The debate over banning certain books, and even films, from being taught in schools is nothing new to the world of education. Recently, however, a new debate has been thrown into the mix—should schools, namely those at the high school level and below, have the power to ban (block) certain websites from being used within their walls? This year the American Association of [...]
When I was in high school, I remember the lights being on all the time, never shutting down the computers, and enduring sweltering temperatures through the whole winter. While this allowed my school to be bright, active, and warm, energy expenditure made up a large portion of the school’s budget. But recently, according to the New York Times, schools are beginning to see the [...]
Electronic books are a hot topics these days, with owners of e-books like the Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook claiming they’re reading more because of the ease with which they can purchase and read books. Many who read the New York Times article left comments, with some interesting points being made. Many loved it, claiming they now read more books each month than [...]
E-School News recently reported how schools in New Orleans are coming back in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Not only are the school buildings new, but the technology and means of teaching and learning are new. Working closely with California-based technology company Cisco Systems, administrators and teachers are creating what’s called “Education 3.0 .” Where Education 1.0 was the traditional method of [...]
Part of me is a very rational, level-headed human being. The other part of me really wants to believe in extra-terrestrial life. Apparently, this is also tempting for NASA scientists, who are searching for any evidence of life-giving elements on Mars. And it seems that they may have caught a break. Photos taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show dark streaks on Mars’s [...]
As a child, I enjoyed Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out, most especially because the moon was constructed as a ball of cheese. My understanding of lunar matters has thankfully grown, but the moon still holds many mysteries, including the asymmetrical pattern of its terrain. The surface of the moon has two distinct planar shapes: lowlands and high mountains. Unlike Earth, the moon [...]
Classroom response systems (CRS), otherwise known as “clickers”, are gaining popularity in the K-12 market place. When they first hit the market, the higher ed space was targeted and textbook publishers bundled the clickers with individual textbooks. Now, these systems are being sold as site licenses and other custom arrangements to make it affordable for K-12 classrooms. Clickers are promoted as a way [...]
Serializing novels is an age-old method of reaching an extended readership, but University of Michigan Press is bringing the concept into the twenty-first century through the use of Facebook. Between July 18 and Labor Day 2011, the press will serialize chapters of two newly-published novels set in Michigan: A Spell on the Water (May) by Marjorie Kowalski Cole, a coming-of-age story; and Faithful Unto Death (June) by [...]
Is social networking harming students’ grades? The quick answer might be yes, because it distracts students from studying. And in fact, a 2009 study at The Ohio State University found that students who admitted logging onto Facebook several times a day to check status updates, correspond with friends and relatives, or join common-interest groups, had a GPA as much as a grade lower than non-users. [...]
An extremely popular topic among the education community at present concerns new developments in technology and their implementation in American classrooms. Most media coverage on such topics cites computerized textbooks, electronic homework platforms and instructional video games as the teaching methods of the future. To this end, many public schools are beginning to embrace these new methods as their sole educational tools, even [...]