THE Journal — Policy/Research
Education Decisions: Looking for Strong Research and Better Implementations
What is strong research? How do you know if research warrants policy changes or adopting a technology intervention in your setting? Significant outcomes from research are not necessarily of practical significance. Where do you turn, if research is sparse or non-existent? How should a technology solution be implemented?
(8/28/2008)
FCC Seeks Comments on E-rate Changes
For schools that rely on E-rate funding for telecommunications and Internet access, changes are afoot that could impact planning as soon as funding year 2009. The Federal Communications Commission is seeking comments on potential changes to the E-rate Eligible Services List that in some cases would narrow the list of eligible technologies and in some cases expand it. The notice was filed in the Federal Register Aug. 18, so comments are due in less than a month.
(8/22/2008)
Education Decisions: Where's the Evidence and Research Base?
Remember the old Monty Hall program Let's Make a Deal? In that game show, you could win the prize behind one of three doors. If you started by choosing door 1, should you have changed your mind and selected door 2, if Monty showed you what's behind door 3? What has this to do with research? Well ... people are convinced what they know is the right thing and forge ahead with decisions based on their rationalizations, no matter what research indicates.
(8/21/2008)
Internet Freedom: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo Near Agreement
Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo are "close to agreement" on a code of conduct for Internet technology companies that are doing business in countries restricting citizen dissent and speech rights, according to an announcement issued Monday by United States Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL.
(8/7/2008)
Saugus USD To Launch Student Writing Collaboration Project
Saugus Union School District in Santa Clarita, CA is launching a new writing program for its fourth-grade students that couples writing and science using ultra-mobile devices and collaborative learning software, among other technologies. According to information supplied to us by the district, the initiative is being funded through a $1.4 million EETT competitive grant the district recently won.
(8/5/2008)
Green Survey: Are Schools Geared Up for Energy Reduction?
Information technology leaders in K-12 schools are more concerned about energy issues than their counterparts in every other sector--corporate, state/local, federal, and higher education. But they also feel least equipped to effect measures that would reduce energy consumption and energy costs, according to a new survey released Monday by CDW Government (CDW-G).
(8/4/2008)
U Michigan To Explore Link Between Pollution and K-12 Performance
Is there a link between air pollution and student performance in K-12 schools? That's what University of Michigan researchers said they hope to discover as they embark on a three-year research project to determine correlations between air quality and performance benchmarks like absenteeism, test scores, and dropout rates.
(7/31/2008)
NASBE's Welburn Named Chair of Learning First Alliance
The Learning First Alliance, a partnership between several national education associations, has named Brenda Welburn its 2008/2009 chair. Welburn is the executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education.
(7/24/2008)
Partnership for 21st Century Skills Debuts '21st Century Skills and Social Studies Map'
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has joined up with the National Council for the Social Studies to produce the first-ever "21st Century Skills and Social Studies Map"--a sort of fleshed-out framework for that includes resources for integrating 21st century skills into social studies curricula.
(7/17/2008)
Going Green or Hoarding Green?
Organizations have the desire to reduce their impact on the environment but lack the will to pay a premium for cleaner operations, according to a cross-sector survey released recently by IT hosting solutions provider Rackspace.
(7/14/2008)
Pearson Puts Naglieri Online, Updates WriteToLearn
In several announcements last week, education publisher Pearson unveiled new online offerings, updates to a Web-based learning tool, and confirmed a new partnership providing exclusive rights to a widely used education survey.
(7/7/2008)
ISTE, NEA Tackle Role of Feds in Education
What should the role of the federal government be in education? With the imminent exeunt of the Bush administration, the National Education Association (NEA) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), among others, have each begun developing their positions on the question in the hopes of influencing the next administration and Congress to embrace significant policy changes.
(7/3/2008)
The Future of Instruction: Teacher as 'Co-Learner'
The expectations of students and the demands of the education community are changing radically in the 21st century. Necessarily, the role of the teacher is changing along with those. But what will that role be? The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is attempting to answer that question with the release this week of the long-anticipated update to its National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) framework.
