Technology & Learning - January 2008 - (Page 15)

Data mining is earning its keep . No Child Left Behind may not be the most popular education legislation of our time, but few would argue against the real benefits of focusing on data to provide evidence of progress or need. A recent New York Times article showcased a study by the Educational Testing Service that correlates low scores on standardized tests to four variables completely out of the hands of schools: single parent homes; exposure to reading under age 5; hours of television watched in eighth grade; and number of school days missed monthly in eighth grade. The study, which used several data sources including the Census Bureau and Child Trends research center, brings attention to an issue that’s long been oversimplified for consumption by the American general public. last month found 11 percent of middle school kids were victims of online bullying, calling cyberbullying “an emerging public health problem.” On the other hand, a recent study conducted by the National School Boards Association suggests concerns may be exaggerated, finding “fewer recent or current problems…than school fears and policies seem to imply.” At any rate, Internet safety and security are on everyone’s mind these days, making a strong case for high-quality technology literacy education in schools. hands-on workplace skills, the message on the national radar is that education must change. Increasingly, institutions such as Tucson’s Empire High School (see “Tossing Out Textbooks”, page 24) and entire states such as West Virginia are taking the lead in crafting new models for what it means to be educated in the global, digital world. Twentyfirst-century skil ls have a foot in the door . When the Partnership for 21st Century Skills was formed in 2003, it felt like the ed tech industry was talking to itself. However, in the wake of growing concerns over the outsourcing of American jobs, a slew of studies showing employers’ concerns over the lack of “promotable” college graduates (The Workforce Readiness Report Card), the National Academies’ call to arms for more science, math, and engineering brainpower (Rising Above the Gathering Storm), new federal funding for STEM from the recent America COMPETES Act, and the growing popularity of “hybrid” academies that combine higher-order thinking with Digital content is on the r . ise In the recent report, A Revolution in K–12 Digital Content: How Soon Is Now? research group Eduventures declares the textbook “dead… or at least dying” as the “primary content delivery mechanism” for schools, while acknowledging that printed content isn’t going away any time soon. New media is interactive, customizable, timely, motivating, instantly accessible, and 21st-centuryready. The downside is the possibility of having it all crash—if new information security and bandwidth issues spawned by its exponential growth are not seriously addressed—one company aiming to find some innovative solutions to the heightened security vulnerabilities through a partnership with Carnegie Mellon’s CyLab—who predicts that by 2010 there will be 10 Internet-connected devices for every person on the network. Cyberbullying is in the spotlight . Google the term and see what pops up: more than 1,000 entries attesting to the fact that misbehavior in chat rooms, e-mail, and instant messaging is the issue of the day internationally. Conclusions are mixed. A Journal of Adolescent Health report publicized Technology & Learning January 2008 | 15

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Technology & Learning - January 2008

Technology & Learning - January 2008 Contents Editor's Desk News & Trends Product Guide Reviews Cover Story: Ten Top Tech Trends ERP Makes a Comeback Tossing Out Textbooks LOY Profile Series Higher Ed How To Bottom Line What's New Emerging Tech

Technology & Learning - January 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.