STEM Education

It's not too late to get your students involved in this year's Great Worldwide Star Count, a project that teaches both astronomy and technology skills. Now until November 3, you can participate with classes around the globe.

Technology Anchors Global Participation
This is the second year for the project, organized by a consortium of universities calling itself Windows on the Universe. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the goal is to map global light pollution while helping students learn astronomy. Volunteers worldwide choose a constellation and report online how many stars they observe in it.

An activity guide and star charts are available online. Observations must be reported by November 3.

Online Schools

The growing trend of online education is paving the way to success for many students in an environment not restricted to a classroom.

Education Revolution

Online schools have revolutionized K-12 learning. An o-line learning environment offers more opportunities to students than the face to face instruction in a traditional bricks-and-mortar school. Using online learning, teachers can tailor their virtual classroom to meet the needs of each individual student. With an electronic tracking system, they can identify students' strengths and weaknesses and work with them accordingly, which is advantage for both gifted and struggling students.

View our article to see an analysis of how online learning has changed to face of K-12 learning

Educational Technology Center

Educational technology could get a big boost with the creation of a new national research center. A recently enacted federal law will create the National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies. The center will disseminate federal funding for research on educational technology and how it affects learning. It's still under development and does not yet have a web site, but will be part of the U.S. Department of Education.


Investing in Educational Technology

The legislation, a higher-ed bill signed by the President in August, says that the center will develop a comprehensive research and development program to advance educational technology and improve learning at all levels "in order to provide Americans with the knowledge and skills they need to compete in the global economy." Educational technology advocates hope that the budget for federal fiscal year 2009 will include $50 million to fund the center.


Schools Can Get Started Now

Schools don't need to wait to get started with today's educational technology. The IQity Learning Management Suite comes with a variety of high-tech tools and schools and students need only computer access to use them. Schedule an online demonstration with an elearning expert to see how easy it is to get started.

Educational Technology Initiative

The Vision for K-20 Education initiative is a year old and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), its sponsor, says that while progress is being made, more is needed.

Educational Technology Vision
What is the vision? It's that by the end of the decade, every K-20 school will use educational technology for six specific purposes: to increase student engagement and achievement; to provide equity and access to new learning opportunities; to document and track student performance; to empower collaborative learning; to maximize teaching and administrative effectiveness; and to build student proficiency in 21st century skills.

SIAA surveyed educators at the first anniversary of announcing its initiative and found that schools are making progress in using technology to improve communication and anytime/anywhere access to learning. More needs to be done to nurture creativity and meet the needs of all students.

IQity Advances the Initiative's Goals
Using the IQity Learning Management Suite to offer online classes can help schools meet all the goals of the Vision for K-20 Education. The LMS simplifies tasks for teachers and administrators, helps students master 21st century technology skills, and gives them access to standards-aligned content that meets the needs of each individual learner. Schedule an online demonstration to see how IQity can help your school attain its goals.

No Child Left Behind

Teachers need to do more than present subject matter when preparing students for the Ohio Graduation Test and other assessments required by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Preparation is Key

First, it is important that teachers assess their students' learning styles. There are learning style inventories or other diagnostic tools to help accomplish this. Second, teachers can match their learning activities to the test's criteria. Learning activities should be exciting for the students in order to make them more memorable. Third, teachers can insure they have a quality learning environment in which students can work. For example, adequate space is needed for a learning activity that require students to move around.

To learn more about successful testing, see our article on making a plan for test preparation.