Tech & Learning Big Data is not bad pdf pdf

TECHLEARNING.COM

  I D E A S A N D T O O L S F O R E D T E C H L E A D E R S

   I M A R C H 2 0 1 4 I $ 6

  VOLUME 34 / NUMBER 8

  It’s just misunderstood.

  (See page 32) DIGITAL BADGES THE FUTURE OF PD See page 23 PUT TO THE TEST LEGO EDUCATION STORYSTARTER See page 18

  WHY WE STILL NEED LIBRARIANS See page 10 for more.

  The Total Common Core Solution BIG DATA ISN’T BAD

  To see more Tech & Learning scan the code or visit us online at: www.techlearning. com/mar14 active passive public private digital analog formal informal calm energetic social quiet choice the new library focused alone together engaged relaxed observant focused innovative traditional brainstorm contemplative collaborative

  Today’s students demand choices, requiring libraries to offer a range of spaces to support the many ways they learn. Steelcase works with the world’s leading educational institutions to create multipurpose, high-performance destinations for all of the places learning happens. Find out more at steelcase.com/libraries ©2013 Steelcase Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks used herein are the property of Steelcase Inc. or of their respective owners.

  M a r c h

  2

  1 4 |

  V O L .

  3

  4 N O .

  8 CONTENTS FEATURES

  THERE’S A BADGE FOR THAT

  23

23 By Richard Ferdig and Kristine E. Pytash

  Digital badges have captured the imagination of many educators because they have proven to be an important way to demonstrate a shared understanding of accomplished outcomes.

32 SCHOOL CIO: WHO’S AFRAID OF BIG DATA?

  By Dr. Steven Rubenstein

  Big data is overwhelming, but it can also furnish important information about individual students, schools, and districts. Here is how one district created a school system and culture to embrace data as a partner in learning.

SCHOOL CIO: BACK OFFICE BUSINESS

  36

  38 TECH TOOLS FOR ASSESSING THE “SOFT” SKILLS By Cathy Swan

  Should schools teach “soft” skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking? Most colleges and workplaces believe the answer is yes. This article provides a variety of examples of tech tools that can help you teach and

  16 assess these skills.

  PRODUCTS

  16 PUT TO THE TEST: T&L EDITORS TAKE SOME NEW PRODUCTS FOR A TEST DRIVE.

  16 Digital Passport: Classroom Edition

  18 LEGO StoryStarter Curriculum Pack

  20 HotSeat’s Edustation flight simulator

  22 Adobe Creative Cloud WHAT’S NEW

  42 DEPARTMENTS & Scan here to access the digital edition,

  22 COLUMNS which includes additional resources.

4 EDITORS DESK:

GET ON WITH THE SHOWS

6 NEWS & TRENDS

•   This Ain’t Your 70s Snow Day

  38

•   Why We Still Need Librarians •  Considering New Learning _{Copyright ©2014 NewBay Media, LLC All Rights Reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tech & Learning, PO Box 8746, Lowell, MA 01853 NewBay Media, LLC 28 East 28th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016 Tech & Learning (ISSN-1053-6728) (USPS 695-590) is published monthly by}

  Spaces

  W W W . T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 |

  EDITOR’S note

  M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | V O L . 3 4 N O . 8 Publisher: Allison Knapp aknapp@nbmedia.com; (650) 238-0318; Fax: (650) 238-0263

  EDITORIAL Editorial Director: Kevin Hogan khogan@nbmedia.com Managing Editor: Christine Weiser cweiser@nbmedia.com

  GET ON WITH Editorial Intern: Clea Mahoney Senior Art Director: Nicole Cobban ncobban@nbmedia.com Associate Art Director: Walter Makarucha, Jr.

  Contributing Editors: Judy Salpeter, Gwen Solomon Custom Editorial Director: Gwen Solomon gwensol@earthlink.net

  THE SHOWS SchoolCIO@nbmedia.com SchoolCIO Editor: Ellen Ullman

  ADVISORS David Warlick, Patrick Higgins, David Andrade, Dean Shareski, Kim Cofino, Darren Draper,

  hat a way to start the year! The Tech & Learning

  Terry Freedman, Cheryl Oakes, Bob Sprankle, Lisa Thumann,

  team has been on the road and even “across the

  Jen Wagner, Lisa Nielsen, Ben Grey, Michael Gorman, Henry Thiele, Özge Karaog ˘lu, Kevin Jarrett, Kyle Pace, Steven W.

