June 17, 2009
Digital Directions, Vol. 02, Issue Spring/Summer 2009
Classroom Technology
Transforming Classrooms Into 21st-Century Work Spaces
Keith T. Larick envisions classrooms with banks of wired and wireless computers, ceiling-mounted projectors, interactive whiteboards, and mobile tech-enabled work carts for teachers, all linked to allow for dynamic, multimedia presentations that inspire learning. Students’ desks would be moved out and replaced with individual workstations and group tables to foster hands-on and collaborative projects.
Teaching
Game On: High-Tech Simulations Linked to Learning
There is a growing movement in schools to incorporate digital games and simulations into classrooms as a tool for raising achievement and preparing students for the technological challenges ahead of them.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Tapping Into 'Cloud' Power
Ed-tech leaders’ interest in cloud computing is growing because they see it as an effective way to cut down on the cost of acquiring and maintaining information technology.
School Climate & Safety
Gradebooks Take Virtual Approach
Ed-tech administrators are spending more time evaluating a variety of electronic gradebook products and their capabilities.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Bandwidth Slowing You Down?
District leaders should prepare for stimulus funding for broadband telecommunications connections—and make sure they get a fair cut of it.
Science
Nanotech Lessons
Teachers around the country are beginning to fashion curriculum and lessons around nanotechnology, one of the fastest-growing areas of scientific research.
School Climate & Safety
The New Classroom Look
For some schools, the future is now, at least when it comes to incorporating some of the features of 21st-century classrooms.
Federal
Characteristics of 'Highly Qualified' Online Teachers
What specific skills do online teachers need? That is a question being asked more and more in light of the continued growth of e-learning in school districts across the country.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Top Picks: Go-To Sites For Ed-Tech Leaders
Digital Directions' list of go-to sites for educators.
Classroom Technology
E-Learning Dollar Debate
Is e-learning really more cost-effective than traditional, brick-and-mortar schooling?
Teaching
Simulated vs. Hands-On Lab Experiments
Can simulated labs in some science courses take the place of real-world experiments? The College Board has been trying to determine the answer.
Teaching Profession
Teaching Generation Tech
Digital Directions attempts to address the gap between the widespread use of digital tools in society and the workplace and the general lack of such use in classrooms.
Teaching
Student-Response Systems Provide Instant Classroom Feedback
Student-response systems are becoming a popular tool for elementary and secondary classrooms after years of use in college lecture halls.
Education
Meet the Digital Directions Writers
Meet the people who bring Digital Directions' stories to life.
Federal
Global Competition: U.S. Students vs. International Peers
Are U.S. students' tech skills keeping up with their international peers?