Student research and writing are on the rise in the state's laptop initiative, but test scores aren't seeing the same benefit, Education Department officials told legislators Tuesday. The Government Operations and Audit Committee heard a report about Classroom Connections, Gov. Mike Rounds' initiative to provide laptop computers for each high school student. "We're seeing an increased amount of

Presented as an example of another way technology can be used in the classroom to engage students, clickers made their official debut at last night's Catholic school board meeting. Sandra Connolly, managing information for student achievement leader for the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, demonstrated the clickers as she presented the latest

The superintendent has a blog about things going on in the district. Teachers blog about lesson plans and homework assignments. Teachers also use podcasts in the classroom to reinforce reading, spelling and math lessons. These are just a few of the ways that Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School district is making the most of the latest technology. With the knowledge that students spend

An Australian educator's decision to let students use cell phones and the internet during exams has prompted a global dialog about the nature of 21st-century assessment--and whether the definition of cheating should be changed in light of ubiquitous technology use. Students at Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC), a private girls' school in Sydney, Australia, are participating in a pilot project in

College officials nationwide are concerned about the number of recent high school graduates in need of remedial math courses, and some schools have turned to online programs that could preserve shrinking operating budgets. The problem affects colleges of all types, but community colleges seem to be particularly hard hit. More than 60 percent of students in community colleges need some kind of

Educational technology advocates are hoping a new national ed-tech research center will spur the development and use of technology to improve instruction. The higher-ed law signed by President Bush on Aug. 14 authorized the creation of a National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies, which would allot federal funding for research on technology and its impact on

Distance education students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout are enjoying the personal touch in their online technical communications program thanks to deployment of lecture capture from Echo360. The university creates a dynamic learning environment for their on-campus and remote student body. UW-Stout was designated by the UW System Board of Regents in 2007 as Wisconsin's Polytechnic

High school geometry teacher Lynn Bogan gave up on dated pull-down charts, marker boards and 1960s-era overhead projectors. She traded them for a digital screen that lets her surf the Web, play DVDs and tailor lessons like never before. The screen, known as an interactive white board, is about 6½ feet wide, about the size of a standard classroom chalk board. Teachers use them to scan worksheets

Mark West says he constantly hears the sound of students typing on computer keyboards in his class. "Clackity, clackity, clackity, clackity - all day long," said the University of Michigan Law School professor who's banning laptop computers in his classrooms this school year. "Lawyers ought to be talking," he said. Professors like West increasingly must decide how to balance the benefits of

Community college rolls swell as the economy withers -- a cycle that brings to mind displaced factory workers going from textiles to high-tech in a computer classroom. This year, state community colleges are reporting unusually large growth. But a newer group also is driving the increase: high-school graduates hoping to earn a four-year degree for less money.

Truth be told, information and communication technology (ICT) makes the world go round these days. However, not all have been taking advantage of these tools of learning – specially people with special needs.... "Only a few realize the great benefits that computer-based technologies can afford students with disabilities," says Dr. Felina P. Espique of Saint Louis University (SLU) in Baguio City

A new out-of-hours service that allows pupils to receive homework tips from "virtual teachers" is being piloted in Scotland. Pupils from Alva Academy in Clackmannanshire will trial the so-called vodcasting system, with teachers of subjects including maths, music, and home economics recording videos recapping key points from lessons to help with homework. The videos will be posted on the school

Equations or graphs can explain what happens when atoms bump into each other, but a technology called haptics could help students know how it feels. A Purdue University researcher says haptic, or force-feedback, technology can be used in a variety of classroom subjects, especially in the sciences. Haptics involves the use of devices, much like joysticks, that allow the user to scan over objects

Eight nonprofit organizations will be able to expand the reach of their innovative, technology-based literacy programs across Massachusetts, as the result of $185,000 in grants from the Verizon Foundation. The grants, announced at an awards ceremony Sept. 22 at The Immigrant Learning Center Inc. in Malden, Mass., will support English as a Second Language (ESL) literacy programs throughout the

Text-message alert systems may be ineffective in the event of large-scale emergencies, suggests a new report by Patrick G. Traynor, an assistant professor in the School of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “In particular, because of the architecture of cellular networks, such systems will not be able to deliver a high volume of emergency messages in a short period of time,

Yet another cost-cutting process has begun with the laptop initiative starting in two departments. The university is getting pretty close to a fine line that should never be crossed at Eastern. The journalism department and communication disorders and sciences departments are requiring students to buy laptops with specific parameters for classroom purposes.... While there is a need to connect

Take a look at Sandwich High's Web site and you'll find scrolling pictures, daily announcements and a link to highlights of the 2008 prom. The redesigned site, launched last spring, was built from scratch by a group of students in an advanced Web design class offered at the school. This year, six of those students are working to keep it updated, posting announcements and events, editing pictures

What do Nobel Prize winners, broomball, National Public Radio, and BU ice hockey have in common? They’re all coming to an iPod near you, thanks to BU’s podcast service, which went live on iTunes earlier this month. The offerings are part of iTunesU, a menu of podcasts from more than 100 colleges and universities around the world. BU’s page has videos and audio slide shows from BU Today, taped

Educators don't appreciate students talking and texting, but they can't seem to stop them. Salli Robinson was first exposed to cell phones in the classroom when she taught health at Utah State University. Nothing, however, could prepare her for what she saw when she arrived at East High School. "Students walk down the hall, talk to their friends and text at the same time," said Robinson, a

Ervin Tolbert worked meticulously on his Mondrian-inspired drawing of lines and shapes in Barbara Abston's art classroom at Williams Technology Middle School.... When Ervin was finished with his work, Abston planned to post it on the Artsonia.com Web site, which bills itself as "the world's largest kid's art museum." Abston places all her students' works on the site, which she found about seven