NSTA - Education News

Subcategory: Technology and Learning

CoSN Seeks More ICT Lessons from Abroad
Nov 18 2009 - eSchool News
To learn from colleagues abroad, a delegation of U.S. education technology leaders from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) visited Scotland and the Netherlands last week to learn more about the world's first national intranet for education, international approaches to online safety, and more.

Project Shows Kids Butterflies Growing in Space
Nov 12 2009 - MSNBC
Students nationwide are getting a chance to see how butterflies develop in space, compared to here on Earth.

V-Frog Gets Jump on Digital Dissection
Nov 9 2009 - The Buffalo News
One of the country's most vocal animal rights groups is spreading the word about a virtual dissection program developed and sold by a University at Buffalo high-tech spin-off company.

Tweeting in Class
Nov 6 2009 - Inside Higher Ed
Do Twitter skeptics really believe the popular microblogging service offers no educational value, or are they just afraid of it?

Parents: Focus More on 21st-Century Skills
Oct 30 2009 - eSchool News
Although parents, K-12 students, and educators agree that using technology is essential to learning and student success, parents are largely dissatisfied with the technology skills their children are learning in schools, according to a new analysis of survey data.

Clean Tech: Schools Bet on the Next Big Thing
Oct 27 2009 - eSchool News
New programs aim to prepare students for an emerging field with the transformative potential of railroads, telephones, and the internet.

Method Challenges some Education Myths
Oct 19 2009 - The Los Angeles Times
Districts and states that use the "value-added" approach have had some surprising results: Class size, student background and schools' funding appear to be less critical than has long been believed.

Kindle Lightens Textbook Load, But Flaws Remain
Oct 15 2009 - Yahoo! Tech
Amazon.com gave more than 200 college students its Kindle e-reading device this fall, loaded with digital versions of their textbooks. But some students are finding they miss the decidedly low-tech conveniences of paper.

College Technology Catching Up with Students
Oct 8 2009 - USA Today
Today's college campuses incorporate iPhones and Kindle, classrooms are high-tech marvels, with overhead projectors and grease pencils replaced by document cameras, handheld clickers, and interactive white boards.

Challenging Kids to Save the Planet
Sep 29 2009 - Business Week, Working Parents Blog
Want to get kids interested in science? Show them how they can use it to better the world in which they live.

Grant to Spur Supercomputing Network
Sep 24 2009 - eSchool News
More than 1,000 sophisticated computer processing units soon will be connected at five U.S. locations, creating a supercomputing network that will aid research requiring enormous data processing capacity for modeling and analyzing climate systems.

Swine-Flu Preparations Spur E-Learning Plans
Sep 14 2009 - Education Week (requires registration)
Last school year, many educators were caught unprepared when schools closed in response to cases of swine flu. This time around, both the federal government and school districts are putting specific online-learning measures in place to get ready for possible closures or waves of teacher and student absences because of a flu outbreak.

Is Personal e-Mail Subject to Open-Records Law?
Sep 14 2009 - eSchool News
A case that will be argued before the Wisconsin Supreme Court in November could set a precedent that affects the way educators and other public employees use their e-mail.

Study: Green IT Policies Sink on Priority List
Sep 11 2009 - eSchool News
A new survey suggests that "green IT" initiatives on college campuses are being hampered by diminishing budgets.

Maine Expands its Laptop Drive to Equip each High Schooler
Sep 4 2009 - The Boston Globe
The state that was the first to provide laptops to every seventh- and eighth-grader in its public schools is moving on to its high schools, with Maine’s top education official vowing yesterday that every high school student will have a laptop computer within two years.

1-to-1 Computing in the Spotlight
Sep 1 2009 - eSchool News
South Dakota, Maine, and Wyoming top the list of states with the highest percentage of schools that have ubiquitous (one-to-one) computing programs for their students—while California ranks last in this category, according to new research compiled from school databases and surveys.

Virtual 3-D Lab Aims to Stimulate Learning
Aug 24 2009 - e-School News
Students at a Baltimore County high school this fall will explore the area surrounding Mount St. Helens in a vehicle that can morph from an aircraft to a car to a boat to learn about how the environment has changed since the volcano's 1980 eruption. But they'll do it all without ever leaving their Chesapeake High School classroom—they will be using a three-dimensional Virtual Learning Environment developed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) with the university's Center for Technology Education.

California Lists State-Approved Digital Textbooks
Aug 12 2009 - eSchool News
Following up on their plan to encourage the use of free, open digital textbooks among the state's schools, California education leaders on Aug. 11 released a list of resources they have determined meet state-approved standards for high school math and science classes.

NAEP Draft on Technological Literacy Unveiled
Aug 12 2009 - Education Week
A discussion draft of the framework for the national assessment of technological literacy, the first to gauge students' understanding of and skill in using a range of tools, has been presented to the board that oversees the testing program.

In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History
Aug 11 2009 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Textbooks have not gone the way of the scroll yet, but many educators say that it will not be long before they are replaced by digital versions—or supplanted altogether by lessons assembled from the wealth of free courseware, educational games, videos, and projects on the web.

Program Opens High-Tech World to Deaf Students
Aug 4 2009 - eSchool News
An innovative summer academy at the University of Washington—thought to be the only one of its kind in the United States—introduces deaf and hard-of-hearing students to careers in computer sciences.

Funding Tops Campus IT Concerns
Aug 3 2009 - eSchool News
Slashed campus budgets and dwindling endowments have spurred university IT officials toward cost-saving technologies, and a new survey shows that saving IT dollars has vaulted to the No. 1 priority of campus technology decision makers during the current recession.

The Rise of Digital Textbooks
Jul 28 2009 - eSchool News
As schools shift to 21st century learning in a time of budget crunches, digital textbooks in classrooms are on the rise. To help educators and administrators efficiently implement digital texts, two diverse districts share their motivations, tactics, and goals for their textbook programs.

Elsevier Says It Will Bring Web-Based Tools to Research Articles
Jul 21 2009 - Chronicle of Higher Education
The scientific journal of the future has arrived! Perhaps. Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, announced that its Cell Press division had begun an "Article of the Future" project in which its online presentations will take fuller advantage of web-based technologies.

Website Recreates Apollo 11 Mission in Real Time
Jul 14 2009 - eSchool News
Families crowded around television sets in 1969 to watch Neil Armstrong take man's first steps on the Moon. Now, they'll be able to watch the Apollo 11 mission recreated in real time on the web, follow Twitter feeds of transmissions between Mission Control and the spacecraft, and even get an e-mail alert when the lunar module touches down.

NCTI Funds Research on Assistive Technologies
Jul 7 2009 - eSchool News
A handful of research projects now under way will gauge the effectiveness of new learning and assistive technologies for students with disabilities, such as a non-visual web browser and spell-check programs designed for those with dyslexia.

Project Seeks to Measure Ed Tech's Value
Jun 29 2009 - eSchool News
An ambitious new research project aims to revolutionize education by showing that well-implemented technology initiatives can save states money after an initial investment.

Students Without Borders
Jun 26 2009 - The Washington Post (requires free registration)
Even as globalization has fed worries about whether U.S. students can keep up with the rest of the world, it also has spawned classroom connections across oceans.

Cheaper eBook Reader Challenges Kindle
Jun 25 2009 - eSchool News
With the popularity of electronic reading devices on the rise, and a handful of colleges set to pilot Amazon.com's Kindle DX this fall, a new eBook reading device from New York-based Interead, called the COOL-ER, offers a less expensive alternative that its creator, Neil Jones, says educators could find appealing.

Ed-Tech Leaders Brace for Smaller Budgets
Jun 10 2009 - eSchool News
The majority of ed-tech leaders said they expect their school technology budgets for the 2009-10 school year to decrease at least somewhat, if not substantially, despite available funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to a survey on school technology use and purchasing.

Home Dissection Kits and More
Jun 5 2009 - Inside Higher Ed
The proliferation of do-it-yourself experiment kits that allow online students to do at home almost everything that classroom students can do—including dissect a fetal pig—has won over some long-time critics to the portability of the sciences through distance education.

Lenovo to Research Tech's Effect on Learning
Jun 5 2009 - eSchool News
A new research initiative called the Global Education Research program will analyze and measure the impact of technology on students' educational experiences in various areas, ranging from first grade through higher education, both inside and outside the classroom.

Study: Virtual Schools Can Help Cut Costs
May 27 2009 - eSchool News
New research suggests that more K-12 public school students will take classes online and will have longer school days in the next decade--and academic improvement and cost savings are two big benefits.

iSchools Lift Hopes in NYC
May 15 2009 - eSchool News
A school that blends state-of-the-art technology with project-based learning and committed educators is a model for urban education.

New Kindle Is Textbook Friendly
May 8 2009 - eSchool News
Amazon Inc.'s Kindle DX electronic reading device will be piloted on five U.S. campuses this fall, when students will substitute their textbooks for the Kindle's new, larger screen that will allow users to highlight, take notes, and scour school libraries.

More Books Coming to Students with Disabilities
May 1 2009 - eSchool News
Students with disabilities often wait weeks or months for their textbooks to be specially formatted, but now a new higher-education partnership could make these books more widely available to students by scanning books and expanding an online library.

Technology Encourages Sharing of Earth Day Projects
Apr 22 2009 - EducationNews.org
Two innovative Earth Day projects supported by a national nonprofit organization are encouraging students to explore the environment and use technology to share their findings with other students across the country and around the world.

Rare and Ancient Written Works Go Online
Apr 22 2009 - eSchool News
National libraries and the U.N. education agency on April 21 put some of humanity's earliest written works online. The antiquities range from ancient Chinese oracle bones that might be more than 3,000 years old to the first extant European map of the New World, dating back nearly 450 years.

Why Open-Source Library Software Is a Trend
Apr 10 2009 - eSchool News
At a time when the nation's economic future seems shaky, many school and public libraries are moving to open-source library management systems, which tend to be cheaper, more flexible, and fulfill the same mission a library serves: making a valuable contribution to the greater good.

Report Envisions Shortage of Teachers as Retirements Escalate
Apr 7 2009 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Over the next four years, more than a third of the nation's 3.2 million teachers could retire, depriving classrooms of experienced instructors and straining taxpayer-financed retirement systems, according to a new report.

Experts Debate Cost Savings Of Virtual Ed.
Mar 23 2009 - Education Week (requires free registration)
Is e-learning really more cost-effective than traditional, brick-and-mortar schooling? The debate on that question has acquired new urgency, as schools look for ways to keep or expand their course offerings while also controlling or cutting costs during a recession.

Report: Online Learning a "Lifeline" in Rural Areas
Mar 17 2009 - eSchool News
Online learning offers a lifeline—especially for rural schools, according to a recent study that also predicts "blended learning" could be the way most students learn in the future. The Sloan Consortium study is a follow-up to the group's 2007 report, which was one of the first studies to collect data about online and blended learning in K–12 schools.

California College and University to Team Up With NASA on New Research Campus
Mar 16 2009 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The University of California at Santa Cruz and the Foothill-De Anza Community College District have formed a partnership to set up an environmentally sustainable research campus at NASA's Ames Research Center that will contribute to the economic vitality of the Silicon Valley region, project organizers announced.

House Panel Says Texas Schools Must Embrace Electronic Textbooks
Mar 10 2009 - The Dallas Morning News
Advocates for more technology in the classroom—and fewer textbooks—are stepping up their arguments for change this year, trying to convince Texas lawmakers that the future of electronic textbooks is now.

School IT Support: Overworked...and Understaffed
Mar 3 2009 - eSchool News
Research suggests that overworked and understaffed IT departments are spending too much time reacting to technology problems—and not enough time on training and integration.

