September+21,+2011+-+College+Affordability,+STEM+Resources,+Social+Media,+Smart+Phone+and+Other+Digital+Media,+Online+Learning,+Textbooks,+and+more



=Worthy of Note: September 21, 2011=

This Comic Strip is For You
It would have been fun to post this cartoon here but really should not do that in WON, only provide a link. So…. please enjoy. Thanks, Al Lind.

Daddy's Home by Tony Rubino and Gary Markstein September 09, 2011 ©2009 Rubino and Markstein, Distributed by Creators Syndicate, Inc. - All Rights Reserved.

Digital Promise (National Center)
National Center Looks To Advance Education Technology //David Nagel, THE Journal, September 16, 2011 // The United States Department of Education and the White House formally kicked off a new national center last Friday whose aim is to identify, test, and help bring to market promising education technologies.

Called the National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies, or "Digital Promise" for short, the new center is an independent 501(c)(3) organization funded in part by ED and in part by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Inaugural board members of Digital Promise include representatives from technology manufacturers, media organizations, and academia, among others.

College Affordability and Other Thoughts, cont'd
Forging the Future: The $10,000 Baccalaureate Degree //WCET, Friday, September 15, 2001 // Last Friday Myk Garn, Hae Okimoto, and Rob Robinson led an interesting webinar about factors that could influence institutional and state responses of creating a $10K Baccalaureate degree. Webcast participants exchanged comments re: dual enrollments and remedial education. The archive of this Webcast is available on the WCET webcast page.

Most Americans See College as Essential to Getting a Good Job //Cynthia English, Gallup and Lumina Foundation, August 18, 2011 // WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Most Americans see a college degree as a necessary step toward attaining quality employment. Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. adults (69%) strongly agree or agree that having a college degree is essential for getting a good job in this country, according to a recent study by Gallup and Lumina Foundation for Education.

Featured in the Tomorrow’s College Series (Lumina Foundation), Emily Hanford makes this observation in Some College, No Degree: More people are going to college than ever before. But in the United States, about half the people who start don't finish. There are 37 million Americans with some college credits but no degree - more than 20 percent of the working-age population. In an economy that increasingly demands workers with knowledge and skills, many college dropouts are being left behind.

The College Payoff (Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings) //Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University, August 5, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">College pays off over a lifetime, but occupation, gender, race and ethnicity matter too. The report (download) also details how some workers can make more than their better-educated counterparts. Read comments in The Daily Beast.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018 //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Anthony P. Carnevale, Nicole Smith and Jeff Strohl, ////<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University, //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">June 15, 2010 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Landmark report shows where the jobs will be, by education level, occupation and industry through 2018, and how postsecondary education is increasingly essential to middle class earnings.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Room for Debate; $10,000 for a Degree //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">New York Times, September 5, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Read the discussion as twelve well-qualified people debate the $10,000 degree.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">A Descriptive Look at College Enrollment and Degree Completion of Baltimore City Graduates //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Rachel E. Durham and Erik Westlund, Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC) August 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">A new report (download) (A Descriptive Look at College Enrollment and Degree Completion of Baltimore City Graduates) by researchers at Johns Hopkins University has documented a shift in Baltimore's high school graduates attending college: In the last four years, the percentage starting at two-year colleges, as opposed to four-year colleges, rose by 12 percentage points, to 52 percent. The Baltimore Sun (Erica L. Green, September 11, 2011) reported that officials are concerned about the trend because only 5.8 percent of those who start at a two-year college earn a degree in six years -- compared with 34 percent who start at four-year-colleges.

