January 21, 2009
Digital Directions, Vol. 02, Issue Winter 2009
Curriculum
Tech Literacy Confusion
A growing chorus of experts say schools should teach students to be proficient in "technology literacy"—but the definition of it is ambiguous.
Curriculum
A Sense of Urgency and Clarity
Not so long ago, when we would talk here at DD about the role technology plays in global competition, the conversation tended to have an abstract, high-minded feeling. Not anymore.
Student Well-Being
Ethical Minds
Multiple-intelligences guru Howard Gardner and a team of Harvard researchers are probing how the use of digital technology is shaping young people's character. 
Video
Video
IT Infrastructure & Management
Build It Better
District Web sites are a gateway and a guide for educators, parents, and students, but designing them to work for everyone is challenging.
Professional Development
Ed Web Experts Form Network
A new national organization is seeking to bring those who do the job of building, maintaining, and redesigning school district Web sites together to share ideas and advice.
IT Infrastructure & Management
'First Line of Defense'
Not all students' and not all parents' always understand the potential safety and security risks the Internet may present.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Projecting a Better View
For a 21st-century classroom, the traditional overhead projector is quickly becoming a tool of the past. It's being replaced by a combination of digital multimedia projectors and document cameras.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Learning on the Ride
A pilot program in rural Arkansas that uses mobile Internet technologies has caught the attention of educators and ed-tech enthusiasts around the country.
IT Infrastructure & Management
The Internet Presidency?
Based on the integral role technology played in President-elect Barack Obama's campaign, ed-tech experts suggest that the new administration could revolutionize the way technology is viewed in the United States, and, it is hoped, in education.
Curriculum
'Spore' Plays Games With Evolution Theory
A much-anticipated commercial computer game about evolution is getting a favorable response from some scholars, even though a few of its features sacrifice strict scientific accuracy to fun.
Student Well-Being
Who Are You?
Companies verify student personal information via schools to protect children and teenagers from online predators.
Education
Online Extras
Online-only articles featured in the winter issue of Digital Directions include:
Education
Top Picks: Go-To Sites For Ed-Tech Leaders
This issue's picks include sites that help students become technology help-desk assistants, connect donors to schools, and more.
Education
Digital Education Blog
What's up in the world of ed tech? How are schools using digital tools to improve learning? And how is technology driving educational innovation? Find answers to those and other important questions in Digital Education, a blog produced by DD writers.
IT Infrastructure & Management
The Military Connection
Defense contractors are joining forces in an innovative partnership to develop high-tech simulations to boost STEM education in Maryland's Baltimore County schools. Video
Video
Assessment
Assessment Connection Inc.
Because of increasingly affordable technology and wider access to high-speed broadband Internet connections, more companies in the computer-based-assessment industry are devising ways to deliver tests online.