Student Puts IT Expertise to Work for Schools
Feb 27 2009 - eSchool News
A Utah State University junior used his lifelong love for computers to help expedite the school selection process. A process that once took hours now takes minutes for a few dozen schools.

Internships Help Prepare Future Online Teachers
Feb 17 2009 - eSchool News
As virtual schooling continues to surge in popularity, there is a growing need for new K–12 teachers who understand how to teach in an online environment successfully. To help meet this need, the Florida Virtual School is teaming up with area colleges to pair teachers-in-training with its online instructors in a first-of-its-kind internship program.

Tech-Savvy Teachers Put Skills to the Test in Citywide Competition
Feb 12 2009 - eSchool News
Madison, Alabama, teachers are competing in a citywide contest intended to help show new teachers how to apply 21st-century skills in the classroom, reports the Huntsville Times.

Google, NASA Offer Virtual Mars Tours
Feb 6 2009 - eSchool News
Google is working with NASA to give internet users three-dimensional views of Mars. NASA and Google announced that they would release a new Mars mode in Google Earth to increase public understanding of the Red Planet and related scientific research.

"Green" Effort Causes Schools to Go Paperless to Promote Events
Jan 12 2009 - eSchool News
Schools have long relied on one emissary to deliver paperwork into parents' hands: students' backpacks. But driven by environmental and economic concerns, many schools now are posting notices online instead, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Technology Key to Award-Winning District's Excellence
Dec 30 2008 - eSchool News
A North Carolina school system has won a prestigious national award for excellence, and its superintendent credits the district's use of technology for such initiatives as distance education, teacher professional development, and data-driven decision making as reasons for the award.

Ed Tech Central to Obama's Recovery Plan
Dec 11 2008 - eSchool News
To boost the sinking economy, the government needs to invest in modernizing and upgrading school buildings, expanding broadband internet access, making public buildings more energy efficient, and launching a public works program to rebuild the nation's highways, said President-elect Barack Obama in a Dec. 6 radio address.

Scientists: Is Technology Rewiring Our Brains?
Dec 4 2008 - eSchool News
Some scientists think the wired world might be changing the way we read, learn, and interact with each other. Researchers argue that daily exposure to digital technologies such as the internet and smart phones can alter how the brain works.

Jr. Colleges Outpace 4-Year Schools in Tech Use
Dec 2 2008 - eSchool News
Most community colleges cannot match the budgets and endowments that are typical of four-year colleges and universities. But that doesn't mean they are lagging in terms of educational technology: In a recent survey on technology integration in higher education, community colleges actually scored slightly higher than four-year institutions.

Report Challenges Online-Learning Assumptions
Nov 19 2008 - eSchool News
Some critics of distance learning say face-to-face classes give students a better learning environment, but a recent Indiana University study found that online learners reported deeper approaches to learning than classroom-based learners.

CoSN Offers Green-Computing, Disaster Help
Oct 31 2008 - eSchool News
At the National School Boards Association's Technology + Learning (T+L) Conference in Seattle, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) launched new initiatives aimed at helping school technology leaders manage two important ed-tech issues: improving energy efficiency and protecting IT systems in case of an emergency.

The Computer, Once a Tool for Scientists, Is Becoming a Collaborator
Oct 27 2008 - eSchool News
Computers have gone from being a tool serving science—basically an improvement on the slide rule and abacus—to becoming part of science itself, according to Computerworld. Computer science is not just about hardware and software anymore; it's about oceans, stars, cancer cells, proteins, and networks of friends.

Governors' Group to Help Five States with Technical Education
Oct 24 2008 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The National Governors Association has announced plans to work with five states to improve career and technical education in high school and beyond. The bipartisan group has selected Arizona, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, and Oklahoma to participate in several policy forums with association and national experts to develop policies to increase the participation in and rigor of career- and technical-education courses.

Rethinking Research in the Google Era
Oct 16 2008 - eSchool News
As the internet replaces library databases as students' primary research option, a new discussion is emerging in academic circles: Is the vast amount of information at students' fingertips changing the way they gather and process information for the better—or for worse?

Program Could Turn Arkansas' School Buses into Classrooms
Sep 30 2008 - Arkansas News Bureau
A pilot program that has transformed school buses into mobile virtual classrooms in one Arkansas school district is worth expanding across the state, coordinators say. The Aspirnaut Initiative, launched in April 2007 in the Sheridan School District, equips students with laptop computers and iPods and allows them to take online math and science courses while traveling to and from school.

New National Research Center to Bolster Ed Tech
Sep 19 2008 - eSchool News
Educational technology advocates are hoping a new national ed-tech research center will spur the development and use of technology to improve instruction. The higher-ed law signed by President Bush on August 14th authorized the creation of a National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies, which would allot federal funding for research on technology and its impact on learning.

Global Economy Demands New Skills, Report Says
Sep 10 2008 - Education Week (requires registration)
American students need to learn a new set of skills, including innovation and cultural competency, in order to be competitive in a global economy, says a report released today by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which includes education organizations and high-tech companies among its members.

Gaming Evolves
Sep 4 2008 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
A new video game allows players to create their own evolving organism.

E-Textbooks May Not Be Cheaper than Printed Ones, Report Says
Sep 2 2008 - Los Angeles Times
Researchers find that since students can resell printed books, the price is roughly the same, and that expiration dates on e-texts make them a less viable alternative for some students.

New U.S. Research Center to Study Education Technology
Aug 21 2008 - Education Week (requires registration)
Congress has authorized a new federal research center that will be charged with helping to develop innovative ways to use digital technology at schools and in universities. The National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies was included as part of the latest reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, approved last month.

Congress: Schools Must Clamp Down on File Sharing
Aug 7 2008 - eSchool News
Colleges and universities soon will be required to take measures to combat illegal file sharing on campus and ensure that students enrolled in online classes are the ones taking their tests, according to a bill passed by Congress July 31.

Arizona Educators Embrace Trend of Technology in Their Curriculum
Aug 6 2008 - The Arizona Republic
Just two decades ago, many schools had only a few computers and taught lessons about typing. But Monday marked a drastic change for Arizona schools as one of the first K-5 technology academies opened its doors to students.

Copyright Fight Looms over College Textbooks
Jul 29 2008 - eSchool News
The high cost of college textbooks has spawned a new battleground in the fight to keep students from downloading copyright-protected materials over the internet: textbook file sharing.

Technology Reshapes America's Classrooms
Jul 8 2008 - The Washington Post (requires free registration)
From online courses to kid-friendly laptops and virtual teachers, technology is spreading in America's classrooms, reducing the need for textbooks, notepads, paper and in some cases even the schools themselves.

Educators Wrestle with Digital-Equity Challenges
Jul 7 2008 - eSchool News
Despite gains in the number of households that are online and the number of computing devices in the hands of students, making sure all learners have equitable access to technology resources continues to be a challenge in the United States and worldwide, said panelists at a recent summit.

Fewer Students Pursue Computer-Related Degrees
Jun 24 2008 - The Washington Post (requires free registration)
Fewer college students are pursuing computer-related degrees at a time when demand is increasing and thousands of baby boomers are retiring from technical jobs.

Botnets: Beware the 'Army of Darkness'
Jun 16 2008 - eSchool News
Cyber criminals are looking for holes in school systems' networks so they can seize control of computers to launch attacks anonymously, experts say--distributing spam, viruses, or "Trojan Horse" assaults while often avoiding prosecution. The problem has grown so pervasive that computer-security experts have taken to referring to botnets as the "army of darkness"--and education institutions are this army's targets of opportunity.

Teachers: Give Us Better Tech Training, Support
Jun 11 2008 - eSchool News
After more than decade of investment in school technology, educators say they still don't feel adequately prepared to integrate instructional software into their classrooms and aren't getting the technical support they need to fully impact student achievement, according to a joint study by the nation's two largest teacher unions.

Animal-Rights Groups Push for Virtual Dissection
Jun 9 2008 - eSchool News
Animal-rights organizations are using software donations and other outreach efforts to spur interest in the use of "virtual dissection" tools among schools--adding a new chapter in the debate over whether these tools offer a viable option for teaching biology.

Online Schools Draw Interest in South Carolina
May 23 2008 - eSchool News
Using the internet as a teaching tool is nothing new, but South Carolina public school students will have the option to be taught completely online starting this fall.

Scientists Release Educational Computer Game
May 22 2008 - eSchool News
Aiming to make learning science fun and engaging for students, the Federation of American Scientists has introduced a free educational computer game called "Immune Attack."

Virtual Schools See Strong Growth, Calls for More Oversight
May 16 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor
Enrollment in online classes last year reached the 1 million mark, growing 22 times the level seen in 2000, according to research. The efficiency of online learning accounts for this growth. But there's little research assessing the quality of these programs, which some experts say don't have enough official oversight.

Researchers Identify Key Ed-Tech Trends
May 15 2008 - eSchool News
Widespread adoption of one-to-one computing programs and the growing use of online assessments are among the key ed-tech trends occurring in schools across the country, according to the 2008 America's Digital Schools report. However, implementation of these and other technologies leaves little funding for new initiatives, and bandwidth issues are limiting the scope of interaction students can have with technology.

Parents Have Mixed Views of Kids' Digital Media Use
May 12 2008 - eSchool News
Most parents agree that digital media are important for success, but they remain skeptical about the value of digital media in developing students' social skills.

Wanted: More Hispanics in STEM Fields
May 7 2008 - eSchool News
In what is becoming a national trend, leading businesses and education groups are launching new initiatives aimed at increasing the number of minorities--and Hispanics in particular--in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Technology Puts More Pupils in the Mainstream
Apr 25 2008 - The Boston Globe
Two schools in the Boston area are part of a movement in education to integrate technology into mainstream curriculum and general classrooms so students with disabilities such as mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, blindness, and dyslexia can join their peers.

Tech Encourages Students' Social Skills
Apr 23 2008 - eSchool News
Well-integrated technology opens social networks for students and allows children to develop key social skills, according to two recent studies.

Online Learning Can Help Minority Students
Apr 14 2008 - eSchool News
As online learning becomes more of a strategic resource for K-12 and higher-education institutions to supplement traditional courses, education leaders are starting to discuss how online learning can help support minority students’ instructional needs.

Virginia First State to Require Internet Safety Lessons
Apr 9 2008 - Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Virginia is the first state to mandate that public schools offer internet safety classes for all grade levels. Texas and Illinois are among states that subsequently passed Internet safety education laws, but don't make the courses mandatory.

"Hybrid" Courses Show Promise
Apr 7 2008 - eSchool News
"Hybrid courses," or courses that deliver part of their instruction in a traditional lecture manner and part in an online environment, are becoming increasingly popular among schools and colleges.

CoSN Strives to Empower Superintendents
Mar 31 2008 - eSchool News
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is launching a new leadership initiative aimed at giving superintendents the tools and resources they need to understand the transformative role of educational technology, as well as to lay out a blueprint for technology leadership and action.

Testing Rules Prompt New Science Products
Mar 14 2008 - eSchool News
As schools prepare to add science to high-stakes testing, companies are responding with new science solutions.

Legislators Compromise on Ed-Tech Funds
Mar 6 2008 - eSchool News
With an economic downturn looming, South Dakota is one of many states attempting a difficult balancing act.

Lawmakers Feud over Virtual Schooling's Future
Mar 5 2008 - eSchool News
Wisconsin lawmakers are locked in a largely partisan dispute over the future of online instruction in that state.