STEM
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Access STEM <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The National Science Foundation funds the //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Alliance for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics // (STEM), which began in 2002 (award #HRD-0227995 and HRD-0833504). The purpose of //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">AccessSTEM // is to increase the participation of people with disabilities in STEM careers. Outreach and dissemination efforts extend nationwide. //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">AccessSTEM // joins other National Science Foundation Alliances for Persons with Disabilities in STEM, AASD-STEM, EAST, KC-BANCS, Midwest, MIND, OSAA, Pacific, and Reaching the Pinnacle to develop resources and share promising practices.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">STEM Resources — Tennessee <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">A resource provided by the Tennessee Department of Education, STEMresources.com offers teachers quick and easy access to standards-based instructional tools, quality curriculum materials, and the latest Internet materials.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Panel: STEM Education Crisis Stems from Unsupported Teachers //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Meris Stansbury, eSchool News, September 14, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">According to a panel of science, technology, engineering, and math ([|STEM]) education experts and industry leaders, the United States is still falling short of producing the number of STEM graduates needed to fill 21st-century jobs — and panelists said the problem can be traced to a lack of support for teachers.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">National Association for Gifted Children - STEM //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">From //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Scout Report//, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2011, September 16, 2011// <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The aim of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), according to its website, is to "train teachers, encourage parents and educate administrators and policymakers on how to develop and support gifted children." Their site addresses the recent federal emphasis on STEM, and how it is related to work with gifted children. Visitors will learn in the first paragraph of the section entitled "Gifted Children and STEM", the difficulties that may be faced when encouraging STEM careers among gifted children. The site notes that multiple abilities and a "wide range of interests...make[s] selecting a career difficult" for gifted children. Visitors will see, however, that the NAGC does have suggestions on how to help gifted students excel in the STEM subjects. There are links to research on pull-out programs, public math-science high schools, and teacher training programs designed to recognize giftedness. Also, users should look at the very bottom of the STEM page for a link to a fact sheet on STEM and gifted education. This particular fact sheet notes the lack of progress that has been made in high-potential education, which ultimately increases the dropout rates of gifted students in such programs.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Alice //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">From //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Scout Report//, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2011, September 16, 2011// <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">This website makes the "T" (Technology) in STEM come to life for students, and hopefully it will spark their desire to work in computer science. Alice was produced at Carnegie-Mellon University, and it is a free educational software program that teaches computer programming in a 3-D environment. The website states that it tries to make a student's first attempt at programming less frustrating, and the end result is an animation to tell a story, play an interactive game or make a video. Visitors should check out the "Teaching" tab, which includes "Instructional Materials", "Tutorials" and "Textbooks". There are almost a dozen textbooks on using Alice, several of which were co-authored by a well-known computer scientist visitors may remember - the late Randy Pausch. Visitors can sign up for a periodic Alice newsletter, under the "Teaching" or "Community" tab. The "Publications" tab has five papers that visitors can download as PDFs, including "Alice: Easy-to-Learn 3D Scripting for Novices" and "Evaluating the Effectiveness of a New Instructional Approach."

Resources
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Basic Search Education Lesson Plans //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Google // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Web search can be a remarkable research tool for students - and we've heard from educators that they could use some help to teach better search skills in their classroom.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Google Certified Teachers and the Search Education team to help you do just that developed these Search Education lessons. The lessons are short, modular and not specific to any discipline so you can mix and match to what best fits the needs of your classroom. Additionally, all lessons come with a companion set of slides (and some with additional resources) to help you guide your in-class discussions. They are all under Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike, so feel free to adapt them and use them as you see fit! Just please link back to this page.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Whyville <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Whyville is a virtual world geared for teen and pre-teen girls and boys. Whyville was one of the first virtual worlds where game play was based on an internal virtual currency, and it was one of the first sites to emphasize user-created content.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Whyville's millions of registered "citizens" come from all over to learn, create, and have fun together. Whyville is their world. Whyville has places to go, things to do, and of course, people to see. Whyville has its own newspaper, its own Senators, its own beach, museum, City Hall and town square, its own suburbia, and even its own economy - citizens earn "clams" by playing educational games. And much, much, much more!

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Read about Whyville on Wikipedia; it has an extensive list of sponsors.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">A Catalog of iPad Apps for Teachers and Students //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Vicki Windman, Tech & Learning, n.d. // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">“Fourteen of us–special education teachers, school psychologists, speech therapists, and other educators–recently spent six hours brainstorming with the goal of producing a starter iPad app catalog for teachers and students in our district, and beyond. Thanks to my colleagues for helping the district pioneer through new territory!”

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">QR Codes in the Classroom //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Bridget McRae, THE Journal, August 31, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Wyoming science teacher London Jenks not only allows mobile technologies in his classroom, but he's also learned how to maximize them as educational tools, tapping the devices for assessments, research, and even student scavenger hunts using QR codes.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Top Documentary Films (free) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">TDF offers full watchable documentaries and information on documentaries by quoting reviews from trusted sources. In case you decide to buy your favorite documentary film, or you want to get some more information on some of the docs there is a store available for that. Documentaries are classified in categories and you can easily find what you are looking for. The site is in open form and it is allowing readers to add comments about documentary films they like or dislike. Check out the complete list.

