eSchool News

How shared spectrum connectivity benefits distance learning

Today, more than 9 million students lack proper access to reliable broadband internet at home, which creates obstacles for both the students and teachers.

How to ensure home broadband access for every student

How will students from low-income families connect to the internet to learn from home if they can’t attend school physically this fall? What role can school systems play in ensuring home broadband access for all students, given the budget crisis many districts will be facing next year? The simplest solution would be for the Federal Communications Commission to lift the restrictions barring E-rate recipients from using their networks to extend broadband service into students’ homes.

Is Trump Education Secretary Pick Betsy DeVos good or bad for edtech?

School choice, support of teachers unions, and her record in Michigan have been the leading controversial talking points in education when it comes to Donald Trump’s pick for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos. But with a background in technology investment, could DeVos be a leader in the support of successfully-implemented edtech?

According to Philanthropy magazine in spring 2013, DeVos serves as chairman of the Windquest Group—a privately held, multi-company operating group that invests in technology, manufacturing, and clean energy—which she founded with her husband in 1989. In 2013, DeVos said when it comes to education reform strategies, she is most focused on educational choice. “But, thinking more broadly, what we are trying to do is tear down the mindset that assigns students to a school based solely on the zip code of their family’s home. We advocate instead for as much freedom as possible,” she said. “One long-term trend that’s working in our favor is technology. It seems to me that, in the internet age, the tendency to equate ‘education’ with ‘specific school buildings’ is going to be greatly diminished. Within the right framework of legislation, that freedom will ultimately be healthy for the education of our kids.”

Innovative district expands access like never before using E-rate

Thanks to a major funding refresh, one district found that it’s now possible to support its one-to-one initiative without scaling back access for other services or devices. Could your district do the same? The Federal Communication Commission’s historic E-rate modernization in 2014 paved the way for districts to expand their high-speed broadband and Wi-Fi and increase digital learning opportunities for students. Before the modernization, Category 2 services were called Priority 2 services and were funded only after all requests for Priority 1 services (telecommunications services and Internet access) were funded–but that meant most schools had no leftover E-rate funding for Wi-Fi equipment and other internal connections. And now, school districts across the nation are able to improve digital learning opportunities and expand Wi-Fi for teachers and students.

In Louisiana’s Lafayette Parish Schools, LaShona Dickerson, the district’s director of technology, has leveraged Category 2 funding to update her district’s infrastructure to support a one-to-one rollout. Working with Funds for Learning regarding E-rate processes, Dickerson and her team have updated the district’s phone system, implemented a student information system, improved financial payroll processes, and incorporated tools and resources that empower teaching and learning. “We were able to do a lot of this because of E-rate funding,” Dickerson said. “We work on a limited budget–everything we do has to be planned and strategic, and always has to be a collaborative effort.”

Broadband pilots could serve as models for other states

Arkansas and Virginia have teamed up with EducationSuperHighway to design a cost-effective plan for meeting President Barack Obama’s goal of ensuring broadband access for every student.

EducationSuperHighwayis surveying the available bandwidth in Arkansas and Virginia classrooms. The group then will assess what broadband technologies are available in each state.

To take an inventory of the current state of Internet access in Arkansas and Virginia classrooms, EducationSuperHighway is analyzing E-rate requests for each of these states’ schools, among other data.

E-rate changes prompt new voice options for schools

If the Federal Communications Commission has its way, the E-rate no longer will support voice services within the next five years, including plain old telephone service, toll-free service, and even voice over IP (VoIP).

Beginning with the 2015 funding year, schools will see their discount percentage on eligible voice services reduced by 20 percentage points each year, until they no longer receive any voice-related support.

The FCC says it will evaluate the effects of this change after two years and will decide at that time whether to continue. In making this change, the FCC aims to transform the E-rate from a telecommunications program to a broadband program.

The agency acknowledges that schools will have to pay more for voice-related services, but the savings they’ll realize on broadband services could help offset this cost, officials say.

New E-rate rules invite a new approach: Managed Wi-Fi

In the Report and Order that rewrites the rules governing the $2.4 billion-a-year E-rate program, the Federal Communications Commission refers to a new category of service that is eligible for E-rate support: managed Wi-Fi, or “managed internal broadband services” as the agency refers to it.

Using the agency’s newly created funding cap of $150 per student on the pre-discount cost of Category 2 services over a five-year period, schools would be eligible to apply for E-rate discounts on managed Wi-Fi services costing up to $30 per student, per year.

While managed Wi-Fi offers many potential benefits, it might not be the best option for all schools. “The biggest problem with outsourcing [IT functions] … is an inexplicable faith in service providers,” said Geoff Tritsch of Vantage Technology Consulting Group. “Too many [schools] give critical functions over to outsourcers without doing their due process.”