California Students Doing Better in Math, Science
Feb 4 2008 - San Francisco Chronicle
More California students are doing well on higher-level math and science tests now than in 2003, according to education researchers who say the state's fastest-growing job markets (from software engineers to gaming dealers) demand knowledge of math and technology.

A Change in Course for College Classes
Jan 22 2008 - Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, Washington)
The number of college students taking online classes continues to grow. The trend can mainly be seen at community colleges, according to author of this article. In 2007, a report published by the Sloan Consortium found that online enrollment across the country is growing at a rate that vastly exceeds general student-growth rates. The study also found that almost 3.5 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall of 2006.

Court Ruling Threatens Future of Virtual Schools
Jan 16 2008 - Union-Tribune (San Diego, California)
School districts nationwide are watching a Wisconsin court case that could determine the future of online education. A three-judge panel recently ordered the state to stop funding the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. The ruling is the first of its kind in the United States. Supporters noted virtual schools “are a godsend for parents who prefer their children learn from home.” Opponents argued that “cyber charter schools drain money away from traditional schools.” Officials plan to appeal the ruling.

IU to Study Technology in Schools
Nov 19 2007 - Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
The federal government has tapped Indiana University’s education school to conduct a study of how teachers should use technology in the classroom. The study will look at whether it is worth using iPods or laptops in the classroom. Schools who have debated how to connect their computers and parents who have pondered their children’s internet use should all receive answers from the new research. Officials associated with the effort note that no national study has even been conducted to determine how teachers use technology in lessons and how students benefit.

In Some Schools, iPods are Required Listening
Oct 9 2007 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
The spread of iPods into classrooms comes at a time when many school districts across the country have outlawed the portable players from their buildings, along with other electronic devices, because they can cause distractions. But some schools are reconsidering the iPod bans as they try to co-opt the devices for educational purposes.

More Kids Going to School Online
Sep 7 2007 - CBS News
Virtual schooling has become a growing trend in the United States. There are 25 statewide or state-led programs and more than 170 virtual charter schools across the nation, according to the North American Council for Online Learning. Observers explain online learning can be used as an alternative for summer school and for students who are disabled, home schooled, need remedial help, or suspended for behavioral problems. It can also help with overcrowding in traditional classrooms and provide courses that local schools do not offer.

Opinion: The Technology Kids Want, Versus What They Need
Aug 29 2007 - Christian Science Monitor
Columnist Tom Regan writes: “Once upon a time, in the old days (about 10 to 15 years ago, or “prehistoric,” as my kids jokingly call it), the only technology you needed for school was a calculator. And that was only if the teacher would allow you to use it. Many a science and math teacher believed a piece of scrap paper for working out a problem was a better teaching tool. But we live in a digital world now, and a student’s technology needs have changed. How much depends on the age of the child and whom you ask.”

Public Wants More Tech in Classrooms
Aug 2 2007 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Although Americans recognize the importance in using technology to reform the nation’s schools, they disagree on how these changes should be implemented, according to a new poll. The poll also found that Americans recognize that understanding science and technology is important to success in the 21st century workforce. For instance, 69% of respondents surveyed said that math and science courses should be mandatory for grades 7–12. Zogby International conducted the survey titled Education Attitudes 2007.

Companies Try to Bring Technology to Teaching
Jun 22 2007 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
A group of companies in the Northwest is looking to capitalize on educational needs. For instance, one organization wants to expand the use of its geometry program in high schools across the nation. “A revolution is needed in education, students exist in a world where technology is pervasive, but classroom teaching has not basically changed in 50 years,” said Mona Westhaver, a founder of Inspiration Software, a Portland, Oregon, firm that developed a visual learning system for K–12 grades. Westhaver noted the new approaches sought by Portland entrepreneurs include lifelong learning, online network teaching, and “an end to the long summer break that was introduced for an agricultural society.”

Calculators Tell Teachers Which Pupils Need Help
May 17 2007 - USA Today
Texas instruments, whose calculators helped make the company a household name, has found a way to help teachers quickly identify students who may be failing math, says chief executive Rich Templeton. The so-called TI-Navigator sends wireless signals from pupils’ handheld calculators to a personal computer screen that lets instructors correct and analyze errors in real time.

21st Century School Represents 'The Will to Change'
May 1 2007 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
At the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering in Stamford, Connecticut, educators have turned a 40-year-old school building into a modern model for teaching and learning. School leaders note that if it can be done here, it can be done anywhere.

Learning in High Definition
Apr 26 2007 - Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Without leaving their schools over the past three years, elementary students have visited the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, learned about immigration issues at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and asked a physicist in Ohio how far light travels in one year. Used since the late 1970s in Wisconsin as a mechanism for students in rural areas to participate in more diverse or challenging classes offered by other districts, video conferencing is becoming more popular for teachers who want to enhance their curricula by hooking up classes of students with experts around the country or the world.

Going High Tech Does Not Bring Higher Math, Reading Scores
Apr 6 2007 - Dallas Morning News (Requires free registration)
Going high-tech does not lead to higher math and reading scores, according to a new study released by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, a research arm of the Education Department.

Introducing Education 2.0
Apr 4 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
Using hand-held computers, students at a Virginia school are doing more with a traditional baking soda and vinegar experiment: they recorded audio, sketched their progress, analyzed data, and launched a multimedia slide show. The hand-held computers are part of a countywide technology program drawing national attention.

Parents, Teachers, Kids Speak Up on Ed Tech
Mar 23 2007 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
For the second year in a row, students and teachers who responded to a national survey on educational technology expressed a strong desire for schools to focus more on the integration of technology and real world problem solving into math and science classes. However, one area of concern revealed in the survey was a decline in students interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Pew: Latinos Less Likely to Be Online
Mar 15 2007 - MSNBC.com
Latinos are not going online as much as nonHispanic whites and blacks, even at younger ages where internet use is far greater, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Virtual Classes are Clicking With More Maine Students
Mar 11 2007 - Press Herald (Portland, Maine)
Emily Wilkinson, a high school senior, dissected a fetal pig and a frog in Advanced Placement biology. She did it without using a scalpel or smelling a whiff of formaldehyde. That’s because the class Wilkinson took in 2006 was an online course from Virtual High School, a nonprofit Massachusetts–based company that offers more than 250 accredited courses taught over the internet by teachers worldwide.

The iPod Widens its Audience in School
Feb 27 2007 - MSNBC.com
The iPod continues to be a popular learning tool in the classroom. More than 70 million iPods have been sold since Apple introduced them more than five years ago. Now, with the MP3 player’s foothold on academia, universities and companies are quickly expanding the amount of study materials students can use with them.

Educators Face New Technological Challenge
Feb 22 2007 - Daily Herald (Illinois)
Beginning next February, federal law will require every school district to grade the technological literacy of its eighth graders. Research shows, however, that too few students in Illinois have the technological skills needed to compete in and out of the classroom. Educators and digital advocates note that equipping students with the latest technology alone will not improve things. Experts explain that while the millennial generation may be blogging and using instant messaging with ease, teaching today’s kids to search for and scrutinize information in an academic setting can pose a challenge.

Yale on $0 a Day
Feb 21 2007 - Wall Street Journal
Following the lead of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other highly competitive schools, more institutions are posting content online, ranging from lecture notes to sample tests. The schools are even making audio and video files of actual lectures publicly available. The sites attract anywhere from thousands to more than one million unique visitors each month.

Teachers Back TV Viewing Concerns
Feb 20 2007 - BBC News
A spokesperson for the National Union of Teachers says students can arrive in school “tired and exhausted” from watching too much television. The claim follows a report by a psychologist listing 15 health problems that previous studies have attributed to excessive television viewing. Teachers note they are already aware of the negative impact of television on children.

Universities Tap Into iPods' Potential as Learning Tool
Feb 11 2007 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
Universities across Georgia and the nation are betting that the ubiquitous iPod, essential equipment for many members of Generation Y, can serve as an effective learning tool. “We are definitely seeing its growth in education,” observed Stan Ng, senior director of iPod product marketing at Apple. “It just doesn’t have to be music, shows, and movies.”

ISTE Releases Draft of New Tech Standards
Feb 8 2007 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
To keep pace with the changing demands of a new global economy, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is revising its nine-year-old National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), a pioneering set of guidelines for what students should know about, and be able to do with, technology. ISTE has released a draft version of its new NETS for students and is seeking feedback from educators. A town hall meeting designed exclusively for NSTA members on this topic will be held March 29 at the association’s National Conference on Science Education in St. Louis.

Online Classes Go Mainstream
Feb 4 2007 - Los Angeles Times (Requires free registration)
One million students in grades K–12 are enrolled in virtual schools across the nation, according to the North American Council for Online Learning, a nonprofit organization for administrators, teachers, and others involved in online schooling. Enrollment, counted as the total number of seats in all online classes, not the number of students, has grown more than 20 times in seven years, and the group expects the numbers to increase annually by 30%.

'Augmented Reality' Helps Kids Learn
Feb 1 2007 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison have developed a project that uses "augmented reality" to teach students math and literacy skills. The project consists of teams of students gathering data on handheld computers to explain why aliens have landed, and in the process students "interview" virtual characters they encounter at certain GPS hot spots. The researchers say the project holds great potential for engaging students and teaching high-level skills. For more information on Math and Science Connections, NSTA members can refer to the February 2007 issue of The Science Teacher.

No Permission Slip Needed
Jan 31 2007 - USA Today
Virtual field trips are becoming more popular in the nation’s schools. The same videoconferencing technology that allows business executives to see and communicate with one another half a world away can take students any place a camera can go. Recent research shows that California, Texas, New York, Oklahoma, and Ohio have the greatest number of video–enabled classrooms.

Television Can Harm Learning, Finds Study
Jan 30 2007 - The Guardian (London, England)
The use of television in the classroom can cause students to under perform academically, according to psychologist Aric Sigman. Sigman conducted a study of how top independent schools used television compared with state schools and found that when money is no object, teachers use less television. Sigman also discovered teachers attitudes were different, with most public schools classifying television as a recreational past time rather than an educational tool.

Finding New Ways to Connect
Jan 29 2007 - San Diego Union-Tribune (California)
College professors find it challenging to teach the millennial generation, students who were born in the 1980s and early 1990s. It's a challenge, they say, because they have to adjust their teaching styles to meet students' high expectations for multimedia components. But the teachers note it's rewarding to connect with more of them through technology. Academics say it's too early to know whether students are learning more through the varied formats of video, podcasts, and the Internet, but say students are communicating more with professors, mainly online, in and out of class.

A Learning System That Opens Many Doors
Jan 18 2007 - Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
About 1,300 schools in 42 states are using a new learning program developed at the University of Connecticut that surveys student interests online and then generates a list of thousands of possible projects for them to complete.

Classroom-Computer Mix Offers Lessons in Convenience
Jan 17 2007 - Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
A new kind of learning is on the rise in colleges and universities across the country. Hybrid learning is a combination of in–person and online instruction.

Replacing Books with Computers Shows Promise
Jan 3 2007 - Anchorage Daily News
The books are open at Wendler Middle School--MacBooks, that is. Sixty seventh-graders there have received free-to-use laptops. They can't take them home, yet. But they haul them around between classes, use them for notetaking and other assignments, and tap into wireless internet for easy research and browsing.

Top 10 Ed-Tech Stories for 2006: Part II
Dec 22 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
The editors of eSchool News continue their countdown to the best educational technology stories of the year. Their top pick: the election of a new Democratic majority in Congress that could boost funding for educational technology and promote other education programs.

