Informative ReadingSix ed-tech trends to watch in 2007

Six ed-tech trends to watch in 2007. Gregg W. Downey. eSchool News. Online December 2006. Service-oriented architecture, ‘cloud computing’ among the developments sure to have an impact on educational technology in the coming year. ...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Wishing all my readers a very happy holiday season. Also wishing for knowledge, wisdom and strength for those making decisions that could help bring peace to all the world. Cheers/Ginny

Informative Reading Literacy and Text Messaging: How will the next generation read and write?

Literacy and Text Messaging: How will the next generation read and write? Kate Baggott. MIT Technology Review. Online December 2006. . In the age of text messaging, where words are reduced to nonstandard abbreviations and symbols, many people question the future of literacy. But experts point out that, in fact, technology has put new emphasis on reading and writing. …

Update from FundersGates Foundation gives $40M grant for overseas education

Gates Foundation gives $40M grant for overseas education. Seattle Times. Noted in SmartBrief. Online December 2006. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced yesterday it will award the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation a one-time grant of at least $40 million to help the charity promote effective learning methods in Asian and African countries. … The Hewlett Foundation has committed at least $20 million more to the effort, which is aimed at creating model projects that demonstrate effective learning methods in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. …

Update on Egypt/Intel/WiMaxIntel connects Egyptian village

Intel connects Egyptian village. AMEInfo. Online December 2006. Working with Egypt's government, business and education leaders, Intel has installed a WiMAX network in the Egyptian village of Oseem as part of its World Ahead Programme. Intel has connected two public schools, a health care centre on wheels, a municipal building and an e-government services kiosk. Intel also donated and installed computers in the health centre and PC labs at the two schools. (Wikipedia for Oseem, just north of Giza.)

ICT SupportIn the developing world, broadband spans the digital divide.

In the developing world, broadband spans the digital divide. Wi-Fi, fiber optics and motorcycles spread the Internet. Thomas Crampton. IHT. Online December 2006. Breakthroughs in the delivery of the Internet have created a variety of ways to spread high-speed Internet in developing countries, in some cases bringing remote regions online more rapidly than expected. … The most striking change will be pulling down the knowledge divide between rural and urban areas. … In addition to information for education, … broadband would improve lives by bringing medicine to remote areas. …

ICT SupportQuick guide to low-cost computing devices and initiatives for the developing world.

Quick guide to low-cost computing devices and initiatives for the developing world. Michael Trucano. infoDev / World Bank. Online December 2006. A short inventory of known projects related to 'low cost ICT devices for the developing world. See also: News items (2006): Low-cost ICT devices for the developing world. infoDev has assembled some links to full-text news items from a variety of sources about initiatives, projects and products related to low-cost ICT devices (excluding mobile phones) for the developing world.

Informative ReadingICT National Policies & Case Studies.

ICT National Policies & Case Studies. Communication Initiative. Online December 2006. The Communication Initiative (CI) has posted descriptions of 25 ICT policies and 24 ICT4D case studies within a special section of its web site. More descriptions of policies are to be added in the future. The case studies, according to CI, "attempt to demonstrate development impact and lessons learned on the practical implementation of ICT for development (ICT4D), with a particular focus on 3 sectors: agriculture, education, and health." …

Informative ReadingTechnology Counts 2007: Looking Back, Looking Ahead.

Technology Counts 2007: Looking Back, Looking Ahead. November 2006 Online chat transcript. Edweek. Online December 2006. Guests:Larry Cuban, education historian and professor of education emeritus at Stanford University; Sara Hall, deputy director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association; Don Knezek, chief executive officer of the International Society for Technology in Education; and Keith R. Krueger, chief executive officer of the Consortium for School Networking, talked about how the use of educational technology has changed in K-12 schools over the past 10 years. (GW note: Highly recommended. Although the chat focuses on ed tech in the US, it is rich, informative and includes many resource URLs.)

ICT SupportGmail goes to Egypt.

Gmail goes to Egypt. AMEInfo. Online December 2006. Google is opening up its Gmail free web-mail service to users in Egypt. Account holders get 2.7GB of space. It is one of a number of products Google has made available in Arabic which include Google News, Rosetta, Mobile Web Search, AdWords and a new version of the Google Toolbar 4.

IHT SupportIn the developing world, broadband spans the digital divide.

In the developing world, broadband spans the digital divide. Wi-Fi, fiber optics and motorcycles spread the Internet. Thomas Crampton. IHT. Online December 2006. Breakthroughs in the delivery of the Internet have created a variety of ways to spread high-speed Internet in developing countries, in some cases bringing remote regions online more rapidly than expected. … R. Poornalingam, chairman of the WiMax research center: "The most striking change will be pulling down the knowledge divide between rural and urban areas."… In addition to information for education, Poornalingam said broadband would improve lives by bringing medicine to remote areas. … Scarlett Fondeur, an economic affairs officer at Unctad: "Government policies end up being more important than the actual technologies in determining the pace of adoption.” …

ICT SupportGoogle for Educators™ Unveils Interactive Tools for Schools

Google for Educators™ Unveils Interactive Tools for Schools. Edweek. Online December 2006. (Requires registration as guest.) Inspired in part by questions from educators in the field, the Web search-engine company Google Inc. has unveiled a variety of online interactive tools, curriculum resources, and lesson plans for teachers. … a tutorial for teachers on conducting better Web searches… Google Earth, three-dimensional mapping software based on satellite imagery; SketchUp, a 3-D software program that lets students design buildings and explore geometric concepts; Google Book Search, which finds books that match students’ search terms; blog and photo-sharing software; and word-processing applications that allow students to work simultaneously on the same document from different computers. …