Technology + Online + Industry + Partnerships
Teacher Tech Use Stuck in the Past
A new survey shows that although today's teachers are happier than their
predecessors, they are not taking full advantage of useful technologies.
THE 25TH-ANNIVERSARY EDITION of
the MetLife survey conducted by market
research company Harris Interactive, questioned students,
teachers, and principals in 1,000 public schools
throughout the country. The results of The
MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Past,
Present, and Future are in, suggesting that
although the morale of K-12 teachers is better
today than it was 25 years ago, their on-the-job
technology use seems stuck in the past.
According to the survey results, teachers
today feel more satisfied in their careers, more
respected, better prepared, and more supported
than teachers in the past. Today's teachers also
have brighter views of the academic quality of
their districts: The number of teachers who rate
the academic standards in their school as excellent
has doubled since the first MetLife survey
was given in 1984, from 26 percent to 53
percent, and the number of teachers who rate
their school curriculum as "excellent" or "good"
rose from 81 to 89 percent.
The gloomier data from the survey involves
technology use. Although a large percentage
of teachers surveyed believe in technology's
potential in education-- 90 percent say it
enhances their ability to teach-- they're not
taking full advantage of it: Forty-three percent
of them never communicate online with teachers
outside their district, 72 percent
have never read or written a blog
about teaching, and 60 percent have
never taken an online course.
The student responses perhaps offer
the strongest evidence that teachers
need to boost their use and knowledge
of technology tools: Twenty-six
percent of students rated teachers'
abilities to teach about computers and
the internet as "fair" or "poor"--
teachers' worse showing than in
almost all of the other subject and
skill categories on the survey.
The survey also identified a digital
divide independent of the one separating
students and teachers. According
to the responses, teachers of different
generations place different values on
technology in education: Sixty-six
percent of teachers in Generation Y (age 30 or
younger) "strongly agree" that technology
enhances their ability to teach, compared to 58
percent of those in Generation X (ages 31 to 43)
and 49 percent of baby boomers (ages 44 to 62).
And in general, principals use technology and
digital communication more often than teachers.
The full survey results are available for download here, and the
entire 25-year series of MetLife surveys can be
found at the Education
Resources Information Center website.
Green Spot
LUTRON LAUNCHES
GREENOVATION
PROGRAM
Lutron Electronics, a lighting control solution
manufacturer, has aligned with
the Green Schools Alliance and
the Council of Educational Facility
Planners International for its new Greenovation program, an effort to help schools
combine energy-efficient classroom
lighting with K-12 curriculum
and community outreach.
Schools can begin the program
by upgrading to Balance LC, a
high-performance, sustainable
lighting system designed to
decrease energy consumption up
to 60 percent. The lighting system
includes sensors that adjust
brightness based on available
daylight and turn the lights on or
off as needed, and comes with a
data box that reads energy usage
in real time and sends it to the
Greenovation website.
Participating teachers can go
to the Greenovation website to
view their school's energy usage
data and pair it with Lutron's
standards-aligned supplemental
curriculum. Each Greenovation
lesson, which includes online
modules and activity guides, uses
the lighting system as a basis for
learning about scientific concepts
surrounding energy use.
The Greenovation website also
offers tools that foster discussion,
collaboration, and outreach
around energy conservation,
including a secure social networking
feature and activity guides.
:: Awards and Contests
ROSETTA STONE ANNOUNCES
SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST. Rosetta
Stone, a
provider of language learning software,
has launched the Communicate and
Connect Scholarship for ESL students
who will be graduating from high school
this spring. To enter the contest, high
school seniors who have learned English
as a second language must submit 500-
word essays that demonstrate how
learning English has impacted their
lives. One winner will be chosen by a
panel of judges to receive a $3,000 college
scholarship. Students can visit
here to
download a submission packet and read
the complete contest rules. Entries must
be submitted by May 15.
SEARCH FOR THE GREENEST
SCHOOL BEGINS. K-12
schools across the
country can compete
for the title of America's
Greenest School,
a contest sponsored
by school bus
manufacturer
IC Bus that runs
through April 30.
