Imagine Technology's Possibilities
By Geoffrey H. Fletcher
“Interactive whiteboards are for kids in our district.”
Ann McMullen, executive director of educational technology at Klein Independent School District in Texas, spoke these words at last month’s School Technology Summit on K-12 Digital Content in Washington, DC, and they were revolutionary to many of us in the audience. Actually, the entire gathering, co-sponsored by the Association of American Publishers and the Software and Information Industry Association, was revolutionary, bringing together traditional textbook publishers and digital content “publishers” to discuss content and its distribution with school district and state technology directors.
But I was struck by McMullen’s comments about interactive whiteboards. Some educators, particularly those who are advocates of constructivism and full technology integration, have been less than excited about interactive whiteboards because they think whiteboards reinforce the old model of the dictatorial teacher standing at the head of the class, controlling the information, dispensing pearls of wisdom. Rather, the constructivists believe, kids should be working in small groups, solving real-world problems. What McMullen and the folks at Klein ISD have done is turned the conventional use of interactive whiteboards on its head and used this relatively simple technology to change instruction so the focus of classroom activity is on the students...
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Ed Tech News
New Teacher-to-Teacher Marketplace Seeks Learning Materials from 500,000 Educators
InfoSource Learning is creating a new division that will act as a Teacher-to-Teacher Marketplace...
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netTrekker Taps Into Multimedia Science Content from Teachers' Domain
Thinkronize, developer of the netTrekker suite of educational search products, and WGBH Educational Foundation’s Teachers’ Domain have partnered to provide netTrekker subscribers with instant access to high-quality multimedia content for teachers and students...
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Miami-Dade Implements Cognos Business Intelligence Solution to Improve Performance
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) has standardized on Cognos 8 Business Intelligence as a key foundation in its commitment to improve student and school performance...
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Products & Services
Christie Adds Two Affordable LCD Projectors to Lineup
Christie has just introduced two new models to its popular LCD projector lineup...
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Leading Step Introduces Grammar Game for Palm OS Handhelds
A constant struggle for educators is finding innovative ways to improve grammar skills among K-12 students...
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Case Study
Wisconsin District Relies on Data-Driven Decisions to Help Its Schools, Students Succeed
In February, four students from Chilton High School (WI) qualified to compete in the 23rd annual American Invitational Mathematics Examination. Among the four students was a junior who would have been denied placement in algebra during his eighth-grade year if the school had relied on teacher recommendations, as had been the norm for years in the district. Instead, thanks to the district’s dedication to making data-based decisions regarding student-performance improvement, the student was able to take algebra in eighth grade—and has excelled ever since...
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Web Notes
Site Advocates Safe Routes to School
The National Center for Safe Routes to School (NCSRTS) has launched a website...
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Online Resource Exposes Kids to Tennessee History
The Tennessee History for Kids website is a free resource that helps teachers teach, students learn, and parents help with...
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Events Calendar
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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