What it takes -- outside of the classroom -- to make iPads a success Officials in an Indiana school district say some school board members were wary when they asked to launch a one-to-one iPad program that allowed students in sixth to 12th grades to take a device home with them. Through diligent efforts, the district managed to hang on to all but 236 of the 7,000 devices that were distributed -- a less than 5% loss. Now, over the summer months, officials are working to maintain the devices and prepare them for a new school year. StateImpact/Indiana (7/11)  |
Teaching speaking and oral communication is more than just assigning presentations. In Digitally Speaking, expert Erik Palmer shares online tools with step-by-step tutorials, videos that show how to rehearse, and rubrics for fairly assessing students. Online, feature-packed Read & Watch PD format. Click here now for details! |
 | How to use iPads to innovate in the classroom IPads have the ability to support great teaching, just as crutches can support walking, according to Beth Holland, of EdTechTeacher. In this blog post, she writes that teachers must ditch the crutches and form new ideas with the help of the iPads. Holland shares several innovative ideas from educators, including using iPads to create a student-driven math class and to facilitate cross-grade collaboration. Edutopia.org/Beth Holland's blog (7/11)
Teacher: Technology is not a motivator of students Shiny, new technology tools can cause teachers to overlook the true goal of placing such gadgets in the classroom, according to educator Bill Ferriter. In this blog post, he shares a charge that he posted online in which he lists what teachers do -- and do not -- want students to do with technology and that devices are not motivational for students. "Instead, they're motivated by opportunities to make a difference in the world," he writes. Center for Teaching Quality/The Tempered Radical blog (7/11) Other News | Fla. district plans to lease MacBook Air laptops Using revenue from a half-cent sales tax that voters approved last summer, a Florida school district plans to lease MacBook Air laptops for students, at $200 each annually for four years. The distribution of 3,800 of the laptops is part of the district's plan to provide mobile devices for all students in fifth grade and above. In addition to Macbook Air laptops, some students will be using iPads. The Daytona Beach News-Journal (Fla.) (7/10) | How businesses can close the hole in IT industry skills The author of the book "The U.S. Technology Skills Gap" writes that it's time to focus on closing the skills gap in the U.S. business sector. Gary Beach suggests making training -- including beyond new technology -- integral to an employer's business culture and focusing on soft skills such as adaptive thinking and new-media knowledge. Mentoring young students about the IT profession is also critical, Beach writes. "Employers can narrow [the gap] by making education a core part of their culture," he writes. EdTech magazine online (7/11) |  | It's always too early to quit." -- Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author | | Please contact one of our specialists for advertising opportunities, editorial inquiries, job placements, or any other questions. | | Publisher, Education Group: Joe Riddle P: 202.407.7857 ext. 228 | | | | |
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