Educational Grant Deadline Soon

November 1 is the last day to apply for a grant from the Verizon Foundation this year. The foundation focuses its giving on several key areas, including education, literacy, and internet safety.

Technology and Learning can be Funded
Grants generally range from $5000 to $10,000, though there is no set limit. K-12 schools must be registered with the National Center for Educational Statistics to apply.

In explaining its support for education, the Verizon Foundation web page notes that "Technology has revolutionized the way we live, learn and work. To reach their full potential, people need a level of literacy and education that is unprecedented."

The online application is extensive, so start soon if you intend to apply this year. If you can't make the November 1 deadline, applications for 2009 will be accepted after January 1.

Web-Based Learning

Teachers working with students in a classroom are able to assess the students' learning styles and characteristics with face-to-face interaction early on in a course. But how can a teacher assess students when teaching a web-based course?

Assessing Readiness

Before teaching a web-based course, it is important for teachers to research the students in order to know where they stand in terms of being prepared for the material and ready to learn. In order to learn more about distance-learning students, a teacher can conduct an assessment inventory of the students before classes begin. This type of inventory is a series of questions tailored to determine the learning style of the students and to verify they meet the necessary pre-requisites for the course. It is preferably done on-line due to the nature of the course, but may also be done by paper survey or interview.

Assessment inventories are a valuable tool because they give teachers information about the students before a web-based course begins. To learn more about using assessment inventories, view our article about the importance of knowing entry-level characteristics of students.

School rankings

The Center for Public Education has released The Proficiency Debate: A Guide to NAEP Achievement Levels. The report examines why national rankings of school district proficiency often differ, sometimes markedly, from the way a state ranks the same schools.


School Rankings Controversial

The National Assessment of Educational Proficiency (NAEP) is often referred to as the "nation's report card." Schools that rank lower on the NAEP than on their state's report card can find themselves struggling to explain the difference to parents. The Center says it helps to know that states and NAEP don't measure the same things. Also, the NAEP standard is higher than that used by most states.

The report explains how the NAEP scores are developed and what it means if they differ substantially from other rankings.

Ed Tech Conference

The National School Board Association's (NSBA) annual T+L Conference is coming up in Seattle October 28-30. T+L is short for Technology and Learning, and the conference is billed as the key event for school district leaders interested in educational technology.



Top Technology Topics

The conference will focus on a number of hot topics in the field, including S.T.E.M. Initiatives, social networking, and using technology to enhance one-to-one learning. The conference includes dozens of workshops and roundtables on technology topics. Examples include Online Learning vs. Traditional Learning: Which is More Effective for the Student?; The Virtual Science Lab; and Why All Your Teachers Must Learn How to Teach Online And How Their Brick-and-Mortar Classes Will Benefit. Pre-conference sessions are offered October 27 on issues such as getting students engaged in learning and technology and the law.

IQity Will be There

IQity will be hosting a social event at Seattle's Experience Music Project on October 29. Stay tuned for more specifics about our plans for a fun, exciting opportunity to network and party.

Blended Learning Offers Benefits

In a blended learning environment, the student interacts with a teacher in a classroom setting but also completes course work online. Many types of students benefit from the addition of an online component. For at-risk students, teachers can track students' progress electronically and identify areas in which they need special assistance. Exceptional students are challenged with an online learning component because they can work at an advanced rate and can maximize their independence while away from the class.

Blended Learning is Effective

Blended learning combines the best of both classroom instruction and online instruction and has proven to be a beneficial approach to learning. To find out more, view our article on blended learning as an effective teaching method.