Ideas and Opinions
Aligning Research with Classroom Practice: 1:1, Digital Divide, and Moodle
By David Freitas and Janet Buckenmeyer
Here's the bottom line. Student participants in a "Laptop Immersion Program" demonstrated higher achievement levels over several indicators compared to nonparticipants. Aligning Research with Classroom Practice: Online Networking, Diverse Learners, and 1:1
By By David Freitas and Janet Buckenmeyer
Overall, 96% of students with online access report using social networking technologies, while 71% admit weekly encounters. Many school administrators think this is a bad thing, yet less than 1% of students admit to meeting online acquaintances without their parents’ permission online. Here is more data that proves you shouldn’t fight them; you should join them. The eLearning Future Is No Longer Five Years Away
By Gary Dietz
The author explains why he believes that the concept of real-time education over the Internet is coming into its own. Technology Integration: A Case Study and Personal History
By Tom Darlow
Some very practical advice from someone who's 'been-there-done-that' when it comes to bringing technology to a school. Social Networking—Why Are We Afraid?
By Sandy Wagner
Social networking is more than just a fad, and educators must learn to accept it and use it if we hope to keep today's tech-savvy students engaged. Cyberbullying, Part 3—What Schools Can Do
By Ryan E. Winter and Dr. Robert J. Leneway
Part 3 of a three-part series on Cyberbullying, a serious and growing threat to today’s students. Cyberbullying, Part 2: The Research
By Ryan E. Winter and Dr. Robert J. Leneway
Part 2 of a three-part series on Cyberbullying, a serious and growing threat to today's students. This segment focuses on research. I’m a Believer—In Open Source
By Matt Burkhardt
Why this experienced IT professional, now a dedicated educator, sees Open Source software as a salvation for schools' IT issues. CyberBullies — A High-Tech Problem: An Overview
By Ryan E. Winter and Dr. Robert J. Leneway
An overview of a three-part series exploring the very serious and growing problem caused by CyberBullies using the anonymity of the Internet to carry out their evil work. CyberBullies—A High-Tech Problem: Part 1
By Ryan E. Winter and Dr. Robert J. Leneway
Part One of a three-part series explores the magnitude of the problem known as CyberBullying and demonstrates why it is a serious and growing problem. Keep Information-Gathering Honest By Triangulation
By Andrew D. Pass
Given the speed at which knowledge evolves, many textbooks are outdated before they ever reach the classroom and textbook review committees cannot keep up. So how would schools select information resources to replace textbooks? The Educational Benefits of Video Games
By Rebecca Haag Guyne
Experts now believe that video games offer students a host of benefits – and your students thought they were just having fun It's Not Just a Game—It's Skills for Life
By Dennis Southwood
Should we use computer Role-Playing Games in the classroom? Yes, argues this educator, for the valuable life-long learning skills that they help students acquire. Computer Games: Educational Technology's Next Frontier?
By John Cavanagh
Don't dismiss them as mere entertainment, for computer games develop essential skills that can help students master learning. The Future is Here
By Bill Lanphear
If you think that technology has already transformed education, wait till you see the changes about to occur with a new generation of learners for whom technology is the normal way of life. Cyber Bullying: Worse Than Traditional Bullying
By Scott Meech
Even the proverbial 80-pound weakling can be a cyber bully, and the consequences can be even more devastating and long-lasting than a mere physical beating. What Teachers Must Know to Help Students Know
By Scott Meech
If we as educators want our students to really learn from and with technology – not use it merely as an electronic shortcut – we must be able to use it fully – and well – ourselves. Betting on the Right Google Jockey
By Craig Ullman
Put your money on the right horse and find out which kind of Google Jockey is of value for education. Special Needs, Social Computing & The Digital Divide
By Mechelle M. De Craene
Because computers and the Internet enable humans to reach their true potential, they can be an empowering force for special needs students - if they are given access. Needed: National Data Privacy Legislation
By David Etue
Now, more than ever, it is essential to create national legislation to protect sensitive digital data – and schools are definitely not immune from threats to data privacy. Wiki Nation
By Craig Ullman
Some thoughts on how the success of Wikipedia can help us to re-think our basic concepts of evaluation, and of the differences between the individual and the group. Classrooms as Interactive Applications
By Craig Ullman
What will a classroom in the future look like? It will be less teacher-dominated, more student-centered, definitely learning-centered, and powered by some neat technologies that already exist and that our students have already mastered. Classrooms as Interactive Applications
By Craig Ullman
What will a classroom in the future look like? It will be less teacher-dominated, more student-centered, definitely learning-centered, and powered by some neat technologies that already exist and that our students have already mastered. Living with Digital Natives and their Technologies
By Jonathan Nalder
Here's an introduction to the new tools - flickr, YouTube, RSS, Xbox and more - so you can understand the digital world that so engrosses students today. Daylong Learning
By Craig Ullman
It's time for schools to abandon the 19th Century model and bring their students into the 21st Century by adopting a technological and information-based model. A Half-Hidden Asset
By Craig Ullman
Are libraries still relevant in a digital age? Read the arguments and make your own decision. Tips and Techniques to Make Technology Happen
By Ken Royal
Technological Hierarchy and Communications, along with a couple of great ideas, can help your school and district unite to integrate technology. After-School Programs for Student Performance
By Martin L. Bell
After-school programs are more meaningful and relevant when the school tracks student performance." Eyes Closed Tight
By Gordon Freedman
Technology is an integral part of everyday life. Why do so many educators struggle to use it effectively in the classroom? Board of Education Meetings Go Online
By Steve Dantinne
A busy Board of Education discovers the benefits of using Web-based documents and electronic communications. Creating a Free Web Site For K-4
By Scott Merrick
Read about the background and content that went into making this site for young learners. Delving Into the Deep End of the Web
By Laura Turner
Go where you've never gone before to take advantage of information hidden in the Web's recesses. Life and Learning in the E-Bubble
By Jerry Galloway
What's in our techno-future? Here's some speculation. Even if these things don't happen, they're fun to consider. Never Say Never! How to Become Tech-Savvy
By B. Ge-Anne Bowdoin
Become a successful computer-using educator by buddying up with someone willing to show you the ropes. Online Teaching: How Hard Can It Be?
