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At one point, e-books seemed to be the wave of the future. But in 2006 publishers are still trying to figure out how best to market them and make them a viable alternative to the traditional paper-bound book. One area where they felt this could be accomplished was through the use of e-textbooks. Any college student knows that textbooks are expensive and have a low resale value, which makes them a poor investment for an equally poor student. E-textbooks allowed students to cut down on the cost, as well of the bulk, of a traditional book. Why, then, are they not a more popular form of study?

CNN ran a story this week that addressed the criticisms college students have of this type of technology. At the same time that publishers are loosening their restrictions on e-textbooks, students are realizing that they do not compare to having a physical book to highlight, mark up, or otherwise annotate in order to wrench its secrets out of it.

It is surprising to e-textbook publishers that in an age where students are going digital for practically every other aspect of their lives, they are not warming up to accessing their textbooks in the same way. A representative of Houghton Mifflin who was intervired in the CNN article attributes this to students’ being conservative about anything that affects their grades. It may also be a case of students simply not being aware of the availability of an e-text.

This is a form of tachnology that has its uses, publishers just need to find out what users require of this form of text. It must be more than a simple electronic version of the printed page. E-textbooks that are more interactive can have obvious uses in science classrooms, allowing students to view processes as they read about them. Links to outside sources for further information can help students with research, and a humanities e-textbook can incorporate music, art, and other creative formats within the “text.”

E-textbooks, although they have been around for some time now, are still in their nascent stage and may yet catch on as the tool of choice for college students. As someone who is doing an entire degree online, I’ve found the availability of e-texts on the internet to be invaluable for time and cost effectiveness. With the growth of PDAs, wireless access and other new technology, e-textbooks may still have their day. It seems to be a matter of one form of technology catching up with another.

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Check out the techLEARNING blog for cutting edge information about technology and teaching. The article titled “Laptops are 21st Century Pencils” has some interesting insights into different methods being used to integrate laptops into schools as a learning tool.

There is one site referenced in that article that I would like to point you toward. It is called epals and it offers tools for educators to increase communication through technology. They focus on safe methods for students to interact with others through email, blogs, book clubs and a mentoring program that connects students to various local businesses. There are many tools for teachers to use in the classroom and it includes a forum where teachers can share ideas and projects or find support in the confusing world of digital technology. Epals and edublogs both have safe and easy to use blogging tools to incorporate in the classroom. I am going to set one up for my next unit on existentialism in my honors Humanities class to allow students to share ideas and support each other.

Anyone else using blogs or other technology tools in their classrooms? How successful has it been?

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One Canadian university thinks so. Lakehead University is limiting WiFi access on their campus because of fears that the electromagnetic forces pose a heath risk to students. We’ve heard this about cell phones, microwaves, iPods and practically every other new technology that becomes widespread. Studies so far are inconclusive but companies obviously need to protect themselves in the event that it is proven that these things are dangerous.

Do the advantages to a campus-wide wireless system outweigh the potential health risks, especially when those risks are not yet medically confirmed?

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So I took a trip around the web and visited most of the state education websites to see what’s going on outside of my corner of the world. I wasn’t too surprised by what I saw; most states are focusing on making themselves look good for NCLB. However, my other goal was to find out what the state of technology in education is in other states and that is where I was most surprised.

First off, I wasn’t aware that the United States Education Department has implemented a National Education Technology Plan. What was most enlightening about this site was the success stories that describe what is being done in districts around the country to integrate technology into the curriculum. The reason this section surprised me so much was because I had visited many of the state education department websites for districts that were highlighted here and for the most part I did not see any reference to these programs on the main pages of the sites. Some of these programs are incredibly innovative and inspiring and should be publicized much more. Here’s a brief overview:

Eugene, OR districts are implementing handheld computer technology into K-12 classrooms. This program is being funded through the NCLB Title IID and allows students and teachers to have access to handheld computers, laptops, and curriculum enhancing software, as well as the training needed to allow teachers to make the program successful.

A San Antonio, TX district has distributed 1,400 handheld computers to teachers and administrators to assess student and teacher data. They have found that this program cuts down on paper documentation while increasing productivity because of easier access and organization of pertinent information.

A Eureka, CA district has implemented a program that makes technology an integral part of each students day, just as pen and paper has been to the traditional instruction methods. Technology tools are used to access and analyze student assessments, assist in student productivity, create curriculum and allow students to engage in activities that would be difficult to replicate without technology.

It was refreshing to see that so much can be done with technology, and that NCLB provides funding to promote this. What is disheartening, however, it that it is not more widespread in districts across the country. Most districts will complaing that funding does not allow for them to increase the use of technology in their schools; while this leads to an entirely different topic, I wonder how many schools are taking advantage of Title IID funds?

