I missed the first 10 minutes of the Project RED presentation, but was immediately engaged by the slide displayed when I walked through the door. More than half of survey respondents (62%) reported that ubiquitous technology in their schools increased high-stakes test scores, and 48% reported a reduction in disciplinary action.

Project RED is the research project of Jeanne Hayes, the Hayes Connection; Tom Greaves, the Greaves Group; and Leslie Wilson of the One-to-One Institute. Through surveys and interviews, the group seeks to show the true financial benefits of education technology. They have focused on two key issues:  student achievement and the financial impact of technology on state budgets. To my knowledge, no other group is making a research-based financial connection between education technology investment and state economies by analyzing cost savings, cost avoidance and revenue enhancements to state budgets with investment in educational technology.

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I tried at this conference to take a wide variety of different workshops and round tables. The open source sessions were top notch and my hats are off to the presenters. They focused on the benefits of open source software, but also was frank about the realities of open source software.

I was extremely excited to see the Linux desktop in use. In the open source lab I spent a good time looking at all of the educational software availablein the Linux KDE environment.

That night I was trying to figure out how I could get those applications on my laptop with out installing Linux. I then came across a great project from kde.org called KDE on Windows. You download a small install program and then finish the install from a mirror in the Internet. I have not dug in to how they accomplish it but I can describe the results. The program created a new program group in my start menu with all of the KDE programs I chose to install. When I click on one of these applications, Windows launches the application like it was a native Windows application. It is an excellent way to look at these programs right away on existing equipment and software.

KDE on Windows can be found here.

So what makes Fayetteville Public Schools stand out to the Technology Leadership Network (TLN)?  What inclined the TLN  to showcase Fayetteville Public Schools with a Spring Site Visit?

Well, the Technology Leadership Network would like to give you the opportunity to hear about their journey and success directly from this leading district.  Come chat with them at T+L this fall or visit their district for a closer look during TLN’s Spring Site Visit to Fayetteville Public Schools. Their excellence may have something to do with their approach to project based learning and 21st century education environments but that is just the beginning.  Visit the Fayetteville Public School website to watch their Best Practices Series and learn more about what sets them apart!

Be sure to log in to two online discussions that will take place during the T+L Conference. These hot topic discussions are sure to get tongues wagging (or fingers typing, at least), so don’t forget to tune in!

It’s not all fun and games!
How schools can harness educational games for learning
It’s no secret that kids love video games. And even an recent article in the New York Times has highlighted the advantages that some games can present. But how can your school district find the best way to use these games? Log in and learn from expert Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, the educational benefits of using gaming in the classroom. Submit your questions now for this online discussion which will take place during NSBA’s T+L Conference, October 28, 1:00 p.m. PT.

Yours, Mine, and Ours
Ways school districts can make it work with students’ personal technology devices
With all the talk of one-to-one computing, school districts are working hard to find ways to put technology in every student’s hands. Why not let students use their own devices – laptops, ipods, voice recorders – in school to enhance their learning? Kathy Rains, Director of Technology, in the Madison (AL) City Schools will discuss the ups and downs, the challenges and opportunities, of these options and how school districts can make it work. Leave a question for Kathy or tune in live on Wednesday, October 29 at 1:00 p.m. PT.

And don’t forget, we’ll be on the west coast, so be sure to tune in during Pacific Time. We hope to see you (and your questions) there!

And that’s a good thing! As ZDNet’s Christopher Dawson writes:

Cloud computing is one of those great buzzwords in IT that, so far, has meant very little to the average Ed Tech customer. We all have a pretty good idea what it means: lots of computers somewhere (we don’t actually care where) doing lots of processing to deliver services to our desktops via the Internet. On the other hand, with the maturation of virtualization technology, the idea of virtual desktops and virtual servers is certainly rearing its head in education as we try to cut energy costs, ease management, and consolidate resources.

And the latest of example of this comes to us from SIMtone Corporation and Frank Porter Graham Elementary School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school is piloting SIMtone’s cloud computing platform to deliver low-cost, virtual desktops to hundreds of students and faculty. The pilot is part of the SIMtone Education Thunder Program which aims to help close the digital divide and provide access to full PCs in the cloud to the estimated five billion people who cannot afford it, without requiring them to own a computer. The program educational content is provided by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF (USF), and is open to technology and connectivity sponsors worldwide.

Frank Porter Graham is part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District which is recognized for its academic excellence. The pilot is being launched during the current fall 2008 semester. SIMtone has also identified other schools and institutions to expand the Education Thunder Program on a national and global scale.

“Our school wants to equip each student with the most advanced computing environment necessary today to effectively study, learn and access all the digital courseware and teaching tools available. Asking each student to purchase and maintain their own PC is impossible, just as it is impossible for the school to ensure each student’s PC is up to date and has all the latest courseware. SIMtone eliminates all these complexities and costs, and allows our school to deliver to each student a real ‘PC in the Cloud,’ fully maintained by the school itself, that is always available to our students on-demand and on-the-fly, in class, in the library and at home, without requiring them to purchase yet another PC,” said Shelia Burnette, Principal of the Frank Porter Graham School.

The SIMtone Education Thunder Program aims to provide students with their own, school-managed, SIMtone-powered PC in the cloud, containing their own coursework, homework, school services, personal files and TeachUNICEF education materials. An Asus Eee-based notebook (called a SNAPbook) will be provided for easy access to the cloud. BoardBuzz is intrigued. Is your district exploring Cloud Computing? Let us know, leave a comment.