Ohio schools are urged to share technology resources

February 18, 2013 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF          SIGN UP | FORWARD | ARCHIVE | ADVERTISE Head of the Class Ohio schools are urged to share technology resources In Ohio, leaders are encouraging school districts to look for opportunities to share technology resources to improve efficiency and cut costs. Such efforts could save as much as $1 billion annually statewide, one group estimates. Beginning March 1, the city of Monroe, Monroe Schools and the Butler County Educational Service Center will begin a rare partnership in which they can share a team of five technology experts. Cincinnati Enquirer, The (tiered subscription model) (2/18) Share:          eLearning Tenn. students post gains under high-tech instruction Students at a day school in Tennessee are able to work at their own pace -- and instructional level -- under a teaching strategy that incorporates technology and group work. Each math section is covered over an eight-day period, with regular assessments determining what -- and how -- students learn. Since adopting the method, educators say students are more engaged and their scores have risen. The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) (free registration) (2/15) Share:          Smithsonian goes online with activities for students The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies has started a program to encourage research, discovery and creative collaboration with project-based learning. Called Smithsonian Quests, the online resource awards digital badges to students upon completion of their activities. The projects are aimed at students of various grade levels, and can be done as part of classroom lessons or independently. T.H.E. Journal (2/14) Share:          Other News Interactive resources for primary sources, student projects School Library Journal/Neverending Search blog (2/17) Share:          Systems Management Traditional phone networks face growing pressure from Skype Microsoft's Skype communication platform is emerging as a serious contender in the voice communications market, showing traffic growth of 44% in 2012. That's twice the growth seen by all international phone carriers put together, and Skype's traffic volume is now equal to one-third of the traditional global phone market. "The pressure on carriers will continue to mount in the coming years. While Skype is the best-known voice application, it's far from the only challenger," said TeleGeography analyst Stephan Beckert said. CNET (2/14) Share:          Other News Investigation into school-data manipulation heats up in Ohio The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) (2/17) Share:          Managing Budgets What would you do with $500 for your classroom? In this blog post, Ben Johnson, an education consultant, online teacher and learning coach, writes about his frustration when giving teachers $500 to spend on classroom supplies. Oftentimes, he writes, teachers would spend the funds on items such as pencils. "While classrooms would not operate well without sticky notes, glue, and pencils, student learning may not be directly affected by these things," he writes. "I would suggest that the most 'bang' for your buck(et) would be to obtain things that students can manipulate to gather and test data." Edutopia.org/Ben Johnson's blog (2/14) Share:            Schools and Social Media Is there a right way to be on Twitter? Twitter is what you make of it, says Tony Baldasaro, chief human resource officer of Virtual Learning Academy Charter School in New Hampshire. In this blog post, he suggests there is no single right way to be on Twitter. Baldasaro describes his own experience sharing things of value to him professionally, as well as personally. He writes that sharing personally helped him develop friendships on Twitter and find value in the microblogging site. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education (2/14) Share:          Last Byte Panel discusses efforts to encourage girls in STEM A panel of women recently discussed organizations and programs that inspire girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. For example, Dr. Althea Maybank, co-founder of the Artemis Medical Society, said her organization aims to encourage more black women to become doctors and to better support women who already are in the health care industry. MSNBC (2/10) Share:          Featured Press Releases Kaplan Announces EdTech Startup Accelerator Program to Empower Innovative Education Companies Click here to publish your own press release   SmartQuote Paradise is here or nowhere: you must take your joy with you or you will never find it. Orison Swett Marden, American author Share:          Subscriber Tools This SmartBrief was created for jmabs1@gmail.com Please contact one of our specialists for advertising opportunities, editorial inquiries, job placements, or any other questions.   Lead Editor:  Katharine Haber Contributing Editor:  Erin Cunningham Publisher, Education Group:  Joe Riddle   P: 202.407.7857 ext. 228     SIGN UP   SHARE   ADVERTISE   SEND FEEDBACK Update Profile | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe |  Archive | Web version (print friendly) Download the SmartBrief App  iTunes / Android   Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2013 SmartBrief, Inc.® Privacy policy |  Legal Information