Top Ed-Tech Stories of 2006: Part I
Dec 21 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
In the first of two parts, the editors of eSchool News list in descending order what they consider to be the top educational technology issues of 2006, along with links to relevant articles from the past year. Their picks in this installment cover cell phones, classroom video games, and other stories that, they predict, likely will continue to dominate the news in 2007.

Teachers Find Simulators Stimulating
Dec 16 2006 - Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
Computer simulations, which for years have been used by the military and airlines, are increasingly finding their way into professions such as teaching, policing, sales, and other fields that depend more on interpersonal skills than technical proficiency.

Blog Rules
Dec 15 2006 - Ed Tech Magazine
Ed-tech author David Warlick sorts teachers who blog into three groups, the independent, the professional, and the instructional, and offers school administrators tips on how to deal with each kind. He recommends establishing committees to develop policies that promote blogs as effective learning and communication tools.

Report: Students Struggle With Information Literacy
Nov 29 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Despite the assumption that today’s students are tech-savvy, many fall short in demonstrating the information literacy skills necessary for success in college and the workforce, according to a new report. The report comes from an evaluation of responses from students nationwide to an information-literacy assessment tool developed by the nonprofit Educational Testing Service.

Erasing Divide, College Leaders Take to Blogging
Nov 22 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
While some colleges and their presidents have seen their reputations shredded on student blogs, and others have tried to limit what students and faculty members might say online, about a dozen or so presidents, are vaulting the digital and generational divide and starting their own blogs.

Social Networking Sites Confound Schools
Nov 21 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
More than three years after social networking websites, such as MySpace and Facebook first began cropping up online, school leaders continue to struggle with how to set policies regarding the use of such sites both inside and outside of school. Many school systems lack these policies altogether, according to a recent survey.

Blogging Now Begins Young
Nov 14 2006 - USA Today
The word blog, short for weblog, an online journal that can be written by many contributors, did not even appear in the dictionary until 2005, but now kindergarten teachers have incorporated blogs into the classroom.

Report: Online Study Surges Among College Students
Nov 9 2006 - Dallas Morning News (Requires free registration)
The number of U.S. college students taking at least one online course increased 35% last year, amid faculty concern that such courses are less valuable than traditional classes, according to a survey by the College Board and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Study: Virtual School Enrollment Explodes
Nov 8 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Enrollment in K–12 online courses in the United states has exploded in the past year, increasing by as much as 50% in some states, according to a new report from the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL). Called "Keeping Pace With K-12 Online Learning: A Review of State–Level Policy and Practice," the 131-page document examines state–led online learning programs underway in 24 states and considers the policies, funding models, training programs, and other factors necessary to establish effective online learning environments.

Students, Officials Locking Horns Over Blogs
Oct 26 2006 - USA Today
Students are spending more of their free time blogging and chatting on social networking websites and school administrators are not happy about it. School boards across the country have already blocked sites such as MySpace and Facebook on school computers. But school districts are now reaching into students’ home computers, severely punishing and even expelling students for what they write on those sites from home. The issue has created a free speech debate between school administrators, students, parents, and First Amendment advocates who are worried about whether overzealous school boards are overstepping their boundaries.

Internet Generation
Oct 25 2006 - Science News
As digital technology dominates the lives of young people more and more, scientists have begun to wonder: Is the Internet good or bad for kids?

One for the Books--Tutoring Gets Outsourced
Oct 22 2006 - San Francisco Chronicle
Overseas tutors are teaching U.S. students math, science, and other subjects in an online environment. Online tutoring has grown in the past five years, education analysts say, as communication technology has improved and become more affordable. It accounts for 6% of the $2.2 billion U.S. private tutoring market, which reached $1.9 million K–12 students during the last school year, according to Tim Wiley, senior analyst at Eduventures, an education and research consulting firm in Boston.

Key Ed-Tech Survey to Open Nov. 1
Oct 19 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
This year's fourth annual SpeakUp Day survey, which will run from Nov. 1–30, will not only poll students and teachers about the role technology plays in their lives, but also, for the first time, solicit comments from parents. NetDay, the nonprofit group sponsoring the effort, will compile the information into national and local reports.

Scientists: Video games Can Reshape Education
Oct 19 2006 - USA Today
Video games can redefine education, declared The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) this week. Calling for federal research, the FAS wants to examine how schools can convert the allure of video games into serious learning.

Tech Trends
Oct 5 2006 - District Administration Magazine
From videoconferencing around the globe to game–based learning, technology is finding a very comfortable fit in K–12 schools across the country. Click on the link above to learn about five of these technologies and how you can implement them in your school district.

Study: Ed Tech Has Proven Effective
Sep 28 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Technology has produced a small, yet significant boost to learning in all content areas, but not to the extent many "overly confident" educators initially predicted, concludes a meta-study by Cisco Systems and the Metiri Group. The full potential of technology for improving learning will not be realized, their report says, until educators reassess how electronic tools are being used in schools and ensure funds are directed to proven solutions, among other strategies.

Severe Weather Radios Provided to Public Schools
Sep 25 2006 - CNN.com
Beginning in October, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will begin distributing radios that warn of severe weather, terrorism, and other hazards to all 97,000 public schools in the United States. The National Weather Service, part of NOAA, operates more than 950 short–range radio stations. It has encouraged schools, businesses, and homeowners to buy warning radios that are activated with a broadcast signal that automatically turns a radio on and announces a potential hazard.

India's E-Tutors Give UK Children Homework Help
Sep 17 2006 - The Guardian (London, England)
Teachers employed with online tutoring companies in India are coaching students in the United Kingdom and the United States with their math and science homework. These educators use electronic whiteboards that enable teachers and students to jointly solve problems over the internet. Indian teachers who participate in the effort undergo extensive training to minimize their accents and learn British culture.

Study Aims to Improve Internet Literacy
Sep 8 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Researchers will teach disadvantaged students in Connecticut and South Carolina how to read information on the internet and evaluate its effectiveness, as part of a joint project designed to boost such children's internet literacy. Lead researcher Donald Leu hopes students will ultimately achieve higher reading scores, as well as improve their math, science and English grades, as a result of their increased engagement in school.

Virtual Classes Opening Worlds
Sep 7 2006 - Philadelphia Inquirer (Requires free registration)
Many students will be in front of a computer taking online courses in addition to their traditional classes during the new school year. It’s a booming trend, and one that allows small districts and schools to compete with large, well–staffed public, and wealthy private competitors.

Digital Divide Separates White, Minority Students
Sep 6 2006 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
A federal study has found that more white children use the internet than black or Hispanic students. “This creates incredible barriers for minorities,” observed Mark Lloyd, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a specialist on how communications can influence civil rights. Based on a national representative survey of households in 2003, the new data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Back to School, With Cellphone and Laptop
Aug 17 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
It used to be that preparing for another school year meant buying a few pencils, spiral notebooks, and a lunch box. However, that trend has changed. Young children and teenagers, as well as college students, are going to school with more electronic gadgets than ever before. “Tech–based products are so much less expensive that the price point now allows kids to nag their parents to buy a particular product or buy one themselves,” said Peter Grunwald, president of Grunwald Associates, a consulting firm in Bethesda, Maryland, that focuses on school technology.

Stanford Opens High School for Gifted Students
Aug 15 2006 - San Francisco Chronicle
Stanford University will open the nation’s first online high school for gifted students this fall. During the first year, the school hopes to enroll a total of 30 sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Students will be able to take advanced courses, such as linear algebra, and will be asked to visit the campus in the summer to meet their teachers. “For really bright students who can handle the work, this is an exciting possibility,” said Jane Clarenbach, director of public education for the National Association for Gifted Children.

Schools Form High-Speed Network
Aug 15 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
At least 24 universities are combining their respective computing power into a single supercomputer "grid" that reportedly will be able to perform up to 10 trillion calculations per second. Spearheaded by the Southeastern Universities Research Association, the new computer grid will expand the possibilities for research at each participating institution, paving the way for potential breakthroughs in science.

Robots to Teach Math, Science to Children
Aug 10 2006 - Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Schools across Pennsylvania will soon be using robots to boost students’ learning of math and science. Carnegie Mellon University and LEGO Education have partnered to provide the robots for the schools. Students will be instructed on how to program their robots for different uses, including retrieving and moving items. The robots can also talk to the students. “The goal here is using the motivational effects of robots to excite more children to pursue careers in science and technology,” said Robin Shoop, director of the Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon.

School Just a Click Away
Jul 14 2006 - Stateline.org
Today’s high schools are being transformed into online learning institutions. Schools are offering more courses online in various subjects, such as horse management and calligraphy. Most schools offer online courses to supplement traditional classes. However, a growing number of virtual charter schools are providing high school students the option of earning their diploma online without having to step inside a real classroom.

Podcasts Divide Educators
Jul 13 2006 - Detroit News
Educators are voicing mixed reaction on the use of podcasts. Supporters say that podcasts can help students study better and reinforce material previously learned. Critics question whether podcasting lectures will contribute to learning. Some professors say that students might be tempted to skip class and the discussion that can flow after a lecture if podcasts are allowed. Other professors worry that many educators are turning to podcasts simply because they are a popular technology tool.

Schools Ban iPods as Risk to Safety
Jul 5 2006 - Grand Rapids Press (Michigan)
Some educators say they are worried that students with iPods are tuning out the rest of the world. The concern has prompted administrators in two Michigan school districts to ban the digital music players when students return to school in the fall. Schools in other states and in foreign countries have also banned iPods because they can serve as a distraction to students. But some teachers say if the devices are popular with students, they might enjoy learning with them. For more information on Technology, NSTA members can refer to the Summer issue of Science & Children.

Teachers Sell Notes on Peer-to-Peer Network
Jun 28 2006 - MSNBC.com
A new website is allowing teachers to sell their original lectures, course outlines, study guides, and other lesson materials to their peers. Founded by New York entrepreneur Paul Edelman, teacherspayteachers.com is like an eBay for educators. For a $29.95 annual fee, sellers can post their work and set their own prices. Buyers rate the products. Unlike eBay, however, Edelman’s website specializes in teaching materials that focus on various subjects, such as science.

Testing Kids' Web Smarts
Jun 12 2006 - Hartford Courant (Requires free registration)
Believed to be one of the only studies of its kind in the U.S., researchers from the University of Connecticut and Clemson University in South Carolina are examining the reading skills needed by students to explore the Internet. “My agenda is to fundamentally change the nature of reading instruction so kids are better prepared,” says University of Connecticut professor Donald J. Leu, who heads the research team.

The Future of a Dinosaur
May 30 2006 - Inside Higher Ed
Science and math faculty members from around the country recently debated how technology should change the traditional textbook. Attendees at the Reconsidering the Textbook workshop agreed that the way students gather information is rapidly changing, but textbooks are not. Attendees noted the role of the textbook as a “comprehensive reference” has been diminished. Many faculty members suggested the next evolution of the textbook “might be more as an island of credibility amidst the ocean of information, signifying what information is reputable.”

Colleges Chase as Cheats Shift to Higher Tech
May 18 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
College students are using a variety of electronic gadgets to cheat on tests. In a survey of nearly 62,000 undergraduates on 96 campuses in the past four years, two-thirds of students admitted to cheating. Some students say cheating these days is more of a product of the mind-set and not the tools at hand. College officials have tried to combat the problem by cutting off Internet access from laptops or making students turn in their cellphones before an exam, but note the battle is wearing them out.

Project Tackles Credibility of Online Information
May 16 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
For students and teachers, judging the reliability of information they find online can present a challenge. But a new project launched by two university researchers and a group of experts aims to change that. The Credibility Commons website will provide online users with tools to more easily gauge the reliability of information they find through web searches.

