THE Journal — Professional Development
Curriculum Advantage Rolls Out Professional Development for Instructional Technology
Curriculum Advantage has expanded and revamped its professional development programs following a year of review of effective implementations, according to the company. Included in the expansion are new methods for implementation planning and 25 new or retooled training courses designed to help improve the results schools see from their technology implementations.
(8/21/2007)
Senate Considers ATTAIN Bill
The United States Senate late last week introduced S. 1996, its version of ATTAIN (Achievement Through Technology and Innovation), a bill to reauthorize the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Act of 2001. ATTAIN was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives back in May.
(8/10/2007)
Pasadena ISD To Deploy SIS in 56 Schools
Pasadena Independent School District in Texas has signed on with information management provider Mizuni to deploy a student information system, including a data warehouse and Web-based information portal, across all of its 56 schools, encompassing some 50,000 students.
(8/6/2007)
HP Awards $1.2 Million to K-12 Schools
HP has announced the recipients of its 2007 Technology for Teaching Leadership awards. Fifteen K-12 schools received awards totaling $1.2 million in equipment and professional development.
(8/1/2007)
Atomic Learning Launches PowerPoint Workshop for Educators
Atomic Learning, a provider of online training solutions, has launched a new workshop for educators called PowerPoint 2003: Creating an Effective Presentation. The workshop combines "software training with tips on how to develop effective and eye-catching projects," according to Atomic.
(7/19/2007)
Hawaii DOE Consolidates Professional Development Statewide
The Hawaii Department of Education (HDOE) is streamlining its professional development operations for educators with the creation of the statewide PDE3 eLearning and Professional Development Portal. The portal is a collaboration between HDOE's Office of Human Resources and Office of Information Technology Services. Education technology provider TrueNorthLogic has been contracted to help develop the portal.
(7/18/2007)
Can IT Turn Around Teacher Turnover?
Teacher turnover (also known to some as "teachers quitting their jobs") is becoming a critical concern for school and district administrators. Not only can it have a negative impact on student learning, especially in troubled districts, but it's emerging as a fairly major financial drain on districts in all regions, according to findings released last month by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF). So is there anything school and district technology leaders can do about it? According to the NCTAF report, there is.
(7/5/2007)
Promethean Launches Online Professional Development
Educational software and hardware provider Promethean has launched a new professional development program for educators. The online learning system, Promethean Learning, which debuted at the 2007 NECC show in Atlanta this week, is designed to help teachers improve their skills with interactive whiteboards.
(6/28/2007)
'Peer Connection' Targets Instructional Coaching
PBS TeacherLine this week rolled out (another) new service for educators at the 2007 NECC show in Atlanta. The latest one, dubbed PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection, is designed to help educators tasked with instructional coaching responsibilities.
(6/28/2007)
Nova Learning Alliance Debuts at NECC
At this week's 2007 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), a number of technology developers joined together to form a new group called the Nova Learning Alliance, an international consortium whose stated goal is to provide "affordable computer access to every student" and "to provide an environment where member organizations can work together to foster the continuing development of technology that will provide each child an affordable computing solution."
(6/26/2007)
PBS TeacherLine Science Courses Kick Off This Week
Online professional development provider PBS TeacherLine this week will roll out its new professional development courses in science, developed in collaboration with WGBH Teachers' Domain. The new research-based courses, aligned with state nd federal standards, will debut during PBS TeacherLine's summer session, which begins June 27.
(6/26/2007)
Elluminate Releases Live! V8
Education technology developer Elluminate has released Elluminate Live! V8, an update to the company's flagship e-learning, conferencing, and online collaboration tool. The new version adds a variety of functional enhancements and is available now. The company's vRoom, a free conferencing tool based on Elluminate Live!, is also being updated to incorporate some of the functionality of Live! V8.
(6/26/2007)
ATTAIN: The Means for a Mandate
Have you ever wondered what the "THE" in THE Journal means? Occasionally? Even fleetingly? No? Well, I'll tell you anyway. It stands for "Technological Horizons in Education." Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Hence the acronym. But that aside, what it indicates is that we take as our premise that technology is inherently beneficial to education--that it can make the lives of educators easier, that it can facilitate learning, and that it can, when approached the right way, stimulate new ideas about learning and the teaching process. (And, as a side benefit, it happens to keep all of you IT folk off the streets.)
