Head of the Class

The future requires "quantum leap" in digital leadership
More administrators say they are leading by example by encouraging educators to use more digital technology in the classroom. They say this type of leadership will become increasingly important as districts work to implement the Common Core State Standards. "Modeling is crucial. If you want your kids and teachers to be users of 21st-century tools, ... you have to show that you can do it too," said Spike Cook, principal of an elementary school in Millville, N.J. "It shows that I'm still a teacher -- I can still instruct and still learn." Digital Directions (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (2/6)
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eLearning

Tech expert argues for math curriculum changes
Math is essential in day-to-day living, jobs in technical fields and logical thought, says Conrad Wolfram, an innovator in technology and founder of ComputerBasedMath.org. Conrad, who has contracted with the Estonian government to revamp the math curriculum there, says understanding computer programming and re-imaging math assessments are two important pieces in the transition to modern math. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (2/10)
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Ways to help struggling readers understand more complex material
Having a strong reader read aloud with a student who struggles with decoding can help the latter reader access the higher-level materials, literacy coach Marisa Kaplan writes in this blog post. "Raising our expectations is a good thing, and being in tune to what students need can help us pinpoint exactly where our expectations should be," writes Kaplan, who offers additional tips and online resources to help teachers give struggling readers access to works required by the Common Core State Standards. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education (2/8)
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Other News

Systems Management

Before negotiating with cloud providers, know what's at stake
Enterprises preparing to migrate to the cloud need to give consideration to the costs they will incur from the service outages they are likely to one day experience, experts say. For some companies, losing connectivity for even an hour can knock millions of dollars of revenue off the books, which means having an accurate picture of potential liabilities is critical before stepping up to the negotiating table with service providers, writes David Linthicum. InfoWorld/Cloud Computing blog (2/8)
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Managing Budgets

Common core requires investment in technology
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has budgeted $51 million for school technology in his proposed budget -- which could be used to help school districts implement online testing requirements under the Common Core State Standards. While officials say the common core is not the reason for the shift to online testing, they also are finding the state to be lagging a bit behind in its adoption of computerized testing -- required under the national framework. The Tennessean (Nashville) (tiered subscription model) (2/9)
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Schools and Social Media

Social media leaves trail when students plan pranks
Social media increasingly is being used by students to coordinate large-scale pranks, such as a lunchtime water balloon fight at an Ohio high school last month that led the principal to cancel prom. However, officials say that students using social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to plan their hijinks also leave behind a trail of clues. This was demonstrated recently when school officials used social media to stop students' plan to dump flour from a high-school balcony while the evidence was still in students' lockers. Cincinnati Enquirer, The (tiered subscription model) (2/9)
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Your Views

Did your school or district participate in or host any events associated with Digital Learning Day, held on Feb. 6? 

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Last Byte

Talking robot goes to the head of the class
A communication robot named Robovie will go to school alongside fifth-graders in an elementary school in Japan as part of a 14-month research program. Through the program, researchers will discover how robots interact with humans. The robot enrolled on Feb. 5, programmed to recognize the faces and voices of students and teachers. The Japan Daily Press (2/7)
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SmartQuote

If Columbus had an advisory committee he would probably still be at the dock.
Arthur Goldberg,
American statesman and jurist
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