  pond” these past few weeks, keeping up with

  Anderson, Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, Vicki Windman, David

  what could be called edtech’s show season. Kapuler, Jenith Mishne, Joyce Valenza First up was our own Tech Forum in Long

  TECHLEARNING.COM

  Beach, with an inspirational keynote by Dr. Assistant Web Editor: Diana Restifo Alec Couros (couros.ca/cv/), and an insightful panel that included

  ADVERTISING SALES W

  LA CIO Ron Chandler discussing that little iPad pilot you may have Business Development Manager: Katie Sullivan

  ksullivan@nbmedia.com

  heard about. You can watch it yourself at our Livestream channel

  MARKETING AND EVENTS (www.livestream.com/techlearning).

  Marketing Manager: Jared Stearns jstearns@nbmedia.com

  Then we spent a week in London for BETT, the granddaddy of

  Director of Events: Diana Milbert diana@dmeventspro.com

  edtech shows. More than 40,000 educators from across the planet shared best practices in panel

  Production Manager: Nicole Spell nspell@nbmedia.com

  sessions, which included one hosted by our UK advisor Terry Freedman. Meanwhile, in Philly,

  CIRCULATION

  managing editor Christine Weiser was reporting on

  Group Director, Audience Development: Meg Estevez mestevez@nbmedia.com T&L advisor Chris Lehmann’s Educon (educonphilly.

  org), which is a sort of Davos for edugeeks. Finally, we

  LIST RENTAL (914) 925-2449; danny.grubert@lakegroupmedia.com

  all gathered in Austin, TX, for the Texas Computer Education Association show and to celebrate our own

  REPRINTS AND PERMISSIONS Wright’s Media: newbay@wrightsmedia.com; (877) 652-5295

  Awards of Excellence. You can read about all of these events plus some takeaways from this year’s Florida

  BESIDES THE EMERGING EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICES

  28 East 28th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016

  Education Technology Conference on pages 14 and 15 MAKER MOVEMENT

  Phone: (212) 378-0400; Fax: (650) 238-0263 AND EDUCATION APP and online at techlearning.com.

  For general editorial correspondence: MARKET, I SAW NOTHING techlearning_editors@nbmedia.com

  So what’s the next “Big Thing” to come out of all

  MUCH NEW IN THE WAY

  these shows? Besides the emerging Maker Movement

  NEWBAY MEDIA LLC—CORPORATE OF HARDWARE AND

  President & CEO: Steve Palm

  and education app market, I saw nothing much new

  SOFTWARE. WHAT Chief Financial Officer: Paul Mastronardi

  in the way of hardware and software. What I did

  I DID FIND EXCITING Vice President of Production & Manufacturing:

  find exciting were the new and innovative ways that

  Bill Amstutz bamstutz@nbmedia.com WERE THE NEW AND

  Vice President of Digital Media: Robert Aames educators are learning to use current technologies.

  INNOVATIVE WAYS Vice President of Audience Development:

  Next stops—SXSWedu back in Austin, TX and Tech

  THAT EDUCATORS Denise Robbins drobbins@nbmedia.com

  Forum in Atlanta on March 28, featuring longtime

  ARE LEARNING Vice President of Content & Marketing: Anthony Savona

  School CIO advisor Carl Hooker as keynote speaker. TO USE CURRENT

  NEWBAY MEDIA K-12 EDUCATION GROUP TECHNOLOGIES.

  We look forward to seeing you online or in real time soon.

  Executive Vice President/Group Publisher: Adam Goldstein Publisher: Allison Knapp Editorial Director: Kevin Hogan Online Production Manager: Rob Granger

  — Kevin Hogan

  Web Production Specialist: Ashley Vermillion

  Editorial Director

  Web Director: Ragan Whiteside

  khogan@nbmedia.com

  SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION $29.95 per year in the U.S. $59.90 for two years.

  $39.95 in Canada and Mexico. $69.95 in all other countries.

  To subscribe: (888) 266-5828 or www.techlearning.com www.techlearning.com | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | W W W . T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M

  IF YOUR DATA NETWORK WAS A STUDENT,

WHAT GRADE

  The fact is, many school communications networks are falling behind. Comcast Business Ethernet solutions keep you ahead because they’re built for education. t $POOFDU ZPVS TDIPPMT XJUI EJTUSJDU XJEF communication infrastructure. t 4DBMF GSPN .CQT UP (CQT t 4FBNMFTTMZ TVQQPSU EBUB JOUFOTJWF DPOUFOU MJLF

  F UFYUCPPLT WJEFP BOE EJTUBODF MFBSOJOH t #BDLFE CZ TFSWJDF

BUSINESS.COMCAST.COM/EDUCATION

  866-429-2241 Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas.