The fundamentals of online teaching are the same as traditional teaching. But that's where the similarities end. Leadership: Become a Digital-Age Thinker
By Neil Mercurius
It's time to jettison analog-age beliefs and attitudes. Ed Tech Skeptic
By Poyan Lotfi
Why should districts invest in technology when they face more pressing concerns? How to Spark Innovation
By Judy Shasek
Educators from around the world gathered at Microsoft's Innovative Teachers Forum to share transformational strategies. Here is a report. When Teachers Don't Get It: Myths, Misconceptions, and other Taradiddle
By Jim Holland
It's time to debunk common excuses educators use to avoid teaching with technology. Study: E-Learning Implications
By Craig Ullman
The North Central Regional Laboratory recently analyzed the effects of distance learning on student achievement. Here is a review of the findings. Reaching Today's Children
By Tracie Linderman
Internet technology allows educators to do more than teach -- but also reach today's children. Students First
By Herman Gaither
The culture of technology-based data management
in districts comes at the expense of instruction. Results Matter
By Peter Robertson
NCLB's focus on results could save
instructional technology. Mind the Gap
By Jeffrey Piontek
Is the widening chasm between student and teacher technology skills the new digital divide? Mining Movies: Part 5
By Jason Ohler
This futuristic movie points toward a time when computers might react more to our physical movements than to keystrokes. Just Use It: Rethinking Technology Training for K-12 Teachers
By Mary Burns
Are we spending too much time training teachers on skills with software that is operationally intuitive and conceptually simple? Here's another way to think about training. Missing the Teachable Moment
By Terry Woolard
There are important lessons to be learned about participation in electronic field trips, especially contflicts with curriculum and timing. Computer Integration in the Classroom
By Stephen Anderson
Being Technology Guy, the one question Bill is asked more often than any other is: Did you eat my last donut? The second most asked is a bit more relevant to this month. Testing and the Law of Unintended Personalization
By Craig Ullman
One of the unintended consequences of NCLB could be the end of the traditional role of the teacher. Read this opinion and decide if you agree. Camcorders Revisited: Why Didn't I Think of That?
By Greg Wenderski
This district, like so many others, has tried quite a few new approaches to technology integration in the last few years. Find out what they learned and how it applies to your district. HAL and Artificial Intelligence
By Jason Ohler
Viewpoint Ubiquitous Computing, Ubiquitous Inattention
By Craig Ullman
Our students will be more and more likely to spend their time in a space that they can shape, where their input has effects, and where what they think matters. Space-Age Speakeasy
By Jason Ohler
Part Three of our Mining Movies series looks at "voice wands" and the possible future of cross-cultural communication. Complex Social Change, a Simple Idea
By Craig Ullman
The staggering ubiquity of text has become a critical component to the social lives of our students. It behooves us, as educators, to exploit this trend for all it's worth. A New Age of Education and Tutoring
By Howard Heller
On-line tutoring provides maximum effectiveness, convenience, and flexibility for all parties involved. Read how it works. Mining Movies: Part 2
By Jason Ohler
In Part Two of our Mining Movies series, we look at a technology that may some day allow students to see the micro world in stunning detail. A Change of Mind
By Katie Lawrence
Any change is scary, even the good kind of change. And some personalities may resist change. Read about one teacher who resisted using technology with her students and then changed her mind. Here’s why. Japanese Projections
A trip to Tokyo provides a glimpse into the technology of tomorrow. Broadband Changes Everything
By Craig Ullman
Once people become used to richer multimedia experiences in news and entertainment, they will expect the same kinds of experiences in education. Getting Back to Basics with Technology
By Rosemary Shaw
We all know the importance of teaching students to read, write and do mathematics first to prepare them with the basics. This article argues that we should do this with technology. The Metamorphosis of Chatty Kathy
By Dr. Penny Wilkins
This light-hearted look at the transformation of a traditional student to an online student also offers a theory to support online learning. Online May Not Be Such a Lonely Place
By Noha Kabaji
Online connectedness is a bonus for this teacher and graduate student as students connect with each other, with the teacher, and with a larger community in the virtual environment. 5W/5E
By Wanda Walters
By combining the 5W’s with the 5E’s, you get a new instructional planning tool that allows teachers to infuse technology into an instructional program. Collision Between F2F & Online Discussion
By Dean Pape
This essay states that social exchanges of self-disclosure in online environments are not only different from face-to-face experiences, but that the benefits and drawbacks are reversed. A Real Fictitious Story
By Raymond Pina
This article discusses how to enhance a school’s online community by building social environments and using technology to move the school into a new social, teaching and learning direction. Student-Centered Intranets
By Stuart Hasic
Technology has truly found a home in our nation's schools, but what has the introduction of all this technology really meant for our students? Read this analysis. That's Entrainment!
