Copyright settlement leaves questions
A closely watched copyright-infringement lawsuit with important implications for schools, newspapers, and other organizations that aggregate news content from other sources on their web sites or in eMail newsletters ended in a settlement Jan. 26–leaving open, for now, the question of how much content news aggregators can post from stories they link to from other sites.
Key concepts: copyright infringement, GateHouse, The New York Times, Boston Globe, scraping
“This all sounds great … but does it work?”
That’s the question that John Mergendoller, executive director of the Buck Institute, hears often. His response is a resounding "yes." But measuring project-based learning can be a challenge. If an…
A sample project-planning form
1. Begin with the end in mind. Summarize the theme for the project. Why do this project? Identify the content standards that students will learn in this project. Identify key…
Helping project-based learning take hold
The Buck Institute for Education, which focuses on professional development and materials to support project-based learning, believes that, as with most complex instructional approaches, there are many conditions that need…
Open source question for schools
With Open Source Software (OSS) freely available, covering almost every requirement in the national curriculum, a question has to be asked why schools do not back it more fully, possibly saving millions of pounds, reports BBC News.
Administrators share vision to change schools
Skip the piecemeal education reform. A group of Texas school superintendents are calling for a complete transformation of public schools to better prepare students for the future in ways that aren’t boring, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Paperless format helps students and alumni
Ralph C. Richardson’s skepticism of educational technology faded–and eventually vanished–with the introduction of electronic tablets that allow more comprehensive note taking and instant student responses during professors’ lectures at Kansas State University. Key concepts: educational technology, kansas state university, paperless, student laptop.
Gates Foundation to show excellent teaching
Billionaire philanthropist and former Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates says his foundation hopes to post online videos of exemplary teachers plying their craft as a way to inspire other educators and help students learn. He also says the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will increase its giving in 2009, despite the sinking economy.
Key concepts: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, teacher video, student achievement, education funding
Cleveland zoo uses videoconferencing technology to teach about animals
Tad Schoffner has some new on-the-job partners that he knows will upstage him: Schoffner, assistant animal care manager at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, uses the zoo’s new mobile and wireless infrastructure to teach students about animals within their habitats via a videoconference link, Computerworld reports.
Budget cuts could eliminate Tennessee school software tool
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said he’s going to make sure money stays in the classrooms, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be sacrifices, reports WSMV-TV — and one possible cut could eliminate a very important software tool that 108 school districts use, called the Star System.