Feds release new national ed-tech plan

Although funding concerns remain, the National Ed-Tech Plan is a promising start, ed-tech advocates say.

The new National Education Technology Plan, released March 5, sets an ambitious agenda for using technology to transform teaching and learning, ed-tech advocates say–and a call to action that is long overdue.

The plan, called “Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology,” calls for engaging and empowering learning experiences for all students; standards and assessments that measure key 21st-century skills and expertise; a shift to a model of “connected teaching,” in which teams of interconnected educators replace solo classroom practitioners; always-on connectivity that is available to students and teachers both inside and outside of school; and a rethinking of basic assumptions, such as seat time, that limit schools’ ability to innovate.

 Read more at eschoolnews.com

New Content Alert: NeoOffice 3 Impress - Intro (Mac)

NeoOffice^® is a full-featured set of office applications (including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database programs) for Mac OS X. Here's an introduction to using the presentation application of the suite, Impress.

View two sample tutorials

eSchool News: Schools understaffed for IT support and integration

Schools are struggling not just to maintain the technology they have in the classroom, but to train instructors how to use and implement it.

Given that most school IT departments already are working in reactive mode most of the time, "that's a recipe for disaster," said Betsy Graham, K-12 IT marketing manager for SchoolDude.

But "technician" wasn't even the most popular response when we asked where school leaders could use more IT help.

Topping the list was instructional technologist, which was cited by 85 percent of respondents. And that speaks to a key area where IT staffing shortfalls really hurt schools: If keeping technology systems up and running is a challenge, helping teachers use the technology to improve their instruction is an even taller hurdle.

Only 28 percent of respondents said they have enough IT staff to integrate technology into their classrooms effectively.

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Atomic Learning provides flexible, on-demand training and tech integration for teachers, students, and administrators. We can be an invaluable part of your school's IT department, providing substantial cost savings and freeing your IT staff to focus on keeping hardware and software systems humming.