The Push to Improve STEM Education

U.S. schools face pressure on science, technology, engineering, and math.

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Agency says it’s ready to curb undisclosed traffic management by internet service providers

“In a move with significant implications for how easily researchers, educators, students, and others can transfer large files online, federal regulators on Feb. 25 said they are ready to discipline internet service providers who secretly favor certain types of data traffic, such as web surfing, over others, such as file sharing. ”

eschoolnews

Tech-savvy teenagers are increasingly paying a heavy price – including criminal arrest – for parodying their teachers on the Internet.

Christian Science Monitor

“Lost amid the debate over what kind of laptop to give to each child in the developing world is a more important question: Is the personal computer the right device for bridging the digital divide?”

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1. Schools need help with tech support: Information technology (IT) staffing shortages are keeping many schools from realizing the full benefits of technology inside and outside the classroom, an eSchool News survey reveals.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=51522

2. Blackboard, D2L square off for court fight: Allegations that Blackboard Inc., the No. 1 course- management software firm, is using costly litigation to injure a smaller rival, Desire2Learn (D2L), are part of the backdrop to a federal trial set to begin on Feb. 11. Blackboard has sued for patent infringement, which D2L denies.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=51643

3. Florida adopts open-content reading platform: Tired of investing in expensive textbooks and proprietary software programs, Florida education officials are looking to an open online-learning platform to teach young students basic reading skills.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=51790

4. Intel quits One Laptop Per Child program: It was like one of those ill-fated relationships you suspect won’t last, and on Jan. 3, it finally ended: Citing disagreements with the organization, Intel Corp. said it has abandoned the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, dealing a blow to the ambitious project that seeks to bring millions of low-cost laptops to children in developing countries.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=51488

5. Survey: Schools fail to teach innovation: It’s widely believed our ability to innovate and prepare students for careers in science and technology will be key factors in keeping the U.S. competitive in the global economy. Yet, nearly three out of five American teens (59 percent) do not believe their high school is preparing them adequately for a career in technology or engineering, according to the 2008 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, an annual survey that gauges Americans’ attitudes toward invention and innovation.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=51750

“Started in 2000, the Stanford Humanities Lab (SHL) discovers “fascinating futures to be explored in ignoring and crossing disciplinary borders.” The Lab engages in a number of research projects that are collaborative, co- creative, and team-based. These projects have resulted in new media projects, interactive archives, predictive models of social changes, and exhibitions.”

Link to Lab Site

“The exhibition “Let Your Motto Be Resistance” consists of 100 photographic portraits of prominent African Americans. The portraits were selected from the collections of the National Portrait Gallery as part of the inaugural exhibition of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture.”

Smithsonian Institute

“More than half the respondents in a survey of U.K. teachers said they thought plagiarism from the Internet is a problem.”

Reuters

“Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann has joined 44 other states in seeking greater controls for online networking sites to prevent sexual predators from using those sites to contact children.”

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