Homework Help, From a World Away
May 15 2006 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
Thousands of U.S. students are relying on overseas tutors to boost their grades and SAT scores. The tutors, who communicate with students over the Internet, are inexpensive and available around the clock, making education the newest industry to be outsourced to other countries. But educational outsourcing has prompted a fierce response from teachers and other critics who argue that some companies are using unqualified overseas tutors to increase their profit margins.

Colleges Plan for 'Digital Natives'
May 10 2006 - Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
An expert on Net Generation learners (students who have grown up with the Internet since infancy) says a technology gap exists between many college professors and a new generation of tech-savvy students who have never known life without the Internet. Paul Hagner notes that if the gap persists or continues to widen, it could have serious implications for teaching in the classroom and the nation’s system of higher education.

Interactive Boards Spur Students' Studies
May 8 2006 - The Arizona Republic
Chalkboards in classrooms are being replaced with whiteboards. These interactive, computer-driven technology tools can enable students to receive answers to questions quickly and easily and in the form of words, graphs, pictures, videos, or maps. “It has absolutely revolutionized the way we teach,” noted Mia De LaRosa, a sixth grade teacher from Arizona. For more information on Technology Teaching Tools, NSTA members can refer to the May 2006 issues of Science Class.

For Students, E-Mail Already is Outdated
May 4 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
A growing number of teachers are using e-mail to communicate with their students, according to a NetDay survey. But students think e-mail is outdated as a communications tool and would rather use instant messaging. “Students have told us that e-mail is still valuable, mainly for storing and transmitting documents and for communication with adults,” says Julie Evans, chief executive officer of the nonprofit group NetDay. “IM is more valuable to them because it is instant and they can speak with multiple people at the same time. I believe that this highlights a greater sophistication in student tech use, and is a trend for us to watch.” Yet the policies of many school systems conflict with the trend.

More Professors Ban Laptops in Class
May 3 2006 - MSNBC.com
As a professor gives a lecture on a subject like chemistry or law, students sit with laptops and play poker or gamble online when they should be taking notes. The scene is not uncommon in today’s college classrooms. But some educators want it stopped, so they have banned laptops from their classrooms. Some students have opposed the action by filing complaints or dropping classes. Students say online distractions are really no different from pre-laptop days, when they might do a crossword puzzle in class. One chemistry professor notes that students who actually use laptops for taking notes are missing out on opportunities for social interaction.

Ed Tech Tops Agenda at Intel Gathering
May 3 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Education, government, and business leaders recently convened to discuss key issues regarding the use of technology in the nation’s schools. Among the topics addressed at the fifth annual Intel Visionary Conference in Washington, D.C., were how to secure funding for educational technology during a period of tight federal budgets; how to deliver targeted and sustained staff development; and how to prepare students for an increasingly uncertain future.

Webcasts Connect Kids to Science, Nature
Apr 24 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Science teachers can engage their students in two separate online learning events on April 25. The fourth annual National DNA Day will consist of researchers and professionals from the National Human Genome Research Institute connecting with high school students via the Internet to discuss genomic research and careers. As part of National Park Week, students from across the country will take a virtual tour of a national park, thanks to a live Internet broadcast from Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.

The Worldwide Classroom
Apr 17 2006 - The Age (Australia)
For a growing number of teachers, blogging is becoming a teaching tool to use in and out of the classroom. Teachers are using blogs to communicate with their colleagues about teaching strategies, lesson plans, and how to best reach students. Educators are also introducing their students to blogging, which can open communication lines with remote communities from around the world. “It is just such a dynamic, invigorating medium, not only for teachers but for the students as well,” notes Jo McLeay, a teacher from Australia.

Colleges Tuned Into iPod Use
Apr 17 2006 - Miami Herald (Requires free registration)
The use of iPods on college campuses continues to be a popular trend. Students can be found listening to podcasts of lectures or specifically designed video “vodcasts” of supplemental classroom material. Students who use podcasts or vodcasts say it helps them retain material they have learned in the classroom. Educause, a national nonprofit association that promotes and tracks the use of information technology within universities, said the use of audio-only podcasts and the new vodcasts is primed to grow exponentially.

Can Pong Help Fill Tech Education Gap?
Apr 13 2006 - Information Week
The Computer Science Teachers Association and IBM have announced a new program to provide 36,000 teachers with free access to computer science curricula to help students acquire necessary skills in science and technology. Lesson plans, guides, and topic summaries will help teachers link the concepts of computer programming and Web design into math and science classes. The program is based on a six-week pilot involving six schools across the country.

Online Courses Are Not Just for Home-Schoolers Anymore
Mar 30 2006 - Christian Science Monitor
Once considered the domain of home-schooled students, K–12 online learning is a fast-growing option for public school students in rural, urban, and suburban areas. Michigan lawmakers are likely to pass legislation soon that will require high school students to take one online course before they graduate. “What happened is Michigan beat everyone to the punch,” explains Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the North American Council for Online Learning. Patrick notes that more states will follow Michigan’s lead as they realize the importance of online literacy.

Teachers Get Schooled in Tech Education
Mar 30 2006 - Pasadena Star-News (California)
Technological advances like iPods and podcasting are transforming education from a teacher-centric, unidirectional process to one that centers on students and the sharing of knowledge, according to the keynote speaker at this year’s TechEd conference. “The role of educator is no longer ‘the purveyor of fixed information.’ It’s about fundamentally changing the learning process,” said Tom Galvin, director of Intel’s Innovation in Education. Galvin encouraged teachers to become bloggers. But many educators who attended the conference said that while they embrace the role of new technologies in concept, fiscal realities can make it a challenge.

Blogs Taking a Seat In, Out of Classrooms
Mar 13 2006 - Chicago Tribune (Requires free registration)
As the "blogosphere" continues its rapid expansion, more teachers are using web logs to engage students in the world at large. Experts offer their list of favorite edublogs in this article. They also note that teachers and students have yet to exploit the new medium to its fullest.

States Erratic on IT Literacy
Mar 13 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Among its other goals, the No Child Left Behind Act says that all students should be technology literate when they finish the eighth grade. Yet, nearly four years after the law was first implemented, states appear to be all over the map in terms of ensuring the technology proficiency of their students, according to an informal investigation by eSchool News. And the federal government is unable to explain which states have taken certain steps to meet the law’s goals.

New Ed-Tech Chief Touts 'Systemic' Approach
Mar 9 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
In an interview with eSchool News, the newly appointed head of the federal office of Educational Technology, Tim Magner, explains his vision for the future of technology in the nation’s schools. He also answers criticisms from many in the educational and technology community about the federal government’s recent cuts to ed-tech funding.

What You Say Online Could Haunt You
Mar 9 2006 - USA Today
As more and more students turn to websites such as Facebook and MySpace to chronicle their lives and socialize with friends, they also are learning that their words and pictures are reaching way beyond the peers for whom they were intended. And some students are paying a price. In the past few months, college, high school and even middle school students across the country have been suspended or expelled, thrown off athletic teams, passed over for jobs, and even arrested based on their online postings.

To: Professor@University.edu Subject: Why It's All About Me
Feb 21 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
E-mail has made professors at colleges and universities much more approachable. But observers say it has made teachers too accessible, erasing boundaries that traditionally kept students at a healthy distance. While professors may have expected deference in the past, their expertise seems to have become another service that students, as consumers, are buying. For junior faculty members, the barrage of e-mail has brought new tension into their work lives as they struggle with how to respond to students. College students say that e-mail makes it easier to ask questions and helps them to learn.

NSTA WebNews Analysis: Podcasts in the Classroom
Feb 9 2006 - NSTA - Kristin Collins
Podcasting—an online posting of an audio recording that can be heard through a computer or downloaded to a mobile device like an iPod®—is following blogs and online classes as yet another popular technology teaching tool. The national trend emerged in 2004 and continues to grow. iTunes lists more than 400 podcasts from K–12 classes, while Yahoo has nearly 900 education-related podcasts. Some are produced by teachers wanting to reach other educators with teaching tips, while many are created by students.

Schools Grapple with Policing Students' Online Journals
Feb 2 2006 - Christian Science Monitor
Millions of teenagers are using blogs to complain, discuss their love lives, or simply find new friends, but the online journals are blurring the line between private and public content. Parry Aftab, director of Wiredsafety.org, recommends that rather than try to ban students' blogging outright, schools establish policies on what constitutes acceptable Internet use.

Study: 'Power Users' Drive Pedagogy
Jan 31 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
A new survey of teachers at the high school and post-secondary levels finds that students who excel in the use of information and communications technology are driving change in classroom instruction. Dubbed “Power Users,” this “emerging group of youth distinguished by their self-directed, long-term, extensive experiences with technology” influence what and how teachers teach, have positively affected the way instructors learn about and use technology, and are generally helpful toward their classmates,” the survey said.

iTunes Goes to School
Jan 28 2006 - CBS News
In its latest move to broaden its iPod and iTunes franchises, Apple Computer Inc., has introduced “iTunes U,” a nationwide expansion of a service that puts course lectures and other educational materials online and makes them portable via Apple’s iTunes software. The maker of iPod portable players, the iTunes online music store and Macintosh computers had been working with six universities on the pilot project for more than a year. It expanded the educational program this week, inviting other universities to sign up.

Wikis Test Students' Research Skills
Jan 26 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Wikipedia and other reference sites that enable users to submit and edit content themselves are creating new challenges for educators. These challenges include how accurate or reliable the sources are for student research and what kind of policies should educators establish regarding their use. Experts note the rise of these kinds of websites underscores the need for educators to teach students strong information literacy skills.

Students and Teachers, From K to 12, Hit the Podcasts
Jan 25 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Podcasting is becoming a popular technology tool in today’s classrooms. The trend follows blogs and online classes. Currently, iTunes lists more than 400 podcasts for K–12 classes, while Yahoo has nearly 900 education-related podcasts. Both teachers and students produce podcasts for various reasons, including professional development and advancing a student’s development.

Podcasts for Class: New Way to Learn?
Jan 23 2006 - Des Moines Register (Iowa)
Iowa is following a new national trend. University professors across the state are experimenting with placing audio and video files of their classes online. The educators are allowing more students to watch or listen to course content on computers and download it onto such gadgets as iPods, MP3 players, or cell phones. Proponents say this gives students flexibility to watch or listen to lectures at their leisure. Critics claim the new method increases the digital divide and could rob students of the opportunity to brainstorm with peers in class.

'Virtual' Software: The Future for Schools?
Jan 10 2006 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
As school administrators consider ways to make technology more accessible to more students—and as broadband networks continue to play a larger role in the delivery of everyday instruction—information technology (IT) experts contend a new "game-changing" technology is poised to alter the paradigm of software administration and IT management in schools, shaking up a market notorious for its resistance to change.

Teachers on the Lookout for Teens with Tunes
Jan 8 2006 - San Diego Union-Tribune
A popular holiday gift for 2005 is providing troublesome for schools in the New Year. As students returned from the winter break with the latest Apple iPods, teachers are complaining about the distraction that has students tuning them out in the classroom. Teenagers freely admit to using their iPods during boring lectures, and they are sneaky too: they will string the earphones under their shirts and conceal them under hats, hoods, or hair. Teachers have rules for not using iPods in class, but the electronic devices are becoming increasingly difficult to detect, as students grow adept at camouflaging them.

University Professor Takes iPods to the Classroom
Jan 6 2006 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
As students stroll across the University of Connecticut campus wearing earphones plugged into their iPods, not everyone is listening to the latest rock music. Some are tuning in to Professor David B. Miller. The veteran educator is recording small group study sessions from his psychology classes and offering them as free podcasts. The entertainment industry has leapt into podcasting, but colleges have just begun to explore the technology.

