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Research in the News (May 5 - 11, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on May 11, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Computer-Based Learning Could Transform Public Education Within a Decade Through “Disruptive Innovation,” Experts Say
Computer-based learning is on the cusp of transforming traditional public education, say Harvard Business School’s Clayton M. Christensen and his colleague Michael B. Horn in the summer 2008 issue of Education Next. Based on their analysis of data on enrollments, about half of all education courses will be delivered online in just over a decade’s time. — Government Technology

Online insight: Challenges beat cheerleading
As more and more middle and high school students take online courses, virtual-school teachers and administrators are looking for ways to make the online learning experience as engaging and effective as possible. This study looks at different way to conduct online discussions, and concludes that critical questioning by facilitators is more effective than positive reinforcement like, “Good point!” — eSchool News

Five year-olds get online safety lessons
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre has launched a new online safety programme aimed at five to seven year-olds. Recent research from Ofcom found that 59 per cent of children in this age bracket access the internet at home, and 21 per cent do so unsupervised. — VNU-Net

Programs in the News (May 5 - 11, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on May 11, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

After More Than 50,000 Women Vie for Full-Ride Scholarships, Initial Project Working Mom Recipients Are Selected in Time for Mother’s Day
eLearners.com, a web resource offered by EducationDynamics, announced that the first round of recipients for the “Project Working Mom: Putting Education to Work” full-ride scholarships will be announced and posted on http://www.projectworkingmom.com/winners just in time for Mother’s Day. Since the launch of Project Working Mom in January, more than 50,000 moms have applied — more than 500 per day — for a full-ride online college scholarship from American InterContinental University, DeVry University and Walden University. The scholarship pool totaled more than $2 million. — PR Newswire

McGraw-Hill Construction Announces Continuing Education Center for ArchitecturalRecord.com and Other Media Websites
McGraw-Hill Construction, a part of The McGraw-Hill Companies, announced its new interactive Continuing Education Center, the first online learning center to provide American Institute of Architects (AIA) approved courses in a “mentored learning” format, which seamlessly directs users who get a wrong answer to the exact section where the misunderstood topic is discussed. — Insurance News Net

Schools in the News (May 5 - 11, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on May 11, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Education Stock Deserves to Go to Head of Class
Capella offers 950 online courses and proper degrees in pragmatic fields like business, information technology and health services. First-quarter results for the company, reported May 1, show enrollment surging 23% vs. a year ago, to 23,496 “learners” as the company likes to call them.– Smart Money

Insight School Offers Online Education to Address Challenges Facing California Parents and Students
Public education in California faces one of its most challenging periods, with large state budget cuts, high dropout rates and possible restrictions on homeschooling confronting educators, parents and students. A fully online public high school provides a powerful approach for addressing these challenges in Southern California. — PR Newswire

Colorado Virtual High School Launches
Colorado’s Julesburg School District has partnered with Insight Schools to launch a new online virtual public high school that’s being offered tuition-free to students throughout the state. The new virtual school, Insight School of Colorado, will launch its first semester in August, with course selection taking place this month. — T.H.E. Journal

Michigan Embraces Electronic Transcripts
Historically, Michigan State scans paper transcripts as it receives them, then stores the transcript information electronically. But even with that system, Cook said, “we still end up pushing [paper] through the office during the entire process.” The Connect! system enables the university to accept an electronic transcript when a student applies from a ConnectEdu-affiliated high school, thus eliminating the paper process for the most part. – Campus Technology  

Graduate School, USDA Standardizes on Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro for E-learning
The Graduate School, USDA has standardized on Acrobat Connect Pro, a Web conferencing and e-learning platform from Adobe Systems. The school is a self-sustaining government entity created 87 years ago by the United States Department of Agriculture to provide adult continuing education. — Campus Technology

Publishers in the News (May 5 - 11, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on May 10, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Aplia Launches Web-based Interactive Homework System
Cengage Learning’s Aplia division has launched a new Web-based homework system called Grade It Now. The system combines aspects of practice problems with graded problems to encourage students to improve results as they work. — Campus Technology

China Education Resources Announces Fiscal 2007 Annual Financial Results
China Education Resources Inc. reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2007. During the year, sales and subsequent revenues shifted from the Company’s traditional textbook business to online education services. — Earth Times

Awards in the News (May 5 - 11, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on May 10, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

UNCG honored for online learning
UNC-Greensboro’s online distance learning programs have been honored with two separate awards, the university has announced. The U.S. Distance Learning Association has given UNCG’s Division of Continual Learning its “platinum award,” the top recognition for excellence from that organization. The N.C. Distance Learning Association has also given its “Best Practices in Distance Learning” to the university. — Bizjournals.com

