Five Steps for Implementing a Successful 1:1 Environment
By Andrew Marcinek
Have you ever wondered what it really means to transform your district, school, or classroom to a 1:1 environment? It is a term we hear a lot about, but not all can see it or experience it. With the takeoff of the iPad and its successor, the iPad 2, the education world is abuzz with the idea of moving towards a 1:1 environment. But is it practical? For some, it is a dream, a wish; for others, it is slowly becoming a reality. So what does a 1:1 environment look like? How will the students and teachers react? Is it the right direction to go?
Click here to read more at Edutopia.org
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The IntelliMedia Group is dedicated to bringing about dramatic improvements in human-computer interaction and communication. With a focus on advanced learning technologies, we develop intelligent tutoring systems and game-based learning environments that artfully leverage interactive digital media to create effective, engaging learning experiences. By fusing human language technologies and adaptive reasoning techniques from artificial intelligence with new media and game technologies, we develop and evaluate high-impact interactive learning systems.
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Schools Use Digital Tools to Customize Education
Classroom Capture in One Easy Step
02/16/11
Cornwall-Lebanon School District in Lebanon, PA, had been using a media presentation capture system for three years before making the move into lecture capture in 2010. "We were using CourseCast district-wide for everything but lecture capture," said Jason Murray, technology coordinator for the district, referring to Panopto's media capture solution.
What Is Lecture Capture?
Lecture capture is a fairly vibrant topic in education right now, though mainly in colleges and universities at the moment. In K-12, adoption has been somewhat slower, but it's growing as teachers and education leaders have begun looking for solutions to help reinforce what students are being taught in the classroom. (An informal poll by THE Journal in November showed that half of K-12 schools are not equipped at all for lecture capture. Of the remainder of the respondents, more than half indicated that just 1 percent to 25 percent of their classrooms have some kind of lecture capture capability.)
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National Educational Technology Plan: Your Questions Answered
National Education Technology Plan: Your Questions Answered
By Betty Ray
Editor's Note: Today's guest blogger is Audrey Watters, is a technology journalist specializing in education technology news. She has read all 100+ pages of the National Education Technology Plan released by the U. S. Department of Education last November, and she has summarized it below.
If you have any questions about the plan, please ask them in the comments section below. Or use the "thumbs up" to vote for another's question. Karen Cator, the director of education technology at the DOE, has agreed to answer the top five questions here, so be sure to vote!
An Internet-enabled device for every teacher and student in the country. Universal broadband access for homes and schools. Those, along with an embrace of cloud computing, openly-licensed educational materials and open source technologies are part of the new education technology recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education.
To continue reading, visit Edutopia.org
Apps in the Classroom
Apps in the Classroom
By D.C. Denison
Last fall, Rebecca Allen distributed brand-new Apple iPad tablet computers instead of books to her fourth-grade class at the Rich Acres Elementary School in Martinsville, Va. The students went wild. “It was like Christmas in October,’’ the teacher said.
“It was fun watching the kids jump right in,’’ Allen added. “They are so used to technology, they took to them right away.’’
The iPads are part of an ambitious pilot program by the state of Virginia, targeted to a generation that has grown up surrounded by computer screens and digital gadgets. The devices offer a digital platform for longtime print textbook publishers like Pearson Education Inc., the British publishing firm with large divisions in Boston. Last fall, the company launched what it claims is the nation’s first-ever complete social studies curriculum for the iPad, in partnership with Virginia officials.
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4 (More) Tools for Teaching Kids to Code
This week is National Computer Education Week, aimed at recognizing the crucial role of computing in today's world and at supporting efforts to boost computer science education at all levels. The event purposefully coincides with Grace Hopper's birthday tomorrow. But it also happens to come the same week that the Program for International Student Assessment has released its data about student performance and finds that, compared to others worldwide, U.S. students get a C for math and science.
According to ACM and CSTA, two organizations that address computer science education, very few states recognize computer science as a core graduation requirement, and states' curriculum standards focus on computing skills rather than computing concepts. (You can see an interactive map of how the different states compare).
Click here to continue reading at Read Write Web
Homeroom: Traveling Rosemont High Teacher Takes Students Along For The Ride
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In recent weeks, Rosemount High School social studies teacher Tom Scott has crisscrossed the Galapagos Islands in a tiny motor boat. He's dived among sea turtles and reef sharks, and walked the bustling streets of the city of Puerto Ayora.
Meanwhile, his students back in Minnesota followed his every move and tackled tough questions about politics and environment.
Click here to read the entire article at at TwinCities.comWelcoming Mobile Technology
Welcoming Mobile Technology
By Bridget McCrea
During a nine-week period last school year, teachers and administrators at Port Clinton High School reported more than 600 discipline issues related to technology and the use of cell phones on campus. "That's a huge number, considering that our total enrollment is only 590," said Ralph Moore, principal at the Port Clinton, OH, school. "And that number doesn't even include the students that we didn't catch."
Moore, who in previous administrative positions may have taken measures to ban the devices that were causing many of the issues, took a different stance this time. Working with the school's tech-savvy assistant principal, he sat down and tried to come up with a solution that would allow technology on campus while also reducing the high number of violations that students were racking up.
Teachers got involved with the problem-solving exercise, said Moore, who turned to the instructors for their input on how to integrate technology without disrupting classroom and learning time. Administrators also gathered input from the student body, which was given the heads up about a new wireless system on campus and the rules and policies that its users would be required to follow.
Visit THE Journal to read more about the surprising results of lifting the ban on electronic devices.
7 Fantastic Free Social Media Tools for Teachers
7 Fantastic Free Social Media Tools for Teachers
By Sarah Kessler
The possibilities for social media tools in the classroom are vast. In the hands of the right teacher, they can be used to engage students in creative ways, encourage collaboration and inspire discussion among even soft-spoken students. But we’ve already made our case for why teachers should consider using social media in their classrooms. What about the how?
Even when people say they want to incorporate social media, they don’t always know the best ways to do so. It’s especially daunting when those efforts can affect the education of your students.
To help, we’ve collected seven of the the best classroom tools for incorporating social media into your lesson plans.
Continue reading at Mashable

