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Schools throughout the country are experiencing the same teacher-driven adoption of technology tools. Internet-savvy teachers are increasingly finding tools to use in the classroom on their own, and lower business-startup costs mean the tools are more readily available. In response, many education companies are changing how they market and sell their products. Nationwide sales teams and central-office visits are giving way to word-of-mouth and sophisticated business-intelligence software as preferred methods for pushing adoption. Companies offer free products to teachers with the goal of influencing districtwide purchases of more-robust versions-known as the "freemium" pricing model. But in most sectors of the existing K-12 system-with its various stakeholders, budgetary restrictions, and procurement regulations- the so-called "consumerization" of education faces many barriers, experts say, making it difficult to find the right balance between selling directly to teachers and addressing the needs of central-office administrators.

Another piece on the transformative nature of iPads in classrooms. This one contains what might be my favorite quote so far: "Some say the iPad is the biggest technological innovation to hit schools since the overhead projector." It's also worth noting how many parents and administrators are quoted speaking in generalities. Kids will be able to "do this stuff;" it is the "beginning of the transformation of education as we know it;" and then there's the last line, which seems loaded with as much apprehension as optimism.

Arnie Duncan, Education Secretary, and Julius Genachowski, FCC Chairman, setting up an ambitious plan to get digital textbooks in schools within five years. This requires ccollaboration among the Government, business, and educators.

Lesson Capture and Technology in the service of education!

perspective on how the rush to collect and use data should focus on how it could help school administrator, not teachers. 

Students at Abilene Christian were given free Ipods. Administrators hope to study how professors can integrate them into course instruction.

I got my B.A. at ACU. I also went to the "ConnectEd" summit last year where they presented and discussed some of their preliminary research findings. Let me know if you are interested in more info!

Michael Horn, co-author of "Disrupting Class" and Executive Director for Education and the Innosight Institute, has agreed to do a live chat with me and Andrew Barras on Wednesday, September 29. Right now the time is looking like 12Noon EST. This is a great one-on-one interaction opportunity for teachers, education reformers, education administrators and anyone interested in the role that digital learning plays in the delivery of equity to every student in America.

Justin, would be great to post this on the lists you mention.

Sure, can you email me a short little blurb with a few more details-- confirming the time, the medium, the end time, the topic, etc.

schools are starting to concede to allowing cell phones in school -- hopefully grabbing some benefits from them soon...

Administrators finally realize cellphones can aid education

This is a captivating video made by a group called Iowa Future that was premiered at the 2011 School Administrators of Iowa Conference. Though it is aimed at Iowans in particular it is applicable to all of us as it highlights the staggering pace that the world has progressed to our current state of technological overload. It features shocking statistics about digital media use that are quite fascinating and applicable to the entire world.

Boston Public Library's online resource for parents and students. The 'schoolrooms' feature is useful in that an administrator can set up the pages so that students are guided to very specific websites within the larger U.S library network.

how one school is creating digital culture - cool 4 min video

A principal at one southern public high school discusses the place technology holds in the everyday lives of students, and how teachers, parents, and administrators need to honor this place.

"They (students) are digital natives. We are digital immigrants...Technology should be an integrated tool in education." ", said Ferguson, a doctoral student and principal of an elementary school in her talk on Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning for the 21st Century. Teacher are not the only source or learning for students, rather they are now facilitator of knowledge.

In general, these systems consist of a school photo ID card affixed to a lanyard that is worn around the student's neck. The ID has a RFID chip embedded in it. The tag includes a digit number assigned to each student. As a student enters the school or pass beneath a doorway equipped with an RFID reader, the tag ID is read, recorded and sent to a server in the school's administrative office. The captured data not only provides an attendance list (sent to the teacher's PDA), but tracks the student's movement throughout the day.

I like that it makes attendance easier to monitor but still seems kinda creepy...and there's always a way around those systems....

The possibility for MOOC's to gain some legitimacy by offering credit through the administration of a fee-based exam.

There is an "uncollege" movement that encourages people to complete college degrees by pursuing self-study, then taking CLEP exams to gain college credits. The problem has always been that many higher-priced/name-brand colleges (e.g. Harvard) don't accept CLEP credits, requiring students to pay for credits the old-fashioned way. I wonder whether established schools will accept credits from MOOC courses.

Very interesting resource about the importance of trust within implementation of educational initiatives.

blog post reiterating the importance of professional development support necessary for tech integration

"While the amount of technology school boards and administrators purchase increase with each passing year, the amount allotted for professional development for the teachers intended to use the technology has decreased or is non-existent."

Alas, NASA has almost no funding for the multiplayer game, and there is substantial opposition from internal leadership

The article highlighted the different agendas of the administrator (who brings the budget), educator (who is concerned with lesson objectives), and game designer (who wants to create an engaging game). I think that if students are not sufficiently engaged by the game, the educational objectives would probably not be delivered successfully either. If budget cuts ended up taking the fun out of an educational game, perhaps it might be worth rethinking if it should still be a game?

Matthew, you raise a good point. Users should be seen as stakeholders who can help improve the game in terms of both engagement and learning.

Identification badges for some students in both school districts now include tracking devices that allow campus administrators to keep tabs on students' whereabouts on campus. School leaders say the devices improve security and increase attendance rates.

The headline promises more than the article delivers. It mainly identifies the limited effectiveness that the federal government can have. There are no specific "how to's" here and no mention of technology whatsoever, perhaps because that would be too specific a focus for the scope of the article. These are prominent figures in a prominent publication having a conversation that could have taken place in 1980. How do we change that? The absence of real civic engagement on issues about education is the missing link in education reform. I wonder if we can organize public discourse on the internet more effectively to have formal impact on civic activism and administration.

"Yet one of the most significant things Sahlberg said passed practically unnoticed. "Oh," he mentioned at one point, "and there are no private schools in Finland." This notion may seem difficult for an American to digest, but it's true. Only a small number of independent schools exist in Finland, and even they are all publicly financed. None is allowed to charge tuition fees. There are no private universities, either. This means that practically every person in Finland attends public school, whether for pre-K or a Ph.D."

Equity in teaching education would be a good start.

I love this quote, too: 'As for accountability of teachers and administrators, Sahlberg shrugs. "There's no word for accountability in Finnish," he later told an audience at the Teachers College of Columbia University. "Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."' American's are SO good at blaming everything and everyone ELSE for what is wrong with education in this country. Good for Sahlberg. I might just have to move my family to Finland!