K-12 Computing Blueprint News - April 2010

Welcome to the April issue of the K-12 Computing Blueprint newsletter. This newsletter and the K-12 Computing Blueprint site are brought to you by Intel and Tech & Learning magazine. If, for any reason, you do not want to receive this monthly eNewsletter, please visit your custom subscription management page (the link is at the bottom of this email), and feel free to unsubscribe to this mailing.

Banning or Welcoming?

Two years ago when we polled our readers on cell phones in the classroom we received lots of interesting responses. Of the 106 people who took the July, 2008, Quick Poll, 2/3 of you were agreed that, “Cell phones have no place in the classroom except for emergencies.”

Do you still feel that way? What about iPods or other handheld devices? Where does your school or district come down on cell phones, iPods and other “consumer devices” in the classroom these days? Are they banned? Allowed on rare occasions “just for fun”? Frequently incorporated into classroom lessons for educational purposes? Take this month’s Quick Poll to let us know.

Coming Soon to a Community Near You

Check out these one-day events: “Practical Strategies for Digital Learning Environments,” brought to you by HP and Intel, and Jumpstart 2010 put on by Michigan’s One-to-One Institute. Here’s where you’ll find them.

DLE Events

Denver, CO: April 29

Minneapolis, MN: May 5

Raleigh, NC: May 11

Jumpstart 2010 Novi, Michigan: April 26

New Research on the Impact of 1:1

K12 Computing Blueprint’s news editor reports on a series of articles from The Journal of Technology Learning and Assessmentexamining four empirical studies of one-to-one laptop programs. The studies cover a wide variety of settings: high-need middle schools in Texas, fourth grade English Language Arts classes in a suburban California school, high school science classes in three different high-tech schools, and a middle-school wireless initiative in Massachusetts. Among the researchers’ findings:

• The one-to-one programs resulted in student engagement levels as well as increased student and teacher technology use;

• A key to success is ensuring that students have computers outside of school as well as in the classroom;

• One-to-one implementations challenge traditional teaching approaches and must be supported by sustained and effective professional development;

• Moderate gains in standardized tests have been reported in many 1:1 settings but many researchers believe that the learning that takes place in such programs is not easily measured by standardized tests.

Read more about this research. Or check out the K-12 Blueprint “Research Watch” page to learn about a variety of other one-to-one programs and the results they are seeing.

We invite you to download two recently-revised publications from the K12 Computing Blueprint series:
The K-12 Computing Blueprint for eLearning Initiatives
This publication provides an overview for building effective and ambitious K-12 technology initiatives – ones that are based on real-world successes and that take into account the complex array of variables that impact schools today.

Digital Content in the K-12 Classroom
What is the future of print textbooks? What is happening with state adoptions, open-source curriculum resources and social media in the classroom? Learn how schools today are using rich digital content to prepare students for their future.

Headlines

Making the Case for Online Learning
The Alliance for Excellent Education touts online learning as a way to address current educational crises.

Making 1:1 Work
An article from T&L's School CIO focuses on advice from one-to-one pioneers in Maine and California.

Games for Learning
Tabula Digita announces a new partnership and a series of tournaments built around the DimensionM multiplayer games.

Intel Talent Search Winners Announced
Students from around the country win cash prizes and recognition for innovative approaches to solving challenging problems.

A Conversation with Jerry Weast
In an interview with T&L, the superintendent of Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools describes his district's journey from low-tech to technology-infused.

Become Part of the K-12 Computing Blueprint Community
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