Forest Bates

With cybersecurity a ballooning top concern for ed tech leaders, the severity and scope of K-12 cyberattacks is also growing. Districts are also sorting through a time when school officials remain on high alert. School safety protocols vulnerable to cyberthreats can include building maps, evacuation plans, security camera layouts, network architecture and more.  Should these plans leak to the public following a cyberattack, there are strategies districts can use to avoid or better handle such a situation. We spoke with school safety and K-12 cybersecurity experts, who shared the fol..

With little progress on gun control measures in Congress, some envision next-generation weapons detection technologies as a potential deterrent to mass shootings. Why it matters: In theory, if authorities could use artificial intelligence to spot guns or identify potential shooters earlier, they might be able to head off gun violence like the school massacres in Uvalde, Texas, Oxford, Mich., and Parkland, Fla. Yes, but: Critics say AI surveillance systems aren't effective, and they worry about other issues, including the technology's record of bias, particularly against people of co..

A new threat report from data security firm CrowdStrike found that criminals engaging in intrusion into information systems are getting much more efficient at what they do. It also found that intrusions into academic systems are soaring. The report, Nowhere To Hide, 2021 Threat Hunting Report: Insights from the CrowdStrike Falcon OverWatch Team, found that, on the efficiency side, it takes an intruder significantly less time to begin moving into other systems on the network once they've made the initial breach — now just 1 hour and 32 minutes, down from four hours and 37 minutes in the prev..

By Kevin E. Baird Meta-analyst Dr. John Hattie, whose work on “visible learning” draws from one of the largest sets of research data ever assembled, asks the simple question, “What makes the biggest difference in educational outcomes?” Year after year, the findings are the same. Teachers’ self-confidence ranks at the very top of the highest-impact factors for learning. The idea for a book I co-wrote, Whole: What Teachers Need to Help Students Thrive, began with a provocative finding: teachers are the fourth-most stressed occupation in the United States. According to Gallup, more than one..

  What does it mean to use technology in the classroom? Students are digital natives. They’ve grown up with technology; it’s woven into their lives. In fact, it’s one of the basic 21st century skills that they’ll need in school and the workplace. But using computer technology in the classroom isn’t just about digital devices in class — it relates to anything that facilitates an interaction between teacher and student. Classroom engagement is at an all-time low and lecturers are competing against countless diversions from phones, tablets and laptops. Technology in schools could be se..

One thing we do know is coming over the course of 2019 is the U.S.-wide rollout of 5G technology.7 This is great news if your campus Wi-Fi network is starting to groan under the strain of hundreds of connected phones, tablets, laptops, and now (thanks to the Internet of Things) watches, vending machines, toasters and so on. 5G, which is in the early stages of implementation, is a new mobile spectrum meant to replace 4G/LTE, and it has two aims relevant to technology in education: it will be more robust for connecting large numbers of devices, and work equally well inside and outside of buil..

Findings In the early 1970s, in the wake of the civil rights movement, educators were faced with a social dilemma that had no obvious solution. All over the country, well-intentioned efforts to desegregate America's public schools were leading to serious problems. Ethnic minority children, most of whom had previously attended severely under-funded schools, found themselves in classrooms composed predominantly of more privileged White children. This created a situation in which students from affluent backgrounds often shone brilliantly while students from impoverished backgrounds often s..

By Dian Schaffhauser 11/01/18   An Illinois school district has tapped into "big data" analytics through a subscription model to help improve student outcomes. Meridian School District #223 is working with Qlik Analytics from the Copley Consulting Group. Previously, Meridian used a manual process to analyze district data and monitor school performance, but according to the school system, that wasn't delivering the desired results. Now, the district is paying $20 per student per year for access to the Qlik business intelligence and data analytics platform, which provides "g..

By Sara Friedman 09/18/18 Some schools might have a problem on their hands when it comes to the use of educational technology and the need to protect student privacy, according to an alert issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The alert warns schools that the widespread collection of student data could have privacy and safety implications if the information is compromised or exploited. The FBI recommends the following for parents and families: Research existing student and child privacy protections of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, the Protection of Pu..

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin schools bracing for the next mass shooting are turning to gunshot-detecting sensors that police across the country rely on, hoping the technology will lead to faster response times when there's an active shooter.   Halting Gang Violence in the Heartland The sensors are among various security upgrades schools are rolling out when classes resume this fall, using grants Wisconsin state lawmakers approved this year after the shootings in Parkland, Florida. Since then, the number of schools around the country expressing interest in ..

