Technology

Current and previous coverage tracks rapidly changing innovations and their emerging roles in teaching and learning.

McCain and Obama Share Basic Views on Ed. Tech.

Their plans for using technology to improve schools differ on specifics, but Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain have each taken the position that educational improvement efforts should be firmly supported using technology. October 10, 2008

Scientists Go Chatting to Hear Kids' Drug Concerns

October 8, 2008, AP

Candidates' Math-Science Ideas Face Limits

McCain and Obama both want to boost teacher training in the subjects, but budget realities may intervene. October 7, 2008

New Project Details Low-Income Schools' Avenues to Success

A team of visitors descends on a school, armed with video cameras, tape recorders, and piles of interview questions, to find out what the school did to succeed and then posts the case studies on a Web portal. October 7, 2008

Historic Election and New Tech Tools Yield Promising Vistas for Learning

Just as the candidates have learned to use novel technology tools to reach young people during this year’s presidential campaign, teachers are turning to electronic resources to capture students’ interest in the election. October 7, 2008

News Briefs

Board Bus, Plug In, Earn Some Credits

Students in a rural Arkansas district have found a way to put their long bus rides to good use: work on math and science enrichment. October 7, 2008

Information Technology

Technology has greatly improved the quality of life in areas such as education, health care, energy, transportation, and the environment, says a report released by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. October 7, 2008

Use of Calculators

Calculators’ effectiveness in mathematics classes, long a source of debate, depends in large measure on students’ pre-existing knowledge of basic math, a recent study found. October 7, 2008

Congress Signs Off on Bill To Protect Children Online

The U.S. Senate last week approved a bill aimed at protecting children when they surf the Internet. October 7, 2008

Award Recognizes W.Va.’s Web Portal

West Virginia’s comprehensive—and clutter-free—education Web portal has won an award from a group that provides consulting services on educational information technology. September 30, 2008

Teens and Video Games

Despite concerns that video games may draw students away from civic participation, a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that teenagers’ gaming experiences are often social and have earmarks of civic engagement. September 23, 2008

More News Briefs

Schools Seek Ways to Accommodate Cell Phones

October 6, 2008, AP

Scholars Diverge in Assessing the Intellect of ‘Digital Kids’

Has digital overload made today’s generation of students stupid or smart? Two experts debate this question in their respective new books. Updated: October 7, 2008

N.Y.C. Elementary Schools Test Low-Cost Laptops

September 30, 2008, AP

Lockheed Martin Donates Laptops to Schools

September 25, 2008, AP

Commentary

Let’s Get Over the Slump

September 16, 2008

Survey: Nearly Every Kid a Video Gamer

September 16, 2008, AP

Commentary

The Entrepreneurial Thing — We’re Only No. 2

September 16, 2008