October 5, 2005

  • 10/05/05
T.H.E. Newsletter: October 5, 2005
October 5, 2005
WEEKLY SECTIONS

  • CoSN Fast Forwards to the Year 2010 in New Report

    In a report released last week, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) identifies the technologies that have the potential to reshape education by 2010, and explores how technology decision-makers need to plan ahead. Digital Learning Spaces 2010 demonstrates how technology can be used to customize learning environments for children, enhancing their educational experiences. The report is the latest in a series of reports by CoSN that are designed to promote and support the use of new technologies in K-12 education. The report will be formally released today via a webcast, the first of CoSN's 2005-2006 Internet & Education Webcast Series.

    The report begins with three examples of the digital classrooms we could see in 2010, the technologies that would make them possible, and the ways they will maximize student learning. All the examples—an integrated math/science class, a fifth-grade elementary school class, and two virtual student learning experiences—demonstrate the learning capabilities schools can provide in five years if they begin implementing these technologies now.

    For the full story, visit http://www.cosn.org/about/press/092705.cfm

  • Target Awards More Than $14.7M to Schools Nationwide

    In its second check donation of 2005, the Target Take Charge of Education program awarded more than $14.7 million to schools nationwide. Take Charge of Education dollars are donated to schools twice each year, and schools can use the funds for anything they need — from technology, to books and school supplies, to grants.

    With the Take Charge of Education school fundraising program, families, teachers, and members of the community can designate any eligible K-12 school throughout the country to receive an amount equal to 1 percent of their REDcard (Target Visa and Target Card) purchases made at Target and Target.com. Target also donates 0.5 percent of all Target Visa purchases made everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted.

    Cardholders and school representatives can visit http://www.Target.com/tcoe, the in-store kiosk, or call 800-316-6142 to enroll, change a school designation, or check school payout totals.

    For the full story, visit http://www.targetcorp.com/targetcorp_group/investor-relations/ir_news.jhtml

  • National Education Summit Announces Guest Speakers

    The 2005 National Education Summit on Leadership, Learning, and Technology for the 21st Century has announced this year's lineup of speakers:

    •  Dr. Terry Crane, formerly with AOL
    •  Dr. Dick Fairley, Department of Education (retired), noted education expert
    •  Gov. Mitt Romney (MA)
    •  Dr. Irving Hamer, education specialist
    •  Keith Kruger, CoSN
    •  Alan November, leader in technology education
    •  Dr. Elliot Soloway, University of Michigan
    •  Cathie Norris, University of North Texas
    •  Dr. Helen Soule, executive director of Cable in the Classroom
    •  David Thornburg, award-winning futurist, author, and consultant

    Hosted by the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Education Commission of the States, and CELT Corp., the summit will take place in Cape Cod, MA, from Oct. 6-8. For more information on the invitational event, visit http://www.celtcorp.com/2nd_level.jsp?content=2005%20Summit%20Main%20Page

  • Adam Equipment Extends ‘Bonus Balance Program' Through End of the Year

    Adam Equipment (http://www.adamequipment.com/education), a world-class manufacturer of mass measurement equipment, is extending its promotion for educators to receive an extra balance with every class set of six balances that is purchased through the end of the school year. This special offer — for teachers only — is available for Adam's two most popular classroom balances: the AQT compact and the ACBplus portable. The value of the free balance ranges from $99 to $480, depending on the model and capacity that is ordered.

    The Bonus Balance Program is available exclusively for educational institutions. Educators must purchase six units of the same model at one time by Dec. 31, 2005, to qualify. To receive the Bonus Balance, teachers should reference Promotional Code EDPR05 on their purchase order. Visit http://www.adamequipment.com/ed for complete details.

  • Innovations 2006 Relocated to Atlanta

    The League for Innovation in the Community College has announced that due to the extreme devastation Hurricane Katrina has caused in New Orleans, it will relocate the Innovations 2006 conference to the Hilton Atlanta.

    In a release, the organization said: “Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to our friends and colleagues in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, as well as all of the residents of Louisiana and the surrounding states who were affected, as they continue to recover from this catastrophic hurricane.”

    For more information on this event, which will still take place from March 19-22, 2006, visit http://www.league.org/i2006/index.html

eSchool Solutions Inc. (http://www.eschoolsolutions.com), provider of integrated educational management solutions specifically designed for the preK-12 education community, has recently released Electronic Registrar Online v3.14. The product enables districts to utilize a system that supports the alignment of student achievement goals with staff development needs. It is an effective record-keeping and tracking tool that allows for consistent communication and compliance standards. The new release also gives districts the ability to offer a wider variety of credits and hours (which some districts call “points”) for the successful completion of professional development activities. Additional improvements to this new version include the standardization of data on reports, and the expansion of import and export files to accommodate the “Credit Type” changes. For pricing, call your regional sales representative at 888-388-8774.