Technology is everywhere--entwined in almost every part of our culture. It affects how we live, work, play, and most importantly learn. With mobile and other wireless devices like the IoT becoming an increasing requirement across every industry today, it only makes sense that our schools are also effectively deploying mobile technology in the classroom. However, for many schools, implementing the latest technology is a difficult strategy to navigate. There are two main reasons for this: Schools are on the fence about the use of certain mobile devices; thinking they're more a burden ..

The staff start their emails with “Familia….” The teachers swing from the monkey bars at recess with their first-graders. The principal finds out students have stolen a bike and walks them home to tell their parents. Not many schools have the word “love” in their mission, and it’s a hard thing to quantify on a school report card. But Global Prep Academy — whose motto is “unlocking the world through language, expeditionary learning, and love” — is one of a dozen schools in Indianapolis doing things differently, including a dual-language immersion program beginning in kindergarten for its nat..

The idea of a coding school that charges no upfront tuition was intriguing to Ne-Yo. The Grammy winning artist (famous for songs like "Miss Independent") is certainly not the first musician to invest in Silicon Valley, but he's one that wants to put his talents and money into helping to solve the diversity challenges facing the tech industry. Holberton School plans to announce that Ne-Yo invested in the coding academy's most-recent $2.3 million funding round and is joining its Board of Trustees as a result.  "This is not a realistic career for people who came up like me. It's mo..

Recently we looked at an EDUCAUSE STUDY showing the relationship students have with technology in the classroom and how it is both used and valued. The basis of the study was to shed some light on how students value technology and how they believe it helps them achieve their academic goals and prepares them for their future academic and workplace lives. Below are a few of the most surprising stats: Tweet This Stat - 76% of students said technology helps them achieve their academic outcomes up 1% from 2016 Tweet This Stat - 50% of students say e-books are important to their academic..

By NICK WINGFIELD And NATASHA SINGER MAY 2, 2017 REDMOND, Wash. — Last week, Satya Nadella, the chief executive of Microsoft, slipped on a glove made of cardboard and clenched his hand into a fist, causing a robotic hand with fingers made of drinking straws to mimic his movements. The glove was one of several engineering projects built in a makeshift laboratory on Microsoft’s campus. The company spent the last year talking to thousands of teachers and designing high-tech experiments that require mostly low-cost parts. It will give the designs to schools for free so teachers can use them ..

  On Thursday, Google announced a new program partnered with Howard University in an effort to recruit more young minds from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Howard has opened a campus at the Googleplex, called Howard West, “a physical space on campus where Howard students and Googlers can grow together,” and hopefully will encourage diversity in a field that sorely needs it. In a press release, Howard University President Dr. Wayne Frederick said: "Howard West will produce hundreds of industry-ready Black computer science graduates, future leaders wit..

LAKE BALBOA — A powerful earthquake sends tremors rippling across the San Fernando Valley, toppling buildings, sparking fires and trapping thousands of residents among the rubble. But instead of police and firefighters picking through sharp-edged debris, an army of robots is dispatched to search and rescue. At least that was the exercise last week at the first Los Angeles magnet school for robotics. "I like working on this stuff," said Jessica Carrillo, 11, of Van Nuys, after tinkering with the wheels of her small off-road bot, which she'd programmed for search and rescue at Mulholland R..

 Indiana-based Seed Company Beck’s Hybrids is looking to Indiana State University to train employees under a new Federal Aviation Administration rule related to use of drones for commercial purposes.   The program involves FAA certification for Beck’s employees so they can help customers assess crops for any potential problems during growing season. Jim Love, Beck’s light robotic manager, said the partnership with ISU “will allow us to make sure that the individuals operating those UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] are trained at the highest level.” So far, about 60 people fro..

Education   ITPartsHelp acts as an advocate for the school system by working with administrators and school officials to determine the best solutions for each.     As School Systems throughout the country have started "1 to 1" Programs, ITPartsHelp has become a key partner in supporting their IT Infrastructure: We offer technical training to School Systems performing their own repairs. We offer dedicated stock for Chromebook models being deployed across school districts throughout the country. We provide insurance cost assessments to help school systems ..

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