1 Making 1:1 Work

  6 Animated Atlas: Growth of a Nation A review of the growth of the U.S. from the Revolutionary

War until all the states

were added in 1959.

7 Favorite Student Apps & Tools

  

F I N D L I N K S AT W W W.T E C H L E A R N I N G .CO M / M A R 1 4

  10 WEB STORIES From techlearning.com

  10 Top 100 Sites and Apps of 2013 David Kapuler cites digital storytelling as one of the most prominent themes in this year’s list. top

  9 Send Them on Learning Missions Shelly Terrell stopped giving her students homework and began to give them a choice of missions and challenges.

  8 Survey: Americans Concerned about Use of Students’ Personal Data Common Sense Media released a survey showing adults are concerned about how students’ personal data may be used to market to them.

  At Tech Forum California, students from elementary through high school shared their favorite apps and tools.

  | M A R C H 2 01 4 | W W W . T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M NEWS AND TRENDS

  

T H E L A T E S T N E W S & S T A T S A F F E C T I N G T H E K - 1 2 E D T E C H C O M M U N I T Y

NEWS AND TRENDS

  6 Must-Have Evernote iPad Apps and Chrome Extensions J Robinson lists additional extensions and tablet apps that make Evernote even more useful and versatile for the school leader and classroom teacher.

  4

  3 Google Adds More to Play Google Play for Education announced a new aspect of their content distribution strategy—digital books.

  2 New Study Says MOOCs Have Few Active Users A new study from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education reveals some interesting findings related to MOOCs.

  Ellen Ullman checked in with some 1:1 districts to get their insight into what makes these initiatives strong and how they can be sustained.

  —Pernille Ripp If your school, and your school day, is not about students collaborating, connecting, and building knowledge and understandings together, why would anyone come? —Scott McLeod @geraldaungst: Improvements coming to E-rate for libraries and schools. More funds, emphasis on broadband. http://aungst. me/1fIhsRJ @henrythiele: School on snow days? Thank technology - Chicago Tribune http://tinyurl.com/ o6uxksw @rroysden: Inquiry Driven: Ask questions we don’t know the answers to! Dare kids to ask questions! @chrislehmann

  —Rob Miller Part of being a strong leader is allowing yourself to trust others to do their best, even if their idea sounds a little crazy.

  

T H E L A T E S T N E W S & S T A T S A F F E C T I N G T H E K - 1 2 E D T E C H C O M M U N I T Y

We should be designing our instruction and teaching our students to use a wide selection of digital tools that best fits within their learning style.

  5 Product Review: Britannica Pathways: Science MaryAnn Karre reviews this online, interactive approach to teaching the scientific method. Lenses and accessories shown are not included

Shoot the next Hollywood blockbuster with the

world’s most amazing digital cinema camera!

  The world’s most mind blowing feature fi lms, television commercials and music Film Industry Quality videos look amazing because they are fi lmed with digital fi lm cameras! The new Every feature of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera has been award winning Blackmagic Cinema Camera is unlike a regular video camera or designed for quality. With 2 separate models, you can choose _™ DSLR camera because it’s a true high end digital fi lm camera! You get a true from the world’s most amazing EF or MFT lenses from crafters such as Canon , _™ Hollywood cinematic look with 13 stops of dynamic range, interchangeable _® Zeiss and more. For extreme high end work, you can shoot full 12 bit lenses, high quality RAW and ProRes fi le recording plus much more! CinemaDNG RAW uncompressed fi les for incredible creative range in DaVinci

  Resolve color correction, as well as the world’s best chroma keying! Dramatically Better than DSLR Video Accessories Built In The Blackmagic Cinema Camera includes a large 2.5K sensor High end cinema cameras often require thousands of dollars of for super sharp images that eliminate resolution loss HD bayer sensors suffer from, while creating manageable fi les that are extra accessories to make them work, however the Blackmagic Cinema Camera includes accessories you need built in! You not too big! The large screen LCD allows easy focusing and the high speed SSD _{® ®} recorder lets you record in ProRes , DNxHD and RAW fi le formats for Final Cut get a large 5 inch monitor, super fast SSD RAW recorder and professional audio recorder all built in! You also get UltraScope software, used via the built in Pro X and DaVinci Resolve! _™ Thunderbolt connection, for on set waveform monitoring!