Study: 'Digital Divide' Affects School Success
Dec 12 2005 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Access to a home computer increases the likelihood that children will graduate from high school, but blacks and Latinos are much less likely to have a computer at home than are whites, according to a new study by a researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The report also found that the so-called "digital divide" is even more pronounced among children than adults.

Gradeschoolers Learning on Handhelds
Dec 12 2005 - MSNBC.com
As school districts scout ways to engage students already accustomed to instant messaging and interactive video games, they're buying up the kind of tech tools once reserved for jet-setting corporate executives. Educational sales of personal digital assistants, laptop computers, and handheld remote controls called "clickers" are ballooning nationwide. A 2004 survey by Quality Education Data Inc. found 28% of U.S. school districts offered handhelds for student and teacher use. One of every four computers purchased by schools was a laptop.

Professor Makes Waves Over In-Class Surfing
Dec 7 2005 - Register-Guard--Eugene, Oregon (Requires free registration)
Once, it was students staring out windows that gave a professor the most competition for classroom attention. Now it's students staring at Windows. With more college classrooms bathed in wireless Internet signals and more students toting laptop computers, tuning out of a professor's lecture and tuning in to online gambling, eBay auctions, music videos and the rest of the Internet's vast catalog of distractions is easy. But too easy, according to University of Oregon chemistry professor Paul Engelking, who is hoping to generate discussion of the issue and explore both technical and nontechnical options for keeping students focused on the subject matter while they are in class. For more information on Science, Technology, and Society, NSTA members can refer to the December 2005 issue of The Science Teacher.

Those Seeking Science Answers Find a Link
Dec 6 2005 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
"Why," asked an elementary school student named Adam, "is there no mammal with green fur? Green is a good camouflage color, and nonmammals do come in green. Why no mammals?" It wasn't the kind of question Alexey Veraksa, an assistant professor of biology, usually handles in his laboratory at the University of Massachusetts. The question came to Veraksa through "Ask a Scientist," a website operated by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute that allows anyone to ask a scientific question and get an answer from a working scientist, said Katherine Wood, who coordinates the project.

iPod Popularity Stirs Tech Debate in the Classroom
Dec 5 2005 - Indianapolis Star
As teachers and administrators face rising demands to improve student performance, they see new challenges coming to the classroom in the form of personal technology—like some iPods that can play video as well as audio. A survey of more than 70 public and private high schools in the Indianapolis metro area showed that most do not allow electronics of any kind to be used during the school day. Rather than trying to beat it, though, some educators are joining the hand-held technology boom, allowing certain personal electronics to come to class. For more information on Science, Technology and Society, NSTA members can refer to the December 2005 issue of The Science Teacher.

Effort to Improve Online Access Planned
Nov 29 2005 - Lexington Herald Leader (Kentucky)
The BellSouth Foundation plans to spend $20 million to improve access to online learning. Nine southern states will be part of the plan, which will help fund state-led virtual learning programs while seeking to expand computer access to children in poor areas. “We wanted to be sure all kids, not just the privileged, could be part of the virtual learning movement,” noted foundation President Mary Boehm.

Students, Teachers Invited to 'Speak Up'
Nov 3 2005 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Teachers and students across the globe are encouraged to participate in Speak Up Day 2005. The annual online event enables teachers and students to share their opinions with local administrators and national policymakers on how technology affects their teaching and learning. Event organizers hope to collect feedback from 250,000 K–12 students and teachers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American military bases worldwide. Click on the link above to learn more or to register for the event.

The Rise of E-Classrooms
Nov 2 2005 - The Globe and Mail-Canada (Requires free registration)
It may look like a simple television remote control, but in Tom Haffie’s first year biology classroom it is the latest in university teaching. Haffie’s students are equipped with a wireless device called a clicker. Clickers, blogs, electronic office hours, and live online chats are among the technologies helping to transform today’s classroom, as universities grapple with how to improve the overall educational experience for students. Some professors say clickers can enhance the classroom experience, while university officials worry about the increased use of technology in the classroom.

Internet Use Up, Trust Down
Oct 28 2005 - CBS News
A new study shows computer and Internet use is up, but so are concerns about identity theft and other online dangers. Internet usage increased with education, income, and the presence of school-age children at home. It was lowest among adults who have not graduated from high school. The report also found that school-age children are most likely to use home computers to play games or complete school work. The report's data is based on the Census Bureau’s October 2003 Current Population Survey, the country’s primary source of labor statistics.

An On-Screen Alternative to Hands-On Dissection
Oct 4 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
As an electronic flash fires, Rick Hill issues instructions: “Hold it. A little more this way. Perfect. Hold it.” Hill is operating a digital camera. His friend David Hughes is manipulating a model of a fetal pig on a table. Hughes and Hill dissected the pig in a makeshift lab taking thousands of photos. Both men then turned those images into a computer program that permits users, mostly high school students, to simulate the fetal pig dissection. Nearly a dozen states have policies requiring public schools to offer students such an option. However, animal protection groups have lobbied against dissection, and many students say dissecting real animals is not for them.

Remote: New Tool for Alert Classes
Oct 3 2005 - St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Johnny El-Rady asked a question about genetics and every single one of his students raised a hand to answer. But none of them said a word. Instead, all 239 of the college students were holding remote control devices called clickers. Clickers are being used in classrooms nationwide, including grade schools. Proponents say the instruments can make students more alert and increase class participation. However, several teachers note the device has disadvantages, including equipment malfunctions and too much class time being spent on clicking and answering questions.

Study: States are Slowly Embracing eTexts
Sep 28 2005 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
Many states are still somewhat clueless about the issues surrounding adoption of textbooks with digital content, reports the Software and Information Industry Association. In an SIIA survey completed by 18 of the 21 states using e-texts, most respondents indicated they did not have a process for ensuring their reviewers were tech-savvy, and only a third reported they had updated their depository requirements to exempt web-based materials.

Teachers' Tech Use on the Rise
Aug 29 2005 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
More than 80 % of K–12 public school teachers say computer technology has changed the way they teach, according to a new survey. The Teachers Talk Report found that at least three-fourths of teachers recognized the importance of computer technology in teaching functions such as taking attendance and record keeping, communication, research and planning, and classroom instruction. Educational technology advocates say the results of the survey are “welcome news.”

Academic Libraries Empty Stacks for Online Centers
Aug 23 2005 - Christian Science Monitor
A growing number of colleges and universities are rethinking and retooling their libraries to better serve students reared in a digital age. For example, students who plan to use the University of Texas’ former undergraduate library in Austin this fall will no longer see the “Quiet Please” signs or the sight of librarians restocking books. The building has been changed to include nearly 250 desktop computers, computer labs, software suites, a multimedia studio, wireless Internet access, a computer help desk and repair shop, and a café. Observers note these revamped learning centers are being met with huge success.

Online Tutoring Part of Growing Trend
Aug 16 2005 - Washington Post (requires free registration)
More than 2.6 million students in the United States were expected to study online through courses and tutoring last fall, up from 1.9 million in 2003, according to the Sloan Consortium, an online research group. "Long-term, there is no reason to believe [online tutoring] is not going to grow as students go online and take classes," said J. Mark Jackson, director of K-12 research at Eduventures Inc., a market-research firm. Because it is a supplemental service rather than a core offering, he said, it is unclear how large the market might grow.

These Teachers Teach Tech to Teachers
Aug 4 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
“Even today, the majority of teachers are reluctant to use technology,” observes Robert McLaughlin, executive director of the National Institute for Community Innovations in Vermont. “They don’t regard it as something that will help them be more effective with their students.” Although studies show that technology can be used to enhance academic performance, change can be hard for educators. Read how five teachers overcame the challenge by clicking on the link above.

Arizona School Will Not Use Textbooks
Jul 11 2005 - Yahoo! News - AP
A high school in Vail will become the state's first all-wireless, all-laptop public school this fall. The 350 students at the school will not have traditional textbooks. Instead, they will use electronic and online articles as part of more traditional teacher lesson plans. The decision to go with an all-electronic school is rare, experts say. Often, cost, insecurity, ignorance, and institutional constraints prevent schools from making the leap away from paper. Calvin Baker, superintendent of Vail Unified School District, said the move to electronic materials gets teachers away from the habit of simply marching through a textbook each year.

Educators are Getting Connected with Latest Technology
Jun 27 2005 - Philadelphia Inquirer (Requires free registration)
Blogging by teachers, new ways to test students online, and examples of classrooms of the future are among the features at this year’s National Educational Computing Conference in Philadelphia. More than 15,000 educators and technology vendors are participating in the event. Those attending the conference will learn about handheld devices, the surge in wireless computing, and paying for educational technology. Attendees can also observe how educators are using Internet2, an experimental superfast network that is a collaborative effort by more than 170 universities.

Boards Get Brains, Chalk Vanishes
Jun 9 2005 - Wired News
Chalkboards are being eliminated in favor of interactive, computer-driven whiteboards in more than 150,000 classrooms across the country. The new technology enables teachers and students to share assignments, surf the web, and edit video using their fingers as pens. Observers of the technology say it is a “must have” that can help motivate students to learn. Smart Technologies, a manufacturer of the interactive whiteboards, predicts the technology will be in every single classroom in the next three to five years.

Study: These Factors Retard Digital Teaching
Jun 1 2005 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
A study of 236 high school teachers by the Education Development Center explores the barriers teachers face when they seek to use digital libraries and other electronic resources in the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The survey's respondents say that hardware shortfalls, poor training, a lack of support, and a lack of time make it a challenge to use digital resources. The study’s authors suggest that criticisms of teachers surveyed be taken into account by developers when designing web materials for STEM educators.

Concept Maps Go to School
May 30 2005 - Wired News
The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition is taking software designed in part to preserve scientists’ knowledge and giving it to schools worldwide as a tool to help students learn. The concept mapping software, known as Cmaps, can be used to assess student knowledge, encourage thinking and problem solving instead of rote learning, organize information for writing projects, and help teachers write new curricula.

State Support Varies Widely
May 5 2005 - Education Week
In its annual assessment of the state of educational technology, Education Week finds that state education tech funding has taken a downturn. This is due in part to cuts in federal aid and state deficits. Now that almost every school has been equipped with PCs wired to the Internet, the "buzz" of the tech-boom years seems to have faded away, even though the hardware systems need to be constantly maintained and upgraded.

Teachers and Students Click on Feedback Method
Apr 21 2005 - Philadelphia Inquirer
Teachers are using a new instructional tool in the classroom. Handheld remotes enable educators to gain instant feedback on student assessment. The remotes also allow anonymity among a group of students. Students, however, can forget to bring the remotes to class. It also takes time to craft questions that fit the technology, according to teachers who have used the remotes. Another disadvantage is cost—about $2,000 per classroom kit. The technology is arriving in some schools as part of a textbook purchase package. Other schools underwrite all or part of the purchase using technology grant funds.

Science By Role-Playing Uses Today's Technology
Mar 21 2005 - The Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Teachers nationwide are embracing popular television shows, board games, and “whodunit” mysteries to make science more compelling for students. Science classes have to include more drama and entertainment these days, especially when 80 percent of students watch television dramas or play video and computer games with scientific themes, observes science teacher Lisa Elam of Ohio. Elam adds “you have to capture (students’) attention…in some practical way that applies to their life. If they don’t have something they can relate it to, they’re not going to be interested in it.”