By Craig Ullman
Interactive educational content requires the ebb and flow of tension and a direction that leads to a culminating learning experience. Is Pac-man a good model? Beyond Firewalls
By Eric Svetcov
Professional certification ensures your staff will understand information security in its proper context. Beyond Firewalls
By Eric Svetcov
Professional certification ensures your staff will understand information security in its proper context. Student-Centered Intranets
By Stuart Hasic
Technology has truly found a home in our nation's schools, but what has the introduction of all this technology really meant for our students? Read this analysis. Computer Integration: A Student Teacher's Experience
By Katie Powers
Pre-service educators have to find ways to integrate technology into classrooms that really aren't theirs. Here's one success story. Cyber Security
By Steven E. Miller
Security is about the way the organization deals with people, policy, and technology. Read about providing security online. Getting it Done
By Bob Pearlman
In 2001, Boston launched a new 5-year technology, teaching & learning plan. Here’s a discussion about how the plan is unfolding and recommendations for you. The Mandate of Digital Literacy
By Charles W.P. Finn
The author says that will become increasingly necessary to be digitally literate to function in a digital, Internet-connected economy. Read about a method that can help. Integrating Technology in Tunisian Schools
By Gamra Zenaidi
In Tunisian schools, there is more use of technology as a means of improving the quality of teaching and learning English Language skills. Arts and Technology as the Hub for All Disciplines
By Patricia Johnson
Use these practical ideas for integrating computer graphics in the K-12 arts curricula and practical techniques and examples for bringing technology into all disciplines. Digital Literacy NOW!
By Wesley A. Fryer
Digital literacy is a necessity, not an option. We all need this skill set because we live in an age full of opportunity but also fraught with pitfalls. New Texts and New Skills for a New Age
By Clarence Fisher
Students need a steady diet of high quality print content. They also need the proper skills to be critical and creative consumers and producers of texts in any form. Seeing Through Windows: Programs and Settings for the Visually Disabled
By John Rice
A growing set of resources is being developed for sight-impaired people. This article examines a few that maximize cost efficiency. Talking to Students About Cyber-Ethics
By Bob Kruger
Copying software without permission is stealing, essentially no different than shoplifting the program from a computer store. Here's how to help kids understand. Fifteen Computing Misconceptions
By Jerry Galloway
For real change to occur, teachers need a better understanding of how technology is used. These explanations of common misconceptions may help. Technology and Japanese High Schools: Why Technology Integration Will Take Time
By Natasha Nicole Walker
Japanese teachers have so many obligations that take up time that technology training and use isn¹t a priority. These examples show why.
Building Dreams, Extending Opportunities
By Steve Blatt
Teachers across the nation are on the cusp of utilizing a tool that can broaden access to resources, individualize learning, and enhance education: the Web.
A Tale Of Two Online Communities
By Carleen Shaffer
This Tale of Two Online Communities explores the difference between success and failure. Find out what makes the difference in creating online learning communities.
Runnin' on Indian Time: Asynchronous Education and Native American Populations
By Michelle Mitchell
The concept of time is not that important to Native American cultures. Michelle, who is Native American, says that they keep track of it and know what time it is, but that it doesn't run their lives. She believes that time should not control education. Thus, an online education environment is the perfect setting to promote a culture in which time does not matter. People can come and go as they please within other course limits. While this article is about teacher education, it has an important message for K-12.
Orchestrating a Curriculum
By Carla Kessler
Carla recognized that her fifth and sixth graders who were struggling readers needed more than what she was providing them. For the majority, the problem was vocabulary, and she determined that they needed broader word banks to grow as readers. So based on her love of music, recognition of her own teachers' successes, and what she learned in reading for a Masters degree, she developed a technological approach to learning vocabulary.
Career Education for All
By Kirsti Aho
New approaches to Career and Technical Education can provide useful roadmaps. Innovative courses in multimedia design and web development, for instance, combine academic rigor with real-world experience and professional job skills. And equally important, these courses inspire and engage disenfranchised students.
Plagiarism
By Diane Forte Barfield
Plagiarism, the use of others' ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information, is not new, but the growth of the Internet and the use of its resources by more and more students has made the problem much worse. Diane discusses strategies of awareness, prevention, and detection that are available to educators in the fight against plagiarism.
Clashing Cultures: Why Some Teachers Have Difficulty Using New Technologies
By Edna Aphek
Edna tries to figure out the reasons that many teachers still don't use technology and suggests that we are facing a clash between two cultures: the new culture which can be referred to as the technological-digital or "TD," and the older one, which relies on books, pen and paper and can be referred to as "BP." These two cultures aren't, as of yet, reconciled but here's a suggestion on what to do.
Best Practices in Instructional Technology
By Diane Forte Barfield
Best practice begins with ensuring that all the components for successful integration of technology are in place. Diane argues that we must address the primary concerns of access, attitude, training, and support before moving on to the more popular topic of infusing instructional technology into the classroom.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Myths and Realities About Technology Adoption Among Teachers
By Arnold Pulda
We are now in the third stage of trying to figure out how to integrate it into our educational pedagogy and practices. People both inside and outside education are asking for some return, some bang for their hardware and wiring buck - for results where the rubber meets the road. They're wondering why more teachers aren't using the new media. And now teachers realize that they can no longer stand to the side and watch someone else do the work. Read the myths, realities, and proposals for the future.
University of Maryland Students Help Middle School Students to Cross the Digital Divide
By Shirley Morman and Denise Lewis
The University of Maryland Educational Talent Search Program is using computer hardware and a soft touch to help some Prince George's County middle school students cross the Digital Divide. ProjectLINKS was created as an online tutoring program that gives academic support to middle school students, as well as teaches them how to use computers and the resources that computers can provide.