Schools grapple with data privacy

As school leaders turn to software companies for help in collecting and storing student data in the cloud, privacy advocates worry about what will happen to the information -- and whether it might be used for marketing purposes.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act governs the use and disclosure of students’ personal information, but it can only penalize schools for non-compliance. The law doesn’t include any direct authority over software providers -- which is one reason many policy makers think it’s time to update FERPA for the digital age.

A $5 billion bounty: How to use E-rate support for Wi-Fi

The E-rate program will provide $5 billion over the next five years to help schools and libraries install Wi-Fi and other technologies needed to deliver broadband within their buildings; here’s how:

The Federal Communications Commission’s Seventh Order changes the description of these services from “Priority 2” to “Category 2.” To spread the Category 2 funding to the broadest number of applicants possible, the FCC has taken two key steps: (1) It has limited the maximum discount on these services at 85 percent, and (2) it has capped the amount of funding that applicants can receive on these services within a five-year period. To ensure that smaller schools can buy the minimum amount of Wi-Fi gear they need, the FCC created a “funding floor” of $9,200 per building.

The FCC’s Seventh Order transforms the E-rate from a telecommunications program into a broadband program that supports the delivery of high-speed Internet service to and within school buildings. Funding for all voice-related services -- including plain old telephone service, toll-free service, and even voice over IP (VoIP) -- will be phased out over five years. Because of this five-year cap, K-12 technology leaders will have to think strategically about their Wi-Fi needs -- and they should look at purchasing equipment with a five-year life cycle in mind.

New developments in K-12 technology integration

According to the Software & Information Industry Association’s (SIIA) 2014 Vision K-20 report, 85 percent of secondary, 66 percent of elementary, and 83 percent of K-12 district survey participants said mobile devices will be allowed in schools in the next five years.

Not surprisingly, more than half of respondents said they don’t feel “highly prepared” with enough bandwidth or adequate devices and hardware to support online assessments. Just 41 percent of elementary, 40 percent of secondary, and 42 percent of K-12 district respondents said they feel they have adequate Internet bandwidth. Thirty-two percent of elementary, 36 percent of secondary, and 36 percent of K-12 district respondents said they feel they have adequate devices and hardware for students.

6 reasons mobile learning is booming

Speak Up 2013, an annual survey lead by Project Tomorrow, focuses on digital learning and college- and career-ready skill development. Survey results reveal that educators, school and district leaders, and parents understand that mobile devices help students access more digital content and digital learning opportunities.

  1. School and district administrators say that tablets (41 percent), one-to-one programs (28 percent), mobile apps (22 percent), and bring-your-own-device policies, or BYOD (22 percent) have had a significant impact on transforming teaching and learning.
  2. Eighty-six percent of school and district administrators said mobile learning increases student engagement.
  3. Mobile learning also helps each student personalize his or her learning (67 percent).
  4. School leaders note that mobile learning helps students develop a number of skills that will be necessary in college and the workforce, namely critical thinking and problem solving (51 percent), collaboration and teamwork skills (47 percent), and strong communication skills (37 percent).
  5. Thirty-two percent of technology administrators said that allowing students to use their own mobile devices helps schools address budget challenges while still giving students access to technology.
  6. The 2014 survey reveals that 41 percent of principals said they were comfortable with such a move. An additional 10 percent said they had already changed school policy to support BYOD.

Smart phones, dumb choices: Five dangerous trends of student cell phone use

[Commentary] From sexting to cyberbullying, a momentary lapse in judgment on a smart phone or through social media can have lifelong consequences. Here are five digital trends that every educator should know about.

  1. Privacy: Teens cannot assume any of their online or cell phone activity will remain private. One of the most common problems occurs when someone shares a photograph or other private information through texting or social media and expects complete privacy. Too often, either accidentally or on purpose, it spreads beyond the recipient or group of friends.
  2. Anonymity: Educators, students and parents should never assume they can remain anonymous online. A large percentage of cases our attorneys handle involve another party harming our client anonymously, without using the party’s name or other identifying information. Almost every time, a person’s true identity can be tracked.
  3. Cyberbullying: In the most extreme examples, harassment among students can lead to suicide. In 2008, a student in my hometown of Cincinnati hung herself after her ex-boyfriend shared her nude photos with other students. Sadly, this was not an isolated incident; bullying has led many students to take their own lives.
  4. Sexting: The increased popularity and pressure to send racy photos amongst teens has caused many problems -- both for the subject of the photos and, to a lesser extent, the distributor of these photos.
  5. Educate Students, Staff and Parents: Teens may be breaking the law using their smart phones without even realizing it. While an arrest for possessing or distributing child pornography is an extreme case, it serves to illustrate that a lapse in judgment -- theoretically as easy as sharing a photo or making a social media post -- can have serious long-term consequences.

