While it may appear that nothing has changed, I updated the blog to WordPress 1.5. Upgrades on a Friday are a big risk for me. Sometimes things don’t go well and then I am stuck trying to undo what I have done.
I am sold on WordPress and recommend this product to any of you wanting to operate a blog on your own server.
ISTE has collaborated with Microsoft to offer an NETS Online Technology Assessment. However, access to this service is allowed only if one invests in a certain operating system (see below).
Supported Operating Systems
?? Windows Server 2003
?? Windows XP
?? Windows ME
?? Windows 2000
?? Windows NT
Supported Browsers
?? Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
?? Other browsers including Netscape are not supported at this time
OK – so what is up with this? Microsoft can’t figure out how to offer cross-platform resources or ISTE will follow the money at any cost?
If this type of thing is not an issue for you, here is the link.
I contacted ISTE with my position on this issue. To be fair – here is the ISTE response:
On behalf of ISTE I would like to thank you for making us aware of your concern with the NETS Online Assessment Tool co-developed by ISTE and Microsoft. The voices of our members are very important and we appreciate the opportunity to discuss this concern with you.
We are collaborating with Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Initiative to provide educator resources to our membership including an example of a 21st Century, online, formative assessment tool. Please know that ISTE does not endorse “one” assessment tool. Our goal in sharing resources with our members is to provide options so members can make informed choices from an array of quality assessment resources based on what works for their students and/or teachers. ISTE has currently developed an “Assessment Initiatives” informational flyer that will list a variety of assessment offerings for both Mac and PC. We believe it is important to consider that not every resource worth considering is dual platform, and not every ISTE member needs both.
During our last phone conference, Microsoft shared their intent to develop a Mac solution for future releases. Although they are not able to pinpoint the exact date the updated release will be available, they are targeting one year from now so they can gain insight from the current limited implementation (The tool is version specific for Windows users, too!) in order to optimize the functionality of the tool.
We apologize for the inconvenience the limitations of this early version of the NETS assessment tool has caused you. If you have concerns you would like to discuss with us directly please contact Brenda Aspaas, Senior Executive Assistant in our Washington, DC Office (at 202.861.7777 or baspaas@iste.org) so that we can set a time to talk by telephone.
Thank you for being a member of ISTE and voicing your concern.
Here is a link to an article arguing we are ignoring the development of technology basics. Keyboarding is an example.
My wife does not like me to mention keyboarding. It is not that she is against keyboarding skills. She has a sense of a) the time available in schools, b) the resources available in schools, and c) differences in how teachers understand connections between “basics” and other skills. I think her concern is that these factors will constrain student experiences to “learning” keyboard, etc. and not getting on to learning with and not about technology.
So, perhaps one question might be – if students spend one hour per week using a computer in school (I wish), what would you have them do?
New Secretary of Education outlines Vision for Higher Education.
If you are a college student, I would encourage you to read this material and reach your own conclusions. Actually, I would encourage you to discuss issues that interest you (e.g., flat tuition fee) with your instuctors who may understand why institutions often take a different approach. Among other issues, the “vision” encourages a greater commitment to data based comparisons.
[begin quote]
One of our biggest challenges is a lack of compatible and comprehensive measurements???the kind of information parents have come to expect from K???12 schools. Parents see a mosaic of fine higher education institutions, each with wonderful qualities, but find it difficult to piece the puzzle together.
How do credit hours compare? Is the coursework aligned with the state’s K???12 system? Are there work-study programs? How long does it take on average to graduate, and does that differ by major course of study?
What if the student is African-American or Hispanic; what are their prospects? Is a student better off attending a less expensive state school over a five- or six-year period, or a more expensive private school that they may finish in four?
Publications like U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings are useful, but they do not tell the whole story. We need to encourage states and institutions to adopt common languages and metrics.
That way, both traditional and non-traditional education consumers can make smart choices, based on information, not anecdote.
The New York Times Week In Review contains a story focused on the importance of information literacy in using web resources (you may need to register before viewing is allowed). The story outlines some weaknesses in the way the public tends to treat online material (e.g., appearance of the page tends to influence credibility). The story also reports that ETS is developing items to measure students’ ability to evaluate online material.
Kosmo Kalliarekos offers an open letter to new Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
The letter argues for a commitment to one-to-one computing based on the following “facts”:
– Many kids have grown up digitally literate and are comfortable with and attracted to technology.
– Although teachers as a group have been slow to adopt technology, most are either comfortable using it or are open to training.
– The great success of distance learning in higher education shows that technology can help deliver a higher-quality educational experience.
– Billions of venture capital dollars have been invested in innovative educational-technology companies working on solutions to specific educational challenges, from privacy issues to security, training,communications, and data management.
– Content publishers spend more than $4 billion annually on textbooks and ancillary material.The movement to electronic content represents a major opportunity for textbook publishers to increase their growth and profitability.
The cost? Up the technology per pupil expenditure from $40 to $200.
I have commented previously on the logic of using international economic competition as the basis for promoting education in the areas of science and math.
An education week piece by Anthony Carnevale – Education and the Economy: If We???re So Dumb, Why Are We So Rich? – offers a very interesting take on this topic.