ISTE Announces Winners of 2008 SIGTel Online Learning Awards
The International Society for Technology in Education has named the winners of the 2008 SIGTel Online Learning Awards. Sponsored by ISTE’s Special Interest Group for Telelearning, the Online Learning Awards recognize creative educators worldwide for their pioneering use of telecommunications networks to provide innovative learning opportunities for students in grades K-16. The awards will be presented at the National Education Computing Conference, to be held June 29 through July 2 in San Antonio, Texas. — NewsReleaseWire.com

eInstruction Announces Early Bird Winner of “Content Meets Technology”

Published by Erica Nielsen on May 10, 2008 in Tech Trends. 0 Comments

PRESS RELEASE

Sweepstakes entries are still being accepted until May 13, 2008 for a chance to win interactive classroom technology 

Denton, TX (May 8, 2008) - In honor of National Teachers Day, eInstruction  today announced it has selected a surprise early bird winner of its popular “Content Meets Technology” Sweepstakes. One entrant has been chosen at random to win a 32 unit CPS RF (Classroom Performance System, Radio Frequency) set for their classroom valued at $2,000.

Anna Love, a teacher from South Side High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas is
the winner of the CPS RF System. “I am so excited to win this prize. It will
give my students a new way to practice their Spanish.”

Entries for the “Content Meets Technology” Sweepstakes will be accepted
until 11:59 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 13, 2008.

To date, over 4,300 educators from across the nation have registered for
this first-of-its-kind sweepstakes. By entering the sweepstakes, teachers
are given a chance to win an interactive technology makeover for their
classroom. The contest will name one winner from the following three grade
level segments: kindergarten through fifth, sixth through eighth, and ninth
through twelfth. 

Upon entering the Sweepstakes, entrants will be asked to submit, using 250
characters or less, their vision of the role of technology in education.
Those thoughts will then post to an interactive Google Map mashup on the
eInstruction site.  The “mashup” of Google Maps (technology) and the
student/teacher collaborations (content) is designed to mirror the merger of
eInstruction and Interwrite Learning.

Winners will be awarded an interactive makeover prize package that consists
of:

*        Interwrite Workspace with ExamView reader. The award-winning,
easy-to-use software enables educators to create, save and share engaging,
interactive lessons with a gallery of digital images and annotation tools
that can be used with any application.  Workspace provides one-click
integration with CPS, eInstruction’s popular student response systems.
*        Interwrite Board. Teaching from the front of the classroom has
never been this fun before.  The Interwrite Board combined with Interwrite
Workspace gives you the power to control your computer from the front of the
class.  Your students will be on their best behavior with the chance to come
to the board. 
*        Interwrite Pad. Combined with Workspace, the wireless Interwrite
Pad is a powerful teaching tool that enables educators to easily control
their computer and instructional resources from anywhere in the classroom.
Used by over 50,000 teachers worldwide, this dependable, durable pad is a
must in every classroom. 

*        32-Pad CPS RF Clicker System.  Engage every child in class material
by creating an interactive learning environment in your classroom. Students
who normally remain silent in class can now answer every question without
fear of embarrassment.  Join the 150,000 teachers who now spend less time
grading and more time teaching. CPS simplifies taking attendance, grading
tests and quizzes, creating lessons, and generating personalized reports
automatically! 
*        One year subscription to ExamView Learning Series.  A collection of
over 9,500 unique high-quality standards-aligned questions that work in
conjunction with the ExamView Suite. Over 50 leading publishers also create
and distribute ExamView-formatted questions with over 5,000 elementary,
middle school, high school, and post-secondary textbooks.
*        Epson PowerLite 400W Projector.  Ideal for widescreen computers and
interactive whiteboards, this 3LCD short-throw projector with WXGA
resolution reduces shadows, simplifies installation, and provides 30 percent
larger images than standard 4:3 projectors. It can project an 87 inch
widescreen (16:10) image from just 3.4 feet away.  The 3LCD optical engine,
the world’s number one projection display technology, provides vibrant color
and incredible image quality and unsurpassed reliability.

*        Epson Short-throw Projector Wall Mount.  This projector wall mount
enables quick, efficient and low cost installation of short-throw
projectors. It allows presenters to fully utilize an interactive whiteboard
(IWB) or screen without creating shadows or having light from the projector
shine in their eyes.

*        Free installation and online training.

The sweepstakes is not limited to users of eInstruction or Interwrite
Learning products and is open to all teachers and students in the United
States.

To encourage participation in the Google Map mashup, eInstruction will
provide those teachers a referral bonus: for each teacher they successfully
refer, they will receive an additional chance to win (total chances per
teacher are capped at eleven per single entry). 

