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July 31, 2012 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise Head of the Class  Can teachers use film to enhance lessons? Teacher Mark Phillips in this blog post suggests using short clips from relevant movies or television shows to capture students' attention and tap into their emotions. Phillips writes that film often has been used -- perhaps most often in social studies and English courses. He suggests showing short clips of films, rather than entire movies. Edutopia.org/Mark Phillips' blog (7/30)       eLearning  Consider students' individual technology needs Federal guidelines require school districts to "consider the need for assistive technology for all students with an individualized education plan," writes Brian S. Friedlander, a school psychologist. Increasingly, he notes in this blog post, that includes the purchase of iPads. However, he writes, before purchasing such devices, educators should consider what technology would work best for students with disabilities and ensure students' individual needs are met. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education (7/30)         Other News How educators are using 50 of the best ed-tech products eClassroom News (free registration) (7/26)       Systems Management  La. needs improvement in meeting online testing mandate As schools in Louisiana prepare to implement the Common Core State Standards, a recent survey reveals that many schools may be unprepared to adhere to a new requirement that all testing be conducted online. The survey found that many schools endure a shortage of computers, lack adequate Internet connectivity and face other issues. "Too few schools are ready for the digital age," said state Superintendent of Education John White. "If we plan now, and invest our funds wisely, we can change this." District Administration magazine (7/2012)       Other News Support mounts for educational-technology professional development Education Week/Digital Education blog (7/30)       S.C. district allows high-school students to register for classes online The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) (7/28)       Managing Budgets  Schools in U.K. asked to donate used computer equipment Computer Aid International is asking schools and universities in the United Kingdom to donate their unwanted computers and related equipment to the group so they may be distributed to students in developing countries. Officials say the donations of computer equipment help students in other countries learn IT skills that will help them be successful in their future careers. The aid group has donated 200,000 computers and laptops to more than 100 countries. Computerworld UK (7/29)       Schools and Social Media  Calif. school districts step up communication via social media Several school districts in California plan to use social media more often to communicate with the community, parents and others. Some already have adopted policies to regulate such communication, and some say the natural next step will be to assess whether policies are needed to regulate how teachers and students use social media in class. North County Times (Temecula, Calif.) (7/29)       Other News Tips to help teachers use social media in the classroom Edudemic (7/28)       Last Byte  Parents of child with disabilities develop assistive iPad app The parents of a child with cerebral palsy and autism have developed urTalker Pro, an assistive software application for the iPad, iTouch and iPod Touch. The app, which allows users to communicate through pictures, comes with more than 150 already preloaded and allows users to customize their own pictures and categories as well. Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas) (7/28)       SmartQuote  The main dangers in this life are the people who want to change everything, or nothing." --Lady Nancy Astor, British politician       SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! 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