SMART Free Update on Interactive Response System

THE Journal reports on the update from SMART:

Smart To Update Classroom Response System in July : May 2008 : THE Journal

Senteo 2.0 adds features that allow it to integrate with Smart's Notebook collaborative learning software and that simplify the process of adding questions to lesson plans. Other new features include:

* Enhanced tracking functions;
* A "full-featured" gradebook;
* Support for meta tags associated with student names; and
* Various improvements to reporting and analysis features.

Microsoft to Continue XP for Schools

eSchoolNews reports that Microsoft has extended the deadline for schools/universities to get XP on new computer acquisitions:
Schools will have until 2009 to buy Windows XP

Microsoft will stop offering Windows XP in retail stores June 30, but at least two major computer manufacturers say school districts, colleges, and universities will be able to buy machines with the older operating system until January 2009, as Windows Vista—released last year—remains unpopular with many consumers.

New Astronomy Tool: "Truly Transformative"

Click on the link directly below to view this TIE Connect-Ed blog entry
Connect-Ed@TIE: New Astronomy Tool: "Truly Transformative"

Report: Linux Server Deployment Expanding

NewsFactor Network | Linux Ecosystem Spending To Exceed $49 Billion

IDC researchers predict that spending on the Linux ecosystem will rise from $21 billion in 2007 to more than $49 billion in 2011, driven by rising enterprise deployments of Linux server operating systems.

Linux server deployments are expanding from infrastructure Relevant Products/Services-oriented applications to more commercially oriented database and enterprise resource-planning workloads "that historically have been the domain of Microsoft Relevant Products/Services Windows and Unix," noted IDC analysts in a white paper commissioned by the nonprofit Linux Foundation.

"The early adoption of Linux was dominated by infrastructure-oriented workloads, often taking over those workloads from an aging Unix server or Windows NT 4.0 server that was being replaced," according to the report's authors, Al Gillen, Elaina Stergiades and Brett Waldman. These days, however, Linux is increasingly being "viewed as a solution for wider and more critical business deployments."

Microsoft Security Updates May 13

Click below for more detail on the patches:
Microsoft to patch four bugs on Tuesday

Microsoft today said it plan to post four security updates next week, three of them "critical," to patch Windows, Word, Publisher and all of the company's anti-malware applications.

Among the critical fixes will be one that quashes bugs in Microsoft's Jet Database Engine that go back as far as 2005. The other critical patches will close holes in Microsoft's word processor and desktop publishing programs.

Implications for installing Windows XP SP3

Found this headline on topix.com:
Important information about Windows XP SP3 for Internet Explorer users

Important information about Windows XP SP3 for Internet Explorer users

You will be unable to remove IE8 Beta or IE7 after installing Windows XP SP3 because Microsoft wants to make sure that you do not encounter a problem commonly known as "DLL Hell".

IE8 Beta 1 users

You will NOT be offered Windows XP SP3 unless and until you remove IE8 Beta 1. This is because if you install windows XP SP3 without removing IE8 Beta 1, then you will no longer be able to remove IE8 Beta 1 and the Remove option will be greyed out in Add/Remove Programs.

Internet Explorer 7 Users

You will be offered Windows XP SP3 as a high priority update BUT if you install it you will not be able to remove IE7 without removing Windows XP SP3 first. It is recommended that you remove IE7, then install Windows XP SP3 then re-install IE7.

Internet Explorer 6 Users

You will be offered Windows XP SP3 as a high priority update. Windows XP SP3 ships with an updated version of IE6. No need to do anything else.

US Drops From 4th to 15th (and charges more)

The United States is falling further and further behind in bandwidth speed and availability, yet is charging more Internet connectivity:

Trifecta of lost opportunities: US #15 in broadband ranking

...the truth is that the US only has a broadband policy if you consider "doing nothing" to be a policy. When you're convinced that any form of government regulation, policy-setting, or program only mucks up the market, this makes sense; if you look at other countries and find that nations without a plan "will fare worse than if they had smart broadband policies," the continued refusal to do anything meaningful looks willfully ignorant.

A major new report on broadband policy from the nonpartisan Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) suggests that government action alone won't produce a broadband panacea, but that leadership from the top and a carefully-targeted set of policies can do plenty of good. After doing detailed case studies of nine countries, the report concluded that "those that make broadband a priority, coordinate across agencies, put real resources behind the strategy, and promote both supply and demand" do better than those which do nothing.

Critics of the current US approach to spurring broadband deployment and adoption point out that the country has been falling on most broadband metrics throughout the decade. One of the most reliable, that issued by the OECD, shows the US falling from 4th place in 2001 to 15th place in 2007. While this ranking in particular has come under criticism from staunchly pro-market groups, the ITIF's analysis shows that these numbers are the most accurate we have. According to an ITIF analysis of various OECD surveys, the US is in 15th place worldwide and it lags numerous other countries in price, speed, and availability--a trifecta of lost opportunities.