All participants will submit their work by going to www.einstruction.com
<http://www.einstruction.com/>  and clicking the “Content Meets Technology”
link.  Winners will be chosen randomly from each grade category and
announced on Monday, May 19, 2008.

For further information on the sweepstakes and eInstruction, please visit
http://www.einstruction.com <http://www.einstruction.com/> . For more
information on Interwrite Learning, visit http://www.interwritelearning.com.
–###-

Schools and Programs in the News (April 28-May 4)

Published by Zornitsa Vodenska on May 5, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Chicago Public Schools Taking Grades Online
Beginning this summer, Chicago Public Schools will implement a Web-based gradebook system, piloting GradeSpeed.NET from Campusware at select campuses. GradeSpeed.NET is a customizable online tool that provides grade, assignment, and attendance tracking, as well as reporting capabilities and tools for students and parents to follow along. — The Journal

Virginia Tries to Ensure Students’ Safety in Cyberspace
responding to a state mandate that is the first of its kind in the nation. Even though today’s students have known no life without the Internet, only a couple of states have laws that recommend schools teach online safety. The state’s goal is to integrate safety skills into the curriculum, not simply teach them in one lesson. — Washington Post

Has math instruction actually changed in the last 40 years?
We don’t teach formal proof for most kids, we drill kids less on basic arithmetic, and we spend a lot of time accommodating special needs, but have we figured out a better way to help kids understand math? We’ve integrated technology to varying degrees and with varying degrees of success. However, we still basically cover the same content at the same times, though perhaps with less rigor. Perhaps the fundamental way in which we teach mathematics hasn’t changed much. — ZDNet Education

U-M launches “MEERA,” a new online resource for environmental educators
Environmental educators - whether K-12 teachers or instructors working for government agencies or non-profit organizations including universities - expressed a strong need for information to assess the quality of their programs. Reflecting on tese needs, Dr. Michaela Zint initiated a project to develop a web-based tool to assist and empower environmental educators in conducting their own evaluations. The result was “My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant” or MEERA, the latest version of which was launched this month. — Media Newswire

NBC News Launches iCue
NBC News unveiled iCue, a free, online, collaborative learning community informed by MIT research that incorporates gaming, discussion and video resources in a fun and safe environment. Designed using research from the MIT Education Arcade, iCue offers a learning platform, using patented technology of the iCue CueCard. The CueCard is a media player, flash card, note-taking tool, and trading card. The “flip card” technology allows users to watch streaming videos from NBC News and then “flip” the CueCard over for additional information. — Earth Times

Teen Superstar Works To Minimize Technology Gap
Samsung’s Hope For Education program seeks students who attend schools that lack the funding to purchase the kind of technology necessary to keep them competitive with the rest of the world. Students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members are invited to enter 100-word essays in the Hope For Education contest, which runs through Aug. 31, 2008. At www.hopeforeducation.com students can submit an essay that answers the question: “How has technology educated you on helping the environment, and how or why has it changed your behavior to be more environmentally friendly?” — Napsnet.com

IBM Launches Effort to Address Shortage of Hispanic Students in Technology Careers
IBM convened an inaugural summit titled “America’s Competitiveness: Hispanic Participation in Technology Careers,” an effort to bring together leaders in business, education, government, and community organizations to find ways to increase the number of Hispanic students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math in the United States. The effort is aimed at a looming problem resulting from the significant decline in the numbers of Hispanic students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (or STEM). This decline could affect America’s competitiveness in the increasingly global market. — Marketwire

Cisco Networking Solutions Provide 21st-Century Learning Environment for K-12 Students
Cisco showcased how school district customers are using their networks as platforms for enriching the learning environment, enhancing student performance, improving safety, and reducing operating expenses while preparing students for the future. For school districts in Washington, Florida and British Columbia, the use of advanced Cisco networking technologies such as switching, wireless and service solutions is playing an integral part in the district’s success. — Marketwire

Awards in the News (April 28-May 4)

Published by Zornitsa Vodenska on May 5, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Georgia Department of Education to Announce Program for Providing Free Training to Teachers on How to Use Innovative Online Education Resources From Thinkfinity.org
Teachers throughout Georgia will be eligible to receive free training to use the innovative resources of Thinkfinity.org, through a grant from the Verizon Foundation that will be announced at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 7. Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation’s comprehensive online portal to more than 55,000 educational and literacy resources for teachers, parents and students. — StreetInsider.com

Next-Gen Educator Earns USDLA Award for Innovative Mediasite Course
A professor and her Mediasite coursecast won the highest accolades at the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) National Conference. Professor Diane Zorn won the USDLA Excellence in Teaching for Online Distance Learning award for her use of Sonic Foundry’s market-leading webcasting platform in a fully-online, rich media Philosophy course at York University. — PRNewswire

