PPS Instructional Technology Weblog

Wed, 05 Nov 2003 19:41:30 GMT

The PPS Instructional Technology webpage has moved. Please update your links. http://ppstech.teacherhosting.com/blog/

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 22:24:45 GMT

State of the Art by David Pogue: Apple's Latest 0.1 Adds a Lot "This is a big week for Apple. Last week the company unveiled the Windows version of its popular, free iTunes music-downloading software--and tomorrow, it will release Mac OS X version 10.3 ( or Panther), the next edition of Apple's three-year-old operating system."

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 22:22:56 GMT

NPR: Educators Question PowerPoint Usage Follow the link to listen to the feature story. "Microsoft's PowerPoint presentation software has become a fixture in many American schools. Some educators say the program forces students to think in bullet points, instead of exploring the complexity of their subjects. Jackson Braider of member station WGBH reports."

Thu, 16 Oct 2003 22:00:10 GMT

Turning the Table: Students Rate Teachers ratemyteachers.com is a two-year old web site that invites middle and high school students to rate their teachers. The adult founder of the site says it gives a voice to students on the important question of teacher quality. Many teachers and principals are concerned about the negative tone of some comments. [Source: The Washington Post]

Thu, 16 Oct 2003 21:58:53 GMT

Lights, Camera, Action! Students at Jacksonville's Landrum Middle School are getting a taste of what it's like to produce a local newscast. Landrum is offering four video production classes designed to teach students communication skills, which they practice by producing a daily, seven-minute broadcast of the Landrum News Network. [Source: First Coast Community]

Mon, 13 Oct 2003 23:58:58 GMT

Federal ed-tech funding in trouble for 2004 Four technology-specific initiatives totaling $134 million are among the many education programs still at risk as House and Senate lawmakers try to resolve their differences over 2004 spending. Three of these four programs were preserved in the Senate's version of the education spending bill but were cut in the House version, which more closely follows President Bush's 2004 budget request.

Mon, 13 Oct 2003 18:51:32 GMT

Libraries & Technology: How high-quality library programs raise student achievement The success at Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colo., mirrors the findings of nearly a dozen statewide studies conducted during the past decade. All reached the same powerful conclusion: High-quality school library programs can have a direct, measurable impact on student achievement. [one-time registration required]

Mon, 13 Oct 2003 18:48:29 GMT

Schools grapple with rules on classroom gadgets Handheld devices and laptop computers are now seen as essential school supplies for students from coast to coast--but many schools have only just begun to take the steps necessary to obtain the educational benefits the devices can provide while blocking their potential for inappropriate text messaging, photo swapping, cheating, and chatting.

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 21:29:44 GMT

Apple polishes off titanium line. At Apple Expo Paris, the company says it is replacing the last of its titanium PowerBooks with aluminum versions as it updates its entire line of high-end portables. [CNET News.com - Front Door]

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 21:28:48 GMT

New PSAT, Minus Writing Test, Will Be Introduced in Fall '04. The College Board will introduce a revamped PSAT in October 2004, five months before it rolls out its new SAT, which will, for the first time, include a writing sample. By Tamar Lewin. [New York Times: Education]

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 18:10:58 GMT

New School Year Brings New Technology While student to computer ratios matter, it[base ']s just as important to use computers wisely to support instruction. The Dennis-Yarmouth school system, outside Boston, expects to meet its goal of having one computer for every five students this year. And teachers are ready to use those computers as tools for individualized learning. [Distance-Educator.com]

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 18:08:46 GMT

New Hampshire To Launch Laptop Pilot Seventh graders in five New Hampshire middle schools will receive laptop computers in a pilot program set to launch in January 2004. The four-year, $1.2 million project will be paid for with corporate donations. [MaineToday.com]

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 20:28:36 GMT

Philly schools get Microsoft brotherly love. The software titan spreads the love to the School District of Philadelphia, where it will design and build a new high school wired with the latest in educational computing tools. [CNET News.com]

Wed, 03 Sep 2003 19:38:20 GMT

PowerPoint corrupts Great Edward Tufte rant about PowerPoint and other slideware, and why we should all avoid it. I did a talk a couple months ago and the conference organizers nearly insisted that I bring a PowerPoint presentation to accompany my speech. I told them that I didn't believe in slides for the kind of talk I was giving, and they responded, "But what will keep the audience from getting bored?" Urr, possibly the words coming out of my mouth?

Particularly disturbing is the adoption of the PowerPoint cognitive style in our schools. Rather than learning to write a report using sentences, children are being taught how to formulate client pitches and infomercials. Elementary school PowerPoint exercises (as seen in teacher guides and in student work posted on the Internet) typically consist of 10 to 20 words and a piece of clip art on each slide in a presentation of three to six slides -a total of perhaps 80 words (15 seconds of silent reading) for a week of work. Students would be better off if the schools simply closed down on those days and everyone went to the Exploratorium or wrote an illustrated essay explaining something.

[via Boing Boing]