The views and opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author alone, and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of her employer or colleagues.
Strike up the band! Throw confetti! We did it! In only 8 months, 20 days, edtechteachers.com reached a phenomenal milestone in tech history - 1,000,000 hits! Born from a dream of Jeff and Jason, we, the EdTech Crew jumped on the bandwagon (I had to be drug) and started this journey into tech exploration. We had no idea what an impact we would make on the blogging world, but apparently we have left more than just footprints on the WWW. I’m proud to be a part of such a great accomplishment! Way To Go TEAM!
Have you heard of Scratch? From the brilliant minds at MIT comes a wonderful, programming application that teaches kids how to create games, art, animations, interactive stories and simulations without knowing a lot of code. Plus, they can share it on the web! Available for Mac and IBM, it’s FREE!
Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design.
If you are on the mailing list from ETAN, you received the message below. If not, please read and act!
TELL THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES THAT YOU SUPPORT EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY– SIGN THE PETITION TODAY!
In less than 100 days, America will elect a new President. Education technology has surfaced as an issue in the Presidential campaign, with Senator McCain recently sketching out his vision for technology’s role in education and Senator Obama continuing to call for innovation in education.
Now is the time to tell the Presidential candidates our priorities for educational technology. CoSN and ISTE have teamed with the National Education Association and the State Educational Technology Directors Association to initiate a PETITION, found at www.onegiantleapforkids.org, that offers our collective vision of what a 21st Century Education should include:
Every student learning in an environment that reflects the technology replete world in which we live, including ready access to sophisticated computing devices, instructionally sound digital content that facilitates self-paced learning, and broadband-level bandwidth necessary to support cutting-edge digital applications and services.
Every teacher possessing the technology tools and skills necessary to use technology in the classroom and to integrate technology and digital resources seamlessly into classroom learning.
Every parent utilizing technology to monitor student academic progress, communicate with educators regarding academic matters, and access online and digital resources to assist their children’s studies.
Our PETITION calls on the next President to:
Support access for all students to technology and the Internet.
Increase federal funding for education technology through the Department of Education’s budget.
Preserve the E-Rate and providing robust bandwidth in all classrooms to allow students and educators to use the cutting-edge digital applications and services.
Incorporate technology literacy and facility into state teacher standards, teacher training, and professional development.
Encourage student technology literacy by the eighth grade.
Don’t delay, sign the PETITION today! Go to www.onegiantleapforkids.org and add your voice to the growing chorus supporting education technology.
The United States Department of Education (USDOE) recently released a guide for K-12 administrators to use when evaluating online learning. This 68 page guide is separated into two big chunks. Part I addresses the challenges of evaluating online learning. Part II gives recommendations for evaluating online learning. Also included are the online learning evaluations featured in the guide and the Appendix offers resources for readers, the research methodology behind the guide and a glossary of common evaluation terms. To download the guide, click here
Have you heard? ISTE released the new National Education Teaching Standards (NETS-T) for Teachers at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) last week (those of you lucky enough to go). The revised standards guide teachers to do the following:
Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity;
Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments;
Model Digital-Age work and learning;
Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility; and
Two hundred and thirty-two years ago, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, beginning our path to becoming the great nation we are today. Please think of those fighting around the world for freedom and democracy.Have a Happy Fourth of July!
As of midnight, Microsoft XP will be retired, much to the dismay of many PC users, leaving us with Vista. However, Wired has an interesting wiki on how to get XP anyway. Take a look if you’re interested - Get Windows XP Even Though it’s “Dead”
It seems that lately my friends have been asking my advice on computers (must be refresher time for them) and I’ve been faced with the age old question, “Which is better? Mac or PC? ” Now, since I’m a hybrid, I like them both. This puts me between a rock and a hard place as my friends want a definitive answer. I try not be long winded and try to give the short, concise answer.
I start by asking what they will be using the computer for? Let’s face it, we live in a PC dominated world. They are cheaper and software is readily available; plus, more than likely they work with a PC. However, Macs don’t get viruses and now that you can run Windows XP on a Mac you could have the best of both worlds. And Macs can be more expensive on the front end (but they are worth it). Software could be an issue; if you have a lot of games that are PC based, you will have to find the Mac version and to be able to send documents to your PC friends, you will need Office for Mac. Apple’s iLife suite is fabulous and if you are into movie making and podcasting and video editing, Mac is the way to go. See? Pros and Cons all the way around (which is why I have both).
I searched online for answers to this question and found lots of blogs and opinions. It’s interesting that Apple has a whole campaign on it’s site. You should check it out and unless you don’t watch much tv, you’ve seen the Mac vs. PC commercials. I also found an interesting article, aptly titled, Mac vs. PC. The most interesting site I came across was Mac vs. PC Info: The study of How Macs compare to PCs.
So…what do you think? Which is better - Mac or PC?
I was surfing the net when I came across an interesting article entitled, ” The 100 Best Products of 2008″, by Eric Sullivan of PC World. I stopped because 2008 is only half gone (so why is it coming out now?). I have to admit, there are some intriguing gadgets on the list. I was pleased to learn I either own or use some of the products on the list. The great thing about this article is now I have a whole lot of new things to place on my wishlist!
Recently, I received an email about CoSN , a wonderful source for Ed Tech Leaders. The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is the country’s premier voice for K-12 education leaders who use technology strategically to improve teaching and learning. CoSN provides products and services to support leadership development, advocacy, coalition building, and awareness of emerging technologies. In perusing the site, I came across an article entitled, Empowering the 21st Century Superintendent. It’s a quick read complete with action steps and great information for superintendents who are interested in promoting technology in their district. There’s also a toolkit available (for free) that can be downloaded or mailed (it’s found under Events and Resources).
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Recently, I received an email about 