  Super Wide Dynamic Range The Blackmagic Cinema Camera captures an incredible 13 stops Blackmagic Cinema Camera of dynamic range so you can simultaneously capture the brightest

  $ highlights and the darkest shadows all at the same time into the

  1,995 recorded fi le! This means you capture more of the scene than a regular video Includes DaVinci Resolve Software camera can so you get more freedom for color correction for a feature fi lm look! You also get a full copy of DaVinci Resolve!

  Learn more today www.blackmagicdesign.com/cinemacamera

NEWS AND TRENDS

  this ain’t your

SITE WE

  1970’s snow day _{JO LIKE} It’s been a rough winter for much of the country, but _SIEPHO

  WWW.MICROSOFT.COM/ inclement weather doesn’t mean the learning stops. _S/IS SECURITY/SAFERONLINE/ Here are tools many schools used to keep lessons rolling _{OCKPHO T} anytime, anywhere:

  Google Apps for Education: * Had a small-group _{T /THINK O} activity in mind for room 218, period 3? Set up a Google Doc and have students answer questions collaboratively _{OCK T S} from home. If you have a presentation all ready for a “live” class, throw it up to a shared class folder.

• * Twitter #Chats: Use push notifications to send out

  reminders, reading links, or review questions for students. Use class hashtags to help students easily find relevant info, or create a class Twitter account. Set up a live #chat when you are available to answer questions.

  Microsoft launched the Google Forms: Google Forms can be turned into quizzes *

  Safer Online site to spread simply by asking content-specific questions. Or they can be designed more like a handout the word about online where students answer/practice/reflect on topic areas you wanted to cover face to face. safety and encourage

• * G+ Communities: Create a G+ Community for just your class. This makes a group page

  people to “Do 1 Thing” to where you can upload readings, videos, and links and have students comment on them. help make the Internet a

  Try a HangOut: * Feeling like a live chat? Set up a Google Hangout on Air. The added benefit is safer place. this records the discussion for later viewing. —Jennifer LaMaster, CIO Advisor

  T&L READER

  In the Never past year

  SURVEY 4%

  4%

  In the

  WHEN WAS THE past month 9%

  Just today

LAST TIME YOU

  33% DOWNLOADED AN EDUCATION

  In the

  APP?

  past week

  50% _TO/THINK STOCK

F O R M O R E S U R V E YS , V I S I T W W W.T E C H L E A R N I N G .CO M /AU G 1 3

_{SCANRAIL/IS TOCKPHO}

  | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | w w w . t e c h l e a r n i n g . c o m

  “How did it get so late so soon?” – Dr. Seuss

  12

  9

  3

  6 With a finite amount of hours in a school day, instruction time is more valuable than ever. While we can’t stop time,

Stoneware’s products can help you maximize teaching during the school day. Learn how LanSchool and

webNetwork can save you 10 minutes per class in recovered time. That's an additional 150 teaching hours per year. webNetwork / LanSchool For more information about how these award winning products can help address everything from assessment to increasing access to educational resources, visit www.stone-ware.com.

NEWS AND TRENDS

  6 CONSIDERATIONS FOR NEW LEARNING SPACES Steelcase recently released the white paper, Technology- Empowered Learning: Six Spatial Insights, which examined ways that technological advances have redefined the classroom and the design of learning environments. The report identified the following six insights to help educators consider spatial responses to tech integration: ■ Person-to-person connections remain essential for successful learning.

• * Envision the role of school librarians as extending

• * Consider how funding the role of the school
• * Recognize how the library and the technology within
• * Share how the collaboration, professional development, and instruction provided by the school librarian are integral to the digital learning transition.
• * Continue learning to be leaders in the digital learning transition and experts who

• * Lead and model the potential of the library itself as a hub of digital learning and

  | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | W W W . T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M

  RESOURCES FOR DIGITAL LITERACY Tree Octopus Dog Island Free Forever spoof site Digital Literacies Venn Diagram

  R E A D S H E L L E Y T E R R E L L’ S CO M P L E T E L I ST AT T E C H L E A R N I N G .CO M / M A R 1 3

  ■ Technology is supporting richer face-to-face interactions and higher-level cognitive learning.

  ■ Integrating technology into classrooms mandates flexibility and activity-based spatial planning.