With an average broadband speed of 4.9Mbps, the US is being Chariots of Fire-d by South Korea (49.5Mbps), Japan (63.6Mbps), Finland (21.7Mbps), Sweden (16.8Mbps), and France (17.6Mbps), among others. Not only that, but the price paid per megabyte in the US ($2.83) is substantially higher than those countries, all of which come in at less than $0.50 per megabyte.

Safe, Free Email & Blogs

Safely connect, collaborate and learn using protected email and blog solutions for schools and districts.

www.epals.com

Cool Podcasting Tool

Apparently there is an inexpensive handy little tool called a digital voice recorder that you can hook up right to your iPod and create a podcast on the fly. Here's a link. Okay, so maybe you all have had one for ages, but the ease and portability of this neat gadget really struck me for recording ideas or documenting student learning or a hundred other great ideas.

What ideas do you have for including podcasts in your classrooms and schools?

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Today's wealth is generated by new ideas. Teaching and learning 21st century skills are important to our country's future economy. Critical thinking, I.T., health and wellness, collaboration, innovation, personal financial responsibilitiy and the skills and content areas will be growing in importance in the next five years. Critical thinking appeared as the top deficiency when hiring high school students. Written communication and leadership were also among the top five.

21st century learning is pushing students intellectually. Core subjects will always be critical and focuses should be on life and career skills, learning and innovation skills and information, media and technology skills. Conversations among all of these areas should be collectively focused on the big picture. Learning and innovation skills are the hardest to get to and the hardest to assess but they are exactly what our country needs to compete in the global economy. Educators need to see the connection between what they are doing in the classroom and what students will be doing when they become economically independent.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills encourages schools, districts and states to advocate fo the infusion of 21st century skills into education and provides tools and resources. See www.21stcenturyskills.com

Teaching and Learning Through Podcasting

Pete Markham from Apple, Inc demonstrated the use of iTunes, iTunes U, GarageBand, and iWeb. It was fun to be in this session as we learned how easy it was to create a podcast with voice, music, and pictures. After this session I truly believe I can create and publish a podcast!

For more information go to: http://www.apple.com/education/podcasting. It is definitely worth a look!

Opening Session of TIE 2008

Was anyone else surprised that a TECHNOLOGY conference would have so many "squiggles" in the audience? This was one of Pat McGill's "psychogeometrics" categories which proved to be a light opener for TIE 2008. Now I'm wondering...are school technology folks more people-oriented than your average techie types? I think so, or they wouldn't be in schools at all. It was fun to start the conference with some chuckles....

Social Networking for Graduates

A very interesting conversation on the listserv got me thinking about how schools could be using social networks to keep in touch with alumni, which is especially important when collecting data or implementing fundraising campaigns with graduates. The success of MySpace and Facebook is based on the fact that we are social creatures, we like to connect with other humans. But we especially like to connect with other humans who have shared an experience with us--like high school, or college, or that study trip to England, or whatever.

This blog had some interesting comments, and this news article had an interesting perspective, and this blog had both interesting stats and comments. Most noticeable when I did my internet search was this hosting social networks for alumni is apparently a growing business, as there were numerous results for companies who do this.

Now I need to go update my Facebook profile.

Alltop--the best of the best

http://alltop.com/

This site basically gives you the Top 40 version of whatever blog topic interests you. So if you like gadgets (and I do), you can go to Alltop, click on Gadgets, and find today's coolest stuff from a variety of blogs. If I'm slow to respond on email for a while, you'll know why.

Oh yeah, if you can pry yourself away from flat wall cable and gorgeous laptop cases and whiteboard paint (how cool) and catching up on popular YouTube videos, you can look for news and politics and other more "educational" stuff. This blog tells you more.

Thank you to Lennie Symes for sharing this site!

Windows XP service pack coming soon

While Microsoft will not set a date, PC World cites a web source that predicts the next service pack for Windows XP is coming next month.

PC World - Windows XP SP3 Due Next Month, Report Says

One to one Planning and Logistics

Not long ago, I attended a webinar event titled One-to-one Planning and Logistics: How-To Tips from the Experts, hosted by Technology & Learning magazine and sponsored by Intel. The featured speakers were from Auburn, AL, and Irving, TX, both of whom have been written about in much of the research on 1:1 initiatives (aside from Maine). I thought it was pretty good, so if you have about 45 minutes (not counting the Q&A at the end), check it out. I received this notice that it's archived at the link below.

The original event was broadcast on:
Date: Thursday, February 28, 2008
Time: 4:00 PM EST
Duration: 60-minutes

You can view the event archive at anytime at the link provided below. We hope you will share this URL with colleagues so that they can watch it as an on-demand event.

http://w.on24.com/r.htme=103648&s=1&k=C9F044E29A114EECCA3642B8076D07E8

Tweet, tweet

Okay, so I mentioned to a group (who will go unnamed to protect the innocent) during a presentation that I was finally getting into Twitter. This launched a genuinely fun conversation about twittering (too much caffeine?) and posting tweets (use your imagination). Since I'm attempting to build my Twitter network and expand my Twitterverse, I'm taking advantage of the blog to invite all of you to follow me--so I can follow you and we can be Twitterfriends. Or at the very least, help each other stay current and maybe even get to know one another a little better. You can find me at http://twitter.com/kbaldwin. Hopefully you'll find me doing something productive, but no guarantees. A person can only drink so many cans of diet Coke in a day.

