|
July 12, 2005 - Vol. 6, No. 28
TechLearning News
- Computer science teachers are urging schools to rethink the role of computer science in the K-12 curriculum.
- If your school has a collection of old computers collecting dust someplace, you may be able to turn them into ready money.
- Student response systems, relatively low-tech tools, are having a major impact on classrooms across the country.
- By the end of the year, a full version of the FCAT will be available online for fourth-, eighth- and 10th-graders.
Wanted: Computer Science Students
Computer science teachers are urging schools to rethink the role of computer science in the K-12 curriculum. When computers first entered the schools, taking a computer science class was often the only way to get hands-on computer experience. Over the years, computer science gave way to computer literacy and hands-on use of software and the Internet. Computer science, encompassing the study of hardware and software design, real-world applications and computers' effect on society, now fights for a place in middle- and high-school students' crowded schedules. Computer science teachers say that they're handicapped by the perception that careers in the field are hard to come by, though federal job forecasts contradict that notion, and careers from criminology to biology often demand advanced computer training. Executive running the nation's high-tech companies are increasingly looking offshore to find qualified employees. Computer science teachers argue that states must embrace the idea of training sophisticated computer users at a younger age, giving more students the opportunity to learn programming, Web site and database management and advanced graphics. The newly formed Computer Science Teachers Association is promoting a model curriculum that integrates computer science through every grade, with the goal of developing a generation of tool builders, not just tool users.
Source: Computer Science Teachers Association
One Man's Junk...
If your school has a collection of old computers collecting dust someplace, you may be able to turn them into ready money. Collecting old computer models is one of the hot trends in the technology world. People are beginning to hold on to their old desktops and laptops, giving them a growing value in the ever-so-hungry collectibles market. Web sites like There's Classic Tech (classictechpub.com) and the Obsolete Technology Website (oldcomputers.net) help feed the trend. Dozens of vintage IBMs, Ataris, Amigas, Apples and Commodores are offered for auction on eBay daily. An upcoming book, Retro Electro: Collecting Technology From Atari to Walkman, puts the price of an Altair, depending on its condition, between $930 and $2,785. In the mid 70's, the Altair was the ultimate build-it-yourself computer kit, with many high school computer science teachers using the machine as the first step into personal computing for students in their classrooms. The Holy Grail of any serious collector is the first in the Apple line, the Apple I, the first mass-produced personal computer, designed in a garage by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and sold in 1976 for $666.66.
Source: The Orlando Sentinel
The Answer Is Just a Click Away
A relatively low-tech tool is having a major impact on classrooms across the country. Student response systems are rapidly gaining in popularity. Clickers, as they are popularly called, allow students to get instant feedback on classroom quizzes and help teachers determine if their students are understanding what is being taught. Teachers post a quiz or pose a true-false or multiple-choice question that students respond to by pushing a button on the clicker. Looking much like a TV remote control and using the same infrared technology, the clicker is enhanced by software that logs student answers, tabulates their scores and assigns a grade. Teachers can cut and paste quiz grades into their electronic grade books, saving time and duplication of effort. Every students gets to answer every question posed. In addition, teachers say that the system actually encourages more class discussion, prodding even shy students to get involved as responses are debated. Basic systems, including a receiver and software, cost around $1,500. At the college level, students can buy the clicker in the student book store. In large lecture halls, clickers can add an element of interactivity that enhances student learning.
Source: Wired News
FL To Post Old FCAT Questions
Until recently, all Florida parents knew about the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) was what their children scored. By the end of the year, a full version of the test will be available online for fourth-, eighth- and 10th-graders. Students will be able to use the test to study and parents will be able to get a better sense of the nature of the questions asked. Other group believe having access to the test will help discover any biases or inaccuracies. Department of Education officials said it has been the price of developing new questions that made the state unable to release old ones. An infusion of money in 2003 has allowed the Department to speed up the process of writing new FCAT questions, making the release of old question possible. As more questions are developed for other grade levels, those tests may also be posted online, though test releases aren't expected to be a yearly occurrence. The Florida DOE spends about $13 million on FCAT development and another $44 million annually to administer and score the test.
Source: The Florida Times-Union
|
