Resources

Educator Resource Centers

The editors of eSchool News have assembled a variety of resource centers on the hottest topics in education technology. The resource centers listed below are a collection of news and resources aimed at helping you sort out the complex challenges facing educators every day. Just click on the titles below to access these invaluable collections and start solving your most difficult challenges today!

Preparing for a pandemic
With fears about the H1N1 virus, commonly known as "swine flu," putting school leaders on high alert, we've compiled this collection of news stories and additional resources to keep you up to date on the latest developments in this critical story--and to help you deal with the crisis in your own schools.

Building a Cost-Effective Digital Classroom
If today's students are to compete in an increasingly global economy, schools will need much more than textbooks and traditional pencil-and-paper approaches to succeed. Students need the benefit of technology-rich classrooms to give them marketable skills that they will use throughout their professional lives.

Stimulating Achievement: Your Guide to Ed Funding
The $787 billion stimulus package that Congress passed in February provides an unprecedented $106 billion for education--and a historic chance to make short-term investments that will have far-reaching results. With the influx of federal cash, however, will come close scrutiny. School leaders will need to spend their stimulus funds wisely or risk a public backlash that could hinder educational progress for years to come.

Learning Without Limits
Online learning is no longer regarded with the skepticism it was a decade ago--and now thousands of K-12 schools nationwide are turning to online-learning providers for help with credit recovery, enrichment opportunities for gifted students, and even for providing core curriculum classes in areas where there isn't enough demand to justify keeping a teacher on staff.

Online Tutoring To Boost Student Success
Thanks to No Child Left Behind, schools cannot afford to have their students failing to succeed ... and many are turning to online tutoring providers to ensure this doesn't happen. Online tutoring can supplement the instruction a child receives during school, extending the learning day beyond the limits of the traditional classroom. And, it can help provide personalized learning services that meet the needs of every student.

GIS and Geographic Inquiry
"Geospatial" technologies--which include geographic information system (GIS), global positioning system (GPS), and remote sensing (RS) tools--are becoming increasingly important in our everyday lives. These technologies use "smart" maps that can display, query, and analyze geographic databases; receivers that provide location and navigation; and global-to-local imagery and tools that provide context and analysis.

Successful Video Production
Now more than ever, technology plays a crucial role in the way that students learn and prepare for careers in a global economy. Armed with tech know-how and 21st-century skills, U.S. students will be able to successfully compete with students from other globally-aware countries.

Empowering Education Through Technology
Technology-based applications such as PowerPoint, spreadsheets, and desktop and internet publishing software aren't just relegated to school business departments anymore--they're now being integrated into core curriculum areas to enhance teaching and learning. And in the process of using these tools, students are developing key 21st-century skills.

Measuring 21st-century skills
To remain competitive in an increasingly global, knowledge-based economy, today's employers need graduates who are adept at so-called "21st-century skills" such as using information and communications technology (ICT) to gather and assess information, collaborate, innovate, think critically, and solve problems.

Universal Response to Intervention
When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, was rewritten in 2004, a newfound commitment to helping struggling students make progress in the core curriculum areas was born. Known as Response to Intervention (RTI), the model mandated a new way to determine if a student does not perform at grade level owing to a lack of instruction, and which students require special education as the result of a disability. With IDEA set to receive nearly $25 billion under the 2009 spending bill and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, many districts will find that the funds come not a moment too soon.