TIE offers teachers opportunity to learn online teaching skills, teach online AP courses and earn $$

The Learning Power program is seeking teachers who wish to teach Advanced Placement courses online while earning cash incentives. Experienced AP English, math and science teachers, with or without online teaching experience, are encouraged to investigate this opportunity.

We often ask ourselves, "What do we do when kids' don't get it?" But what do we do when kids already know? One answer is to offer kids Advanced Placement courses. That isn't always easy because many South Dakota schools are small, located in remote areas and do not have the staff to teach advanced courses.

In an effort to address the needs of students who already know, through funding from ExxonMobil, the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) has awarded nearly $2 million for a statewide pilot project called Learning Power which will offer high school students online Advanced Placement (AP) courses in math, science, and English.Students and teachers will be offered financial incentives to participate in the Learning Power program.

We are seeking names of teachers who are currently teaching or have successfully taught AP courses to become part of a select cohort and participate in this program. If you are interested in this program or know of any AP teachers who are, please contact MaryLou at mmcgirr@tie.net or Dr. Parry at jparry@tie.net. Get on board with this exciting new program!

SketchUp--Better than sliced bread?

Special thanks to guest blogger Liz Bennett for this entry! I had to go give this a try, and in less than 5 minutes I was making 3D models--very cool, and a little bit addictive--it was hard to get back to work when I wanted to start virtually remodeling my kitchen instead. :-)

Google SketchUp 6 <http://sketchup.google.com/product_suf.html> is a 3D modeling software tool that's easy to learn, simple to use, and lets you place your models in Google Earth. Are you remodeling a kitchen, landscaping your back yard or adding a deck to your home? Google SketchUp makes it faster, easier and a lot more fun. From simple to complex, from conceptual to realistic, Google SketchUp helps you see your vision before you build it.

Once you've built your models, you can place them in Google Earth and post them to the 3D Warehouse.

Liz Bennett
Tech Coordinator/Network Administrator

Contrast to the US Approach

eSchoolNews reports that Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) recently visited the Scandinavian countries--who have scored highly in international math and science testing--to contrast their approach with the United States. While they talk about a variety of issues, they do mention the student role and teacher role that includes internet filtering:

Top News - U.S. educators seek lessons from Scandinavia

Unlike in the United States, which has taken the opposite approach, Scandinavian countries have established national curriculum standards but have set fairly broad mandates, letting authority trickle down as close to the classroom as possible. Local school officials have the flexibility to provide education services according to their students’ unique needs and interests, as long as the basic policy framework is followed.

Therefore, teachers are extremely autonomous in their work. So are students. For example, internet-content filtering in the three countries is based largely on a philosophy of student responsibility. Internet filters rarely exist on school computers, other than for protection from viruses or spam. As a school librarian in Copenhagen said, “The students understand that the computers are here for learning.”

Julie Walker, executive director of the American Association of School Librarians, said these countries see students as having “the filter in their heads.”

Walker also noted that while “the U.S. holds teachers accountable for teaching, here they hold the students accountable for learning.”

Also noted was an emphasis to inquiry and project-based learning as opposed the testing/accountability style of the US:

In the Danish system, the notion of grading is a foreign concept, with competitive grading postponed until high school. Students are judged in relation to their own growth, rather than that of others, and they are continuously evaluated. Teachers also write individual learning plans for each student after these evaluations.

Project-based learning begins in the first grade, and teachers work with students to structure their learning through a process described by one educator as “dialogue and trust.” Assessment is achieved primarily through a dialogue with each student, as is communication with parents about their child’s progress.

Exams tend to be limited as exit criteria to grade nine, along with a project-based assignment that requires students to plan, research, present, and create around a broad theme.

Finland, which does not use standardized exams, reformed its educational system in the 1990s to remove the European school inspectorate system of accountability. According to Walker, “Students use progressive inquiry and are educated through questions and problem solving.”

The change occurred because teachers felt the system stifled them and hindered creativity in the classroom.

The article mentions the connectivity of these students' homes and vision of administrators:

About 98 percent of homes in all three countries have computers and broadband internet connections. The communities in all three countries also frequently have media centers where students and teachers can receive help from qualified professionals.

. . .

A reoccurring theme in all countries was the need for policy makers and education administrators to have a clear vision of how technology can improve teaching and learning.

While many aspects of what they describe can be seen in some SD schools, it appears to be very different at the systemic level compared to our schools. We tend to look at schools within a few miles to compare our own schools, but in today's connected world we should broaden our scope by taking closer note of schools halfway across the globe.