« March 16, 2008 - March 22, 2008 | Main | April 6, 2008 - April 12, 2008 »
March 27, 2008
Orlando here we come!BoardBuzz is hitting the road starting tomorrow (Friday). We'll be at NSBA's Annual Conference (we may have mentioned it once or twice) in Orlando, so we'll be off for a while. But never fear -- the Annual Conference Blog will scratch your blogging itch. We've got guest bloggers, including school board members from all over the country, contributing, so be sure and mosey on over there and see what's going on. And be sure to leave your comments . . .
And we'll be back here on April 7.
Posted at 3:38 PM | Conferences | Link to this story | Comments (0)
Blog all about itBoardBuzz loves our blogging school board member friends. And as we prepare to head off to NSBA's Annual Conference in Orlando, there are a few of them that are taking their shows on the road.
Our old friend Andrew Mizsak, from Ohio, who blogged his way through the FRN Conference in February, is back and blogging the NSBA Conference start to finish. He'll also appear as a guest blogger on our Annual Conference Blog.
This post is all about blogging school board members, and promises some attention at the conference as well. And this school board member from Oregon pledges to "make sure the information comes back to the district."
In the past we've offered tips for sharing your Conference experience once you get back to your school district (and be sure to LISTEN to a message from Anne Bryant, NSBA's executive director with more on the subject), and it seems that now it's time to add blogging to the list. What better way to share what's happening as it happens than through the magic of the Internet?
And for more blogging school board members and all the conference happenings, do check out the Annual Conference Blog, because after today, that's where we'll be.
Posted at 11:33 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)
March 25, 2008
White spaces: Google's master planBack in December, Google joined a coalition of technology companies, public interest and consumer groups, civil rights organizations, think tanks, and higher education groups to launch the Wireless Innovation Alliance to promote the benefits that "white spaces" can bring to consumers. Other members of the Alliance include Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft. Today their vision takes another step closer to becoming reality.
What are white spaces, you ask? Google's Public Policy blog describes it nicely:
Remember how, before cable and satellite TV became ubiquitous in our homes, we would have to turn the VHF dial on our old televisions to watch local channels? NBC might have been on channel 3, CBS on 10, and ABC on 17. And between those channels...was static.
Those spaces still remain largely unused. However, an idea was raised to take portions of that TV spectrum--the "white spaces"--and use them to expand internet access. Think WiFi 2.0 or WiFi on steroids as Google has begun to call it. Google submitted a proposal to the FCC on Friday, saying that by freeing the white spaces spectrum, "consumers will be able to enjoy robust access to the Internet, including the ability to download and utilize any lawful applications or content that is desired." Google claims to have a plan--one that will result in Americans across the country surfing the web on handheld gadgets at gigabits-per-second speeds by the 2009 holiday season.
Broadcasters strongly oppose this move with claims that operating mobile devices in the TV spectrum is bound to cause interference. Google counters these claims and even offered up working prototype devices for the FCC to test.
Ars Technica has this to say on the issue:
Since its inception last year, the white spaces project has seen its fair share of controversy. Prototype devices submitted to the FCC have not performed as hoped, with some of the blame due to broken hardware. The FCC is currently testing prototype devices capable of sensing the presence of digital TV and other transmissions, including those of wireless microphones. Testing is scheduled to continue throughout this week.
This is what will happen to your digital TV picture if white space broadband becomes a reality, according to the NAB Broadcasters have seized upon every testing hiccup to argue that the white spaces should be left alone. The National Association of Broadcasters, in particular, is bitterly opposed to allowing unlicensed broadband service in the white spaces. Last month, the group said that the hardware problems experienced by the White Space Coalition's devices "vindicates beyond doubt the interference concerns expressed by broadcasters, sports leagues, wireless microphone companies, and theater operators."
Nevertheless, Google and the Alliance are moving forward with their plans. "The future is now," Google concludes. "The value of the TV white space to all Americans simply is too great to allow this unique opportunity to be blocked by unfounded fear, uncertainty, and doubt."