Want to Use Technology Effectively? Try Starting With Assessments
By Adam Garry and Parry Graham
For many teachers, "use technology effectively" is just one additional requirement. So they layer technology activities on top of everything else. The solution, however, is to build technology into the daily routine in ways that make sense. The key is to begin with assessment, with a clear picture of how it should drive instruction, and then allow students to use technology as a logical tool in demonstrating mastery of educational objectives and standards.
Bridging the Technology Gap in School Choice
By Mark J. Smith
School choice has become a major issue and central to the debate is the rebate of funds to taxpayers to fund private education for children when they are not utilizing public schools. One consideration must certainly be the difference in opportunities and technology access for students between schools with public funding and those private non-profit schools. This article shows how to narrow a technology gap between public and less-affluent private schools.
The Home School Dilemma
By Paula Swanson
According to recent trends in home schooling statistics, there may be as many as two million children being educated at home. As home schooling gains widespread acceptance as a means of educating children, this phenomenon is expected to increase as much as 15%-20% per year. Is it possible to educate a student at home so he or she is prepared to meet the challenges of the digital age?
New Emphases in Federal Technology Funding: Factors for Success
By Joanne Striley
The new Enhancing Education Through Technology (ED Tech) Program represents an integrated, across-the-board effort to use technology to support preK-12 literacy and achievement. In this vision, technology is a tool to call upon in the effort to improve the quality of education for all students. And, because of this change in emphasis, projects seeking funding will need to consider the ED Tech goals. Joanne explains how.
Mentored learning: the Instructor's View
By Susan Bodnik
There has been a lot of buzz in the E-learning industry about mentored learning. More than 66% of E-learning companies say they offer it. But what do those words mentored learning actually mean? As an instructor and the instructor coordinator for an online-learning company, Susan thought it would be worthwhile to share her view of what mentored learning means from an instructor's perspective.
Is Distance Education for Kids?
By Tianna Tang
The prevalent research on distance education has focused mainly on adults and some high school populations, where it shows the benefits to be compelling. However, can distance education achieve the same results with children between the ages of five to twelve? What are the arguments for and against distance education for children? Tianna discusses if distance education can be a reality for children.
Mentored Learning
By Doug Talbott
There are many different types of online education courses. They range from downloadable self-paced courses to real-time, instructor-led courses. And while most people can understand each end of this spectrum, it is in the middle ground where most of the confusion lies. For the prospective student, trying to understand what you're getting is a formidable task. This article provides you with some questions that you can ask eLearning companies to help you understand what they mean by mentored-learning.
Passing Notes in Cyberspace: Electronic Communication and Privacy in the Workplace
By Caylen Tichenor
Many educators have not yet learned what business professionals have known for some time: Traditional views about what is and is not "private" don't always exist in Cyberspace. You keep your students' parents informed via Email and believe these electronic messages are "private correspondence." You surf the Web during free time for lesson - and other - information. It's on your own time so you think what you do is private. Caylen explains the misconceptions about privacy and how much of it you're entitled to online.
Connecting Technology and the Curriculum
By James Kelleher and Lynn Moore Benson
Models of success go a long way to helping others. This successful team outlines their seven-step process for ensuring the successful integration of technology into the curriculum. They also highlight several approaches to assessing technology with an example of a rubric for editing student videos.
Building a Bridge for the Digital Divide
By Robert Demeter
Can our schools provide the infrastructure to transcend the Digital Divide? The challenge of providing children with the means to become competitive in a technological world is multi-dimensional. Robert argues that the resources of the Internet and of distance learning must be mobilized for the benefit of our children, to help them address the educational challenges of a competitive world with technological superiority.
Bridging the Technology Gap at Laguna Nueva Elementary School
By Ryan Adams
Every so often a teacher's performance and effectiveness are challenged by political and/or financial problems beyond his/her control sometimes known as the technology gap or digital divide. The truth is that a significant portion of primary and secondary school districts nationwide are functioning, for all intents and purposes, without modern computer technology. Ryan says that this is unacceptable and must be corrected, and he offers a promising solution.
Five Phases for Online Community Building
By Esther Camm
Online learning is a merger of teaching and technology for optimum learning, with technology used to generate an environment in which students achieve the shared experience of community. Virtual learning communities that are collaborative and supportive foster teamwork through trust, openness, honesty, and respect among members. The author believes that using five phases to build such a community will result in a constructive and meaningful learning experience.
The Welcome Mat of a High School On-Line Community
By Christine Jackson and Beverly Fierro
Building any community online is an art. Having communication in a foreign language adds even more complexity. Discussion threads and an environment that encourages students to engage in critical-thinking discourse are key elements. The authors offer suggestions to help ensure success and guarantee that virtual learning is seen as a safe environment.
The Asphalt Classroom
By Royce Gough
Over the past decade the attention of many in academia has turned to the cyber-world as a new educational venue. This unprecedented phenomenon has created an interesting opportunity for educators. Royce believes that the question to consider is how we can get classrooms and subject matter to where students believe they are really learning.
Building an Online ESL Community
By Dian Post and Joyce Taylor Fields
An ESL class raises barriers to community building. Students not only lack a common, comfortable language, but they also come from different cultural backgrounds. To counteract this problem, ESL classes demand well-developed collaborative exercises and high interest discussion threads to foster the creation of community within the class environment. The authors offer ideas for community building.
Guidance Counseling and the Web
By Martha Wiseman
While high school guidance counselors are better known for their listening skills than their technology skills, during the last twenty years computers and the web have totally altered the way a counselor does the job. While some guidance counselors may fear that technology has removed the personal and soft touch from the job, from Martha's perspective it has made her more efficient and effective in helping students have a successful high school experience and prepare for what comes after graduation.
