BYOD takes off in education

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October 26, 2012 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise Head of the Class    BYOD takes off in education More teachers are using smartphones and other devices in the classroom as the bring-your-own-device trend increasingly takes hold in the country's schools. Surveys show that about half of teachers now say they are using online learning the classroom, and administrators, too, are bringing their devices to school. In some cases, educators are working to keep up with their tech-savvy students, who grew up in the digital age. TMCNet.com (10/25)       Does your district need to close the achievement gap for racially and economically diverse students? Researcher and educator Dr. Tyrone Howard brings his expertise on culturally diverse students, sharing strategies and best practices for improving student outcomes. Register today for this free webinar! eLearning    5 technology tips for non-techie teachers Educators who are inexperienced with technology should give themselves the time to learn a few select applications for the classroom, technology coach Brianna Crowley writes in this blog. Among the five tips she offers is that teachers should use the same learning strategies they use to teach their students when tackling a new program. "We must take risks, ask good questions, know our limitations, stretch ourselves, and embrace failure as an opportunity to learn," Crowley writes. Education Week Teacher (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (10/24)       Other News Best practices emerge for blended-learning models Education News Colorado (10/25)       Understanding the role of e-portfolios in education T.H.E. Journal (10/24)       Sign up for a free trial of Espresso and enter to win prizes. Simplify your lesson planning and engage your students with Espresso Elementary, an online teaching and learning site packed full of multimedia, interactive resources that inspire children to learn. Each week, fresh curriculum material is added to Espresso, with every resource linked to a learning outcome and aligned to state and Common Core standards. Systems Management    Fla. Virtual School to provide online math program for K-5 students The Florida Virtual School is joining forces with Dreambox Learning to provide part-time online math coursework for students in grades K-5. "This alliance provides Florida teachers and students with access to DreamBox Learning Math to help build a strong foundational understanding of elementary mathematics within a robust online blended learning environment," said Julie Young, president and CEO of Florida Virtual School. T.H.E. Journal (10/25)       Free Webinar: Help for Struggling Middle School Readers It's not too late to help Middle School struggling readers, but we can't keep doing what hasn't worked before. Learn how new techniques researched at the Universities of Iowa and Rochester have been implemented in Sioux Falls, SD to have lasting impact. You won't want to miss this FREE webinar - Thursday, 11/8, 2pm ET. Register Now Managing Budgets  High school purchases Kuno tablets for one-to-one initiative A high school in Indiana is using $1.5 million from a school-improvement grant to purchase 775 Kuno tablets for its students. After studying similar one-to-one computing programs, officials said they decided that all students, except those in Advanced Placement courses, would leave the tablets at school overnight. Officials say they also will give teachers the ability to cut off students' access to certain websites. The Times (Munster-Hammond-Merrillville-Valparaiso, Ind.) (10/24)       900 districts are expected to seek Race to the Top funds The Hartford, Conn., school district is among about 900 districts nationwide expected to apply by Tuesday's deadline for some of the nearly $400 million in funding available in the latest round of the federal Race to the Top competition. Hartford officials say they are seeking about $30 million, $7.1 million of which is for technology. The district's application calls for every high-school student to have a tablet computer. The Hartford Courant (Conn.) (10/25)       Idaho signs deal with Hewlett-Packard for school laptops Under a contract signed this week, Idaho has tapped Hewlett-Packard to provide laptop computers for every high-school student in the state. The eight-year contract is worth $180 million. Under the deal, the company will supply the laptops, maintain the devices and install wireless networks at each high school. However, on Election Day, voters will decide on a proposition that, if denied, could cancel the program. The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) (free content) (10/23)       Schools and Social Media  Survey: Younger faculty more likely to use social media The age and area of expertise among faculty in higher education affects their use of social media, according to a recent survey. The "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Facebook: How Today's Higher Education Faculty Use Social Media" survey found that about one-fourth of faculty use social media daily -- with the primary site being Facebook. The survey also found that social media is most popular among younger faculty and those who teach in the humanities and arts. eCampus News (free registration) (10/24)       Last Byte  Tweetie creator spells out game intentions with "Letterpress" The creator of Tweetie for Mac is out with a new word game called "Letterpress." Loren Brichter of Atebits developed the game out of "a backlog of old ideas that I hadn't had time to mess with since Tweetie took over my time," he says. The game's edge, Brichter says, is in its digital design, using features that would not be practical in physical game play. "It's not just an old game 'ported' from the physical world," he says. TheNextWeb.com (10/24)       SmartQuote  A bolt does not always fall when it thunders." --German proverb       SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! 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