K-12 Tech Trends :: October 11, 2006

Opinion

Keep the Customer Satisfied

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with a teenager who goes to a school with a 1-to-1 implementation. I have been in schools with 1-to-1, talked to teachers and administrators, and looked at the results of studies done on these schools. I also have read how 1-to-1 implementations are coming under some pressure to show their value. What I haven't seen is an extended conversation with a student, other than extracted comments like, "This is very cool," or "I am really more engaged now, and class is more interesting."

I came away from my talk with the student with more insight than I can convey here. I found out quickly that I was talking to a very sophisticated education consumer. That sophistication goes far beyond the game-playing, IMing, internet-surfing, TV-watching, music-listening activities of the typical teenage multitasker. You'll see how far after reading a sampling of his critiques...

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News Briefs

Viewpoint School Deploys Xirrus Wi-Fi Network for Campuswide Connectivity

Xirrus Inc., a provider of high-capacity, long-range Wi-Fi products that can effectively extend wired network capabilities to wireless without compromise, has deployed its Wi-Fi solution to support the new...

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Capital One, JA Unveil Mobile Financial Literacy Program for Middle School Students

Capital One Financial Corp. and JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) have teamed up to create the Capital One/Junior Achievement Finance Park that was unveiled last week in Washington before it heads to Fairfax and Richmond, VA, this fall...

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Thinkronize, ENA Bring Safe Internet Searching to All of Tennessee's K-12 Schools

A recent partnership between Thinkronize, developer of the netTrekker suite of safe educational search products, and Education Networks of America (ENA), a provider of managed network and technology solutions for school systems, has made safe Internet searching a reality for every K-12 student, parent, and educator throughout Tennessee...

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LeapFrog SchoolHouse Teams With Gymboree for School-Readiness Programs

LeapFrog SchoolHouse, the school division of LeapFrog Enterprises Inc., has announced that Gymboree Play & Music, a provider of parent-child play and learning programs, will offer LeapFrog SchoolHouse products...

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By the Numbers

1:1 Computing Grows Six-Fold

A new research study, America’s Digital Schools 2006: A Five-Year Forecast, sponsored by Pearson Education and Discovery Education, found that more than 24 percent of the nation’s school districts are implementing some type of 1:1 computing initiative in at least one grade.

The last major study to touch on this topic was a QED study of the 2003-2004 school year. At that time, only 4 percent of districts reported actively implementing a 1:1 program...

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Show Me the Money

Sealed Air Announces Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors

Sealed Air Corp., the creator of Bubble Wrap brand cushioning, is sponsoring the first-ever Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors. The competition encourages U.S. students in grades 5-8 to demonstrate their imagination and ingenuity by creating an invention that incorporates the use of Bubble Wrap cushioning. Three finalists will win a three-day trip to New York City where the grand-prize winner will be announced on Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, Jan. 29, 2007. In addition, the grand-prize winner will receive a $10,000 savings bond, while the second- and third-place winners will receive $5,000 and $3,000, respectively, in savings bonds. The deadline for entries is Dec. 8, 2006...

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Products & Services

Print-Limit Pro Gets an Upgrade, Adds Support for Mac OS X Servers

The latest version of GenevaLogic’s Print-Limit Pro can be installed on Mac OS X servers. Version 6.2 of the print management solution allows educators to easily and efficiently manage printing across large, multiplatform environments...

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SMART Unveils Online Training Sessions for Mac Users

SMART Technologies Inc. recently announced that all of its free online training sessions are now available to Mac users in North America...

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Sponsored By:
Webinar: Funding Your Campus Communications Systems

Join us for a free one-hour discussion with funding expert, Stan Levenson, as he provides insight on how schools can get money for a campus communications network. This webinar, sponsored by NEC and moderated by Matt Villano, will give you practical instruction on how to identify money sources, develop partnerships, prepare, write and critique a winning proposal.

Click here for details

Coming Up

THE Journal Opportunities

Share Your Best Practices

T.H.E. Journal is currently looking for the following types of articles for future issues and for our eNewsletter, T.H.E. SmartClassroom:

  • School Perspectives - discuss a specific topic, trend, or concern about education technology.
  • Case Studies – have you implemented technology and learned a lot from the experience? If so, share your efforts about what worked -- and what didn't.

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

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