Four Directions
By Nancy Allen
On standardized tests American Indian students, as a group, have historically demonstrated the lowest performance levels of any minority group in the US. Research shows that a key factor in this underachievement is curriculum that is not culturally relevant and therefore does not meet their needs plus teaching methods that are inappropriate for Indian students. One project that focused on this problem was Four Directions. Find out how this project made a significant difference in the lives and learning of Native American students.
Can We Really Bridge the Digital Divide?
By Sandy Zýýiga
Buying technology and making computers available is definitely a start to bridging the digital divide, but the entire process requires much more. Sandy, a Title I Technology Advisor, offers the key ingredients she has found to be effective in supporting the use of technology at a Title I campus. The six strategies include working with and supporting teachers, parents, and students.
The Educator's Role in Technology Integration
By Amy A. Zillian
A secondary school curriculum should prepare students for higher education and provide skills they need to succeed. Amy believes that over time, as educators become more knowledgeable about creating effective web spaces and more experienced in addressing related issues, they will integrate technology within curricula until it becomes a natural part of secondary school education.
Observations on Developing a Virtual Community
By David L. Stoloff, Ph.D.
David had a grant to explore creating a virtual community. His goal was to develop a virtual community for K-16 learning and teaching that was designed to provide support for educators to develop online learning resources and to discuss issues in educational technology and effective teaching practices. He learned several important lessons, and this project changed how participants approach electronic communications.
An Evolution of Techno-savvy in Preservice Teachers
By Jane Carol Manner, Ed.D.
Over time, Jane has seen that her students - who are preservice educators - are increasingly knowledgeable about using technology. Where teaching technical skills used to take up a great deal of time, her students now have those skills before they reach her. The anxiety level of these future teachers is down, and the level of technical acumen is up. The next generation of teachers will enter their classrooms much better able to use technology than previous generations.
Learning Objects Spark an E-learning Revolution
By Mark S. Merkow
According to Mark, learning objects - virtual models for what occurs in the real world - are leading the way to a transformation and changing of education by eliminating the artificial lines and boundaries created by traditional teaching tools and techniques. This article examines the Learning Objects phenomenon through an analysis of how learning is condensed into technology components that share common features and simplify the tasks of developing and delivering instruction in ways never before imaginable - true anytime, anywhere learning.
Teachers as Learners: Lessons from the Classroom
By Kay McCord, M.Ed.
Twenty years in the classroom have taught Kay that she cannot effectively teach students without becoming a learner herself. For 19 years, her teaching career has been devoted to Native students. In 1993, she began teaching at Haskell Indian Nations University in the new teacher-preparation program. She believes that we must inspire teachers to explore the new frontiers with their students. Treating children with respect-more informal learning, less formal teaching-is clearly a central tenet of the traditional Native way. By training our future teachers in this way, we may lessen the number of young Native students inappropriately referred to special education and further assist those who need to be there.
Technology's Role in Creating the Shared-Learning Environment
By Sheila Offman Gersh, Ed.D.
Today, we are finding that the learning environment encourages many to work together, to learn from each other, and to allow learning to happen in a variety of ways. No longer is the textbook and the teacher the sole provider of information. Students can learn from others via the Internet; they can learn with their teachers; they can teach their teachers; and they can learn at a distance with hundreds of other students. Within the school environment, "shared learning" allows for an exciting and rich experience for all involved.
What is Technology Integration and Where Does it Happen?
By Adam Garry
Ask a group of teachers anywhere in the world what technology integration is and you will receive many different answers. People in the same profession have different views because each person is in a different phase of the game and few understand how to play. In this article, Adam tells us what he thinks it is and where it happens.
Netiquette for Educators
By Joni Turville
Email and other forms of electronic communication have become important in our society. As educators, we must prepare our students and ourselves for using electronic communication effectively. Joni discusses and demonstrates network etiquette, or "netiquette," and practices that are thought to be standard in Internet circles.
The Cyber Citizen Partnership
By Diane D. Painter, Ph.D.
There's a real need to address Cyber Issues. According to experts at a conference that Diane Painter attended, we have a long way to go to keep up with individuals and organizations that seek to disrupt and destroy network systems worldwide. Most important, conferees talked about the need for educators to teach children about the growing problem of cyber misconduct. This article focuses on this issue and presents accompanying lessons that can help.
Understanding Software Use and Abuse in Our Schools
By Ryan Adams
Students learn the ethics of software use through instruction and by watching what adults do. In using unauthorized software, school districts encourage educators to set a do as I say, not as I do double standard for students. Limited budgets and outdated technical resources compound the problem. Ryan discusses the issues and describes one setting in which the professionals set the right example, sending a clear message that using unauthorized software is unethical and illegal.
Moving Student Writing into a Digital Format: A Brief Caveat
By Stephen Valentine
Most high-school students have grown up with the Web, and one of the best ways to improve student writing is to publish it on the Web. The possibility of seeing their work on a Web site will motivate students, inspire them, challenge them, and encourage them to take the act of writing seriously. But the move to Web publishing should not be a passive one-for students or teachers. We should establish new standards, snuff out negative consequences, and envision new agendas for learning.
Facilitating Technology Through Integration, Evaluation, and Policy Development
By Gretchen Golden and Stephanie Huffman
Using technology among students in K-12 and Higher Education can be enjoyable. However, community fears about students and electronic media must not be allowed to restrict student freedoms. The ultimate goal involves the growth and learning of the student in a nurturing environment with the implementation of technology as a viable option in the pursuit of excellent education. Integration, evaluation, and the development of policy all play a role in a positive outcome.