  For more details, visit techlearning.com/mar13 WHY WE STILL NEED LIBRARIANS In a recent report, Leading In and Beyond the Library, by digital learning and technology consultants Mary Ann Wolf and Rachel Jones, the following suggestions were made for policymakers and boards of education:

  beyond the physical space of the library and being more than the keepers of books and reference materials and consider the critical knowledge and skills that school librarians bring to the digital learning transition.

  librarian is also supporting teachers, students, and administrators in the digital learning transition.

  the library are essential to providing students with access to the Internet and research and learning guidance and to leveling the playing field for students without access to the Internet or devices at home, especially outside of regular school hours. This same report made the following suggestions for librarians:

  can provide professional development, implement new tools and resources, and guide teachers, students, and administrators.

  the connection to rich and diverse content, and create a makerspace designed and positioned to meet the needs of students and teachers.

  R E A D M O R E AT T E C H L E A R N I N G .CO M / M A R 1 3

  ■ Spatial boundaries are loosening. ■ Spaces must be designed to capture and stream information. ■ High-tech and low-tech will coexist.

  

Data Collection for

the Wireless Generation

ONLY

  $75 ™

  

Meet Go Wireless Temp from Vernier

Vernier introduces Go Wireless Temp. This rugged, stainless-steel

temperature probe is the first in a series of wireless sensors that

_®

communicates directly with your iPad . It’s completely wireless,

affordable, and backed by Vernier’s legendary support.

  

For complete details go to www.vernier.com/gw-temp

Vernier Software & Technology | www.vernier.com | Toll Free: 888-VERNIER (888-837-6437)

NEWS AND TRENDS

  

The first two months of the year is a busy season for edtech events. From the TCEA to

BETT to FETC, Tech&Learning was on the scene. Here are some of the best bits.

TOP 10 FETC 2014 TAKEAWAYS

  By Jodi SamSinak Every student has the right to ask, “Why are we doing this?” and “How does this relate to my future?” if we can’t answer these

  1 critical questions, it’s time to take a step back.

  nothing lasts forever, except your social media posts. keep teaching digital citizenship.

  2 Every teacher needs to leave a digital footprint. our students

  should have access to our content 24/7. This isn’t only for

  3 students, but for our stakeholders as well.

  Collaboration is critical. We’re no longer working in an environment where we can choose to work alone.

  4 Social media is not a bad word. in the past, education and social

  media have not blended.  at FETC, presenters showed us that

  5 they can and must go hand in hand.

  Social media is great, but it’s also great to turn it off. Wherever you are, be present. Set a time limit for yourself and your students.

  6

  kids aren’t just texting anymore. They’re taking pictures…in your class! So why not let them take pictures and incorporate apps like

  7

  instagram into your curriculum? Before they write about the content, ask them to storyboard it with digital imagery. our schools are still the place where kids use technology the least. if

  T&L CELEBRATES AWARDS

  we’re preparing them for a tech future, then we better be preparing

  8

  them by using the tools that they’ll need for success in their future. OF EXCELLENCE AT TCEA a fine time was had by all at Tech&Learning’s awards of it’s not what i learned at FETC (or at any conference), it’s who i

  Excellence reception, which is held every year in conjunction connected with. Establishing, supporting, and growing your PLn

  9

  with the Texas Computer Education association’s conference is important. in austin. more than 70 education technology products were no app can replace a great teacher! Even at FETC, where i was recognized as winners. Honored software, hardware, network, surrounded by Google Glass, Tobii eye mobile (eye tracking

  10

  and Web gear included innovative applications that break new mouse), sketchnoting, and other amazing apps, the overwhelming ground as well as those that added significant enhancements takeaway is that no technology will ever replace us. to proven education tools. a panel of more than 30 educators,

  Jodi Samsinak, an iB English teacher at ozark High School in ozark, who tested more than 150 entries, chose the winners. We look missouri. Read Jodi’s full post at www.techlearning.com/mar14 forward to even more new great edtech coming out in 2014.

  | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | W W W . T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M

NEWS AND TRENDS

  CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING OPENS AT SCIENCE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

  In January, Science Leadership Academy (SLA) and The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia announced a partnership with Dell that will make the school the first in the nation to deploy the Dell Chromebook 11 as part of its new “Center of Excellence in Learning.” This Center will go beyond a 1:1 Chromebook deployment. Thanks to more than $620,000 in grant money and education technology from Dell, the Center this grant is that it not only brings technology will also enable SLA to share its well-known model of to our school, but allows us to create the Center inquiry-based learning with schools around the country of Excellence. This funding will allow us to invite through real-time and online professional development educators from all over the world to come see opportunities. what we do. The technology is used in service of our inquiry-driven, project-based curriculum. This is a very specific

