August 2, 2006

  • 08/02/06
T.H.E. Newsletter: August 2, 2006
August 2, 2006
WEEKLY SECTIONS

  • Follett Acquires Sagebrush’s Library Automation Business

    Follett Software Co. has acquired Sagebrush Corp.’s library automation business, including its Accent, InfoCentre, Athena, and Spectrum systems. Follett’s acquisition of Sagebrush’s library automation business enhances its ability to continue providing K-12 libraries and school districts with unmatched customer support and leading-edge solutions that facilitate the business of education, as well as allow librarians and teachers to devote more time to their core mission of education. The Sagebrush library automation business will initially operate under the Sagebrush name as a subsidiary of Follett Software Co., and over time it will be integrated into Follett Software Co. Additionally, Sagebrush Books, Sagebrush Library Services, and Sagebrush Viewpoint will continue as a new separate company that will focus on its core competencies of book services and library services to its business partners. The new company will also focus on continued growth in the area of information management for districts with its Viewpoint product.

    For the full story, visit
    http://www.sagebrushcorp.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?NewsID=546

  • Science Teaches Sought for Vernier/NSTA Technology Award

    Full-time science teachers are eligible to apply for the Vernier Software & Technology/National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Technology Award. Vernier will provide up to seven awards, each valued at $3,000, for educators who demonstrate innovative uses of data-collection technology using a computer, graphing calculator, or other handheld device in the science classroom. The awards will be given to one elementary teacher, two middle school teachers, three high school teachers, and one college-level educator. Each will receive a $1,000 cash award, $1,000 in Vernier equipment, and $1,000 toward travel and expenses to attend NSTA’s 2007 national convention. Entries will be judged by a panel of experts appointed by NSTA and are due by Oct. 15, 2006.

    Applications and guidelines are available online at www.vernier.com/grants, or by calling (703) 243-7100.

  • California’s Low-Income Schools to Get High-Tech Windfall
    —From the Los Angeles Times

    California schools could receive hundreds of millions of dollars in school technology funds made available through an antitrust settlement with Microsoft Corp., the state Department of Education announced last Wednesday. More than $400 million will be poured into the education department’s coffers, said Jack O’Connell, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Schools in districts with state-approved technology plans — and with at least 40 percent of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches, a low-income indicator — would be eligible for funding.

    For the full story, visit
    http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-schools27jul27,1,914174.story?coll=la-headlines-technology

  • Blackboard Awarded Patent on eLearning Technology

    Blackboard Inc. has been issued a U.S. patent for technology used for Internet-based education support systems and methods. The patent covers core technology relating to certain systems and methods involved in offering online education, including course management systems and enterprise eLearning systems. The patented technology underpins Blackboard’s eLearning software applications, including the Blackboard Learning System, WebCT Vista, and WebCT Campus Edition, and provides the advanced functionality enjoyed by millions of Blackboard users worldwide.

    For the full story, visit http://www.blackboard.com/patent/patentpress.htm

  • Speakers, Topics Announced for 25th Anniversary TRLD Conference

    Don Johnston Inc., an educational publishing and media technology company, will host the 2007 Technology Reading & Learning Diversity (TRLD) conference in from Feb. 1 to Feb. 3 at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, CA. The 25th anniversary TRLD conference will provide information on integrating technology interventions with expert literacy strategies to maximize student success. Conference presentations will feature updates, research, and best practices in four strands: Policy & Advocacy, Leadership & Organizational Development, Technology Integration, and Teaching & Learning. Among this year’s featured speakers are Denise DeCoste (Montgomery County Public Schools), who will discuss how universal design for learning promotes front-loading technology into the curriculum to benefit all students; and keynote speaker Ellin Oliver Keene, co-author of Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in a Readers’ Workshop , who will address the nature of understanding and the role reading comprehension strategies play in promoting higher levels of comprehension. The TRLD Conference early bird registration is $315 and ends Dec. 5, 2006.

