School administrators are a cautious group. But the pressure to adopt social networking in school settings is on, and it's forcing them to consider how to implement these potentially valuable educational tools with the privacy and "safety" needs of their underage constituents in mind. Christopher Wells, director of IT policies and communications for Gwinnett County Public Schools, looks at ways administrators can protect their students while continuing to move forward with technology. He also supplies six concrete tips for crafting an Internet policy.
- By Christopher Wells
- 11/17/10
The first-annual Global Education Conference kicked off this week. Through Friday, Nov. 19, events will be streamed live for free and without formal registration via the Elluminate interactive platform.
Software developer LogMeIn has launched a free meeting and screen sharing system called join.me, along with a subscription-based "pro" version that provides additional functionality.
Detroit Public Schools (DPS) in Michigan has begun the transition to a digital science curriculum in its middle and high schools.
- By Scott Aronowitz
- 11/12/10
Desire2Learn is integrating Microsoft's Live@edu service into its Learning Suite, an educational software package that includes a learning management system, electronic portfolio, learning repository, and analytics tool.
Second Life operator Linden Lab has let fly another bombshell for education customers: Not only is the company shutting down its Teen Grid, as previously reported, but it's also ending discounts for educational and non-profit organizations. The new policy will essentially double the normal region rates for these communities and will go into effect as soon as Jan. 1, 2011.
- By Denise Harrison
- 11/03/10
Adobe this week launched Connect 8, an update to the company's Web conferencing tool designed for online teaching, group collaboration, and remote meetings and presentations.
School Improvement Network has launched PD 360 4.0, an update to the company's teacher professional development tool and learning community.
K-12's tendency toward slow adoption isn't all bad. It allows schools to draw from the experiences of colleges and universities, which have come to function as a proving ground for classroom devices.
- By Charlene O’Hanlon
- 11/01/10
eTouch has launched a free, on-premises edition of its wiki and collaboration management tool, SamePage.