(6/30/2008)
CoSN Details Changes to E-Mail Regulations, Calls for 'Comprehensive Solution'
What's the difference between Open Records and eDiscovery? With changes in Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, what does e-mail compliance mean these days, and how do schools achieve it? The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), an education technology advocacy group, is attempting to answer these questions with a new white paper called "School Districts, Data Retention and Federal eDiscovery Rules: The Case for a Full E-mail Archiving Solution Now."
(6/27/2008)
NEA: Test Scores Improving in Spite of NCLB
Have reading and math scores improved since the enactment of NCLB? In some cases yes, according to a study released this week by the Center on Education Policy (CEP). But according to the report's authors, the results do not indicate cause and effect. And, according to the National Education Association (NEA), any improvements in student test scores may have come in spite of NCLB rather than because of it.
(6/25/2008)
Kerry Intros Education Portal Legislation
United States Senator John Kerry Tuesday introduced new legislation aimed at funding state education portals. The legislation, dubbed the "Empowering Teaching and Learning through Education Portals Act," is designed to support teacher professional development, improve teacher retention, and offer online support for teachers and administrators.
(6/24/2008)
Groups Call on Candidates To Invest in Ed Tech
How can we make education technology and 21st century learning a national priority? Four education advocacy groups think they have part of the answer. The groups came together Tuesday to launch "One Giant Leap for Kids," a new campaign designed to bring ed tech to the forefront of the minds of the presidential candidates.
(6/24/2008)
Digital Divide? What Digital Divide?
Students in low-income families may have more access to technology than previously thought. What's more, according to preliminary research coming out of the University of Minnesota, these students are using technology consistently to boost their 21st century skills--even if many of them aren't aware that they're of the educational value of their activities online.
(6/23/2008)
Addressing the Needs of Students with Disabilities in Math (Part 1)
Students can have a range of physical, cognitive, sensory, and learning disabilities that affect their entire lives. Any of these might pose unique academic challenges, particularly when learning mathematics. The good news is that technology is removing barriers for the education of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Unfortunately, not all software is based on principles of universal design.
(6/19/2008)
Tech Association Calls for Greater Broadband Access for Schools
While most schools in the United States (in fact, 98 percent) have basic Internet access, for many that access is cripplingly slow--too slow to accommodate technology-driven educational initiatives--according to a new report from the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). The group is recommending certain baseline figures for adequate bandwidth for schools and proposing policy changes to effect upgrades over the next five to seven years.
(6/19/2008)
Classroom Technology 'Woefully Inadequate,' Study Finds
Educators are, in large part, bullish on the role technology can play in improving student outcomes. But too large a percentage of them aren't receiving adequate training in the areas that matter most: instructional software, technology integration, learning outcomes management, and designing individual lesson plans. This according to a study released last week by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, which also described access to classroom technology as "woefully inadequate" in most schools.
(6/16/2008)
UCF Study Finds Video Games Increase Student Achievement
Based on research conducted by the University of Central Florida (UCF), immersive educational video games can improve students' math skills and comprehension and raise scores on district-wide benchmark exams.
(6/16/2008)
Are Underprivileged Students Better Off Without Computers?
We take it for granted that computers have tremendous potential to transform education. But this potential isn't always going to be realized, especially where support for improving outcomes through technology is lacking. But can access to computers actually hinder education? According to new research that focused on computer adoption among the poor in one Eastern European country, computers at home can actually help to lower the grade point averages of students, distract students from homework, and potentially contribute to behavioral issues.
(6/12/2008)
Pearson's Behnke Appointed to IMS Board
Jim Behnke, chief learning officer for education publisher Pearson, has been appointed to the board of directors for IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS GLC), a group of 14 education and technology professionals within IMS GLC.
(6/11/2008)
Global Learning Initiative Helps Kansas Students Collaborate with Peers Around the World
Through its global learning initiative, Douglass (KS) Public Schools is providing students with technologies for communicating and collaborating with other students around the world. Projector Director Marjorie Landwehr-Brown discusses the program in her district and the impact it's having on kids.
(6/9/2008)
