| Schools Mull Needs Of Adult Distance Learners |  |
| Many ed-tech advocates have voiced support for distance learning as a way for K-12 students to take courses not offered at their regular schools or enroll in courses for college credit. But another group of learners--adults who turn to distance learning to return or expand their schooling--is attracting more and more national attention. |  |
| Civic Center: Part Two (PDF) | |
| Business leaders, local employers, city leadership, and community members in general can be vocal advocates for effective and meaningful use of technology to support student learning and school operation. It is not enough to be competent in basic word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation programs. Businesses need employees who can use tools in creative ways to approach work issues in new ways. Technology is not a separate skill in the workplace; rather, it must be leveraged to the fullest extent for competitive value. | |
| Community: Part One (PDF) | |
| Technology can help community members and businesses share their expertise to help address students' academic needs and interests. This can provide opportunities for ongoing school-community engagement beyond volunteering or occasional presentations. Technology can also expand the size of a schools' community, allowing students to access expertise in their region, state, nation, or throughout the world. | |
| Community: Part Two (PDF) | |
| Online learning offerings can expand access to life-long educational opportunities that transcend traditional schooling. When courses are available online, community members can connect to classes that interest them or that they need to improve their employment prospects. Public access to technology can ensure that these educational opportunities are available for those who lack access at home. | |
| Home: Part Five (PDF) | |
| Just as students can use technology to access information outside of school, teachers can benefit from the opportunity as well. By providing remote access to school and district networks, teachers can have access to school-based resources and web-based tools to streamline administrative tasks, enhance planning opportunities, and support student learning. | |
| Technology Demands Educational Changes | |
| According to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, there's a long way to go before adults embrace interactive online media to the degree that teens have. | |
| Denair (CA) Unified School District - Rural, 1580 Students (PDF) | |
| All school sites in this district are at a single location, and they have run a fiber optic cable down the middle of the district, connecting all campuses to a gigabit local area network. The district utilizes systemwide e-mail, has telephones and intercoms installed in every classroom, and has a strong Web presence accessed by parents, with individual campuses and even individual teachers updating site pages. They are working towards having all staff acknowledge and use these communications systems that parents are expecting. | |
| Effectiveness Of Reading And Mathematics Software Products: Findings From The First Student Cohort (PDF) | |
| The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance produced this major study of the effectiveness of education technology. Mandated by Congress, the report uses scientifically based research methods and control groups to focus on the impact of technology on student academic achievement. Thirty-three districts, 132 schools, and 439 teachers participated in the study. Sixteen products were selected for the study based on public submissions and ratings by a study team and expert review panels. This report is the first of two from the study. The second report will present effects for individual products. The current report presents effects for groups of products. The main findings of the study are: (1) Test scores were not significantly higher in classrooms using the reading and mathematics software products than those in control classrooms. In each of the four groups of products-reading in first grade and in fourth grade, mathematics in sixth grade, and high school algebra-the evaluation found no significant differences in student achievement between the classrooms that used the technology products and classrooms that did not; and (2) There was substantial variation between schools regarding the effects on student achievement. Although the study collected data on many school and classroom characteristics, only two characteristics were related to the variation in reading achievement. For first grade, effects were larger in schools that had smaller student-teacher ratios (a measure of class size). For fourth grade, effects were larger when treatment teachers reported higher levels of use of the study product. | |
| High Performance Wireless | |
| The HPWREN team's first wireless link in conjunction with the Native American rural education community involved the Pala Native American Indian reservation, which is home to more than 600 tribal members - including more than 150 children who attend elementary school on the reservation. | |
| Hot Technologies For K-12 Schools: The 2005 Guide For Technology Decision Makers (PDF) | |
| This is a report for CTO's and other technology decision makers. It is designed to help these individuals sort through emerging educational technologies and decide on options that may be appropriate for their school or district. The authors identify five key issues facing educational leaders today and the new technologies that may address these issues. | |
| Mapping Educational Progress 2008 | |
| Six years after No Child Left Behind's passage, we have collected more data than ever before about the academic performance of our students and schools. See data on how we're doing as a nation -- student achievement in reading and math, high school graduation rates, schools making adequate yearly progress, highly qualified teachers, parents taking advantage of tutoring and choice options, state participation in flexibility options, and more. | |
| Mobile Computing | |
| Collection of articles on the effects of mobile computing | |