The Boston Digital Bridge Foundation Wins National Verizon Tech Savvy Award
The Boston Digital Bridge Foundation’s Technology Goes Home @ School Program at the Lilla G. Frederick Middle School has been selected as the national winner of the Second Annual Verizon Tech Savvy Awards. Through the Technology Goes Home program, Boston public school teachers provide computer and technology training to students and their parents after school or on weekends. — Media Newswire

IT News (April 28-May 4)

Published by Zornitsa Vodenska on May 5, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Missing Link of Electronics Discovered: “Memristor”
After nearly 40 years, researchers have discovered a new type of building block for electronic circuits. Researchers believe that the memristor, or memory resistor, might become a useful tool for constructing nonvolatile computer memory, which is not lost when the power goes off, or for keeping the computer industry on pace to satisfy the exponential growth in processing power every 18 months. — Scientific American

OpenSolaris Ready for Prime Time
On May 5 Sun Microsystems will launch a supported version of OpenSolaris at the CommunityOne conference in San Francisco. Sun sees several opportunities for the open-source version of Solaris. For one, it wants OpenSolaris to become a part of the burgeoning cloud computing trend. The company will be working with Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) platform. — PC World

Social networking applications pose risks
People often think Facebook profiles and sometimes MySpace pages, if they’re set as private, are only available to friends or specific groups, such as a university, workplace, or even a city. But that’s not true if they use applications. On Facebook, for instance, applications can only be downloaded if a user checks a box allowing its developers to “know who I am and access my information,” which means everything on a profile, except contact info. So what do these third-parties do with the information? Sometimes, they use it to connect users with similar interests. Sometimes, they use it to target ads, based on demographics such as gender and age (something Facebook and MySpace also do). But experts who track online security issues think there’s too much personal information flying around out there, with few guarantees that it’s safe. They also think social networkers have little understanding where their information goes and how it’s used — and as a result, have a false sense of security. — CNN

Research in the News (April 28-May 4)

Published by Zornitsa Vodenska on May 5, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Online books may ease students’ money woes
A coalition of students and professors from more than 100 campuses across the nation have concluded that textbook prices have become a barrier to affordable education. Surveys conducted by the University of California System, the California Student Public Interest Research Group and the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group found that the average student now pays approximately $900 a year for textbooks, which is nearly a fifth of the total tuition and fees at most four-year public institutions. The rising costs and aggressive tactics of publishers have caused many education and research organizations to unite, leading to the formation of the Make Textbooks Affordable Campaign and The Open Textbook Campaign. Open Textbooks are online, open-access, digital textbooks that can be downloaded, printed and recreated without expressed permission from the author. The Make Text Books Affordable website currently lists more than 70 Open Textbooks that have been published and used at a variety of universities. The textbooks range in price from $30 to free. — The Rebel Yell (University of Nevada)

Outsell, Inc. Issues Trio of Reports Analyzing Markets for Education Content, Technology, and Related Services
Outsell, Inc. has published three significant reports as part of its recently expanded education coverage. The reports examine what educators are doing with information, identifying what those at the forefront are using, and where they are investing: K-12 Education Market 2007: Key Trends and Dynamics, Mainstreaming K-12 Special Needs Students: Impact on Products and Services, and Digital Content: Analyzing Demand in the Postsecondary Education Market. — BusinessWire

Study: Teens See Disconnect Between Personal and School Writing
Students see a distinction between the writing they do for school and the writing they do in their personal lives. While the vast majority of 12- to 17-year-olds (85 percent) engage in some form of electronic writing–IM, e-mail, blog posts, text messages, etc.–most (60 percent) don’t consider this actual writing. That’s one of the findings from a study released last week by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools and Colleges.However, 64 percent admitted that conventions from their informal writing do creep into their formal writing occasionally (such as the use of emoticons and common abbreviations, like LOL). The study, Writing, Technology and Teens, involved 700 students aged 12 to 17 and their parents. — The Journal

More than scores, the quality of education is what matters: study
As the center of gravity of technology development and innovation shifts to emerging economies, developed nations have begun taking stock of their science and math education, believed to be determinants of a country’s place in the new global economy. But two articles in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature say caution is needed so that we do not create policies that overstock the science and technology workforce. The authors dispel some of the myths associated with international science and math testing scores, and also point out how school teaching has lagged even in continental Europe. — LiveMint

Study challenges stereotype of tech entrepreneurs
Twenty-somethings with dreams of starting technology companies shouldn’t worry about competing with each other. It’s their parents they need to watch out for. Twice as many U.S.-born tech entrepreneur start ventures in their 50s as do in their early 20s, according to a study released on May 1 by the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Results challenge the stereotype of the typical tech entrepreneur as college-age whiz kids. — Kansas City Business Journal