Collaboration 2.0 :: February 18, 2009 -- THE Journal

Focus

Web 2.0 Tools and K-12 Challenges
Much of the debate about the mainstreaming of Web 2.0 tools in K-12 education here is in the United States centers on the challenges the kind of delivery of instruction required would face. That is, while we remain fairly rigid in how instruction is delivered and the idea of teacher-driven models, the use of Web 2.0 tools will always be marginalized. More

NASA Gives Boost to Virtual Learning Magnet Project
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is engaged in a proof of concept for a virtual learning magnet (VLM) for space science and mathematics with support from space agency NASA. The project will bring together teachers and subject matter experts with students to support learning in targeted interests. More
WiZiQ Provides Free Platform for Virtual Classes
WiZiQ.com, a Web service that allows educators and students to meet online in real time for virtual classes, has added an embed feature that enables teachers, tutors, and other educators a means to apply multimedia content to their Web sites and blogs. More
Homeingle Matches Volunteers and Opportunities
New social network Homemingle.com allows schools and students, among other types of users, to post volunteer needs and find volunteer opportunities. More
Social Network for High School Sports Kicks Off
FirstString, a new social networking site designed for high school athletes, has launched. The Web site lets athletes in 10 different sports communicate with their teammates, friends, and opponents within the same conference and division. More
Blackboard Bumps Learning Platform to Version 9.0
Blackboard has released an all-new version of Blackboard Learn, formerly known as the Blackboard Academic Suite. The new 9.0 release adds social learning and Web 2.0 tools, as well as capabilities for integrating the software with open source systems like Moodle and Sakai. More

EduHound Directory is a highly specialized K-12 educational directory with categorized resource links.
EduHound Lesson Plans feature thousands of free lessons that meet state and national standards.
EduHound Site Sets are collections of topic-based online education resources.
Awesome Clipart for Educators offers educators FREE clipart, backgrounds, fonts, icons, worksheets and more.
EducatorTemplates.com is your FREE directory of customizable & printable education related templates.

Google Announces New Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform

Google Cloud has introduced a new platform for building and managing enterprise AI agents, as the company seeks to turn its Gemini models and Vertex AI tooling into a broader system for automating business workflows.
Deadline Extended for ADA Title II Compliance

Schools working to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II regulations for digital accessibility have received a temporary reprieve: The United States Department of Justice has published an interim final rule to push back the compliance deadline by one year.
Report: Enterprise AI Workloads Are Tipping Toward Private Cloud

Broadcom's 2026 Private Coud Outlook report says enterprise AI is moving from experimentation into production, with private cloud emerging as the preferred deployment environment for AI inference among surveyed organizations.
Gartner: Worldwide IT Spending Estimated at $6.31T for 2026

According to a Gartner forecast, worldwide IT spending will total $6.31 trillion in 2026, a 13.5% increase from 2025. Sectors experiencing the largest growth include data center systems, software, and IT services.