Archive: Feb 2012
EdTech
White House Announces Second Science Fair Winners
Tuesday, President Obama will host the second White House Science Fair to celebrate winners of its science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competitions from across the country and announce key steps the Administration and its partners are taking to excel STEM in the U.S.
EdTech
Budget Cuts Leave Some Students Tongue-Tied
On Jan. 20 the Department of Education announced plans to cut $27 million in funding to foreign language programs around the country. The money comes from the now defunct Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP), which doled out three- or five-year grants to charter schools, school districts and states.
EdTech
SmartTech Roundup
Learning Platforms The Gates Foundation finally launched a website with a little info on the Shared Learning Collaborative. Five states are expected to pilot something next year, but will it be a full personalized learning platform in the sky or a data warehouse? Instructure, a Salt Lake…
Personalized Learning
Turkish Kids Are Getting Tablets, What’s Your State Doing?
ast August Fast Company broke the story that Turkish officials were having conversations with US companies about their plans to equip every student with a tablet computer. This morning, World Bulletin reported that the first 12,000 tabs are arriving at schools as part of the Movement to Increase Opportunities and Technology (FATİH) project.
Leadership
Good Work: 10 Quotes on Measuring Your Life
My friends from Innosight recently reminded me of Clay Christensen's article How Will You Measure Your Life? After a great weekend with my wife and friends, I reread it waiting for a flight. Here's 10 quotes that made me stop and think.
Leadership
Staff Picks: Digital Playlist, Blended Learning, Mobile Learning
Tom picks digital playlists by Adam Renfro, Karen picks NEA support for blended learning, Caroline picks student Digital Learning Day testimonies, and Sarah picks a presentation iPad app.
EdTech
TASC Reports After-School Programs Equalize Tech Access For Students
Recently, The After-School Corporation released "Where the Kids Are: Digital Learning In Class and Beyond," a white paper that looks at the benefits of expanding technology-enabled learning time in after-school programs, and a video that reinforces the ways that students can gain access to learning opportunities at school and in community organizations.
Personalized Learning
The NEA Spells Out Support for Blended Learning
The NEA issued a policy brief in support of blended learning. The policy prescriptions are mostly on track but the report missed the potential to improve working conditions and career opportunities for teachers.
EdTech
RabbleBrowser: Improve Classroom Management With Mobile Learning
“The concept of the 60-minute learning block is broken,” says Chad Udell, the managing director of Float Mobile Learning (Float). “We’re entering an new age where what constitutes learning and what provides learning is changing.”
Personalized Learning
DJ Your Classroom: The Digital Playlist
Wednesday was Digital Learning Day, and the Renfro Manor celebrated in the traditional manner with high-fructose digitalization: Youtube, Pandora, Twitter, Moodle, Cabanga, Skype, G-talk, Blackboard, Time4Learning, Facebook, LinkedIn, NCVPS, Apple TV, IMs, playlists, and then I dropped the kids off at school.