PowerPoint Goes to the Fair
Jan 27 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Although technology is changing the world of science, it has only started to change how science fair projects are presented. Several teachers nationwide are allowing students to use PowerPoint computer software instead of display boards to present projects. Some teachers and students claim using computer programs can help save space and have spawned new presentation techniques. Advocates of display boards say they are well suited for most science fairs and are firmly rooted in science education.

New Site Highlights Ed-Tech Research
Nov 29 2004 - eSchool News (Requires free registration)
A new website highlights nine studies in eight states that explore the effects of educational technology on student learning. Visitors to the website hosted by The Technical Assistance Partnership Program can learn how schools in Arkansas, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are employing scientifically-based research to make the best use of technology. As the grant project progresses, users will also have access to officials presentations about the various projects.

Schools, Colleges Flock to Internet2
Oct 18 2004 - eSchool News
A new survey shows more than 25,000 K–12 schools, libraries, and museums in 34 states have changed to Internet2. This project was created in 1997 as a way to deploy advanced network applications and technologies for research and higher education. Proponents of the technology contend access to high-performance networking provides teachers and students opportunities “they could barely imagine with today’s commercial internet.” With Internet2, “students make the great leap from studying science to being scientists,” added Louis Fox, the Internet2 K–20 Initiative’s executive director.

Remote Access
Oct 14 2004 - US News & World Report
E-learning is changing the face of education in rural public schools. Once a technological curiosity, e-learning is now allowing students in rural schools more class options and educating teachers. Although e-learning can be a lonely proposition with students or teachers studying solo at a computer, experts note distance learning has its advantages. Such perks include providing students more challenging courses and offering teachers classes toward advanced degrees or professional certification.

A Caution on Kids, Technology
Sep 30 2004 - The Washington Post
Youth do not need the technology education they are receiving to be successful in the 21st century and there are growing indications the high-tech lifestyle promoted by government and industry might be harmful to students, according to a study scheduled for release today by the nonprofit Alliance For Childhood. The report, Tech Tonic, makes several recommendations to change this trend. Suggestions include having teachers and others declare one day a week as an “electronic entertainment-free zone.” Spending should also be shifted from unproven high-tech products to students unmet basic needs.

Textbooks Dumped in Favor of Laptops
Sep 20 2004 - eSchool News
A new high school in Arizona plans to eliminate textbooks in favor of laptop computers. Students at Empire High will receive Apple ibook notebooks equipped with a wireless card for Internet-based instruction when the school opens its doors next year. Although several schools nationwide already have integrated wireless laptops and individual computing initiatives into their curriculum, district officials representing Empire High contend their school is the first in the nation to be built from the ground up with one-to-one computing in mind.

In School, the Pencil Still Rules
Aug 27 2004 - USA Today
Although advances in technology have changed the focus of basic school supplies, one clear staple remains—the pencil. Not only are pencils still used in classes such as art and math, the No. 2 pencil is the key to multiple-choice, computer-graded tests. Testing experts note that while the number of people taking tests on computers is increasing, the paper and pencil versions of tests such as the SAT or GRE still predominate.

ED Gives Preview of New Ed-Tech Plan
Aug 25 2004 - e-School News
Online assessment, e-learning, and management of student data will be among the key issues discussed in the new national educational technology plan presented to Congress this fall. The new plan will continue the shift from counting the number of computers in every classroom to improving student performance with technology. “The previous two plans had good goals, and we want to highlight those accomplishments, but we really want to move to how you use technology to transform learning,” noted Susan Patrick, director of the Education Department’s Office of Educational Technology.

How Teachers Compete with Phones, Laptops for Kids' Attention
Aug 20 2004 - The Arizona Republic
Teachers nationwide are facing the challenge of dealing with students who are distracted by electronic gadgets in the classroom. Experts say 80 percent of public schools have high-speed Internet access in at least one classroom. On the college level, 69 percent of schools have classroom Internet access and 70 percent have wireless networks. Cellphones provide another avenue of distraction for students in classrooms without computers or Internet access. Teachers have started to tackle attention deficit in various ways. Click on the link above to learn five new strategies to combat this challenge.

In the Classroom, Web Blogs are the New Bulletin Boards
Aug 19 2004 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Classroom Web logs, or blogs, are becoming a popular teaching tool for teachers. The online “bulletin boards” enable students to write about what they have learned instead of participating in a class discussion or writing their thoughts in a journal. Proponents of Web logs note they require minimal effort to maintain and allow students to write more often. Critics worry the casual nature of writing on the Web may encourage bad habits such as poor spelling or bad grammar that are hard to break.

Play Games, Be Better Students?
May 11 2004 - Wired News
Game designers, government officials, and teachers believe games can be used as a resource to improve America’s education system, despite the popular belief the video-game industry is all about entertainment. Henry Jenkins, host of the Education Arcade symposium, says using games to teach new methods of thinking is a “no-brainer.” He warns, however, that anyone hoping to make a difference teaching with games faces a skeptical group of educators and game companies. Brenda Laurel, a game designer who has worked with educators, adds that individuals who try to help the country’s educational system with games should be realistic. For more information on Fun and Games, NSTA members can refer to the May 2004 issue of Science Scope.

US Schools Need More Tech Savvy
May 6 2004 - The Christian Science Monitor
A new report shows that the United States falls behind several other countries in regards to Internet availability and computer use in schools. Thirty-nine percent of American schools are connected to the Internet compared to 80 percent in Australia, according to the study conducted by Education Week. The report also shows that the United States ranks behind Italy, Britain, and Australia in the number of 15-year-olds using computers at school several times a week. Experts say this can be attributed to a variety of reasons ranging from inadequate teacher training to budget cuts at schools nationwide.

In Class, the Audience Weighs In
Apr 29 2004 - New York Times (requires free registration)
The newest aid in the college classroom is a small wireless keypad, linked to a computer. Students answer questions not by raising their hands but by punching buttons, with the results appearing on a screen in the front of the room. Although some skeptics dismiss the devices as novelties more suited to a TV game show than a lecture hall, educators who use them say their classrooms come alive as never before - shy students have no choice but to participate, and the know-it-alls lose their monopoly on the classroom dialogue.

Digital Imaging Shows New Visions of Scientific Topics
Apr 28 2004 - Education Week
The use of digital technology is becoming more popular in science classrooms nationwide. Teachers and students are using digital cameras and other imaging technologies to take pictures, collect data, and perform lab experiments. “It takes data collection to a whole new level,” noted Gerry Wheeler, NSTA’s executive director. Although teachers are excited about the benefits of this technology, skeptics note digital imaging technologies can easily be misused and that some educators are not properly trained in using these resources.

Computer Makers Adapt Laptops for Tough School Market
Apr 26 2004 - USA Today
Although school districts are facing textbook shortages, computer makers are trying to fix that problem by providing laptop computers with digital versions of approved textbooks. School districts in several states including Maine and Michigan are already providing students with laptops. Analysts note, however, that the cost of the technology is preventing more widespread use of the computers.

Old Tricks for Some Newer Students
Nov 13 2003 - Philadelphia Inquirer
It was invented by English mathematician William Oughtred in the early 1600s, and not so long ago you couldn't be a scientist or engineer if you didn't know how to use one. Now the venerable (and largely forgotten) slide rule has found its way back into Louis Gotlib's chemistry classroom, and the students aren't just intrigued - some of them actually use the thing, acquiring a different feel for computation in the process.

Budget Crisis May Undercut Laptop Efforts
Nov 5 2003 - Education Week
Budget cuts are causing problems for schools nationwide who want to initiate and sustain laptop programs. Several Michigan schools, for example, say they cannot afford to place laptops in the backpacks of all sixth-graders. A Snohomish, Washington elementary school that had a laptop program for six years says its efforts have deteriorated because parents have failed to pay their share of the cost for their children’s computers. Educators observe that laptop programs are also “prime targets” for cuts during budget crisis.

NSTA WebNews Analysis: Technology in Teaching
Oct 31 2003 - NSTA-Kristin Collins
Arguments over whether technology benefits teachers and students in the classroom were made during the month of October. A recent national survey, for example, concluded that children ages 2–17 in Cincinnati use the Internet more than any other group of students in America. A report by the London School of Economics also supported children using the Internet, but noted students need to use the web in a more creative manner. A report in The Christian Science Monitor, however, discusses a new book that explains how placing computers in the classroom has been an almost "entirely wasteful" effort.

Virtual Frogs, Videoconferencing Teachers--And Vital Lessons
Oct 20 2003 - U.S. News & World Report
Virtual classes are revolutionizing science instruction through a wide range of course offerings and lifelike software. Educators are taking advantage of virtual learning for a variety of reasons including supplementing lessons and to provide important courses in math, science, and other subjects. Observers note, however, that not all virtual learning is “enrichment.” For some schools, it’s “bare-bones necessity.” For more information on Eye-Opening Technology, NSTA members can refer to the October 2003 issue of The Science Teacher.

Children 'Need to Improve Web Use'
Oct 16 2003 - BBC News
A new report suggests students should be taught to use the Internet in a more creative manner. Children on the Internet, a study by the London School of Economics, revealed students spend more time using computers at home to play games or chat with friends. The report recommends that schools and parents should do more to encourage students to participate in online political discussions and produce their own websites.

National Teaching Board Elevates Technology's Profile
Oct 15 2003 - Education Week
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is upgrading the role of technology in its vision for what constitutes an excellent teacher. The organization, which normally has been conservative about the value of technology in teaching, has created the Digital Edge Learning Interchange. The online program contains 58 free models or “exhibits” that show examples of how teachers use technology in the classroom. For more information on Eye-Opening Technology, NSTA members can refer to the October 2003 issue of The Science Teacher.

Why Computers Have Not Saved the Classroom
Oct 14 2003 - The Christian Science Monitor
What impact has technology had in America’s classrooms? Writer Bob Blaisdell offers some answers to that question by reporting on a new book called The Flickering Mind: The False Promise of Technology in the Classroom. The book’s author, journalist Todd Oppenheimer, says putting computers in classrooms and trying to keep schools equipped with the latest technological tools has been a waste of time. Oppenheimer also discusses in his book schools that have experienced successful technology efforts, but notes that success is a result of the enthusiasm and devotion of individual teachers. For more information on Eye-Opening Technology, NSTA members can refer to the October 2003 issue of The Science Teacher. What do you think? Cast your vote in our online poll!

Online School Keeps Kids in Line
Oct 8 2003 - The Cincinnati Enquirer
After a shaky start, virtual high schools in Cincinnati have been redesigned and are becoming a success. Approximately 30,000 students attend eleven virtual charter schools in Ohio; costing taxpayers $1.8 million a year. Experts say the redesigned schools in Cincinnati give the stability and the structure of a traditional classroom, while offering computer-based classes and a schedule that enables students to work at their own pace. For more information on Eye-Opening Technology, NSTA members can refer to the October 2003 issue of The Science Teacher.

Palm Pilots Do Well in Tests
Oct 6 2003 - The Detroit News
Four science classes in one Michigan school have given the boot to the traditional pencil and paper method for test-taking after receiving 30 palm pilots. Science teachers at Richmond High School say the handheld computers reduce cheating, offer immediate test scores, and give students a chance to work with technology. For more information on Eye-Opening Technology, NSTA members can refer to the October 2003 issue of The Science Teacher.

With the Apples Arriving by E-Mail, Teachers Adapt
Aug 14 2003 - The New York Times (Requires free registration)
School administrators might believe anyone interested in teaching will like the Internet. The World Wide Web offers educators numerous teaching aids such as websites with lesson plans to help teachers in the classroom. Educational technology experts note, however, some educators might be reluctant to use the Internet or new software since teachers rarely receive adequate technology training.

