How do states measure up on education-technology laws?

Common core app aids educators on the go | School districts find a better way to pay for software | Chicago officials reveal plans to shutter 61 schools Created for jmabs1@gmail.com |  Web Version   March 22, 2013 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF          SIGN UP | FORWARD | ARCHIVE | ADVERTISE Head of the Class How do states measure up on education-technology laws? The recently released Digital Learning Report Card grades states on a set of 39 criteria related to their education-technology policies. Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, Virginia and Utah were the only states to receive As or Bs on the assessment. Of ed-tech policies, the report found that most trends were related to increasing online learning for K-12 students, expanding course choices and eliminating barriers to blended learning. Education Week/Digital Education blog (3/21) Share:        eLearning Sponsored By Common core app aids educators on the go MasteryConnect's Common Core Standards application should be of great use to educators and students who want a convenient reference to just what those standards are, Katie Lepi writes. The app organizes the standards by grade level and course and, through a series of drop-down menus, gets to the standard requirement itself, providing detailed examples. Edudemic (3/20) Share:      100% pure Common Core. 100% guaranteed. Ready™ North Carolina is 100% built to give students rigorous instruction on every ELA and math standard, plus practice tests that match NC's 2013 blueprint. Teachers get easy-to-use lesson plans, online resources, and embedded professional development. Success is 100% guaranteed. Get FREE sample lessons Systems Management Sponsored By School districts find a better way to pay for software Full-time-equivalent licensing is catching on among school districts that have found FTE helps cut costs, improve workflow and benefits teaching and learning. FTE uses head-count-based subscriptions for software, rather than a device- or user-based model. A California school district, for example, saves about 40% each year on software after transitioning to FTE, the district's director of technology said. EdTech magazine (3/2013) Share:      Transforming K-12 education with analytics Using analytics to reduce drop-out rates, improve academic results and engage parents and students is transforming K-12 education. Putting information to work to improve day-to-day decision making by teachers, administrators and even students, is the next wave of K-12 innovation. Learn how to improve your results with student-centric, data-driven decision making. Managing Budgets Sponsored By Chicago officials reveal plans to shutter 61 schools Chicago city officials announced plans Thursday to cut costs by closing 61 city schools -- affecting 30,000 students who attend mostly low-performing, under-enrolled schools in primarily African-American neighborhoods. Officials say the move is expected to eventually conserve resources by creating a smaller school footprint and help chip away at next year's anticipated $1 billion deficit. Some critics, however, say they are concerned that displaced students will have to make longer -- and potentially more dangerous -- walks to school. Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model) (3/22) Share:      Other News Going once, going twice: Charity auction to raise money for school technology MetroWest Daily News (Framingham, Mass.) (3/22) Share:      Want more for your students than just academic achievement? Caring Hearts & Critical Minds takes you step-by-step through creating rigorous lessons about topics kids care about—from media and the environment to personal happiness and global poverty. Includes 5 complete classroom-tested units of study. Click here now to preview the entire book! Schools and Social Media Mass. officials monitor Twitter during testing season As students in Massachusetts begin taking the English-language portion of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam this month, officials will be monitoring Twitter for examples of cheating. That includes looking for the hashtag for MCAS. Officials say they are being increasingly vigilant, after -- when monitoring Twitter last June during testing -- they discovered 10 students using the site during the exams. The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model) (3/22) Share:      Your Views Which devices are educators using during math instruction? More than 50% of educators who responded to a recent poll about the use of technology in schools said it is being used across core subjects but most often during math instruction. Data show most commonly used devices include classroom-based technologies such as interactive whiteboards and clickers. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education (3/22) Share:        Last Byte Pa. school film project uses sign language to teach nursery rhymes Every other year, young students who are deaf or hearing impaired enrolled at Lincoln Intermediate Unit No. 12 in New Oxford, Pa., perform nursery rhymes without sound. School staff video the renditions and older students then use sign language to tell the story on camera, giving students a better understanding of sign language and filming, educators say. The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pa.) (3/20) Share:      SmartQuote People who are brutally honest get more satisfaction out of the brutality than out of the honesty." -- Richard Needham, Canadian humorist Share:      Subscriber Tools 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