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EdTech

Can Your Cloud App Really Do Business Intelligence?

The cloud has been targeted as the next Big Thing in technology and organizations are migrating more and more of their data to the cloud. This migration is done for several reasons, not the least of which is the saving of expenses that would normally be allocated towards an on-premise infrastructure and operational costs. One federal institution, the General Services Administration (GSA), was so confident in their financial savings decision that they abandoned their entire internal email and collaboration system in favor of Google Apps.

Personalized Learning

School Technologist Proposes Student Technology Bill of Rights

School technology specialist Brad Flickinger's recently proposed a student technology bill of rights, which articulates the ways in which educators should regulate appropriate technology use with students. The bill essentially comes as a welcome sign to those involved in education to take a stand in spelling out what I believe - should already been a given.

EdTech

The Green Schoolhouse Series – 21st century learning classrooms

It used to be educationally valuable to use Styrofoam balls to create a fairly basic representation of the solar system or to study simple earth science through a paper mache volcano craft project. Likewise, chalk and erasers were precious tools of the trade for teachers, while yellow number two pencils and plastic protractors were the standard of choice for students. Lunch hall dining used to consist of fast-food quality meals--but not anymore.

EdTech

5 Cool Things About Online Education

Early in life, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. My mom and grandma were teachers, and I fully intended to join the ranks in a traditional classroom setting. I hadn’t heard of a virtual charter school before, but I’ve always been intrigued by technology, so I decided to check it out. After doing some research, I came to the realization that not only did I prefer it over substitute-teaching for a year but also that there actually wasn’t anything else I would rather do.

Personalized Learning

Could Teacher Evaluation Initiatives Power Down Technology-driven Innovation?

Teacher quality is arguably the largest policy shift in education today and will have a lasting impact on our public education system. Legislatures across the country are hammering out systems intended to improve, reward, and redistribute quality instruction – including teacher evaluation systems and systems to differentiate compensation.

Personalized Learning

Yes! A Productivity Agenda!

In a recent report (and a wave of blog posts) it is clear that Bruce Baker takes offense at the current discussion around improving productivity in public education.

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.

Personalized Learning

Technology Transforms Teachers Into Master Chefs of the Classroom

A teacher is like a chef of the classroom, creating recipes for learning, devising experiences for students the way an expert chef composes a dining experience. A skillful teacher processes an almost constant stream of micro-decisions, juggling many lessons, as they plan, carry out, and adapt.