Brain-Mapping Could Illuminate How Students Learn
Aug 6 2003 - eSchool News
Scientists have a new resource to help them understand what constitutes a normal brain. The International Consortium for Brain Mapping has created an online atlas that contains digitally mapped images of 7,000 brains. Researchers who use the atlas can compare and contrast brain images captured from a variety of people residing in seven nations on four continents. Scientists note this resource could lead to important discoveries on how students learn.

Mano a Mano, Iron Teachers and Science!
Aug 5 2003 - New York Times (requires free registration)
"Let's mercilessly brutalize some strawberries!" Dr. Steve Ribisi shouted to the 100 or so people watching him at the Exploratorium, San Francisco's science museum. He was competing against six contestants in another Web episode of "Iron Science Teacher," a program based loosely on the Japanese television show "Iron Chef." Dr. Ribisi declared his goal: to extract DNA from fruit, using the "secret ingredient" — kitchen utensils.

Study Says Net Can Help Kids
Jul 29 2003 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Michigan State University study shows low-income students who spend more than 30 minutes a day on the Internet have higher reading test scores and perform better in school than those who don’t. The 16-month study of 140 students, however, did not reveal any significant differences in student math scores or in the psychological well-being of students.

BattleBots Inspire a Battle of Brains
Jun 27 2003 - Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN)
The task: build a little robot that can defeat the little robots the other kids have built. It's a challenge students accept with gusto. The larger challenge: make sure the students master some science, math, and engineering principles along the way. Twenty teachers came together in Minneapolis this week to figure out how to do just that. They took a class in designing and building steel robots and learning the coursework tailored two years ago by the originators of the BattleBots TV show.

NSF Commits $20 Million to 'Science of Learning' Projects
May 28 2003 - Education Week
The National Science Foundation plans to spend $20 million to underwrite a 10-year effort to figure out how people learn and how to put those lessons into practice in schools and real-life situations. The federal agency is seeking applications for up to 30 projects and will award between three and five large grants and 20 small grants for the program. The deadlines for proposals are Aug. 5 and Sept. 17, 2003.

States Grapple with Virtual School Legislation
May 23 2003 - eSchool News
Recent decisions by state courts and legislatures on the issue of virtual schools—institutions where students receive instruction entirely online—have generated mixed reaction from educators and lawmakers. Proponents contend the schools provide a new learning option for students, but critics argue they take away tax dollars from public schools and place those funds into the hands of for-profit companies.

Professors Vie With Web for Class's Attention
Jan 2 2003 - The New York Times (Requires free registration)
College professors say they have to compete with technology to get their student’s attention. Universities across America have installed networks that let students and faculty surf the Internet from laptop computers in the classroom. Teachers say distraction is nothing new. Technology experts, however, observe that the arrival of laptop computers offer a new level of distraction and that wireless technology “introduces an even broader range of distraction.”

Clayton Among Counties to Offer Teachers Laptops
Dec 19 2002 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Teachers in Clayton County, Georgia will be receiving an early or belated Christmas gift this year. The county’s school system plans to give every teacher a laptop computer by Jan. 6, 2003. County school officials say the objective of the $7.9 million initiative is to improve student learning.

Too Often, Educators' Online Links Lead to Nowhere
Dec 4 2002 - Education Week
Two professors have studied the longevity of links that point to educational content on the Web. Their conclusion: the links have a half-life of 58 months - that is, half of them on average are nonfunctioning by the end of that period. This makes it difficult for teachers to build a curriculum around online material. The article makes note of efforts to combat "link rot," among them the WebWatchers program here at NSTA.

Students Shunning Animal Dissection Ritual
Oct 2 2002 - CNN.com
More and more high school students are trying to opt out of dissection. The pressure to cut back on dissections is even being felt in college and graduate programs. "There were few suitable alternatives when I taught, but now there are some extremely sophisticated virtual technologies," said Wendell Mohling, a former biology teacher in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, who is associate executive director of the National Science Teachers Association. (You can read NSTA's position statement "Guidelines for Responsible Use of Animals in the Classroom" online.)

Student Allowed Back into Anatomy Class
Sep 27 2002 - Baltimore Sun
Three days after a high school junior left an anatomy class because she refused to dissect a cat, the Baltimore County school system let her return to the honors course yesterday and perform simulated dissections on a computer. (See previous story.)

Learn for Free Online
Sep 23 2002 - BBC News
While many universities and education entrepreneurs continue their quest to sell online courses, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says: leave your credit card in your wallet when you log on here. You won't be able to earn a degree online, but you will have access to thousands of pages of information, as well as hours of streaming video lectures, seminars, and experiments. The first group of courses, set to be published on the Internet on September 30, includes subjects like anthropology, biology, chemistry, and computer science. Is the free content merely a lure? The executive director of MIT's OpenCourseWare (OCW) project says "there is no revenue objective for OCW, ever. It will always be free."

Student Laptops are a Luxury
Sep 13 2002 - USA Today
This week the state of Maine handed out laptop computers to all seventh- and eighth-grade students at a cost of $37 million. In the opinion of this author, laptops are a luxury most school systems can't afford; the money could be put to better use hiring teachers who studied the subjects they're assigned to instruct. "Currently, 33% of the state's math teachers in grades nine to 12 lack either a major or minor in the subject," the author says. (See also this article for extensive background on Maine's laptop decision.)

Study: Teachers Fail to Grasp the Web's Potential
Aug 16 2002 - New York Times (requires free registration)
When it comes to the Internet and how it is used, who has the edge: teachers or students? A report released this week comes down firmly on the side of students, concluding that students tend to be far more adept than their teachers at finding creative educational uses for the Internet. The report was undertaken for the Pew Internet and American Life Project by the American Institutes for Research. Click above for the New York Times article, click here for a commentary on the report in the Christian Science Monitor, or visit www.pewinternet.org to download the full report.

Program Helps Teachers Share Lesson Plans
Jul 29 2002 - Boston Globe
The above article profiles the VideoPaper Builder, a software program that allows teachers to produce their own CD library of best practices using text, digital video, and other features. Boosters say the program could enhance professional development efforts, giving educators a chance to share their teaching strategies with colleagues. "This is a great way to see what's going on in a classroom," said one science teacher who recently produced her own VideoPaper (a lesson plan on the laws of energy). "I think it will create a feeling of community that a lot of teachers don't currently feel."

Point. Click. Think? Teachers Skeptical of Internet Research
Jul 16 2002 - Washington Post
In today's world, it is not uncommon for students to view the Internet as their primary, if not exclusive, source of research. While Internet research has some obvious benefits (such as the ability to expose students to a lot of information quickly), many educators are troubled by the trend, the above article reports. The concern is not just plagiarism, they say, but the Internet itself, with its tendency to foster superficial thinking at the expense of deep reading and contemplation. Or, as one librarian bluntly put it: "The Internet makes it ungodly easy now for people who wish to be lazy."

Energy-Efficient Schools Grasp Green Incentive
Jul 15 2002 - Boston Globe
Can science and technology be used to improve the way schools are built, creating schools with both better learning environments and reduced energy costs? That's what many are hoping in Massachusetts, where policymakers are using financial incentives to prod districts to "build green." Said an official at the MA Department of Education: "This is a whole new way of looking at school building."

Classroom Microphones Make Voices Louder, Clearer
May 15 2002 - Education Week
Classroom sound-amplification systems are being praised by an increasing number of educators, who believe the units can help increase students' attention, decrease teachers' voice strain, and stimulate classroom participation. At first, "none of us really wanted to wear these things," one teacher said. "But once you get used to it, it's hard to go back to raising your voice." Learn more...

Education Week Releases "Technology Counts 2002"
May 10 2002 - Education Week
Education Week has released Technology Counts 2002, the newspaper's fifth annual report on trends in educational technology. The 50-state report examines how cyber schools, online teaching and testing, and other e-learning initiatives are changing the landscape of education -- as well as the benefits and drawbacks of such efforts. Of particular interest is a chapter that scrutinizes online professional development programs for teachers. Click above for the executive summary, which includes links to the full report.

High Schools Vie to Build a Robotic Champ
Apr 22 2002 - New York Times (requires free registration)
The above article takes a look at two popular robotics tournaments: the well-established FIRST competition and its more "combative" rival, BattleBots IQ. While the game rules for the two competitions differ markedly, both share a common goal: to expose high school students to the joys of tackling scientific and technical challenges. Find out more...

Student Behind Global Telescope Network
Apr 15 2002 - CNN -- AP
The above article profiles Ryan Hannahoe, a 16-year-old sophomore and astronomy buff who has helped create the Student Telescope Network (STN). Launched last February, STN is an Internet-based project that enables students worldwide to access and download images from a New Mexico telescope set under clear, dark skies. "The typical school [because of light pollution] has nothing at all, they look at a picture in a book," says Hannahoe. "Here, we're taking a picture and doing actual research, which is really cool, basically learning to be an astronomer." Read more...

"E-Mentors" Offer Online Support, Information for Novice Instructors
Apr 4 2002 - Education Week
"E-mentoring," also called telementoring, is an emerging resource that allows novice teachers to turn to their computers and get advice and support from a community of new and master teachers. Today, only a few venues offer e-mentoring, the above article says, but experts predict that in a few years, new teachers across the country will be able to access local or regional teacher databases. "This is definitely an idea whose time has come, and something that's going to go everywhere soon," one booster said.

Linking Their Thinking: MIT Innovators Explore Connections Between New Technologies and Student Learning
Jan 31 2002 - Education Week
The above article profiles the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, "a place where ideas about how to link new technologies to education are percolating round-the-clock." The lab's researchers, the article says, are "steeped in the philosophy that children learn by doing, and especially by designing and building things themselves." Moreover, the lab's work is not just pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking; rather, it is focused on what will actually help teachers in the classroom today. "The work we do, things we design, is driven by activity that [teachers] think is worthwhile to do with their kids," one lab researcher said. Click above to learn more about what the lab's innovators are cooking up...

New Report Documents States' High-Tech Readiness
Jan 17 2002 - American Electronics Association
How well is your state preparing students to compete in a high-tech workforce? CyberEducation 2002, a new report by the American Electronics Association and the Nasdaq stock market, examines the condition of math, science, and technology education at the national and state levels. The report analyzes such factors as computer and Internet access in schools, student achievement scores in math and science, performance standards for K-12 students and teachers, and the number of engineering degrees conferred by colleges and universities. Click above for national highlights, or click here for state-by-state press releases.

Online Grade Books Tell Parents What Happened in the Classroom
Oct 19 2001 - New York Times (requires free registration)
Thousands of parents now have a direct channel into their children's classroom through online grade books posted by teachers. With a password and user ID, parents can log in at any time to check on their children's grades, attendance, practice-test scores for standardized exams and, in some cases, a comparison of their children's grades with those of the rest of the class. Good idea? Read the full article to find out what teachers and parents think about this new online tool...

Handheld Computers: Learning Tools or Toys?
Sep 28 2001 - Education Week
An increasing number of educators believe hand-held computing devices, which are relatively inexpensive compared with laptops or PCs, have an important place in 21st-century classrooms. But critics remain skeptical, questioning whether some districts are rushing to buy the devices without making sure appropriate training and curriculum are in place.

Beating Web Cheaters at Their Own Game
Aug 29 2001 - The Christian Science Monitor
The problem of plagiarism may be as old as Socrates, but in the age of the Internet, it's easier than ever. How can schools crack down on digital cheating without violating student trust?

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