T.H.E. News Update :: July 16, 2008

News & Issues

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.

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Serotek Offers Free K-12 Computing Tool for Blind

The Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Information Software developer Serotek Corp. has announced a new program for blind and visually impaired students called Keys for K-12. The program provides the company's System Access Mobile software for text to speech and screen magnification free of charge through an annual licensing program.

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Penn State Launches Teacher Training for Special Needs Students

Pennsylvania State University is launching a new teacher professional development program aimed at helping teachers address the needs of disabled students in general education classrooms. With Internet-delivered video lectures and online collaboration tools for participants, the program is open to current and prospective teachers around the country.

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Microsoft Says SQL Server 2008 To Ship This Quarter

After some speculation that the final release of SQL Server 2008 may slip yet another quarter, Microsoft said its next-generation database is on pace to ship in the third quarter.

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ISO, IEC Purportedly Advise Rejecting OOXML Appeals

Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML) document format, which was technically approved in April as an international standard (ISO/IEC 29500), may be on its way toward surviving an appeals process--the last challenge to its legitimacy as a standard.

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eInstruction Launches Workspace-ExamView Edition

Ed tech developer eInstruction has released Workspace-ExamView Edition, a new version of the Workspace digital classroom suite that couples ExamView's assessment tools with interactive classroom technologies, such as clickers and whiteboards.

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Alabama Distance Learning Rolls Out Statewide for 2009-2010

Alabama is aiming for a first. All high schools in the state will have distance learning programs beginning in the 2009-2010 school year, including videoconferencing and Web-based learning tools, according to information released this week by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton.

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GoKnow Customizes Mobile Learning Environment For Companion PC

M&A Technology has partnered with educational software provider GoKnow. Under the agreement, GoKnow will release a version of its Mobile Learning Environment (MLE), customized for use on the Companion PC--a ruggedized laptop based on the Intel-powered Classmate PC.

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Coming Up

Find more events and calls for papers and presentations at THE Journal's online Conference 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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EduHound.com

  • EduHound Directory is a highly specialized K-12 educational directory with categorized resource links.
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  • EduHound Site Sets are collections of topic-based online education resources.
  • Classroom Tools & Tips: Eduhound's highly popular newsletter that provides valuable ed tech resources to incorporate into K-12 curriculum. Educational topics, preformatted templates, technology tutorials, and practical tips are featured. Published on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month.
    Sign up for free by clicking here.

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Featured

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    OpenAI Intros Dots, AI Agents that Continue Working Between User Conversations

    OpenAI has introduced Dots, GPT-6 Astra-powered agents that run on their own cloud computers, using connected applications to carry on with assignments between conversations and incorporating users' feedback as they go.

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    Mark Rober's Class CrunchLabs Courses Now Available for Free on YouTube

    Class CrunchLabs, the suite of free curriculum resources from NASA engineer turned YouTube science communicator Mark Rober, has released its first two courses on YouTube.

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    What Is the Education Freedom Tax Credit and How Will It Work?

    The federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) is a new source of funding for education that could benefit 90% of students in states that have opted in to the program. However, some confusion and misconceptions exist surrounding details of the program, including which programs may qualify, how parents can apply for scholarships, and how public school students can benefit.

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    Anthropic Intros Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.