(6/5/2007)
Ed Tech Groups Support ATTAIN Bill
The introduction this week of the Achievement Through Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) bill in the United States House of Representatives was met with enthusiasm by groups that support education technology. The bill seeks to revamp Part D of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to enhance professional development for teachers, improve technical proficiency in students, and otherwise support technology in various ways to advance student achievement.
(5/24/2007)
Hybrid Learning: Challenges for Teachers
With the move to hybrid or "blended" course delivery that is taking place in many institutions, there is a challenge for teachers to think through the pedagogical implications of both methods and develop new designs for instruction and course delivery that maximizes both environments. The goal in the design of the instruction is to make the experience as "seamless" as possible for students, providing intentionality for each environment and the technology used. This intentionality must emerge from the learning outcomes of the course, as well as the engagement of the student throughout and the effective use of technology to heighten interaction and to support the production of learning.
(5/17/2007)
Pearson To Acquire eCollege
Pearson said this week that it plans to acquire eCollege, an online distance education provider. The deal will cost Pearson $477 million net, including the agreed $41 million sale of eCollege's Datamark division to a group of investors. The acquisition is expected to take place next quarter and has not yet been approved by shareholders.
(5/16/2007)
Calcasieu Parish Receives 2007 Sylvia Charp Award
The Calcasieu Parish School System (CPSS) in Lake Charles, LA has been named the recipient of the 2007 Sylvia Charp District Award. The award is presented annually by T.H.E. Journal and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in honor of T.H.E. Journal's late founding editor-in-chief, Sylvia Charp.
(5/8/2007)
Report: States Fill In for Feds in Ed Tech
Federal funding for technology in K-12 schools has declined drastically since 2002, but states are stepping in to cover the deficit, providing districts with line items within state budgets and offering alternatives for schools and districts to purchase technology. This according to a report released this month by the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), "State Educational Technology Funding Report: State of the States."
(4/23/2007)
Beyond Curriculum Mapping: Using Technology To Delve Deeper into Inquiry Learning
Our elementary school staff decided to take an evaluative look at the use of technology in the classroom through a self-study process and a district technology initiative called Project 2000 over a two-year period. The faculty had the opportunity to determine a new direction relative to technology integration, and, to that aim, we determined that curriculum mapping, study groups, and an onsite technology coach would be a model for our professional development efforts.
(4/12/2007)
DeVry Offers Master's Program in Educational Technology
DeVry University recently announced its new Master of Science in Educational Technology program. The curriculum is designed for K-12 educators, as well as other types of instructors, to understand the best ways to use technology for the classroom.
(4/10/2007)
DOE Software Study: Are the Numbers Flawed?
The United States Department of Education (ED) Thursday released the results of a study measuring the impact of math and reading software on student achievement. The results? "Test scores were not significantly higher in classrooms using selected reading and mathematics software products." This didn't sit well with organizations (or individuals) in education technology. Several responded to the study, denouncing the research as flawed or cautioning careful scrutiny of the data.
(4/6/2007)
Making the Most of Technology at Hand
With just a handful of digital cameras and networked computers to serve 250 students, Media Specialist Johanna Riddle is hardly rolling in technology. But at Samsula Elementary, a small rural elementary school in Volusia County in Florida, she uses a small range of powerful--and fun--software products, along with a philosophy of making do with what she has, to move students beyond the printed page.
(4/5/2007)
California District To Roll Out Laptops for Teachers and Students
This summer Hacienda La Puente Unified School District in California will begin the first phase of a new program supplying laptop computers to students in fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and ninth grades. These students will be given Dell Latitude D620 notebooks for use for four years in classrooms and at home.
(4/4/2007)
Scantron, ENI Partner for Assessment Solutions
Scantron has launched into a partnership with Evans Newton Inc. (ENI) to develop new solutions for assessments and standards-based instruction. ENI is a developer of state-specific assessments.
(4/2/2007)
Adobe Debuts Creative Suite 3
Adobe today debuted its all-new lineup of creative apps with the formal announcement of Adobe Creative Suite 3. Most of new versions of the individual apps will launch in April, with some stragglers holding out until the third quarter. The company has also completely revamped its K-12 education licensing and plans to launch new certification programs in the summer.
(3/27/2007)