Technology Brings Some Baggage
By Nichole Thieda
As a first-year teacher, Nichole was a little unsure about integrating technology into her lesson plans, but she has discovered that students find computers and the Internet irresistible. However, even when teachers are excited by the possibilities, there are many concerns and questions as well.
Web Publishing Policy
By David Warlick
Publishing a school Web site is very much like opening the doors of your building and your classrooms to anyone who wants to visit. So it is important to plan carefully and to establish goals that you want to accomplish through your Web site. Establishing a school or school district Web site involves many considerations. David offers information and advice since the inherent benefits are enormous, but the potential for problems is nearly as significant.
The New Role of Teachers
By Janice Berthiaume
Faced with the challenges of working in a technologically advanced society in which the students are more comfortable with video games and computers than they are with pencils and paper, educators must adapt and modify their teaching styles to meet the needs of their students. Janice says we must find ways to motivate, stimulate, and challenge our students using the latest technology available for the classroom.
The Wicked Sheriff
By David Warlick
Time is our Wicked Sheriff. It spoils nearly all of our efforts to succeed as teachers. It creates resistance to the meaningful reform and makes it seem overwhelming. We only talk about bringing computers, software, and access to the Internet into our classrooms, and providing effective staff development that prepares us to use these new tools. Yet David says change will happen in our classrooms with teachers who have the resources to build new century learning environments. And the most valuable and essential of these resources will be time.
Toward an Information Society
By Heba Ramzy
More than 80% of the world's population lives in developing countries with a low literacy rate, poor telecommunication infrastructure, and low per capita income. How will they compete in the global economy and what are their chances? No improvement can happen without help from the countries' intellectuals, critical thinkers and children -- those who can make a difference in the countries' future by helping the growing information society through the use of information and communication technologies. Heba's report shows how Eqypt is starting from grassroots to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
Raw Materials for the Mind
By David Warlick
One challenge for teachers is learning to use new technologies.The tendency of most educators (and other professionals) is to simply replace old tools with new ones, resulting in little fundamental change in process or goal. David discusses why the real challenge is to find new ways to use new tools and how with Internet-based information, students are using it, building with it, and making the information an active part and tool in their thinking process.
Teacher Researchers
By Diane D. Painter, Ph.D.
Diane and a fellow teacher researcher and friend developed a teacher research Web site to help teachers learn about the process of teacher research. They wanted to provide teachers with information about how teacher research differs from traditional educational research, which is usually initiated by others, not by teachers themselves. Their goal was to give teachers the resources and guidelines to conduct their own site-based research centered on their own interests and curiosities.
How to be a Change Agent
By Paula Swanson
Change is everywhere--it is occurring all the time in the everyday world. Yet while educational leaders tout the great sums of money that are being spent on hardware and connectivity, very little actual change is occurring in the classroom. So how does the cyber-pioneer initiate change for an entire school? Paula's five ideas outline a plan to meet the roadblocks and turn the skeptics and resistors into enthusiasts.
Composing Ourselves Online: Broadening the Definition of Computer Literacy
By R.W. Burniske
What exactly does it mean to be literate in the post-modem world? And what are educators talking about when they use the term computer literacy these days? R. W. Burniske says that the new critical literacy vexes the conversation far more today because of its many connotations, most of which stem from the idea of what it means to be educated. The teacher who incorporates new technology into his/her classroom may help students learn how to read and write, but he/she also needs to teach them how to interpret and contextualize the words and information they encounter in chat rooms, discussion forums, Web sites, and more.
We Didn't Start the Fire: Teaching Educational Technology in an Ever-Changing World
By David L. Stoloff, Ph.D
With all of the enthusiasm about educational technology, David often stops to reflect on the limits of learning and teaching. Using educational technology is a creative activity that requires learning new skills and adopting new perspectives on learning and teaching. He shares with us the reflections of a learner who has been blessed with supportive friends and educational settings where he has been able to grow and explore. He's excited about the potential of new technologies and their potential to affect learning and teaching. He says that it is our task in education to continue to find uses for the technology within the context of community, tradition, and the needs of all learners. We in education did not start the fire of technology, but we may be the keepers of the flame, justifying the uses of educational technology for learning and teaching for the future.
Investigating Education Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa
By Harouna Ba
Like many other countries, the nations of central and southern Africa face challenges such as poorly trained teachers, lack of connectivity, and scarce resources. Education technologies are playing a role in helping educators in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), meet the challenges and improve curriculum in math, science, and technology to better prepare students for labor market demands. In this article, Harouna presents some of resources and approaches that are proving helpful in this part of the world.
Baubles, Bangles, and Programmable Beads
By Nancy Gardner
Programmable beads are just one of many MIT Media Lab research projects designed to help us understand how technology can change the way people learn. These projects reflect a constructionist view of learning - based on the idea that people learn best by actively constructing new knowledge rather than absorbing knowledge from an external source. "In particular," Nancy says, "the constructionist theory holds that constructing personally meaningful artifacts, whether a computer program, a robotic environment, or programmed digital jewelry, provides the most powerful learning situation."
The Rebooting of a Teacher's Mind
By Brenda A. Dyck
If rebooting means to turn off and start again then Brenda says it is a fine metaphor for her teaching journey. She sees parallels between the rebooting of a computer and the rebooting of a teacher's mind. As she re-entered the teaching profession, Brenda developed a new way of seeing and thinking about learning. And the result is that her students are using new technologies that Brenda discovered helps her and her students do their jobs better.
