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The coolest bits of classroom tech I've ever seen: The coolest bits of classroom tech I've ever seenThese are nifty.Just don't forget to add in the cost of buying and labor to replace batteries.ClickersI don't know about Turning's system, but the one we have (Interwrite PRS, eInstruction) has software which will allow you to collect answers for "impromptu" questions,...; Tags: clicker, coolest bit, classroom tech; Discussion threads 2008-09-11
What the heck is a thin client?: My mom is neither an educator, nor a technologist, but she has taken to reading my blogs anyway (group, "Ahhhh", please). She actually runs a gourmet tea and spice company based just a few miles from Microsoft corporate headquarters (weird, huh?). She'll occasionally send me an email asking...; Tags: Training for the masses, Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-08-01
Evaluating thin clients from a position of strength: All too often our schools (and even our colleges and universities) turn to thin-clients as a 'last resort' to address severe budgetary constraints without regard for other alternatives which can also reduce costs without sacrificing needed computing resources. Many view thin-clients as a one-stop solution which fixes easy-to-identify problems within an existing infrastructure. Often...; Tags: K-12, Higher Ed, Funding, Emerging Tech, Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-07-27
ASUS on schedule to release $199 subnotebook for back to school: ASUS is on schedule to release their budget subnotebook in late August or September, according to DesktopLinux.com. Slated to start at $199, the device will run Xandros Linux with KDE. It will also have a special introductory interface for those new to computing, but this can be bypassed...; Tags: Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-07-20
Want to help out your school? Do it now!: This morning, I ran across a piece in eSchool News that should be of interest to anyone involved with K-12". It is called Samsung's Hope for Education and the description reads:Through a partnership with Microsoft Corporation, Hope for Education will provide more than $2 million in technology and software to K-12...; Tags: Classroom Tech, Education Technology, Funding, K-12; Blog posts 2007-07-12

Ning! MySpace is dead. Long live social networking.: I stumbled across Ning a few weeks ago as I was looking for some end-of-year activities for restless students. Ning is a free service that actually lets you create your own social network. While this turned out to be an interesting exercise for my students, particularly once they...; Tags: Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-06-29
How many of you give tests online?: I just finished grading all of my finals, calculated final grades, and told my particularly obsessive students if they had passed. However, an emerging trend points toward giving tests, posting grades, and otherwise assessing students online (or at least via some sort of spiffy hardware/software combination). Certainly this...; Tags: Classroom Tech, Education Technology; Blog posts 2007-06-14
openSUSE to compete with Edubuntu?: At first blush, the new offering, with a proposed release this fall, appears to have the makings of a serious competitor. Designed as an add-on "EDU-CD" to accompany the upcoming 10.3 release of openSUSE, the so-called "SLEducator" is designed to "[ease] the installation and configuration of an educational network...; Tags: Classroom Tech, Education Technology, Open Source; Blog posts 2007-05-29
Cheap mini-computers point to growing trend: Forbes published a piece last week on "The $85 Computer." The computer to which they were specifically referring was "Norhtec's Microclient JrSX, a desktop PC the size of a large novel." This flash-based PC runs Windows CE, but could certainly run a variety of FOSS alternatives. While...; Tags: Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-05-21
When faculty say 'NO' to UNIX/Linux: Well, sooner or later, it was bound to happen. We are in the process of retiring our last two instructional UNIX/Linux labs. And guess what? Nobody seems to care! In fact, the faculty who have been using those labs for instruction have asked us to give...; Tags: Open Source, K-12, Higher Ed, Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-05-08
From the too-good-to-be-altruistic department: Sure, the digital divide still exists here in the states. It took nearly an act of congress to get my high school moved into the 21st century and were busily updating our curriculum to make use of the new technology. However, in reality, about 3 quarters of US...; Tags: Education Technology, Classroom Tech, Microsoft, DigitalDivide; Blog posts 2007-04-24
Bringing tech to the most rural schools: Whats this? An actual use for iPods in the classroom? I cant say that Ive ever bought into the idea that iPods can be of any use for educational purposes. However, ars technica is reporting on an initiative in Arkansas to outfit schoolbuses with wireless Internet access,...; Tags: K-12, Classroom Tech, Education Technology; Blog posts 2007-04-18
Schools roll out remediation software for standardized tests: Schools across the country are looking for the best ways to bring children up to speed on standardized testing materials. All too often, there simply isnt enough time in class to address remediation needs for students who perform poorly. Given that the stakes on these tests are so...; Tags: K-12, Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-04-17
Penny-wise and pound foolish -- or just plain nuts?: This morning, I read Fed cutbacks strips schools of tech funding and a shudder went through me. Recently, Ive been speaking at length of the importance of enabling our educators to better leverage IT in their classrooms. Not by going out and buying the cheapest solution available (as...; Tags: NLCB, K-12, Funding, Classroom Tech, Education Technology; Blog posts 2007-04-16
But my printer is out of ink...: Pink may be the new black if you believe my trendier students, but this is the new "My dog ate my homework." Since most of us require assignments to be typed, students often show up the morning a paper is due lamenting their lack of ink or their broken...; Tags: K-12, Classroom Tech, Education Technology; Blog posts 2007-04-15
Don't expect Education IT to "fix" your school: Is educational software worth anything? What a ridiculous title! If youve read my posts for any period of time, you remember my admonition: They’re tools, they’re just tools!, and heres the perfect example of a meaningless Department of Education Study which draws conclusions based upon unfounded assumptions. ...; Tags: Standards, K-12, Funding, Classroom Tech, Education Technology; Blog posts 2007-04-09
What did we ever do before laptops?: Laptops are quickly joining mobile phones in the ranks of technology we cant live without. David Berlind refers to this sort of thing as "Dead Finger Tech," the pieces of technology that you could only pry from our cold dead fingers. I probably spend a fair amount more...; Tags: Mobile, K-12, Funding, Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-04-07
Spellings hawks NCLB, emphasizes edtech: U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is on tour, promoting the re-authorization of the Bush administrations No Child Left Behind program, reports the Phoenix Business Journal. Flanked by representitives from tech companies Intel, Motorola and Ensych, and members of local school districts, Spellings told Arizonas Business & Education Coalition...; Tags: Policy, Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-04-04
GA comes in first in EdWeek edtech grades: Georgia was the only state in the US to get an "A" in Education Weeks state of technology report, reports the Macon Telegraph. "In Georgia, we are not only teaching our students about technology, we are using technology to teach our students," state school Superintendent Kathy Cox said in...; Tags: Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-04-03
In poor Mexico, interactive digital screens in 165,000 classrooms: Mexico has embarked on the largest application of technology in schools, installing large interactive screens in 165,000 Mexican classrooms, reports the BBC. Some five million 10- and 11-year-olds Mexican students now get their curriculum delivered through large format digital screens which use a new interactive encyclopedia called, "Enciclomedia."...; Tags: International, Education Technology, Classroom Tech; Blog posts 2007-03-30