Social Media
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Jenise Uehara Henrikson, Search Engine Journal, August 30, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">“If Facebook were a country it would be the third largest country behind China and India.” A new study suggests half of all American adults are now on social networks. In fact, out of American adults who use the Internet, Pew found that nearly two-thirds use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. But take a look at the steep curve of the user growth rate in all age ranges and demographics, and the continuing pervasiveness of social networking into every facet of work, play and life in general. It’s hard to argue that social media hasn’t changed forever how we interact and connect online.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Edmodo <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Edmodo is a free and secure social learning network for teachers, students and schools. Edmodo provides classrooms a safe and easy way to connect and collaborate, offering a real-time platform to exchange ideas, share content, and access homework, grades and school notices.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Accessible online and from any mobile device via free smart phone applications, Edmodo has grown from a teacher tool into a district-wide resource as word of the free online service spreads through schools around the world.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Here’s a quick explanation via You Tube of why to use Edmodo in the classroom. And here’s an app designed for using Edmodo on both iPhone and iPad.

In Honor of Teachers
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">In Honor of Teachers //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Charles M Blow, New York Times, September 2, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This opinion column celebrates teachers, and they are much maligned today. If there was a teacher that changed your life, or even there was not, this is a stunning affirmation.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">American Teacher; a Documentary //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">A film by Vanessa Roth, First Run Features, 2011 (81 minutes) // //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">American Teacher //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> is the feature-length documentary created and produced by Vanessa Roth, et al. The film includes a musical score by Thao Nguyen and is narrated by Matt Damon. The film chronicles the stories of four teachers living and working in disparate urban and rural areas of the country. Their stories are told through a mixture of footage and interviews with students, families, and colleagues, as well as the teachers themselves. By following these teachers as they reach different milestones in their careers, our film tells the deeper story of the teaching profession in America today.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">While all research proves that teachers are the most important school-based factor in a child’s future success, almost two-thirds of our nation’s teachers divide their time between teaching and second jobs. American Teacher goes further than simply stating that our system is broken, by shining on a light on various positive reform efforts in the country. Looking at schools and districts paving the way for change, the film aims to demonstrate that by making the teaching profession the financially attractive, prestigious, and competitive profession it deserves to be, our country can and will build a dedicated force of teachers, who not only inspire and challenge students to live up to their potential, but who grow in their profession to shape whole communities.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">And perhaps you will recall this book published in 2005. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America’s Teachers //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Daniel Moulthrop, Ninive Calegari and Dave Eggers, Washington Post Book World, 2005 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">With a look at the problems of recruitment and retention, the myths of short workdays and endless summer vacations, the realities of the work week, and shocking examples of how society views America’s teachers, //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teachers Have It Easy // explores the best ways to improve public education and transform our schools.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">In Defense of Public Education //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Heather Clayton Staker, Stanford Social Innovation Review, August 30, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">(You may know Heather Staker as a Senior Research Fellow at Innosight.) With conservatives refusing tax increases and liberals resisting entitlement cuts, the discretionary spending bucket is the easiest place for both parties to find a palliative for the nation’s maxed-out deficit headache.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Thus, funding for public education is vulnerable right now—and the institution itself needs defenders. As one pushing for innovation in education, I have come under fire by skeptics who think that by calling for innovation, I intend for the system’s gradual spinoff out of the public sphere. True, I hope for a transformation of public education, but my desire is only for its improvement, not its demise.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Why is public education in America important? She lists five key reasons.

Online Learning
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Online Education //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">U. S. News Education // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This is a collection of feature articles in U. S. News all related to higher education online education.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">College Rankings, 2012 //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">U. S. News Education // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Find top online programs on the bottom right side of the page. (I notice some obvious omissions. For example, Florida State University offers several Masters and Specialists degrees available completely online that I am sure would meet the criteria. There probably are many others.)

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Digital Revolution and Higher Education <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">College Presidents, Public Differ on Value of Online Learning //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Kim Parker, Amanda Lenhart and Kathleen Moore, Pew Research Center, August 28, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This report is based on findings from a pair of Pew Research Center surveys conducted in spring 2011. One is a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,142 adults ages 18 and older. The other is an online survey, done in association with the Chronicle of Higher Education, among the presidents of 1,055 two-year and four-year private, public, and for-profit colleges and universities. A summary of the key findings is featured.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">UC Takes First Steps into Online Education //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Lisa Krieger, Oakland Tribune, August 18, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Going online to get a college degree has been championed as a cost-effective way to educate the masses and challenged as a cheapening of academia. Now, the online classroom is coming to the vaunted UC system, making it the nation's first top-tier university to offer undergraduate credit for cyber studies.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Online Kindergarten Courses? Volusia, Flagler School Choices Keep Growing //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Linda Trimble, Daytona Beach News Journal, August 21, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Take a look at how online learning from kindergarten through high school is unfolding in one county (area) in central Florida.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Online as Last Resort //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Dean Dad // //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">August 31, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Some colleges employ the use of online courses as a last resort for over-enrolled sections.