Interested K-12
students should visit
www.americasgreen
estschool.com and
submit 500-word essays describing
their school's commitment to going
green. Essays must describe school
practices that teach students the value
of green living and demonstrate their
school's dedication to encouraging
environmentally friendly transportation
to and from school. At the beginning of
May, judges will post 10 finalists to
the America's Greenest School website,
where the public will vote for the
winner. The winning school will win a
hybrid school bus from IC Bus, and
the student who submits the winning
essay will win a $5,000 scholarship.
Sponsoring teachers may receive
$3,000 to use toward educational
materials.
SCIENTIFIC LEARNING
LAUNCHES VIDEO
CONTEST. The Scientific
Learning BrainGain School
Video Contest invites
educators and high
school students ages 13
and older to share how
its Fast ForWord and
Reading Assistant products
have boosted student learning in
their class, school, or district. Contest
entrants must create a three-minute
video that tells a learning success story
and upload it on SchoolTube by May 8.
Judges will score submissions based on
creativity and uniqueness, effective
communication of the subject matter,
compelling storytelling, and overall
presentation. One entry will be chosen
as the grand-prize winner and will
receive a video camera and an award
ceremony videotaped at the winner's
school by SchoolTube. In addition, one
educator entry and one student entry
will each win a $250 Best Buy gift card. To enter,
visit here.
:: Industry News
WEBSITE PROVIDES MASS
NOTIFICATION GUIDANCE. Technology
solution provider CDW-G has created
the Mass Notification Toolkit, a
website that gives schools tips and
tools for the successful deployment of
mass notification systems. The toolkit,
which can be found here, covers a variety of
important elements, including what a
mass notification system IT infrastructure
looks like, who should be involved
in system development, what features
are available for these systems, and
how to craft an effective message.
FOLLETT INTRODUCES DIGITAL
READER. Follett Digital Resources, a provider of
digital solutions for publishers and
educators, has recently made available
its new Digital Reader, which will
replace the Adobe PDF technology previously used to
download and read Follett eBooks.
Follett customers can visit here to
download and install the new reader
at no cost. The Follett Digital Reader
features a simple yet functional interface,
allowing readers to easily navigate
through digital books, make notes,
perform searches, change the page
view, and set bookmarks. Images,
graphics, and color also maintain a
high level of integrity in eBooks
viewed with the new reader.
WEB WISE KIDS JOINS WEB SAFETY
CAMPAIGN. Web Wise Kids, a provider of
computer-based games that teach safe
internet practices to youth and their
parents, has joined Microsoft's Get
Game Smart campaign, which aims to help families
develop healthy habits for watching TV,
surfing the internet, and playing video
games. Web Wise Kids will contribute
to the campaign's website, which
contains parental control tools, tips,
contests, games, and other resources
designed to help parents and kids make
educated decisions about media use.
WISCONSIN SCHOOLS PARTNER
WITH EPALS. Spearheaded by Lt. Gov.
Barbara Lawton, the Wisconsin
Educational Media and Technology
Association and ePals have
partnered on an initiative to provide
Wisconsin's K-12 classrooms with
the tools to safely connect with classrooms
around the world. The initiative,
called Wisconsin Connects, provides all Wisconsin schools the ability to
sign up for ePals social networking
tools and content free of charge, and
connect with students, educators, and
academic experts in more than 200
countries and territories. The goals of
the program are to improve students’
communication and technology skills,
improve their understanding of other
cultures, and better prepare them to
compete in a 21st-century global economy.
For more information about the
program, visit www.ltgov.wisconsin.
gov and click on the “Initiatives” link
at the top of the page.
CORE PARTNERS WITH TEACHSCAPE.
The Consortium on Reading Excellence
(CORE), a provider
of development and technical support
for K-12 literacy and math programs,
has joined with Teachscape, a provider of online
professional learning for educators, to
expand its professional development
offerings. Online professional development
tools from Teachscape will now be
available to educators working with
CORE, allowing for anytime, anywhere
access to critical training, in addition to
on-site training and support.