    More information, including hotel accommodations, travel options, exhibiting opportunities, and continuing education credits, is available at http://www.trld.com


Sharp Electronics has released two new fun and affordable calculators: the EL-S50B Quiz Calculator, which helps children improve basic arithmetic skills with built-in mathematic flash-card functionality, and the EL-T100B Brain Exerciser, which keeps older students minds active with a simple but challenging math drill. The 2.9-ounce Quiz Calculator offers a 10-digit, large-character slanted display that makes it easy for children to read the screen. Its built-in drill function includes standard arithmetic operations that can be selected randomly or set by the user, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division questions. The Brain Exerciser turns simple math problems into five-minute brain-training exercises with a built-in drill functions that challenge the mind with simple math equations. For everyday necessities, the 4.5-ounce Brain Exerciser also provides standard calculator functions and a “Tax” key for easy tax calculations. Pricing: the Quiz Calculator is $11.99; the Brain Exerciser is $12.99.


Acer’s new Aspire 5100 series notebooks, based on the latest AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology, are designed for a 64-bit future—delivering dual-core performance with long battery life. The notebooks tout a brilliant 15.4-inch widescreen display enhanced by Acer CrystalBrite technology, a glossy coating that improves 3-D graphics, adding image definition for movies, photos, games, and other multimedia. The Aspire 5100 offers a range of connectivity options: WLAN connectivity is achieved through the integrated wireless module, WPAN with optional built-in Bluetooth 2.0 module, LAN connection with Gigabit Ethernet cards, and traditional connectivity with the integrated 56K ITU V.92 modem. They also come with a full set of I/O ports, a large serial-ATA hard disk drive (up to 160 GB), a DVD super-multi (double layer) drive, and a five-in-one card reader. Pricing starts at $899.



http://www.econedlink.org
EconEdLink contains a large library of online economics lessons for K-12 teachers and students. Teachers can browse the online lessons by title, grade, standard, or lesson plan type. The site also has an area called CyberTeach, which is a comprehensive guide to teaching economics using the Internet, including model lessons and templates for creating effective lesson plans on your own. Additionally, you’ll find access to up-to-date macroeconomic data and related news for classroom use.


http://www.acronymfinder.com
This free, searchable database provides definitions for 500,000 acronyms and abbreviations. Users can search by acronym, abbreviation, or words contained in a meaning. The site also lets visitors sort and filter results based on several major categories, including organizations and schools.

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

Share Your Success
 Whether your district just appointed a new superintendent or your school finally hired that new tech coordinator, we want to know! Please share your staff and faculty successes with us by sending the person's name; title; school, district, and location information; any relevant educational and occupational background; and a high-resolution color image of the person to [email protected]

Call for Papers!!!

THE Journal is currently looking for the following types of articles as we prepare for our 2006 issues:

  • School Perspectives —discuss a specific topic, trend, or concern about education technology.

  • Wishlist/Shortlist —a simple list of the technology (e.g., wireless, laptops, etc.) you're looking at to solve a challenge in your school/district, and an accompanying “shortlist” of vendors you're looking at to solve those challenges.

If you have a potential article, or questions about the above topics, please e-mail [email protected]

THE Institute and AOL @ SCHOOL Offer New Online Course for Educators
“Internet Literacy – Making the Most of the Web,” is a new online course for educators interested in using the World Wide Web in teaching and learning. Designed for elementary and secondary school teachers, the course provides tools for educators to integrate technology into their curricula to improve student achievement and meet NCLB requirements. The cost is $79 per person; course moderation and graduate credit are additional options. “Internet Literacy – Making the Most of the Web," is designed to be useful both for educators new to using technology in teaching and learning and for tech-savvy veterans.
For complete course details and to register, go to http://www.thejournal.com/institute/course510.cfm.

Four Integrating Technology Courses from T.H.E. Institute
 T.H.E. Institute is offering four online professional development courses to help educators comply with NCLB requirements and use technology more successfully in the classroom. The cost is $149 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. In addition, special pricing is available for educators in districts 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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THE Newsletter is a bulletin comprised of recent announcements that affect the education community. Our goal is to keep our readers well informed with the most up to date news. In addition, we hope our audience will share with us their opinions regarding educational technology issues so we may be certain we are covering the topics that are of most interest to them. Please direct any questions or comments about THE Newsletter to [email protected]

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