  “The Center for Excellence at Science Leadership Academy is kind of teaching and learning, and our hope is that this partnership going to involve a number of different things—not the least will allow us to reach more educators and bring what we do at of which is that we are moving our 1:1 program to the Dell

  SLA to other districts.” Chromebook,” says principal Chris Lehmann. “What differentiates

BETT PANEL: MEASURING WHAT MATTERS

  At the recent BETT show, Tech & Learning decided to take on the topic of “Measuring What Matters: Soft Skills Made Visible” at a Learn Live panel discussion. The panel included T&L U.K. advisor Terry Freedman of www. ictineducation.org, as well as professors, teachers, and consultants from the U.S. and England. The conversation revealed some interesting observations.

  ■ Margaret Cox, a professor who has done a lot of

  research on assessment, said, “It [is] crucial to build in time and opportunities for students to reflect on what they [have] learned. She also said, “It [is] crucial to measure the right things,” and she pointed out that students might have learned something completely different than what you, as the teacher, had intended

  ■ Sacha van Straten, a high school teacher from England, asked: for them to learn.

  “Why not use a Google Doc to capture a discussion and Google Analytics to track the conversations that take place there?

  ■ Paul Hutton, a consultant from England, spoke about the joy

  Given that kids are learning socially, does assessment even of programming, and talked about the excitement that kids matter?” experience when learning and technology come together:

  “Skills like collaboration are not new at all, and our kids must

  ■ Crispin Weston, a consultant from England, also questioned

  learn how to fail.” our assessment practices: “Are we measuring performance or capability? Examinations provide only a snapshot at a certain

  ■ Megan Power, a kindergarten teacher from the U.S., said,

  point in time.” “Youngsters must be taught to be thinkers, and these so-called ‘soft skills’ must be built into the curriculum.” She also

  Overall, each member of the panel made excellent points. And emphasized the need to provide children with opportunities to while people may not have left with all the answers, at least they solve problems rather than slavishly following a textbook. knew that they were not the only ones asking the questions!

  W W W . T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 |

NEWS AND TRENDS

  CONVERSATIONS FCC BOSS ON FROM THE

E-RATE REFORM

  In his first blog post, FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly recently posted the following

TECH FORUM

  guideposts that he believes must be reflected in E-Rate reform: LIVESTREAM ■ E-Rate must not increase costs for consumers.

  ■ E-Rate must be refocused on broadband access.

  ARCHIVE ■ E-Rate matching requirements must be made consistent with other federal programs.

  ■ E-Rate funding must leverage the private sector networks and services, not overbuild

  them. 

  ■ E-Rate funding should provide schools with the flexibility to choose the speeds that

  best meet their needs. 

  ■ E-Rate program administration must be revised.   R E A D T H E F U L L B LO G AT T E C H L E A R N I N G .CO M / M A R 1 3

  1:1 & BYO Tips STUDY REVEALS PARENTS SEE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT FOR EDUCATIONAL MEDIA _MOODBO A national survey of parents of children ages 2-10 by The Joan _ARD Ganz Cooney Center finds that _/THINK more than half of parents believe _{OCK T S} that learning from mobile devices falls short compared to other

  Embracing platforms. Other key findings

  Common Core of the Learning at Home study include:

  Two- to four-year-olds * spend more time per day on educational media than any other age group: 1 hour 16 minutes for ages 2-4, 50 minutes for ages 5-7, and 42 minutes for ages 8-10. Television continues to dominate, according to parents, with children spending * an average of 42 minutes a day with educational TV compared to 5 minutes with educational content on mobile devices and computers. Even among those who use educational content on each platform weekly, learning

• * from mobile lags behind TV: 39 percent say their child has learned “a lot” about any

  Open Education

  Resources subject from mobile compared to 52 percent for TV.

