When I remember back to my days as a student, and I think of the lasting “academic” memories, one of the few specifics that remains as a strong visual is a science fair project I did. It is curious to me that of all the memories that could be this permanent, the one I remember has nothing to do with math or even more so the teacher. As a student I was very passionate about math and beyond math there were many teachers of whom I have great memories, but this particular science project was neither. So I often wonder why I can remember it so clearly. The project I had created was a computer program that would display the night sky based on the date. (I wonder if I should talk to some IP lawyers about Google’s SkyMap, wink.) Sure it was computer-related, but I have had many other computer “hobbies” that are not so fresh in my mind. So what was it about that project that has etched itself into my mind? One plausible answer is the lure of space. There is something special about that deep darkness that creates a passion for exploration and investigation. In our history there have been many amazing accomplishments, but very few create as much wonder and excitement as those beyond our atmosphere. Hopefully the Space Lab competition will foster similar experiences to mine, and that today’s generation of...
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We believe the tablet will be instrumental in changing how students learn and influencing teacher-student interactions in and out of class. Michael Schmendlen WW Education, Lenovo As I read the recent release about Seton Hall's ThinkPad Tablet pilot, a few ideas came to my mind about the role of the slate form factor in higher education. Having spent 10 years on a college campus, half as student and half as a faculty member, I wondered how my days long ago might have been different with the technology of today. While my thoughts here may not be the immediate reality for teachers and students today, hopefully they will be soon realized, or better yet exceeded. As a student (and still as an adult) one of my greatest challenges was organization and preparedness. Too often in college, I'd set out for the day only to realize I'd forgotten a text, some notes, or a coursepak in my dorm. Today, I'd have universal access to all my critical learning materials. My notes would be synced to the cloud, possibly with Evernote. Because I'd be renting all my text from Amazon or other vendors, I'd be able to carry all my reference and reading material with me. Now those often wasted chunks of time between classes or meetings could be more productive. If I happened to forget...
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Curriculum Pathways
As I introduce my first teacher tip, I am thinking back to the days when I first landed in a classroom where every kid had access to technology. While at Duke University, my use of technology was confined more to a prescriptive lab setting with a particular software application or calculator device. However at Cary Academy, the flood gates were wide open, and I could explore virtually without bounds. On first glance this may seem easy, but the reality is one can become quickly overwhelmed and spend countless hours searching the internet for the perfect “it,” only to find out later that “it” does not exist. During those early years, I was fortunate to work with some really great people at SAS who were not only helping build Cary Academy, but they were also working on online curriculum tools from which they hoped others beyond Cary Academy would benefit. Now some fourteen plus years later, the product of their efforts is Curriculum Pathways, an online curriculum resource free to US educators. The content, which is aligned to state and Common Core standards, covers both middle and high school grade levels and focuses on English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish. Curriculum Pathways is a wonderful asset...
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This weekend marks the State of North Carolina’s annual tax free weekend. While many out there are already in school or are far from heading back, for the folks of North Carolina, this is time for serious back-to-school shopping to get ready for school. So I thought I’d take some time to share some back-to-school items with you from Lenovo Education. Lenovo will be donating a portion of its web sales during this back-to-school period to the NC Science Olympiad. Defunded in recent budget cuts, the Science Olympiad is an important part of STEM education initiatives in North Carolina. We hope that you’ll consider this if you are purchasing a computer this week. Even if your plans don’t include purchasing a computer, consider taking some of those tax savings and contributing to this or any other worthy organization recently impacted by the economy. To celebrate the start of school, we will be launching a new weekly feature on Lenovo Blogs, Teacher...
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At ThinkTank a few days back, I had the opportunity to sit-in on the Education Research Initiative (ERI) Board of Advisors meeting. It was a great opportunity to hear about many of the wonderful projects underway. Through ERI, a partnership with Intel and Microsoft, Lenovo seeks to gain insight into technology’s impact on the learning environment. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative research, the initiative seeks to measure the effect of technology on the learning experience from grade one through college. In its initial year, ERI established core research programs at four global educational institutes: The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Center for Faculty Excellence in Chapel Hill, NC How can research faculty members be trained to become more effective instructors without sacrificing research? The Student Global Leadership Institute (SGLI) at the Punahou School in Honolulu, HI Does multinational collaboration lead to improved outcomes for high school students and teachers? The Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership in North Melbourne, Australian...