[Gibson leads the Vorys Internet defamation group]

2 ways to support E-rate modernization

[Commentary] The current E-rate policy environment is an unprecedented confluence of events: a Federal Communications Commission Chairman committed to modernizing the program, an FCC commissioner deeply passionate about E-rate, the momentum of President Barack Obama’s ConnectED proposal, the announcement of $2 billion in found funding for the E-rate program, and the ever-increasing demand for connectivity in the nation’s schools and libraries.

The E-rate’s long-term success relies on its ability to be updated to reflect the ever-changing world of connectivity and educational technology, while remaining committed to its focus on equity and program sustainability. Though most schools and libraries are now connected to the Internet, the quality and speed of that connection does not always meet the demand.

We still have school districts that do not have the technological capacity to keep up with online formative assessments and the tracking of massive amounts of data through state longitudinal data systems.

American Association of School Administrators (AASA) strongly supports a two-pronged approach to modernizing the E-rate -- one with both programmatic changes and a permanent increase in the program’s funding cap. An infusion of funding without programmatic restructuring is a poor investment, and programmatic restructuring without permanent, adequate funding sets the program on a path towards instability and failure.

[Domenech is AASA Executive Director]

Digital divide, lack of certified librarians ‘a national crisis’

Barbara Stripling, president of the American Library Association, said students, teachers, and librarians are facing “a silent dilemma.”

Stripling was one of three panelists who spoke at the National Press Club on May 6 about the “second wave of the digital divide.” The first wave is the lack of equal access to computers and the Internet. The second wave comes when those students who lack access grow up without ever learning necessary technology skills. They may be unable to complete homework assignments or tell the difference between a random blog and a reputable source for research papers. They may not know how to search for jobs, or to find information about going to college.

Seventy-five percent of teachers are assigning homework to students that require a “digital environment,” Stripling said, but only 54 percent of teachers say they believe all of their students have access to those tools. “The school library then becomes the most powerful place for them,” she said. “School librarians are in charge of that training, of providing those tools. That is the responsibility of the school librarian.”

But not all school librarians are qualified to do this sort of training, Striping admitted. Too many public schools do not hire state-certified librarians, she said, instead relying on well-intentioned but unqualified members of their community. About one-third of public school libraries don’t have full-time, state-certified librarians, according to a 2013 report authored by Kathy Rosa, director of the ALA’s Office for Research and Statistics.

Fifty-six percent of public charter schools do not employ state-certified librarians. “It’s a national crisis,” Stripling said. “There are entire communities that have absolutely no certified librarians.” Initiatives like ConnectED and the E-Rate program may help, the panelists said, but libraries simply need more funding to make a difference.

3 trends driving digital learning today

Three trends are changing the way education is perceived in the US, and learning outcomes are improving with more modern approaches: The expansion of digital content, mass distribution, and personalized learning.

Google for Education is a technology trend to watch!

[Commentary] There is a tidal wave called Google focused on the education market never seen before. Developers at Google are not only giving Google Apps to K-12 schools, they are supporting schools with the new Google Console, through which anyone can serve as the IT Director.

Google for Education has just partnered with Synnex Global, a super-giant Fortune 500 Company that supports IT procurement through valued-added resellers. Google is making IT deployment easy and affordable in schools so that all education professionals can focus on what matters most–student learning. Here are three reasons to use Google Apps:

  1. Google’s sharing its 10X thinking in schools! The sharing of in-time data, collaborative tool deployment and the rise of one-to-one learning environments makes Google Apps deployed with the Google Management Console the way to go!
  2. There is a NEW role for the IT Director in the education space. With the Google Management Console, Google is ensuring IT can easily set permissions for each of its members, even if you’re running a hybrid of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) mixed with organizational issued devices.
  3. Google with Synnex is positioned well for bridging digital divide! With partners like Edmodo, Google Drive now plugs into the free Learning Management System.

[Grillo, PhD, is a Google Certified Teacher and Technology Deployment Specialist in Government and Education at TBD Partners]

Three critical requirements to transform virtual schools

[Commentary] Full-time, online public schools originated as alternatives to traditional education approaches and were even bandied about as ways to revolutionize the learning paradigm.

Now, they too are in need of transformation, because the results so far are mixed at best. While there are many issues that would need addressing, I want to center in on three of the key, critical elements required for virtual schools to be transformed.

  1. Be a specialist, not a generalist. Virtual schools mirror their brick-and-mortar counterparts too closely by attempting to be all things to all students. Peruse any virtual school web site and you will see they believe they can serve anyone (as long as they live in the state) — gifted, struggling, homebound, etc.
  2. Make the human connection. The learning may be online but the experience should not be virtual. Humans are social beings, and they crave interaction, and shared experiences
  3. Make retention a culture, not a strategy. Far too many virtual schools spend too much time focused on attracting new students instead of taking care of the ones they already have. They wait until March or April to engage in trying to retain students instead of understanding that retention begins the moment a family first says “Yes.”