BoardBuzz looks forward to a more open wireless world where wireless access is not limited to hotspots, cell networks, and expensive contracts (can you say iPhone?). However, we can only imagine the impact this will have on schools--both positive and negative. What do you think? Will this be the birth of high-bandwidth, affordable, ubiquitous wireless internet services? It could be welcoming news in the face of the waning hopes for wireless cities as the New York Times reports.
Posted at 3:28 PM | Education Technology | Link to this story | Comments (1)
Online learningBoardBuzz wants to remind you to log in to the two online discussions that we'll be hosting from NSBA's Annual Conference in Orlando.
The Tipping Point on School Vouchers: Has Time Run Out for the Privatization Movement? Join NSBA Director of Federal Affairs Marcus Egan for an online discussion Sunday, March 30 at 1 p.m. ET to get the latest information on research, legislation and the political landscape impacting vouchers. You can submit a question in advance or log in to the discussion as it happens.
Straight Talk on Tobacco Join NSBA school health experts, Karen Lewis and Brenda Greene for an online discussion Monday, March 31, at 12:45 ET, to get the full scoop on tobacco free schools and to learn more about what school districts can do to make campuses tobacco free.You can submit a question in advance or log in and watch as the discussion unfolds.
Posted at 12:19 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)
Size does matterUSA Today asserts what has long been discussed around the chalkboard: class size does affect student learning. BoardBuzz has suspected this all along (perhaps because we've been reading the research), and our friends at the Center for Public Education have done their homework on the subject too.
The article states,
Breaking up large classes into several smaller ones helps students, but the improvements in many cases come in spite of what teachers do, new research suggests.New findings from four nations, including the USA, tell a curious story. Small classes work for children, but that's less because of how teachers teach than because of what students feel they can do: Get more face time with their teacher, for instance, or work in small groups with classmates.
"Small classes are more engaging places for students because they're able to have a more personal connection with teachers, simply by virtue of the fact that there are fewer kids in the classroom competing for that teacher's attention," says Adam Gamoran of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who analyzed the findings.
Fair enough. But BoardBuzz would argue that while the new research again shows that small classes help students feel more engaged, if schools really want the most bang for their buck, they should also provide professional development to help teachers modify instruction to the small setting. What are your thoughts on class size? Leave a comment and tell us about it.
For more information on class size and how it affects student learning, check out the research at Center for Public Education.
Posted at 12:10 PM | Students | Link to this story | Comments (0)
March 24, 2008
Around the world in 21 yearsIt started out as a lesson on oceans, and 21 years later, a message in a bottle has made waves (groan). BoardBuzz saw this story on ABCNews.com, and was fascinated.
When Emily Hwaung was in fourth grade she placed a message in a bottle, as a part of a school project, and cast it off to sea. The note read:
This letter is part of our science project to study oceans and learn about people in distant lands. Please send the date and location of the bottle with your address. I will send you my picture and tell you when and where the bottle was placed in the ocean. Your friend, Emily Hwaung
And here we are some 21 years later. The letter, which was launched from a suburb of Seattle, was discovered more than 1,700 miles away in Alaska. Emily, no longer a fourth grader, but a 30 year-old accountant, has really gotten "a kick out of" the story and the bottle resurfacing all these years later.
BoardBuzz wonders if that model of the solar system we did in fourth grade will find us again somehow.
Posted at 3:10 PM | Curriculum | Students | Link to this story | Comments (0)
Classroom 2.0Classroom 2.0 is the social networking site for those interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in education. It won the 2008 Edublog Award for educational use of a social networking site. Home to almost 7,000 educators interested in using Web 2.0 in the classroom, this network offers valuable resources from the get-go:
Members share advice, technical know-how, and encouragement in a community where even newbies are welcome. BoardBuzz would like to give a nod to this network of teachers who are interested in the use of Web 2.0 in the classroom and use the site for personal professional development.
Posted at 1:00 PM | Education Technology | Link to this story | Comments (0)
BoardBuzz Feed