  S E E M O R E AT R E A D T H E CO M P L E T E R E P O R T AT T E C H L E A R N I N G .CO M / M A R 1 3 W W W. L I V E ST R E A M .CO M / T E C H L E A R N I N G

  | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | W W W . T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M now includes support for Classroom management Chromebooks and iOS/Android tablets

  Monitor entire classroom - Remote control students - Block internet Surveys - Send messages - Broadcast teacher’s screen - Class registration Complete Classroom Management Including support for Tablet and Smartphone Multi-platform support for for Windows and beyond versions for teachers Win, Mac, and Linux classrooms iOS/Android tablets

  

NetSupport School Classroom technology is evolving ... but is your classroom management software

Classroom Management for keeping pace? Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, iOS and Android

  Equipping your IT labs with the latest technology is one thing; ensuring teachers have the tools to effectively support and manage students in today’s multi-platform learning environments can be quite another. With NetSupport’s award-winning classroom management software, a host of monitoring, instruction, and assessment tools combines with support for Windows (including Windows 8), Google Chromebooks, iOS/ Android tablets and Mac and Linux desktops to deliver the answers to all your classroom challenges. And with our free-to-download tablet and smartphone version for teachers, you can even manage your NetSupport- managed classroom on the move.

  Learn more and download a free classroom trial at www.netsupportschool.com w: www.netsupportschool.com |

  e: education@netsupport-inc.com | t: 1-888-665-0808 (Toll Free)

PRODUCT REVIEWS

OVERALL RATING:

  ■  retail price: ipad & android app: $3.99 FOR MORE OF THE LATEST PRODUCT RELEASES, VISIT US ONLINE AT TEchLEarNING.cOM.

  D

  igital Passport for iOS and Android is an expansion of the Web-based game that helps students in 3rd-5th grades learn skills around being safe, smart, and responsible online. Based on lessons from Common Sense Media’s K-12 digital literacy and citizenship curriculum, Digital Passport uses games and videos to address online safety and security, cyberbullying, responsible cellphone use, safe searching, and respecting creative work. Students learn and advance through topic areas, collecting badges at their own pace, to ultimately earn their digital passports.

  Quality and Effectiveness: Not only is Digital Passport a

  good mobile app for learning online safety skills, it’s perfect for meeting CIPA needs. Because it is loaded onto their mobile devices, students learn appropriate online behavior at home and teachers can use it to flip their classrooms.

  The app includes an educational portal that allows educators to track and generate student reports to assess their learning and helps schools meet E-Rate and CIPA requirements.

  Digital Passport is an essential app to use when teaching students the importance of online cybersafety.

  

T E C H & L E A R N I N G E D I T O R S T A K E S O M E N E W P R O D U C T S F O R A T E S T D R I V E

  DIGITAL PASSPORT: CLASSROOM EDITION www.digitalpassport.org/educator-registration 

TOP FEATURES

• • Importance and Subject Matter: The app focuses on online safety for students, which is a requirement of CIPA compliance. • Educational Portal: Digital Passport allows educators to track student progress and generate reports. • Innovative Use of Technology: The app combines videos and animated characters to create a fun environment for students to learn essential skills.

  an essential tool for technology educators to use in their curricula. It’s very easy to use, tracks student progress, and generates reports. Also, Digital Passport qualifies for Apple’s Volume Purchasing Program, which allows for big discounts when purchasing apps in bulk.

  | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | W W W . T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M By David Kapuler

  Designed for kids in 3rd-5th grades, Digital Passport uses videos to explain the different elements of being a digitally responsible student. There are five lessons for each student to take (communication, privacy, bullying, safe Web surfing, and creative credit). These lessons are broken up into three progressive stages to ensure that the students become more successful as they complete each stage and learn the corresponding lesson. There is also a helpful Web site and forum for parents and educators looking for help implementing Digital Passport in their classrooms.

  Ease of Use:

  Creative Use of Technology: Digital Passport uses an inviting combination of video and cartoon animations to teach cybersafety. Suitability for Use in a School Environment: This app should be ARE YOU MAKING A DIFFERENCE ?

  

Tell us how you lead by using technology in education. Enter yourself, or a

colleague, in Tech & Learning’s 2014 Leader of the Year Program.

  

Tech & Learning is once again honoring K-12 educators who use technology in innovative

ways and whose ideas have made a significant impact on their school community and beyond. We invite you to share your teaching, training, and managing success stories with our judges. Winners will be profiled in T&L’s June Leadership issue, gain national recognition -- and will be honored at a gala celebration at ISTE ‘14 in Atlanta!

CONTEST OPENS MARCH 1, 2014

  

Visit www.techlearning.com/section/LeaderOfTheYear to enter

sponsored by

PRODUCT REVIEWS

  ■ www.legoeducation.us/storystarter   retail price: $237.95 (Classroom pack) By Kevin, Phineas, and Theodore Hogan

  esigned for use in second through fifth grades, LEGO Education StoryStarter is a hands- on learning tool that enhances students’ reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. One set contains enough elements to equip up to five students with everything they need to start constructing their

  D own stories.