[Tucker is owner, founder, and Chief Fig of Figment Consulting]

Five new ed-tech innovations for schools

[Commentary] Products that make it easier for teachers to control students’ tablet computers and leave notes within the margins of online lessons are among the latest ed-tech innovations we’re highlighting.

  1. Classroom-based control of tablets. TabPilot sells a program, called Tablet Manager, that offers many of these same features for monitoring, controlling, and provisioning Android-based tablets at the classroom level. It’s a cloud-based management system that “puts teachers in control of classroom tablets,” the company says -- allowing teachers to turn specific apps on or off for individual student devices or groups of devices.
  2. An identity-based alternative to managing devices. Centrify offers schools an identity-based approach to managing who has access to what resources, rather than a device-based approach. The company says its cloud-based identity management system serves as both a platform for single sign-on functionality and an alternative to mobile device management (MDM) software.
  3. Enhanced ‘Notes’ feature helps personalize online/blended learning. A few months after unveiling a new user interface that let teachers leave notes in the margins of online lessons and other course content, Odysseyware has refined this feature based on user feedback to make it more useful for both educators and students.
  4. Self-paced online curriculum for middle school students. Fuel Education has introduced a self-paced online curriculum designed for middle school students as they transition through the challenging “make or break” years in their education, according to the company.
  5. Another cloud hosting option for schools. Cloud server provider Infinitely Virtual has introduced a few cloud-based hosting plans aimed at schools and colleges.

New education technology services aim to stop the ‘summer slide’

Research suggests that students lose two to three months of grade-level equivalency in math skills over the summer, which affects their readiness for the new school year -- and this problem is more pronounced for students from low-income families.

This summer, students will have at least two new education technology services to offset summer learning loss -- and both will be offered to students at no cost.

AASA, the nation’s largest association for school superintendents, has partnered with TenMarks (an Amazon company) to reverse summer learning loss through an initiative called the TenMarks Summer Math Program. And EverFi, which offers online instruction on topics such as financial literacy and civic engagement to fill gaps in students’ education, has announced a new program called Verano Summer Learning. The program will deliver “bit-sized booster shots” of content to students during the summer months.

The low-income students who stand to benefit the most from online summer enrichment programs from companies such as EverFi and TenMarks are also the students who are least likely to have computers and Internet access at home -- a fact that Davidson readily acknowledges.

“We understand this issue and know that it [could] be an impediment to our success,” he said. “It is one of the reasons we are focusing on deploying low-bandwidth solutions for mobile phones, where the penetration is deeper for families in high-need communities. We are also building out our network of public facilities -- libraries, community-based organizations, and others that have the infrastructure [to serve these students].”

Librarians’ evolving digital roles

As school increasingly incorporate digital technologies and strategies in classrooms, school libraries are changing, too, becoming hubs of communication, research, and technology-enabled teaching and learning.

Sixty percent of librarians said they recommend and/or obtain Common Core-aligned instructional and resource material, 55 percent help teach students the skills required by the Common Core, 43 percent collaborate with teachers on instructional lessons aligned with the Common Core, and 30 percent help to ensure that technology infrastructure is adequate to support the Common Core.

Sixty-three percent of librarians rated expanding instruction on the use of digital resources as a high priority in the next two years, and 53 percent said the same of increasing access to digital content. School librarians also recommend a variety of technology for purchase. Thirty-seven percent of librarians recommend apps for purchase, 34 percent recommend subscription databases, 27 percent recommend tablets, and 26 percent recommend educational games, in addition to other technology recommendations.

Early learning, assisted by technology

Susan Kelly is excited about the possibilities when her school welcomes its first class of students this fall. Kelly is the vice principal of VINCI School in Ottawa, Canada, one of a series of new early learning schools that model the approach of VINCI Education: a hands-on blend of low-tech and high-tech instruction, guided by a skilled classroom teacher.

The tablets and curriculum come from VINCI Education, whose ClassVINCI solution includes more than 70 digital games and lessons and is available for purchase by other institutions. Each activity is rooted in cognitive science and is aligned with the Common Core State Standards.

Digital games are accompanied by a robust learning management system that teachers can use to schedule and assign specific activities for their students, Kelly said. And while the children are working on these activities, the software closely tracks and analyzes their progress -- giving teachers an easy way to see if their students have grasped the material.

“Teachers can see exactly how each child is doing -- how many times the children have attempted a lesson, and whether they were successful or not,” Kelly said. This allows teachers to hone in on concepts that are giving their students problems and offer more personalized, one-on-one support.