Battle of the Portals
By Cathy DeMoll
Cathy predicts a battle of the portals that will affect everyone who now uses the Internet in the classroom. First she defines the word portal as a Web site that serves as a beginning place, one that provides the basic on-site services you need and then leads you through a selected group on online choices. While Web sites no longer want to be called mere portals, what Cathy describes will be services that bundle many of the tools a teacher or school district is going to need in order to harness the Internet successfully. She describes some of the features in varying combinations that she saw in June, 2000.
Does Technology Impact Student Learning?
By Arlene Tschetter
Arlene's students show improvement in learning as measured by traditional testing, but she believes that she's observed an even bigger change in the attitudes of the students and in their work. She noticed such an attitudinal change in the students (and other teachers), that she decided to survey them about their (the students') feelings since they've been using the computer for so much of their work. Then she took the survey a step further and tested the students progress in reading/comprehension skills. Most were able to skip books because they tested higher than that particular level. So Arlene is convinced that using technology makes a big difference in learning.
How to Find Useful Information on the Internet
By Jeff Lupinacci
Finding information on the Internet is not hard, but finding useful information takes practice. People often say that computers are dumb. That's true: They're only as intelligent as the person who programmed it. If you're going to help students surf the World Wide Web, there are a few things you should know. Jeff shares his knowledge of browsers, search engines, safety, and more. There's lots of information and advice to get you started.
Kid-Oriented Web Sites: Assigning Internet Research
By Cathy DeMoll
On many education-related newsgroups, one sees daily requests for kid-focused Web sites on a wide variety of topics. Teachers ask specific questions, such as if anybody knows a Web site for kids on the middle ages or why can't they find any sites for first graders on ecosystems or why all the dinosaur Web sites are written for adults. The questions are valid, but as Cathy explains, a little context helps us understand the gaps and prepare for a successful research experience for every age.
Using the World Wide Web in an ESL Classroom
By Cyndy Jones Woods
English as a Second Language (ESL) students are common in Arizona's bigger cities and in the areas around the state's border with Mexico. More and more school districts require teachers to learn teaching techniques for ESL students. Cyndy says that the clearest and strongest technique is simple: Keep the learning authentic and meaningful. But how is this technique translated into teaching strategies? Which techniques are the most successful? How can using the World Wide Web enhance these techniques? Read this article for the answers.
Truth or Consequences: Evaluating High School Online NetCourses
By Liz Pape
The Virtual High School is using technology to build online high school courses that are given over the Internet. Liz says that this experience has shown that technology can be effectively used to offer high school online courses and that the VHS is a scalable model. The courses have given students around the country the opportunity to take courses that their own high schools cannot offer, to work with students from a variety of locations and cultures, and to use technology each day. Find out more about VHS in this article.
Take Your Classroom Beyond E-mailing with Voice and Video
By Ken Royal
Ken has used telecommunications with students for many years. He's at the point where his students are using advanced technologies and regularly connect with others around the world. He shares information on software that he uses that is the most universal and easiest to run.
The Role of the Teacher in the Implementation of Technology in Education
By Joni Turville
Teachers have a responsibility to become technologically literate. Computers are becoming so ingrained in our society that, for many people, it is hard to remember what they did without them. Joni says that if teachers can let go of the need to be the experts, they can certainly achieve the goals of integrating technology into their curricula.
The Cyberpilot's License: A Modest Proposal for Educational Curricula
By R. W. Burniske
Many districts have Acceptable Use Policies that students and parents must sign before Internet access is allowed. Buddy discusses the pros and cons of such policies and offers his own proposal, called a cyberpilot's license program. He hopes that "computer technology serves humanity, rather than humanity serving technology."
To Filter or Not to Filter: An Analysis of Recent Thinking
By Gwen Solomon
The Web - is it a dangerous place for youngsters? Should schools and libraries protect them from inappropriate material? The answer is not so simple, as Gwen's column demonstrates. She includes a range of pros and cons from school personnel and concludes by exploring a possible middle-ground.
The Insensitive Mouse
By Robert Beeching
Junior, don't touch that mouse! At least, not if you want to be an artist. In this thought-provoking column Robert, a visual artist, presents a thorough analysis of why computer-drawing programs, even the one created by that company known as The Mouse, may do more harm than good for budding artists.
Your School Web Page and Free Speech
By Mark Williams
As use of the Internet becomes routine in schools, there will be more cases in which conflict arises between a teacher and a student regarding the content of school-based Web pages. Are you prepared to meet the legal challenges that may result? Mark discusses the balance between students' right to free speech and a school’s responsibility for published material.
The Internet in Education
By Arun Kumar Tripathi
If you'd like an overview of the Internet and its educational implications, this column is for you. It provides teachers and students with information about hands-on Internet experiments. Arun shows how some educators around the world have used the Internet in their classroom to enhance teaching and learning.
Child Safety on the Internet: An Analysis of Recent Thinking
By Gwen Solomon
Along with open access to the Internet come questions of child safety, and with those, the companion issue of free speech versus censorship. There are many attempts to deal with these issues and this article will cover but a few -- the background concerns on child safety, the December summit in Washington, DC, and a Well Connected Educator online forum to consider the question, "Can kids be kept safe on the Internet?" There are no easy answers, but as we will see, discussion is what's important.
For More Readable Web Pages, Add a RUI to Your GUI
By Stephen Marcus
The look of your Web page depends on the Graphical User Interface - or GUI (pronounced "gooey"). That's the "show business" of Web - page design. The text--the Reader User Interface (or RUI)--is the "know business." And it's important to appeal to readers as well as art critics. The goal is to make your text inviting, readable, legible, interesting, and compelling. Read Stephen's instructive web page on how to make your web pages more readable for the web.
