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A Needed Study on School Technology I missed this one when it came out on Monday, but the AP posting yesterday finally woke me up! Indiana University has received a federal grant for $3.1 million to study how teachers should use technology in their classrooms. The Indianapolis Star's Andy Gammill tells of the study in IU to study technology in schools. While most of us can offer lots of anecdotal evidence of technology improving, or at least enhancing, education, there's really been a need for good, hard studies on how, what, and whether technology in the classroom works. Hopefully, this study, due out by April, 2009, will supply some guidance. A Marshall Plan for STEM Education A man with innovation on his mind is a good about John Kao's efforts to launch "a kind of Marshall Plan for the United States to stop its fall from prominence in the increasingly competitive, globalized world of science and technology." San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer Heidi Benson writes "Kao argues that the United States desperately needs another 'Sputnik moment.'" This isn't another one of the many "kick teachers in the gut" genre articles, but one that makes some sense. Benson notes that Kao believes the problems with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in the United States "results as much from failings in government priorities as from income and class inequities." New Life for Broken iPods Brad Stone tells in Turning Nonworking Gizmos Into Money of 25-year-old Brett Mosley's business of buying and repairing dead iPods and other tech gadgets. iTunes U Los Angeles Times staff writer Michelle Quinn tells of some good use of Apple's iTunes U
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Buying Guides for Disabled Children A CEC email brought to my attention a column in the Boston Herald by Lauren Beckham Falcone, Toys for special needs children. It describes the annual Toys “R” Us Toy Guide for differently-abled Kids promotion. As I poked around a bit, I found an older article from ABILITIES, Canada’s Lifestyle Magazine for People with Disabilities, Child’s Play: Toys for Children with Disabilities, that is an even better discussion of finding playthings for disabled children. Other sites also offer toy buying guides for children with disabilities:
Seatbelts Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy has some straight talk about seatbelt use in It's Time For a Talk On Seat Belts. This one is an important, and poignant read. Black/Pink Friday - Cyber Monday Ads As I've done for several years, here's a bunch of Black/Pink Friday-Cyber Monday online shopping outlets. I'll only keep the ads up through Monday, rolling them into the archive to facilitate better page loading after that. If you haven't heard of Pink Friday, take a look at the PinkFriday.org site.
Our list of Affiliate Advertisers has been moved to its own page to speed loading of this page. Obama Calls for Increase in Federal Education Spending Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama called for an $18-billion increase in federal education spending Tuesday while campaigning in New Hampshire. Los Angeles Times staff writer Michael Finnegan says in Obama calls for $18-billion boost in education spending, Obama proposed "to expand early childhood education, reduce high school dropout rates and improve substandard schools in impoverished areas." Finnegan adds, "Obama faulted Clinton and Edwards for not supporting a 2003 Senate measure that would have suspended enforcement of the law [NCLB] if it wasn't adequately funded." Increase in Teacher Resignations I saw Increase in Teacher Resignations on Monday, but for some reason didn't get it posted on Tuesday. I should have, because it's something I see all too much of. Part of my job involves creating and maintaining mailing lists of teachers in Indiana. While I haven't compiled any objective data on the subject, the level of teacher turnover, especially math, science, and special education teachers in their first three years of teaching seems way too high. Of course, when you see that a special educator has bailed out and then notice that his or her caseload the previous year was 70 students, you understand why. Rocket Progress Space.com's Leonard David tells about the development of a vertical takeoff, vertical landing suborbital spaceship in Bezos, Amazon.com: Blue Origin Rocket Progress. What Space Telescopes of Tomorrow Will See is also an interesting read. Happy Thanksgiving Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday. As we give our thanks to God for His blessings upon us, we also pray for peace...peace first in the hearts of people and peace in our world. Anne and Steve Wood Amazon Kindle Announced Yesterday, Amazon introduced a new electronic book reader. The Kindle connects wirelessly to the Internet and allows users to "browse Amazon’s online store and download a book in less than a minute. A Computer in Every Classroom Sometimes, I just sorta forget what really is going on out there. A column by Washington Post staff writer Theola Labbé brought this fact home to me last night. In D.C., a Computer for Every Classroom reminded me that there are still classrooms out there in America without a computer, much less adequate computers for instruction with all the kids and adequate Internet connections. Report on Reading The National Endowment for the Arts will release a report today that reading proficiency is declining at troubling rates among older teens and young adults. A Troubling Case of Readers' Block tells that if the trend is not reversed, it may have a profound negative effect on the nation's economic and civic future. Biotech in the High School G. Pascal Zachary tells an interesting story about some hands-on, advanced high school science classes in English, Algebra, Phys Ed ... and Biotech. Uproar Over NSBA Recommendations and Social Networking The Los Angeles Times article, Educators weigh merits of social network sites, relates the debate raised by the National School Boards Association's suggestion that schools rethink their exclusion of social networking sites. The NSBA based their recommendations on a report (924K PDF doc) that was "funded by News Corp., which owns MySpace, and Microsoft Corp., which in October bought a 1.6% stake in Facebook Inc. for $240 million." Gardening Season Begins The first snow hasn't arrived here yet in southwest central Indiana, but it's time to get started on our 2008 garden! We keep a fairly large and diverse garden, so getting an early start on soil preparation and plant starts is essential.
Once the liming is done and garlic sets are in, gardening chores move inside. Inventorying seed on hand is one of the more onerous jobs to be done, as I keep my seed frozen between seasons. Once done, then I can get started perusing a variety of print and online seed catalogs. I'll list my favorites below: Johnny's Selected Seeds - offers hardy varieties for northern latitudes
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" It will be available November 29 for $399. Saul Hansell of The New York Times tells the tale in 
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©2007 Steven L. Wood