Smart Phones and Other Digital Media
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Smart Phones Driving Lecture Capture Growth //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Dennis Carter, eCampus News, July 20, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Watching and re-watching lectures online has long been among college students’ favorite educational technology, and making those recorded class sessions available via smart phone has led to a jump in lecture views, according to research from Tegrity, a leading maker of lecture-capture systems.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Blackberrys and Beyond: Technology and Global Higher Education //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Nigel Thrift, The Chronicle, August 22, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">“…Research such as Rich Ling’s //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">New Tech, New Ties // or, more recently, Daniel Miller’s //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Tales from Facebook //show that the new technologies can tend to narrow and reinforce social interaction rather than broadening it: people often tend to stick with their own kind, with ever-widening circles of people who agree with them. I worry that this effect might infect researchers who are increasingly able, through these devices combined with blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and the like, to live in even more specialised worlds of research and gossip, even though they may feel like cosmopolitans.”

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Learning: Is There an App for That? //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Cynthia Chiong & Carly Shuler // //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">, The Joan Ganz Cooney Center, November 2010 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This report (download) focuses on how new forms of digital media are influencing very young children and their families in the United States and how we can deploy smart mobile devices and applications-apps, for short — in particular, to help advance their education. It does so in three parts: Part One discusses new trends in smart mobile devices, specifically the pass-back effect, which is when an adult passes his or her own device to a child. Part Two presents the results of three new studies that were undertaken to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of using apps to promote learning among preschool- and early-elementary-aged children. Though designed to complement one another, each study approached mobile learning from a different angle. Finally, Part Three discusses the implications these findings have for industry, education, and research.

Textbooks and Such
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Khan Academy Integrates With Digital Textbooks //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Sarah Kessler, Mashable, August 22, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The 12-minute video lectures that Bill Gates has called “the start of a revolution” will now be linked with the material in some digital textbooks. Etextbook maker Kno announced Monday that it will integrate thousands of tutorial videos from Khan Academy into its books.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Kno will be linking them to its books through a new “smart links” feature. When students click on a Khan Academy tutorial from a new tab on one of Kno’s digital pages, Khan’s explanation of that topic plays within the book.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Open Textbooks //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Student PIRGS // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This resource is a collection of basic information and links to other resources on open textbooks. We are always looking for additions, so please feel free to email us with recommendations. (See the next item.)

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Bucks Guide to Finding Cheap Textbooks: 3rd Edition //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Tara Siegel Bernard, New York Times Blog Bucks // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Exorbitant college textbook prices have given rise to a “textbook rebellion,” which may be coming to a campus near you.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">A coalition of students, parents, professors and organizations including the Student Public Interest Research Groups, have banded together to promote more affordable alternatives to the $200 textbook — an amount that is not uncommon for science, economics, accounting and math students, among other pricey majors.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Among other things, the coalition also hopes to raise awareness about cheaper alternatives like “open textbooks,” which are offered under a license that allows you to read free online, or to obtain a print copy for a fraction of the cost of traditional hard-copy competitors.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Many U.S. Schools Adding iPads, Trimming Textbooks //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Stephanie Reitz, Huff Post Education, September 3, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The rush is on. Apple officials say they know of more than 600 districts that have launched what are called "one-to-one" programs, in which at least one classroom of students is getting iPads for each student to use throughout the school day. And the trend has not been limited to wealthy suburban districts. New York City, Chicago and many other urban districts also are buying large numbers of iPads.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Many benefits are claimed. They include interactive programs to demonstrate problem-solving in math, scratchpad features for note-taking and bookmarking, the ability to immediately send quizzes and homework to teachers, and the chance to view videos or tutorials on everything from important historical events to learning foreign languages.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">They're especially popular in special education services, for children with autism spectrum disorders and learning disabilities, and for those who learn best when something is explained with visual images, not just through talking.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Some advocates also say the interactive nature of learning on an iPad comes naturally to many of today's students, who've grown up with electronic devices as part of their everyday world.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Open Textbooks: Computer Science //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">From //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Scout Report//, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2011. September 16, 2011// <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The open textbook movement is in full flower, and curious parties can find topics covering horticulture, engineering, and philosophy scattered across the Internet. This particular website brings together over three dozen college level textbooks from the field of computer science. The site includes computer science textbooks from the Open University in the United Kingdom, the University of Oregon, and a number of other universities. The titles are arranged alphabetically, and they run the gamut from "Accessibility of eLearning" to "XML-Managing Data Exchange". Visitors will note that while not all of the textbooks have been vetted by professional reviewers, those that have been reviewed have a "*" symbol next to their name.