Technology integration is not something that can be achieved overnight, but schools do need to make it a priority and take advantage of existing programs that will allow them to do so. Many computer companies offer education incentive programs that are not being taken advantage of by the schools that need them most.

Where does your district stand with technology integration?

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Parents across America send their kids to school every day with lunch money expecting that it will be used to purchase a healthy, balanced meal (work with me here). Little do they know that once Johnny gets into the cafeteria that money is used to buy as many chocolate chip cookies and sodas as he can. Houston based Cybersoft Technologies is working to make this scenario a thing of the past. Districts using their Primero Food Service Solutions can allow parents to set up an account for their child that determines what they can purchase and even how much of it and when. Parents can go online and track what their children are eating – and control it right from home. While the jury is still out on how effective this program will be in changing students’ eating habits, it will certainly open lines of communication between parents and children regarding healthy eating habits, and maybe force schools to offer more nutritious choices and less junk food.

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I am amazed at the popularity of websites like myspace.com among high school students. Many of my students have a myspace and regularly update it with pictures, comments, and intimate details of their lives. I truly do not believe they realize that absolutely anyone can access their site and take advantage of the information they are sharing. They seem to think that the title of the website is literal – this is their space to do with as they please. Unfortunately they are sometimes dangerously misled in that belief.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported this week on a “joke” posted on the myspace site of 15 year old twin girls that got them arrested. They posted what they claim was a fake death threat against other students in their school and didn’t realize that it would be seen by people who would take it seriously. This is not an isolated incident, many kids have been gettin in trouble with authorities for posted threats on myspace and similar sites. Threats made by children are one thing; threats to children open up a whole new area of concern that many parents aren’t familiar with.

MSNBC reported on the dangers of children sharing too much information on sites like myspace. These sites are virtually an open door for pedophiles, stalkers and murderers. Studies have found that most parents are not aware of the dangers of sites like these until it is too late. Children need to be warned about the dangers of sharing any personal information on the web; not only because of predators but because of identity theft issues as well.

There is another, less ominous, downfall to teenagers who post too much on myspace. A coworker of mine who also coaches regularly checks the myspace sites of the kids on her team to make sure they aren’t doing anything they shouldn’t be involved in. Out of curiosity I did the same with my own students and was amazed at some of the content I saw posted. There were pictures of them drinking alcohol, baring too much skin, and participating in other activities that are illegal at their age, not to mention the language they use! When confronted with this the students invariably complain about the invasion of privacy, which only proves that they do not realize that anything they post on there is accessible to anyone who wants to find it. And, what may be worse, once it’s out in cyberspace, it’s very hard to get rid of.

What this amounts to is the need for more education about new technology and its effects. Sites like myspace can be very positive tools for staying connected with friends and family members, but, like anything, they need to be used responsibly. This is the future of communication and it needs to be understood so that it can remain a positive experience for those who use it. Technology changes so quickly that most of us aren’t even familiar with what is out there. Kids have an advantage here because it is already a part of their lives, but unfortunately that is why they don’t realize the dangers. Parents and educators must be aware of what kids are doing and help them navigate their way through the potential dangers of literally having the whole world at the tips of their fingers.

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Virginia claims to be at the forefront of technology intergration and I am glad for that. It is the future and the more positive experiences our children have with it the better prepared they will be for interacting in the digital world. I’m surprised whenever I attempt to use a webquest in class and my students seem stumped as to how to go about it. For the amount of time they spend on the internet, they seem to have gotten very little in the way of valuable tools out of it.
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It seems like a viable position. If you can’t beat them, join them. This district is using the iPods and other mp3 players to deliver vocabulary homework, ESL and foreign language assignments, and other language based activities. While they admit it’s too early in the program to determine if it is successful or not, they give the impression that the students are reacting positively to this new approach.

Then there is the opposite approach. A school district in Sydney, Australia has banned the use of iPods and mp3 players in school because they feel it leads to social isolation. By tuning into their music, kids are tuning out everything around them, including teachers, classmates, and announcements. Students claim it helps them to focus, but the district felt that the safety and communication concerns were more pressing issues.

I can appreciate both sides of this issue. Too often, I see students walking through school, or even in class, listening to iPods and not paying attention to anything around them. In my own classroom I am continually telling students to take out their ear buds when they are supposed to be participating in a discussion. I don’t know that I support a ban per se, but the students have to know when and where it is appropriate to use this technology. That is where I think using the technology as a learning tool may help. Apple has introduced a program called iPod in the Classroom that offers lesson plans, resources and ideas for integrating iPods into education.

Allowing the iPods in the classroom could be a compromise that actually favors teachers. The students have them anyway, now they will be responsible for using them to learn instead of simply listening to music.

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