DELL LAUNCHES ONLINE ED TECH
RESOURCE. Technology provider Dell recently launched
Edu4U, a website
and online community dedicated to
enhancing teaching and learning through
technology. The new website features
blogs, wikis, forums, news, and other
resources for students, educators, and
anyone interested in education technology.
PEARSON DEVELOPS NEW TEACHER
CERTIFICATION TESTS. Pearson
Education recently introduced the National Evaluation
Series (NES),
a computer-based teacher certification
program aimed at ensuring that educators
have the skills and knowledge
needed for success in a 21st-century
classroom. The NES provides states
with comprehensive exams aligned to
national learning standards, as well as
test preparation materials for educators.
All program content has been
reviewed by panels of expert teachers,
administrators, and professional development
leaders from around the country.
CoSN Announces 2009 Award Winners
Each year, the Consortium for School Networking
(CoSN) recognizes individuals and
school districts that demonstrate outstanding
innovation and vision in the use of technology to
improve K-12 education. Here is a glimpse of some
of the 2009 CoSN honorees:
Team Award: North Kansas City Schools (MO)
CoSN’s Team Award honors teams of people who have
made a significant impact on technology’s role in transforming
learning. NKCS’ technology team jumpstarted
the integration of technology into the school system
by installing 49 miles of fiber-optic cable throughout
the district. Now, by combining technology immersion
with professional development, the district is able to
use technology to meet its goals, promote partnerships
with parents and the community, and enrich teaching
and learning.
Withrow CTO Award: Greg Utecht
The Lakeville Area Public Schools (MN)
technology leader received the award for
his innovative technology use. During
his 12 years with Lakeville, Utecht has
led many technology integration efforts,
including networking all of the district’s
14 buildings, consolidating the district’s
servers, and implementing a voice over IP telephone system.
Utecht was also the driving force behind the district’s
plan to allocate funds for ongoing computer replacements,
and agreements with other school districts to
interlink fiber-optic networks.
Volunteer of the Year: Darnell Walery
The Volunteer of the Year award recognizes an educator
who provided exemplary support to CosN. Walery, director
of technology at Consolidated High School District
230 in Orland Park, IL, received the honor for the leadership
role he took on CoSN’s Emerging Technologies
Committee, and for helping to guide the development
of important resources, such as the Ed Tech Next mini
reports, for CoSN members.
Private Sector Champion: Nick Mirisis
Mirisis, marketing programs manager for SchoolDude, a provider of support tools
for operations management, was honored
for going above and beyond his job to
give back to the education technology
community. Mirisis has participated on
CoSN’s Marketing Committee and identi-
fied innovative ways for SchoolDude to
collaborate with CoSN, including SchoolDude
University, a four-day professional development event
for educators.
:: People
DAUGHRITY NAMED TEXAS CTO OF
THE YEAR. The Texas K-12 CTO
Council, a chapter
of the Consortium for School Networking, has given Bob
Daughrity from Pasadena Independent
School District its first Texas
Grace Hopper Award for Individual
Achievement and the title of Texas
CTO of the Year. The new award was
created to honor Texas CTOs who
demonstrate effective leadership and
community building and use innovative
technology to positively impact learning.
Daughrity has improved the quality of
education for Pasadena ISD’s students
by implementing technology initiatives
such as a 21st-century classroom model
that incorporates digital whiteboards,
networked projectors, document cameras,
and streamed content.
GEOLEARNING’S RUSSELL HONORED.
Frank Russell, president and CEO of
learning and performance management
provider GeoLearning, was named CEO of the Year at
the 2009 Prometheus Awards, sponsored
by the Technology Association of Iowa. The annual
awards were created to celebrate and
help promote excellence within Iowa’s
technology industry. Russell was honored
for his leadership, and his ability
to help GeoLearning successfully
maintain financial stability and achieve
company growth despite a troubled
national economy.