Video games are seen as good for children
Video games can be good for children, encouraging creativity and cooperation, a European Union report concluded Feb. 11 — running counter to the violent reputation of some titles, Reuters reports.
Stimulus deal addresses school modernization
Senate and House negotiators agreed Feb. 11 on a compromise, $789 billion economic stimulus bill that includes some funding for school modernization, a priority item for President Obama and House Democrats. Exactly how much funding schools and colleges might get to renovate their buildings and make classrooms technology-ready was unclear as of press time.
Key words: economic stimulus bill, education funding, education technology funding, school modernization funding
Tech-savvy teachers put skills to the test in citywide competition
Madison, Ala., teachers are competing in a citywide contest intended to help show new teachers how to apply 21st-century skills in the classroom, reports the Huntsville Times.
New online game brings a fresh approach to learning middle-school math
Maryland Public Television, in collaboration with MIT’s Education Arcade and educational media producer FableVision, has applied the latest research in game theory and design to produce a free learning tool to help all students learn pre-algebra concepts regardless of their math ability. “Lure of the Labyrinth” is an online middle-school math game developed to reach today’s tech-savvy students in a contemporary way. Using the immersive characteristics of digital games, it blends a compelling storyline with multi-level puzzle play to build pre-algebra skills in proportions, fractions, and ratios; variables and equations; and numbers and operations.
Teachers invite Wii Music into the classroom
Eileen Jahn, who teaches music at the St. Philip’s Academy in Newark, N.J., is one of 60 music educators around the country that have begun to integrate “Wii Music” into their regular curriculum, MSNBC reports.
Schools lose in Senate stimulus ‘compromise’
Despite $1 billion in ed-tech funding and increases in college Pell Grants, education took a major hit when the U.S. Senate cut all $20 billion in proposed funding for school modernization from its version of the economic stimulus bill, which passed in that chamber on Feb. 10. The $20 billion appeared, and passed, in the House’s version of the bill late last month.
Key concepts: education technology funding, economic stimulus bill, school modernization
Mass Notification Systems
Mass Notification Systems
Terrorism. Severe weather. Violent crimes. Water main breaks. Gas leaks. All of these scenarios can occur instantly. The question is, will your schools be prepared to communicate urgent news before it’s too late?
Scholastic accused of misusing book clubs
Scholastic Inc., the children’s publisher of favorites like the Harry Potter, Goosebumps, and Clifford series, might be best known for its books — but a consumer watchdog group accuses the company of using its classroom book clubs to push video games, jewelry kits, and other toys, reports the New York Times.
Oregon Trail software heads for the iPhone
Oregon Trail, the educational computer game that practically raised a generation of American youth thanks to its availability in grade-school computer labs, appears to be making a return on the iPhone, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Benton: Universal broadband a necessity
As Congress debates an economic stimulus package that includes funding to boost the number of people in the United States with broadband internet access, at least one organization says access alone isn’t enough–and it’s urging the Obama administration to adopt strategies to stimulate broadband demand.
Key concepts: Benton Foundation, economic stimulus, broadband service, internet access