The EDGE: Does questioning school technology make teachers "technophobes"?

Using online tools for language learning in the modern era | Institute promoting tech education is expanding | How to focus peer observation on data, collaborative improvement

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April 16, 2013

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Does questioning school technology make teachers "technophobes"?
Fifth-grade teacher Kyle Redford has questions about using iPads in the classroom and adopting other technology but fears being labeled a "technophobe." In this commentary, Redford writes about a time in which a group of students played "Minecraft" on their iPads rather than complete an assignment. The incident and others like it indicate the need to think critically about the way education technology is used -- examining its benefits and trade-offs -- without fear of being labeled as resistant to change, Redford writes. Education Week Teacher (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (4/15)

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eLearning

Using online tools for language learning in the modern era
Technology has changed the way language courses are taught, former foreign-language teacher Katie Lepi writes. She highlights a diagram of the structure of a massive open online course for Spanish. It includes online hangouts, language coaching and adaptive exercises -- all tools Lepi believes educators can use to enhance online language learning. Edudemic (4/10)

Other News

Institute promoting tech education is expanding
Omaha World-Herald (Neb.) (4/16)
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Systems Management

How to focus peer observation on data, collaborative improvement

Peer observation as practiced is flawed, writes Trent E. Kaufman, CEO of Education Direction. In this blog post, he writes about flipping peer observation to a teacher-driven observation model, in which the observed teacher is largely in charge. The TDO model centers on data collection about a classroom problem, and empowers teachers to use the data collected to help teachers improve through collaboration, he writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education (4/15)

Wis. district to replace boiler with high-tech system
Officials in a Wisconsin school district decided Monday to include a geothermal heating and cooling system in designs for a new elementary school. The system -- which is expected to cut energy costs and emissions -- replaces a traditional boiler. The system is expected to cost about $1.7 million but could reduce heating and cooling expenses by about $24,000 a year. La Crosse Tribune (Wis.) (4/16)

Managing Budgets

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Texas district to invest in one-to-one laptop program

The Houston Independent School District in Texas plans to spend about $10 million to purchase laptops for every high-school student and another $100 million to upgrade the district's infrastructure to support the new technology. Officials say the goal is not merely to teach students core subjects using the technology but also to teach students to use technology responsibly. KUHF-AM/KUHF-FM (Houston) (4/15)

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Schools and Social Media

Technology helps connect England's students with speakers
Andrew Jones, head of religious studies and sociology at a community school in Hertfordshire, England, is able to bring guest speakers into his school remotely using YouTube, TED Talks, DVDs and Skype. While he writes in this blog post that virtual speakers will not replace in-person lessons, "they do go some way towards making lessons and learning more real and relevant by introducing real people involved with the topics taught." The Guardian (London)/Teacher Network blog (4/12)

Last Byte

Distracted driving still prevalent among teens, survey finds
A survey of teens and young adults by Bridgestone Americas found many have engaged in distracted driving, such as receiving e-mails and text messages or browsing social media sites while behind the wheel. Teen drivers are more likely to engage in distractions while driving if they alone in the vehicle, the survey found. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) (tiered subscription model) (4/15)