  Quality and Effectiveness: Have LEGO

  bricks ever been cooler? The classic building toy can now be part of everyday classroom work and can even be tied to standards, thanks to the StoryStarter curriculum packages. The lesson plans, objectives, and rubrics teachers would describe as the “LEGO Factor”—hundreds, if not are meant to guide teachers toward building physical, mental, and thousands, of tiny plastic pieces that will inevitably find the floor. The digital literacies, all while having fun. While not the perfect solution, Core set does come with a tub designed to store the various pieces but StoryStarter comes close to fulfilling the promise of gamification. our reviewers never seemed to get a handle on this concept.

  Ease of Use: You’d be hard pressed to find a kid who is not Creative Use of Technology: StoryStarter effectively bridges the comfortable with LEGO. The challenge comes with the additional tactile with the digital and creative fun with rigor and assessment.

  element of working with StoryStarter. Students are led into Logging on to the software is simple and the basic tools are intuitive. conversation about creating characters and scenes and plots. They Our student reviewers took right to it, although they needed help then create scenes using the specialized LEGO pieces. transferring and editing images and text. All curriculum material is available as PDF and it is well written. The software is a true tool. Here’s where it gets tricky. Using a Web cam, digital camera, or smart Students weren’t so much “playing on the computer” as “making device, students can then take images of their creations and import stories.” them into the software or application. Students then turn into desktop publishers—using a variety Suitability for Use in a School Environment: of graphic design tools, they are charged with

  How effective these projects could be depends

  

TOP FEATURES

creating dialogue, editing images, and learning heavily upon class size and access to technology.

• • The huge popularity of LEGO makes it an

  obvious draw for students to engage with in

  basic layout design. While this product is LEGO bricks are great but messy. And keeping class. marketed for grades 2-5, we found our fifth-grade students on task could be a real challenge. The reviewer more inclined to use the software, with lesson plans and rubrics are descriptive and

• • The software tools are simple and intuitive, making the bridge between physical and digital

  the second grader more intent on just building solid. As long as the teacher has a good grasp play seamless. with LEGO bricks. on multimedia skills and a keen imagination,

• • The curriculum materials are well written and

  StoryStarter should be a great addition to a easy to follow. Of course, we can’t deny what most parents and classroom.

  | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | W W W . T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M Visit the

K-12 Blueprint Web Site!

The newly designed K-12 Blueprint website provides dynamic, just in time planning

resources for the busy ed-tech professional.

  The K-12 Blueprint offers resources for education leaders involved in planning and implementing technology initiatives. These include:

• Case studies from schools and districts involved in one-to-one and other technology- supported initiatives.
• Practical tips from K-12 leaders and practitioners.
• White papers, technology briefs and a variety of helpful publications from Intel, easily accessible in one place.

  PLUS: Toolkits available now including:

• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD);
• Educational Technology Policy;
• Planning for Digital Content;
• ICT Program Evaluation; • and Common Core Standards Evaluation.

  Check out the new and improved site today. If you like what you see, we invite you to bookmark us, save and share your favorite Blueprint resources using the site’s new virtual briefcase, and subscribe to our twice-monthly newsletter to receive updates on what’s new. www.k12blueprint.com

  BROUGHT Follow us on Twitter @k12blueprint TO YOU BY:

PRODUCT REVIEWS

  HOTSEAT CHASSIS EDUSTATION FLIGHT SIMULATOR ■ http://hotseatsim.com   retail price: $3,395 By Frank Pileiro

  otSeat’s Edustation flight simulator is a realistic and full-featured flight simulator that is designed to integrate into all areas of STEM education. It is one of several models sold by the company. This particular model is designed for middle and high school students. It is self-contained and mobile so it can be shared among teachers in a variety of subjects.

  H OVERALL

  Quality and Effectiveness: The Edustation is well built and easily RATING: HotSeat

  moved. The controls are sturdy and when they are combined with

  Chassis Edustation

  the large screen and headphones, it is easy to get a real-life flight

  is a very innovative use of flight simulator

  experience. The system is truly a plug-and-play model that gets you

  technology that makes

  up and running quickly. Everything is self-contained, so you just

  it fun to learn more need to plug it in, start up the computer, and open the software. about STEM subjects.

  Ease of Use: The real power behind this product lies in the