Teaching the Arts in 2000: The Missing Link in General Education
By Robert Beeching
Americans are known for pragmatic approaches to problem solving and theory and practice go hand-in-hand in most of our disciplines. However, says Robert, there's an important exception-the basis for all aural and visual communication-the visual and performing arts. He discusses how to deal with arts education by using technology.
Viewpoint on Technology and Assessment
By Jeanne Hayes
With assessment such a critical issue, how will technology impact be judged? Jeanne believes that software production will be driven by state and local standards and questions who will create the software?
Getting the Best from Technology Training
By Marcia Rettig
Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees. Caught-up in the routines (and crises) of daily classroom existence, we often forget that our task not only is noble but that it has been the subject of much analysis and exploration by theorists. Marcia offers a thoroughly annotated bibliographical look at many of these significant studies which explore the effects of technology on education and on educators. Those concerned with research into educational technology will find this especially significant.
Evaluation of The Well Connected Educator
By Lynne Schrum and MaryAnn Fitzgerald
During the first year of operation, Lynne and MaryAnn observed The Well Connected Educator and all of us who were involved. And to fulfill a National Science Foundation requirement, they also interviewed, surveyed, and studied participants and levels of participation. This article is the executive summary of the report they sent to NSF.
A Lesson in Educational Technology Land
By Robert M. Bath
Being selected to work in a school blessed with cutting-edge technology seemed like a dream come true, but Robert soon discovered the realities behind the glitter. He provides an insider's look at some of the lessons he learned dealing with the day-to-day tasks of making "TechnologyLand" - a place where optical fiber networks, satellite dishes, and internet connections are as common as paper and pencils - have educational impact for students and teachers.
Technology Remains Promise, not Panacea
(Reply to Los Angeles Times article of Sunday, June 8, 1997)
By David and Ann Mintz
The Los Angeles Times recently suggested that perhaps school districts should rethink computer purchases because, it is alleged, they’ve made no appreciable difference in student test scores. Dave wonders, would anyone expect a child to become an accomplished performer just because there was a piano in the house? In this thoughtful and inspiring article, Dave analyzes the role of the computer and explains all of the things that must happen, including setting realistic goals and providing teachers with training, before computers can be realistically evaluated as classroom tools.
Education Reform and Technology
By Margaret Riel
What's the link between educational technology use and systemic change in schools? Margaret leads us through a web tour of the Internet with a focus on understanding educational reform in a technology rich world and provides online resources about Research Evaluations of Reform Efforts, Teaching and Learning in the Digital Communication Age, Teachers and Professional Development in the Communication Age, Technology Planning, and School Reform Networks and Learning Communities: Building a Future.
No Crazy Gods
By Terrie Gray
What does the Web have to do with the Coca-Cola bottle in the film, The Gods Must Be Crazy? Like the Kalihari Bushmen in that film, we as educators may sometimes become disenchanted with our glittery new tool/toy, but unlike them we're not about to give back this wonderful gift. However, we do have to learn to differentiate among "Coke bottles." Terrie suggests ways to think-about and evaluate the Web so that it becomes more learning tool than mere bauble.
Exorcising the Edutainment Curse
By Steve Rhine
As educators, should we be satisfied with gimmicky software that provides entertainment while supposedly teaching? Does such software, actually intended for the home-market, belong in a classroom? Does it really take advantage of the computer as a tool for inquiry-based learning or is it merely a glorified computer game? Steve not only explores these and other thorny questions but offers suggestions on ways to use the computer so that it does reach its potential as a tool to foster active rather than passive learning, helping students become active problem-solvers and producers.
Collaborating on Collaborative Internet Learning: An Author and a Coach Discuss Their Process
By Joanne Tate, author
Liz Metzger, writing coach
Is it "mobilize" or "mobilise"? Depends on which half of the globe you're from, and besides such differences can easily be ignored, as a WCE author - writing coach team discovered. Joann and Liz describe how their online relationship not only helped resolve such linguistic differences but also helped to foster mutual understanding, respect, and even affection. Now, just by having collaborated on an article, this Australian and Californian know that they share similar values even though their homes are so far apart.
Publish or Perish
By Gwen Solomon
Why should teachers write? K-12 educators - teachers, administrators, coordinators, and others - are missing out on an important opportunity. Because we are not required, or even encouraged, to write, we remain isolated from peers and new ideas. Yet we have important things to say and should say them. Gwen explains her thinking about publishing, which provides insight into why The Well Connected Educator was created.
Overcoming Barriers to Rural Access: Some Preliminary Policy Recommendations
By William Wright
Access to advanced telecommunications, if available at all, can be extremely costly in rural America. This national study identifies barriers that rural schools and communities face as they try to connect to the National Information Infrastructure.
Seed and Season: Growing and Harvesting Internet Assisted Learning
By Ferdi Serim
"We educators continue to work in a 40 week growing season whose harvest is determined by the ground we prepare for planting in the first weeks of our new year." Ferdi advocates that computer-using educators plan ahead so as to not miss out on any activities, and offers some thoughts on how teachers and students can build electronic portfolios and plans.
Technology Projects, Student Proficiency, and the Time Factor
By Mihkel Pilv
Is techology the panacea? Has it propelled education into a brave new future and transformed learning? It all depends! Mikhel offers a reality-check and urges us to think about exactly what it is we expect technology to accomplish and how we will evaluate whether or not it has truly met the lofty expectations which we hold for it.
Opening the Conference Gates to K-12 and Worldwide Educators
By Steve McCarty
No budget to attend those upcoming educational conferences? Perhaps telecommunications can help. From southwestern, Japan Steve describes one of the world's first international on-line academic conferences where 800 participants made use of everything from simple email to sophisticated MOOing and even WOOing.
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