Broadband Expansion
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Expanding Access, One College at a Time //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Tabitha Whissemore, Community College Times, August 22, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Arkansas Association for Two-Year Colleges(AATYC) received $43 million of a $102 million federal grant to expand broadband access in Arkansas. It has partnered with the University of Arkansas for Medical (UAMS) on the project, which has a new name — Arkansas e-Link. The plan is to have all the state’s community colleges hooked to high-speed broadband by August 2013.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Up to the Challenge: The Role of Career and Technical Education and 21st Century Skills in College and Career Readiness <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">@ OK Career Tech //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Kerry Eades, Oklahoma Career Tech, September 20, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Last week the Ed Tech Cooperative held its annual meeting. Tim Magner, Executive Director for The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. was a presenter, and while career education was not his topic, Kerry Eades from Oklahoma spoke with Tim, and he pointed up this publication, Up to the Challenge: The Role of Career and Technical Education and 21st Century Skills in College and Career Readiness. Kerry has highlighted this publication in this week’s wiki.

State Regulations for Distance Education
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Cutting Their Losses //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Libby A. Nelson, Inside Higher Ed, August 18, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Colleges trying to obtain permission from every state in which they enroll students, as required by a new Education Department rule, have confronted a patchwork of widely different regulations. Fees can range from none at all to thousands of dollars per course or degree program. Requirements range from lax (the institution must be accredited) to stringent (facing a possible site inspection -- and paying all of the inspectors’ travel costs).

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">In response to the rule, some institutions will abandon some states altogether, a survey released by the University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) has found. Many of those colleges cited Massachusetts, Minnesota and Arkansas as places where they will no longer enroll students. At least 19,000 students total will be turned away, the colleges who responded to the relevant survey questions estimated.

Assessment
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes Assessment //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Copyright © 1995-2011 Ephraim I. Schechter, All Rights Reserved // <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">About this list: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Ephraim Schechter first posted the list in 1995 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Later, it lived at the University of North Carolina system office and at North Carolina State University. NC State kindly continues to host it. The list currently has over 1,200 links, including over 400 college and university assessment sites.

Education Reform or What Will the Future Look Like?
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">House Approves First Education Reform Legislation //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">H.R. 2218 Will Facilitate Development of High-Quality Charter Schools // //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">WASHINGTON, D.C. | September 13, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the Education and the Workforce Committee’s first piece of education reform legislation. Introduced by Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), the Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 2218) passed with strong bipartisan support in a vote of 365 to 54.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">What Will School Look Like in 10 Years? //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Joshua Brustein, Bits Blog, New York Times, September 3, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Computers, electronic whiteboards and other interactive technologies are fundamentally changing American education. That is the view of the experts whom The Times spoke with about what the classroom will look like 10 years from now. Listen to excerpts from Karen Cator, Tom Vander Ark, Larry Cuban and others. Reference is made to the article below….

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Matt Richtel, New York Times, September 3, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This is the first article in the //Grading the Digital School Series//.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The pressure to push technology into the classroom without proof of its value has deep roots. Here’s a look at a dynamic 21st century classroom in Arizona where hope and enthusiasm are soaring. But not test scores.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">“The data [to gauge the educational value of expensive technology investments] is pretty weak. It’s very difficult when we’re pressed to come up with convincing data,” said Tom Vander Ark, the former executive director for education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and an investor in educational technology companies. When it comes to showing results, he said, “We better put up or shut up.”

Professional Development
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Alabama Learning Exchange Helps Teachers Create Project-Based Lessons //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Tanya Roscorla, Converge, September 13, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Through a statewide online platform, Alabama educators share lessons, find digital resources and teach each other. And on Sept. 1, the Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) won a Best of the Web Award from the Center for Digital Education. The department added a new professional learning community section called ALEXville[|.] "The professional development piece we have found is critical to implementing these resources in the classroom because it gives them ideas." Read more…..

Is There Anything to Learn Here?
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">For-Profit Schools: They Get IT //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">John K. Waters, Campus Technology, September 01, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Traditional colleges may think they have nothing to learn from for-profits, but when it comes to advanced use of technology, look no further.

Pearson and Connections
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Pearson Acquires Connections Education //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Pearson, September 15, 2011 // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, is announcing today the acquisition of Connections Education from an investor group led by Apollo Management, L.P. Read Michael Horn’s comments at Innosight.