Netbooks in School Districts

Irving School District in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas started a purchasing program of Asus Eee net books. The school purchased 4,600 netbooks to replace the obsolete Dell laptops the school previously used.

I think using net books in classrooms is a great idea. They can be set up to the school network and the students can use flash drives and the netbooks to complete homework assignments. Instead of writing assignments out on paper, the students can submit them electronically for teachers to grade and email them back. They are saving the paper wasted by printing or writing out their assignments, as well as ink from the printer. Most students get their homework back and toss it right away. Using email, the students can create a folder to keep track of their assignments and their grades. If they need any of the previous assignments they know exactly where to look.

*Photo Provided by Scripting News on Flickr

Balton Rwanda's One Child Per Student Movement

Balton is a company with 5 divisions: Electro Mechanical Engineering, Communications, Public Health, Agriculture and Projects and Services. Balton is seeking to start the One Laptop Per Student project in Rwanda. The big issue they are tackling is how to connect them all. In such remote areas, internet and other networks are difficult to develop.

Rwanda has gone through so much in the last few years with the Genocide and poverty issues. I am very excited to see something good might happen for the people there. I hope Balton can come up with a way to connect all of the computers and use the laptops to enhance the education. Better education means a chance for a better life for the children as they grow to be adults. The people of Rwanda deserve a fair chance at success and bettering their situation.

To read the entire article, Click Here.

The Simpsons: Using Technology in the Classroom

Photo Provided By: Tony Vincent http://www.learninginhand.com/blog/index.html
I am usually not a fan of The Simpsons, but this episode was actually pretty good. I had many teachers who were scared of technology and didn't know how to use it. Since the teachers couldn't use it, they created a rule that the students couldn't either. With the capabilities of today's technology, students should have many more advantages in their education process. Teachers shouldn't try to limit that when it could make life much easier for them as well! Consider a website like Google Docs. Instead of wasting a lot of time, money, and resources, why not use Google Docs to create the syllabus, share it with the students in the class via email, and if they want to print a copy, they can. Otherwise, it is stored on the server for their use at any time. Another example is Twitter. How many times in our lifetimes have we heard a teacher ask a student if they "wrote it down in their planner?" What if you use Twitter to send them the assignments. Again, the assignment is right there on that website. If the student doesn't get the assignment it is because they didn't take the time or make the effort to check it. The responsibility is no longer on the teacher, but it is on the student. Students enjoy using technology and showing others that they know how to use it. Implementing that into the classroom will make learning much easier and more interesting for everyone!

Click here to read Tony Vincent's blog entry on this episode of The Simpsons.

Handheld Computers in Classrooms

I love the fact that Mr. Vincent incorporated handheld computers into all sections of his class. He found many different programs he could use for each subject area in the classroom. It was very refreshing to read that Taylor actually enjoyed working on Spelling...I think that is definitely the first time I have ever experienced such enthusiasm in relation to learning new words. PDA's, or handheld computers, are kind of obsolete now, as this blog entry was written back in 2004, but it would be great to bring iPod Touches into the classroom on a regular basis. The students can use them to hold their files for papers and keep track of their calendars, as well as using the wireless to visit multiple websites and do research. As the commercials state, "There's an app. for that!" Why not put them to good use in an educational way!

Click Here to read "Taylor's Day."