘digital citizens’
Students interact with music, movies, software, and other digital content every day–but many don’t fully understand the rules surrounding the appropriate use of these materials, or why this should even matter. To help teach students about intellectual property rights and encourage them to become good “digital citizens,” software giant Microsoft Corp. has unveiled a free curriculum that offers cross-curricular classroom activities aligned with national standards.
2009 Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award winners honored during AASA conference
Ten superintendents who are among the nation’s most successful in leading their schools into the 21st century were honored in a special ceremony Feb. 20. The occasion was eSchool News’ Ninth Annual Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards, sponsored by Promethean, the Pearson Foundation, and K12 Inc. This year’s award winners were honored during a private ceremony held in conjunction with the Century Club 100 meeting at the American Association of School Administrators’ annual conference in San Francisco.
Key words: Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards, education, technology, technology leadership