Social Books Unlock Reader’s Voice and and Provide Opportunity for Conversation– The Innovative Educator

Learning Styles Theory Versus Sustained Hard Work– Steve Hargadon

New Electronic Devices Could Interest Schools– eSchool News

Netbooks All Around– Bridget McCrea, THE Journal

Top Ten Free Resources for Digital Learners– Online Learning

Top Five Web Trends: Personalization– Richard MacManus, ReadWriteWeb

Open Courseware Gains Momentum– Maya T. Prabhu, eSchool News

Five Reasons Why RSS Readers Still Rock– Richard MacManus, ReadWriteWeb

Teachers’ Digital Use on The Rise– eSchool News

Students use cellphones to solve math problems.

In a recent piece in THE Journal, Bridget McCrea spoke with a group of technology experts in order to compile a short list of technology trends educators should look for in 2010. Here’s McCrea’s list:

1. eBooks will gain traction in the K-12 market during 2010. According to J. Gerry Purdy, chief analyst for the business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in Atlanta,

“The eBook phenomenon is gaining ground in the consumer space, where people are using them to read both fiction and non-fiction,” said Purdy. “The way the stars are aligned, it won’t be long before someone adapts eBooks out of the consumer space and makes textbooks available on these portable devices.”

2. Netbook functionality will improve enabling many districts to move closer to the goal of one-to-one student access. According to McCrea,

“One-to-one computer initiatives are proliferating throughout United States schools and are expected to become even more popular in 2010 as netbooks become even more affordable. Priced at $200 to $300, these small, inexpensive computers are helping to bridge the technology divide that exists at those schools where individual students don’t have access to their own laptops.”

3. More teachers will use interactive whiteboards. With the huge infusion of federal stimulus funds into public education, experts perdict more and more teachers will use these funds to outfit classrooms with interactive display systems. According to Sheryl Abshire, chief technology officer for Calcasieu Parish Public Schools in Lake Charles, LA.,

“Large, interactive display systems that allow teachers and students to work together in ways that traditional blackboards could not are gaining ground in the K-12 environment. Expect the trend to continue this year.”

4. Personal devices will infiltrate the traditional classroom.

“Sometimes barred from the classroom owing to perceptions of security risks and student “distractions,” smart phones and iPods are now making their way into the K-12 space, and with teachers’ and administrators’ blessings,” says McCrea.

5. New technology will enable educators to specifically tailor curriculum and more effectively differentiate instruction.

“On educators’ and administrators’ wish lists right now is an easier, tech-based way to assess, record and track individual student performance in the classroom. David Stienes, principal with private equity fund LLR Partners in Philadelphia, said those wishes could come true this year, courtesy of several emerging companies that are working on new student assessment tools.”

2010 looks to be another very exciting year for educational technology.

A netbook according to Wikipedia is “… a category of small-sized, low-cost, light weight, lean function subnotebooks optimized for Internet access and core computing functions (e.g., word processing) — either directly from applications installed on the netbook itself or indirectly via cloud computing.

Most netbooks share these characteristics:

• light weight — 2-4 pounds
• small screen — 7-9 inches
• static memory instead of a hard drive
• mechanical keyboard, usually smaller than full-sized
• wireless Internet connectivity
• web-cam, microphone, and speaker
• USB ports and memory card slot
• price less than $400

–See Doug Johnson’s Tech Proof column, Netbooks and Computing in the Clouds.

Most netbooks come with a version of the Linux operating system and this can mean a bit of a learning curve for the user. However, several netbooks have recently been released with Windows XP. In addition, the small screen and often 800 x 600 resolution has been less than satisfactory.

One of the standouts in the netbook category is the Lenovo IdeaPad S10e. This netbook improves upon the general competition by offering Windows XP, a 10.1″ screen, and 1024 x 600 resolution, all for $299. This truly means that providing either students with their own netbook or a check-out cart for teachers to temporarily bring to their classroom is within the reach of most budgets.

For example, a set of twenty of these netbooks, along with wi-fi and a server to provide storage, can be set in place for less than $11,000. Furthermore, once the server and wi-fi are in place, the major cost is the purchase of more netbooks.

While the limited amount of, or no hard drive storage may seem to be a problem, the continuing growth of cloud computing (see Wikipedia’s definition) seems to provide the answer. Information is stored on servers and accessed via the Internet. Applications rather than being desktop based are generally browser based. This allows access of data at any location where an Internet connection is available (WI-FI or ethernet).

One of the best known and most often sited examples of cloud computing is Google Apps. Google Apps Education Edition is:

• 7.289117 GB / account of email, shared calendar, and collaboration tools right from the browser
• Free with no advertising for students, faculty and staff
• Ready to integrate with many APIs and use of Open Standards
• Add-on security and compliance tools available at a 66% educational discount
• Google Video for education.

Another example is Zoho an online office tools suite. Some of the common applications Zoho provides are:

• email and chat
• word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation
• online document storage and sharing tools
• wikis

Using either of the suites mentioned above would provide for a fairly robust learning process, both inside and outside of the traditional classroom walls.

Imagine, students could perform lab experiments and chart the results in a spreadsheet application, with the file stored online, all team members could contribute data and observations, at any location. During this phase, a wiki could be utilized to share further information, questions, and to work as a group to learn. The data could be summarized in an official scientific essay (English and Science skills), posted to the wiki for others to view and comment upon (Technology and communication skills), and finally presented in a short, powerful form (Presentation and Interpersonal skills), all while focusing on scientific method, reasoning, and experimentation. A powerful recipe for full purpose learning.

I look forward to your comments, suggestions, and ideas…