Internet security company Comvigo (http://www.comvigo.com) has released IM Lock 1.4, IM-blocking software for school and home use. IM Lock blocks the most widely used instant messengers, including AOL, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, as well as 16 other protocols. The program was created to protect users, especially young children, and equipment against the new dangers posed by instant messaging, which has become the new access vehicle of choice for hackers, worm virus writers, identity thieves, online predators and cyber stalkers. It also saves districts money by reducing the time employees spend on unproductive Internet activity, and has optional settings to block other actions such as Internet browsing, P2P file sharing, streaming media, and music downloading. IM Lock runs on Windows NT/XP/2000 platforms; a five user license costs $79.


Imagine a world in which teachers and students are able to work collaboratively on projects that enhance learning and make a difference worldwide. To help make these connections possible in more U.S. classrooms, iEARN-USA (http://us.iearn.org) has developed an interactive CD-ROM Multimedia Guide to Global Online Collaboration. This multimedia resource contains a step-by-step overview of planning, preparing, assessing, and sharing K-12 global collaborative project work, including videos, activity structures, and planning and assessment tools that can be adapted for any context. For a limited time, iEARN-USA will be offering one free copy of the CD upon request to any US educator. To receive your copy by mail, fill out the online form at http://amity.iearn.org/cd_form.lasso. Additional copies can be ordered at a cost of $8.00 each by contacting Lisa Jobson at [email protected]


http://www.gradeconnect.com
Grade Connect has created an easy-to-use online gradebook and course management system that is free for all teachers and students. Designed by teachers, the site is currently being used by more than 20,000 students and teachers from 234 schools. The online gradebook allows educators to post up-to-the-day grades, automatically calculate quarter grades, post homework and project assignments along with due dates, send progress reports or failure warnings, as well as e-mail a single student or automatically send a mass e-mail to an entire class.


http://schoolmsds.com
Scenario Learning, a publisher of safety-related resources for school districts, has recently unveiled SchoolMSDS.com, an online Material Data Safety Sheet (MSDS) management system that helps districts organize information related to hazardous chemicals used in their schools. A few of the site's features include virtual MSDS binders that are stored and organized online, remote access to MSDSs, and a repository of common school chemicals/MSDSs. These tools and resources help keep your district in compliance, and save you time and money in the process. In addition, administrators interested in finding out more about SchoolMSDS.com can log on and take a fee demo.


For a complete listing of up-to-date conference information, visit T.H.E. Conference Calendar, T.H.E. Journal 's comprehensive conference database, at: http://www.theconferencecalendar.com

Call for Papers!!!
Please take a second to look at some of the topics we'll be covering in our fall issues:

  • Building Wireless Schools and Classrooms
  • Assessment Tools and Technologies
  • Student Information Systems and Administrative Technologies

If you have a good story that is related to any of the above topics, please e-mail an abstract to mailto:[email protected]

2005 Educational Road Map to the Web!
Order your copy of the new 2005 Educational Road Map to the Web! This year's Road Map is loaded with more than 200 educationally appropriate Web links from netTrekker (http://www.nettrekker.com), the search engine for schools, who also co-sponsored this one-of-a-kind classroom poster. Copies of the Road Map can be ordered online at http://www.thejournal.com/roadmap/

T.H.E. Offers Educators Individual netTrekker Subscriptions
T.H.E. Journal has announced an exclusive partnership with Thinkronize, developers of netTrekker, the trusted search engine for schools, which allows educators worldwide to purchase individual (single-user) subscriptions to netTrekker, which previously was available only on a site license basis to schools and districts. With this initiative, T.H.E. and Thinkronize have combined to better serve their customer's needs by personalizing the way educators use the Internet. Educators can purchase individual subscriptions for netTrekker through the T.H.E. Journal's Web site at http://www.thejournal.com/netTrekker. The suggested list price for a one-year subscription is $49.95.

Four New Integrating Technology Courses From T.H.E. Institute
T.H.E. Institute is offering four new online professional development courses to help educators comply with NCLB requirements and use technology more successfully in the classroom. The cost is $209 per course, which includes a $10 per person per course administration fee for documentation of clock hours and a certificate of completion. Course moderation and graduate credit are additional options; volume discounts are available. Anyone who enrolls in a course will receive individual access to the netTrekker site, as well as free individual access to United Learning's unitedstreaming site. For extra value, with registration for one of the above courses, participants will have access to an additional five courses - all five for only $100 - plus a $10 per person per course administration fee. In addition, special pricing is available for educators in district that have purchased Glencoe/McGraw-Hill's TechCONNECT.

Integrating Technology in the Classroom Courses: Social Studies - Available Now; Science - Available Now; English/Language Arts- Available Now; Mathematics - Available Now

For more information, log on to http://www.thejournal.com/institute/IntegratingTech.cfm

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